The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1869-04-01
From the Banner of Light.
Teaching the Deaf Mules.

From the Banner of Light.
Teaching the Deaf Mules.
DEAR BANNER-As you have had the
goodness and liberality to publish an arti-
Gle for me favoring teaching articulation
to the deaf, / have taken the liberty to
forward you another sketch. Having
had additional experience, and with a
child, too, that is totally deaf, and as deaf
ness has ever been considered to be a
fatal barrier in the way Of teaching such
articulation, I feel DESTROYS that what |
have done should go before the public be-
lieving that it may do some good
Last September little girl seven years
old was brought>to nv house, with a de-
sire that / should try my skill in teaching
articulation. She could hear nothing, and
the mother told me it was feared that the
scarlet fever, which she had at the age of
three, and which destroyed the child's
hearing, had also destroyed It's powers of
articulation, as she had dreadful canker
sores about the roots of her tongue. AS
before stated, this child came to me last
september. She now can call off the
the whole alphabet quite plainly, can
spell lnonosyllables, can read short words
write quite a pretty hand, and read
writing readily. She will speak very
many words plainly (wordsthat she knows
nothing about) by having them mouthed
to her, two or three times, in a slow, plain
manner, by the teacher She now begins
to tell of some little incidents, such as
the following The other morning I sat
writing, and the child was in the room.
By some means mouse got into the room,
and after 1t was caught, she ran to me,
much excited, and said "The-mouse-
run-fast." The same morning was quite
cold, and when she first came into the
room, she said, "Tt-is-very-co She
will call the family to their different
lneals-breakfast, dinner or supper-and
speak plainly, or UNDERSTANDABLE so [
heard her to-day say (she had a pin
in her hand), "See-me-drop-a-pin, y
and with that dropped the pin.
One great objection which has ever been
raised against trying to teach articulation
to those who are totally deaf IS, if you
get them to initiate words, it will be in
such cultural noise no one wants to
hear it" And another is, "They cannot
be made to them more than five feet !"
That, certainly, is incorrect for [ saw
this child tried this morning, as far az
fifteen feet, and she understood readily
And my own son, who Is proficient in
the science, has been made to understand
at the distance of one hundred feet many
times. When he goes to market, &c, he
passes our house-the road is one hundred
feet from the house-and many times his
mother has stepped to the door and ask
ed him to buy such articles as she wanted,
telling him, 81 will make it RIGHT when
you come back" All would be done ac-
cording to orders, and he heari1ao not q
word, any more than if his mother had
been IN Mystic, Conn, andhe inthe city of
Boston, Mass. This son of mine was born
deaf but not entirely he could ALWAYS hear
some. But have known anumbei Of mutes
that could hear as well and better than he
But he is SO good talker that. should he
come into your office on business. and Won
know nothing about him, hemight do his
buslnessaCathyo@, andgoaway, and itwould
not enter your mind that he was q deaf
man, and yet would hear not a word
while there, One thing YOU wonId
notice, and probably speak of. after he
lett; he would constantly look qou IN the
face. He once had some conversation with
a stranger who asked him if he was born
IN this country. He told him he was. and
asked why he asked that question. Said
the stranger, Il thought you clipned some
of your words little" Said nv SON 81
will tell you the reason of that. 7 have
not heard a scord since I came here "
How do you understand, then?D By SEE
'ng the mouth of the speaker" said nv
; son, &C., &C., ~
A word more upon the "gutturaln noise
made by totally deaf persons. Whysbould
the deaf child's voice be unnatural, anv
more than hearing child's, would ask
The trouble is, the deaf child does NOT
J know how his voice sounds, of course. The
hearing teacher must instruct him how 10 ~
modulate his voice. $500 Nv -
With regard to the child that is now
with me see nothing to prevent her be.
coming very good talker, with GOOD
sound voice and not cultural. if attended
to thoroughly by good teacher.
l think as much time should be snent
in teaching articulation as the dumb Ian.
gauge; and if so, think most Of the
deaf children would be very GOOD talk.
ers JoHNATHAN W Rn D.l =
/ Mystic Conn. 49, 11''