Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-08-18

1
doses il all well enuff, but rs miles squa1
Nv il would make most men either coun
| terfeiter or hoss thief. a.
Scenes In Deaf MUTE School.
A BosToH correspondent of the Wor
cester Spy gives this interesting account
of the public deaf mute school in that
city, where articulation is taught:
One Of the public schools here Is fol
deaf and dumb children. II was estab
lished last autumn, and the results Of the
six months teaching are encouraging TO
the teachers, and Astonishing to outsiders.
There are between thirty and forty pu-
pills, 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 to talk and
read little before they lost their hearing.
A few of them had received instruction
previously at Hartford, or some other In.
stitnlion but large majority came to
this school knowing not even their let
ters, and having no means, excepting nat
ural signs, OF Communicating with each
other. Here signs are not allowed, and
the children are taught to articulate. The
method of instruction is very interesting,
and must require almost superhuman pa.
tience in the teachers. First the alphabet
is thoroughly taught. With large chart
on one easel and blackboard on another,
the teacher begins with those unfortunate
pupils who cannot hear sound she
makes. She points to letter, A for in
stance, and says it over and over again,
showing the childxen how the lips form
it, placing their fingers on their throat
that they may feel the organ there, and
the motion when she articulates the
letter, showing them how to I'LL their
lungs and to make sound then the let
ter is written in its varying forms. CAPT.
tai, small, writing and printing; and 70
letter after letter is taught until the al
phabet il mastered. Then comes short
words and sentences, taught in the same
slow, patient way. There is nothing
more interesting or more touching than
TO watch lesson given to one OF these
children. The teacher wishes to teach
the child the words ION" and under"
She places book on char, looks into
the child's face, who has already learned
book and chair, and tell, him to say
these words. He says them, and in a
strange voice. but still quite plainly, and
touches them as he speaks. Then the
teacher laying the book on the chair,
says "On, on" until the child repeats 10 !;
then placing the book under the chair,
makes him say under then che writes
both~words on the black board that he
may spell them, and he writes them alter
wards (reading, spelling and writing are
taught at the same time In this way); she
then gives him an exercise, speaking a.
she would to child that can hear, Put
your slate on the table," put your hat
under the table," and 30 on. The
Child repeats each sentence after her, and
then does the thing required --often maxi
ing mistakes, but trying until he under
stands and succeeds.
The eagerness in young faces, the
strained attention, tho whole soul in the
eyes which are fixed with almost painful
intentness upon the teachers lips; the
struggle for speech; the passionate de
light at success, when the teacher says
right" are strangely pathetic. 1t seems
as II some peculiar character were needed
for such teaching, and this school 10 fortu.
nate in its teachers 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 Attic
ton led them to undertake this work
rather than something more easy and
pleasant They seem to have infinite pa
thence with the poor little creatures who
have such fearful difficulties to contend
with they have real enthusiasm in the
work, and entire faith In its success and
they have reason for their faith, for al
ready they are teaching arithmetic and
geography. It Is wonderful to see class
called up before the blackboa on which
are written fifty words without connec-
ton, and each scholar in turn takes
the pointer and indicates the word the
teacher speakA There are no signs; she
speaks % she would to any other class,
with perhaps little more emphatic enun-
citation, and little more pronounced
movement Of the lips; every eye II fxed
upon her fhce, and when she has spoken
the word, every eye Ia turned on the
ackboard, and II the boy there has failed
to understand, and points to the wrong
word, the little hands 60 up eagerly to
correct the mistake. Then the black board
is cleaned, and they write words and SEN
fences from dictation. They learn very
quickly to understand the motion Of the
lips, and those who articulate most dis
tinctly are able to talk little with their
teachers. Having once seen this school II
Is impossible to forget IT; and one goes To
1t again and again TO assure ones self that
1t is real that 1t Is no tale of magic, hut
that such wonders are really done by the
enthusiasm, devotion, patience, and sweet
ness Of four young ladies who give their
hearts 70 these unfortunate children.