The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1870-06-08
reaching the Dumb to Speak--Scenes
in Deaf Mute School

"A Boston correspondent of the Worces.ci
u spy gives this interesting account of the Pub
lie Deaf Mute School in that city, where ar
ticulation is taught:
| one OF the public schools here is for ,tca {
anu mute children. 1t was established last
autumn, and the results OF the six months
teachings are encouraging to the teachers and
| astounding to outsiders. There are between
tnirty and forty pupils, girls and boys, from
| SIX years old to sixteen. Some were born
deaf and dumb, some became so while they
were mere babies, and few had learned Fl,
talk and to read a little before they lost their
nearing y few of them had received instr,,t-
ton previously at Hartford, or some other
institution, but a large majority came to thi,
school, knowing not even their letters, and
having no means, excepting natural siollS
OF communicating with each other. Her,
signs are not allowed, and the children are.
taught to articulate. The method of instruc-
ton Is Very interesting and must REQUIRE al
most superhumau cXertion i'll the teachers
FIRST the alphabct is thoroughly taught
Win a large chart on one easel. and n black
Doard on another, the teacher begins with
tncse unfortunate pupils, who cannot hear
sound she makes. She points to Il letter. 4
loE instance, and she says it over and over
again, showing the children how th, liI,s form
IL, placing her finger on her throat that they
may feel the organs there at the Inotiou when
she artlculates the letter; showing them how
To hil their lungs, and to make a sound: rh,u
the letter Is written i'll its various forms. can
ltal, small, writing and printing: and 50. letter
a'tef letter Is taught until the alphabet is
mastered Then come short words and SELL
fences. taught in the same slow, patient way.
mere Is nothing more interesting or more
of these children. fhe teacher wishes to
teach the child the words on and under She
places book on chair, looks into the chiId's
face, who has already learned book and chair
and tells him to say these words; he saws
them, and IN n strange voice, but still quite
plainly. and touches them as he speaks Then
the teacher, laying the book on the chair
says on-on, till the child repeats it; then
placing the book under the chair. uades him
say under; then she writes both words on the
blackboard, that he may spell them, and he
writes them afterward (reading. spelling and
writing are taught at the same time in this
way); she then gives him an exercise speak
ing as she would to Il child that can hear:
Put your slate on the table; put your hat
under the table, and SO on; the child repeats
each sentence after her, and then does the
thing required; often making mistakes. but
trying until he understands and succeeds
Ihe eaSerness i'll young faces, the strained
attention, the whole soul i'm the ewes which
are fixed with almost painful intentions upon
tbs teachers lips; the struggle for speech: the
passionate delight at success, when the teach
er says right" are strangely pathetic. 1t
seems as II some peculiar character were
needed for such teaching, and this school is
fortunate in its teacher. The four ladies have
all, from various reasons, been interested for
years in the teaching of the deaf and dumb
and when this school was opened, intense
sympathy with this form of affliction led them
to undertake this work, rather than some
thing more easy and pleasant. They seem To
have Infinite patience with the poor little
creatures who have such fearful difficulties
20 contend with; they have real enthusiasm
i'll the work and entire faith i'm its success
and they have reason for their faith, for al
ready they are teaching arithmetic and geo
graphy. 1t is wonderful to see Il class called
up before the blackboard, on which are writ
ten fifty words without connection, and each
scholar in turns takes the pointer and indi-
Gates the word the teacher speaks. There
are no signs; she speaks as she would to any
class, with perhaps little more emphatic
enunciation, 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 blackboard and if
the boy there has failed to understand and
point 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 dictatiOn They learn
very quickly to understand the motion of
the lips, and those who articulate most dis
tinctly are able to talk a little with their
ecachers. Having once seen this school it IS
TsS Es are Is rE a. tas aSha 81 81 the
devotion, patience and sweetness of four
young ladies, who give their hearts to these
unfortunate children.