Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-12-22

! the little readers lips intently, and at the
end of each sentence up go several little
! hands. The owner of one is selected and
he trots off with an air of gratified self
| importance TO bring the book, or to put
| Jennie on the desk, as the case may be,
thus showing that he has understood
what his classmate has just said. Jem-
mic, when lifted upon the desk, where he
stands half tmidly, half proudly, facing
the company, turns out to be tiny fellow
of only five years, with large blue eyes,
sunny hair, and very resolute mouth
and chin. The children then take turns
to write on the blackboard sentences
spoken by their teacher.
! In higher class, which is next mar
shaled upon the platform, there is one
! little maiden who lost hearing when three
years old. She has been under instruction
here four years, and she speaks as well as
any hearing child of her age, though
when she first came she had lost speech
entirely, but for the instruction she has
received she would never have spoken
again. A young girl of nineteen is in
this class, who is congenital mute, and
never received any instruction until she
came to school here, hersfriends preferring
to keep her at home and communicate
with her by natural signs. She has been
here two years, and now she speaks so as
to be understood, has almost dropped the
habit of using signs, and reads the lips
better than she talks. Another noticeable
case is a colored boy of ten, who became
deaf at four years of age, and. was not
sent to school before being placed here
some six months ago. He has never lost
Speech owing, probably, to unusual care
on the part of his mother. He has i'm
proved greatly since being here, and talks
very well but it is amusing to See how
the African pecularities in pronunciation
will sometimes crop out in his talk and
he has all the marked partiality of the
race for making himself conspicuous-its
easy, good -natured, silly conceit, and ten
dency to take things easy-its impulsve
quicllness of retaliation and swiftly-chang-
ging moods-but he is no laggard with his
lessons and delights to learn. Some one
having asked him how old he was, he re-
piled in a loud distinct voice, addressing
the whole company, and not one whit
abashed, that he would be ten years old
next "Jinnovary. He furtheri informed
the audience, with grin, that he lived in
LennoX-which he pronounced LenX,"
very short" on the right hand side of
the road This happens to be the home
of the Lieutenant-GOvernor of the State,
who was sitting not far away.
The children in this class were put to
; writing out words from dictation on the
black board They were such words as
+ Steamboat" October, >" September.
=. | believe only one word was missed, and
that was Waterproof"
, A third class was employed in writing
: out on the board descriptions of the vari-
Gus objects in an engraving which was
/; held up by their teacher. This was done
to show their fluency i'll written language,
ol. IN, n
, tiplication, calling out the figures as they
i, wrote them down and summing up the
result orally. should except one little boy,
; who was allowed to do it all in writing be
; cause, though he talks very well, lie is
subject to Il distressing nervousness
+ which incapactates him from appearing tc
advantage before strangers. The poor
; fellow suffers from contraction of the
+ lower facial muscles, so that his mouth is
. drawn to one side, and he fancies that
. everybody is noticing it, His teacher re
( lated to me an affecting incident i'll this
connection.
y She had the children gathered about he
one Sunday and was telling them o
Il Heaven. They had great many ques
= tions 10 ask. " Should they be allowed
# to play in heaven 2" Should they wca
II long white dresses ?" and questions of ,
=, like nature. She told them that the,
Il would be very happy and very beautiful
there, and that they would see .grea
# many beautiful things. Beautiful !!
l. 81 beautiful ?" "Oh, / shall never b.
/, beautiful ~ cried out one and another
with all the intensity of childish self
depreciation. She repeated that the,
would be beautiful and free from al
bodily defects. just then she caught tn
d gaze of the boy whom / have mentionc'
- fixed upon her face, with intense eager
of ness He waited till he saw that all th
Il. children were looking at her, and in
moment, when no one saw him, he mad
of a rapid and significant gesture and asked
81, "Will my face be straight ?" Poor child
Of such look of perfect delight came int
his eyes when the teacher graycly an
swered, Yes"
In fourth class the children d
sums in simple fractions from the ora
n dictation of the teacher, and gave spec
N mems of impromptu composition, whic
t. they wrote on the blackboard, and rea
ID aloud This class all keep daily iouTna
N which is read and corrected by thei
I'd teacher each day,
A The highest classes were examined i
a the various studies taught in other schools
ld They gave some interesting illustration
in in chemistry, under the direction OF the
of teacher, and explained the different prC
c. cesses as they went along. They wei
Ill also examined in physiology; and the
lg study mental PHILOSOPHY, botany an
ld drawing.
Il: There was one little fellow so excee,
I'd ingly bright in the scientific branches th'
he he won from the Governor the remaI
a that he would be heard of by and by as
n, lecturer on kindred subjects.
r. One must bear constantly in mind tn
re these children are taught entirely by wol
ny of mouth; that no gestures are ever use
1g except such ordinary ones as often occ1
ne naturally when speaker tries in all wa,
IS, to enforce what he is saying,-Ae'o 10
Eneninn Mini