Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-07-21
A SILENT COMMENCEMENT.
Peculiar Exercises-The Orators of
Z the Washington Deaf Mute College.
GorresDondence Boston Advertiser


Anything SO impressive as 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 a nuisance to young man
when in public or society; he can get along
/ 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 rough put
ting them into gloves merely aggravates
matters if he wants to describe a circular
sweep, he only accomplished an irregular
! triangle; if he undertakes to gestieulate
| from the shoulder, he gets nervous at see
ing his hand before his face, and at find
| ing his fingers sprawling about in unkind
! disorder. But these gentlemen had none
| of these troubles; there was no dead or
| foreign matter about them; they spoke with
! fingers and hands and arms and faces and
! eyes 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 i'll this universal Ian
guage. You could not speak with the
President from your seat near the platform
yet while the Grafton was delivering, [ saw
him frequently speak with teachers and
wanted to give one of the young men bo-
quet, you could do no more 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 gloyed hand into sight and
| kindled q new Eight in the lads eyes, with
words of womanly praise which you and [
could uot hear
When the name Of the orator was called
or announced, he rose, bowed to the Presi-
dent, as is customary, stepped to the front
of the PLATFORM and delivered his Grafton
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 he spoke He interpreted for
two-thirds of the audience what the orator
said to the other third reading faster or
slower as the orator argued his PROPOSE
tions or glowed in his fervor. In spite Of
myself, found that I was trying to hear
both the reader and the speaker hearing
one with the ear and the other with the
eye. Before the day was over progressed
so far in my involuntary study that [ could
spoken to the eye, before [ heard what was
spoken to the ear. Do you remember Ben
Johnson's
SIT is not growing like tree,
In bulk, doth make man better be;''
and have you thought that you understood
it's full force? I caught new meaning in
the fine words when saw them spoken so
eloquently by Hotchkiss.
The most thrilling n oMent of the day
came at the close of the valedictory. 1t
was impressive to see Prof. Fay stand and
repeat the words of Mr.. Kendall and DR..
Sunderland, and Gen. Howard and DR..
Sampson, for the benefit of the graduates
and students ts-good to see the glow on their
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
or was not done by design, is more
than [ know; but the fact is that Professor
Prattread the valedietory very rapidly, and
finished it a 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 10 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; glancing out upon
the new life, his spirit 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; tle
final farewell pressing for utterance, and
the hand holding it back with knowledge
thatits enunciation opens the door upon un-
tried scenes--the young mans body SO
alive with the burden of the moment that
it seems as 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, bowlng low to his fellows and
teachers, pausing an instant on his feet to
check the tide of emotion before he took
his seat. Then the whole house broke out
into electric apnlanSe