The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1870-06-29


TEACHING THE DUMB TO SPEAK.-A Boston
pondent of the Worcester Spy gives interesting
account of the public deaf mute school in that city,
where there between thirty and forty pupils girls
and boys, from six years old to sixteen and where
articulation is taught. We make the following ex-
tracts:
Here signs are not allowed, and the children are
taught to articuate. The method of instruction is
very interesting, and must require almost superhuman
patience in the teachers First the al phabet is thor
oughy taught With large chart easel, and
blackboard another the teacher begins with those
unfortunate pupils who cannot hear sound she makes.
She points letter-A, for instance-and says it
over and over again. showing the children how the
lips form it, placing their finger her throat that they
may feel tie organs there, and the motion when she
articuates the letter; showing them how to fill their
lungs, aud to make sound; then the letter is written
in its various forms, capital, small writing and print
ing; and letter after letter is taught until the al
phabet is mastered Then come short words and SEN
fences taught in the slow, patient way. There
is nothing more interesting more touching than to
watch lesson given to one of these children. The
teacher wishes to teach the child the words and
under She places book a chair, looks into the
Chi d. lace who has already learned book and chair,
tells him to say these words; he says them and
in strange voice, but still quite plainly and touches
them he speaks Then the teacher laying the book
on the chair says on-on, till the child repeats
Them placing the book under the chair makes him say
under; then she writes both words the ckboar1
that he may spell them, and he writes them aterward
(readng, spelling, and writing taught at the same
time in this wayG she then gives him exercise,
speaking she would to child that hear: Put
your slate on the table, put your hat under the ia
BILE" and so The child repeats each sentence
after her, and then does the thing requred-often
making Mistakes but trying until he understands and
succeeds.
The eagerness in their young faces the strained at
tention, the whole soul in the eyes which fixed
with almost painful intentness upon the teachers lips
the struggle for Speech the passionate delight sue
cess, when the teacher says right, strangely pa
thec. 1t is wonderful to class called up before
the blackboard, which written fifty words with
out connection; and each scholar in turn takes the
pointer and indicates the word each other speaks
There are no signs she speaks she would to any
oaee, with perhaps little emphatic enumeration,
and little more pronounced movement of the lips;
every eye is fixed upon her face, and when she has
spoken the word every eye is turned to the black
board and if the boy there has failed to understand
and points to the wrong word the little hands go up
eagerly to correct the mistake. Then the blackboard
is cleaned, and they write words and sentences from
dctation. They learn very quickly understand the
motion of the lips and those who articuate dis
tincty able talk little with their teachers