Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1869-07-28
A SILENT COMMENCEMENT.
Peculiar Exercises-The Orators of
the Washington Deaf Mute College,
fa.n.o,,,,, -, da,,na Qoeton Adveriiahr

the Washington Deaf Mute College,
Correspondence Boston Advertiser.
ANYTHING so impressive Us the church ex-
ercises / have rar, ly seen. These young
men were more graceful than any other
college boys of my acquaintance. Hands
and arms are nuisance to young man
when in public or society; he can getalong'
with his feet, but he never knows what to
do with his hands-they are always in his
| way he is sure they are big and roughput-
ting them into gloves merely aggravattes
matters; if hewants to describe n circular
sweep, he only accomplished an irregular
triangle if he undertakes to gesticulate
from the shoulder, he gets nervous Mt see
ing his hand before his face, and at find
ing his fingers sprawling about in unltind
disorder. But these gentlemen had none
of these troubles; there was no dead OF
foreign matter about them; they spoke with
fingers and hands and arms and faces and
ewes and bodies; it was you, the spectator,
who was deaf and could not hear, dumb and
could not answer. In the gallery sat two
or three scores of little boys and girls,
from the preparatory school, to be sure,
but wiser than you in this universal Ian
euage. You could not speak with the
President from your seat near the platform
vet while the Grafton was delivering, | saw
him frequently speak with teachers and
students one hundred feet away. II you
wanted to give one of theyoung men bo-
quet, you could do nomore than send itup
with your name on card. When bright
Mrs. Gallaudet's boquet was delivered and
the recipient looked toward her seat, she
brought her gloved hand into sight and
kindled a new light in the lads eyes, with
words of womanly praise which you and l
could not hear.
When the name of the orator was called
or announced, he rose, bowed to the Presi-
dent, rs is customary, stepped to the front
of the platform, and delivered his oration
in the sign language speaking with such
force and elegance and intonation, that,
deaf as YOU were to his words, you could
hardly help hearing many ideas. For
your particular benefit, however, Pro-
fessor Pratt stood at his left
and rear, and read the pages
that lie spoke He Interpreted for
two-thirds OF the audience what the orator
said TO the other Undertaking fnster or
slower as tho orator argued his PROPOSE
tons or glowed in his fervor. In spite of
myself, / found that / was trying to hear
both the reader and the speaker hearing
oiie with the ear and the other with the
eye. Before the day was over / progressed
SO far in my involuntary study that could
frequently catch the drift of what was
spoken to the eye, before heard what was
spoken to the ear. Do you remember Ben
Johnson's
at is not growing like tree,
In bulk doth make man better boz"
and have you thought thaty understood
it's full force2 / caught o new meaning in
the fine words when saw them spoken so
eloquently by HotchlSiss.
The most thrilling moment Of the day
came at the close of the valedictory. II
was impressive TO see Prof Fay stand and
repeat the words of Mr.. Kendall and DIR.
Sunderland, and Gen. Howard and DR.,
Sampson, for the benefit of the graduates
and students s-good to see the glow ontheir
faces and the intelligence in their eyes at
the rounded and feeling periods Of the
speakers; but the final scene thrilled me
with an emotion almost to tears. Whether it
was or was not done by design, is more
than know; but the fact is that Professor
Pratt read the valedictory very rapidly, and
finished it couple of moments before the
valedictorian did. When he had conclud-
ed he turned the last leaf of the manu-.
script and silently stepped back TO his
seat. Hotchkiss stood alone, tender and
emotional even in his attitude; swept over
by the feeling that must come to all when
the last word is said; glencing out upon
the new life, his split leaping within
him to be gone in among the throngs
of men, his eye and heart full of the
sweetest memories given to- young men; the
final farewell pressing for utterance, and
the hand holding it back with knowledge
thatits enunciation opens the door upon UNI
tried scenes--the young mans body SO
alive with the burden of the moment that
it seems MS if his tongue must catch its
Office and lend It's sad but hopeful melody
to the occasion; turning the last "good
bye" gracefully and feelingly in the hushed
atmosphere, bowIng low to his fellows and
teachers, pausing an instant on his feet ia
check the tide of emotion before he took
his scat. Then the whole house broke Out
into electric aDplause.