New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-07-10

bought geography for her About the last OF sovem
ing her who made this or that thing I'll she %Es Ia
ar WITH the sesm onG time she hSs been interested
prayer and has wanted TO pray told her she might
on. evening in December 1866 when she reading to
| me from little book, we found amorning prayer which
was so simple that thought she would get some idea
from IT, and taught it to her, telling her she should
| pray the next morning she was delighted. ana re,
! TO me- saying: May take my large doll and small
doll. and small chair and book, and large book
Jan. IS, Is66-Fannie Is very nqustive, asking
almost constantly What is that What "a that q
She wants to know the Of different objects and
notions. She writes to her mother every week, but
not without my assistance
NOV a. IS6s.-Durng the year she has studied Cor
nells Primary Geography. She has been through most
OF the divisions Of land and water, and the map ques-
tions on the hemisphere she learned the dV9h
| learned TO subtract small numbers, from AZ, &c.
eSnmsrate, read and add hem she has spelled about
$50 rords. She writes 10 her mother every neck"
Thus little girl eight years old. who could speak but
one word and understand none had in about 10 months
learned to talk to understand what said to her. to
write neatly and spell. to have idea of arithmetic
| and geography and to realize the existence OF God.
| When Fannie had been under instruction for some
| months Miss Rogers satisfied that she should
in what she had undertaken and began to wish
for more extended field Of action "For," said she
did not want devote my life to child" Her plan
WAS TO open little school for deaf and deafmue chill
dren 10 be taught she had taught Fannie But she
was unknown and felt that she must, in order to DO
successful have the countenance Of prominent per
| son or persons in whom the public had confidence Mr.
Gardiner G.. Hubbard suggested the most likely
person take interest In the matter from two facts
previously unknown to Miss Rogers. He had young
daughter who had become deaf at an early age, and
whose articulation he endeavoring to preserve. and
he was favor OF teaching the deaf and dumb to articu
and to read the lips and had in 1854 made unsuc
cessul application to the Massachusetts, Legislature to
procure "a charter for school, Mr. Hubbard invited
Miss Rogers bring her pupil to Boston, and there Fan
MES progress examined into By himself and few
gentlemen competent to decide on such matter They
gave Miss Rogers a favorable certificate, which was
printed in a Boston paper
Miss Rogers obtained pupils, engaged an assist
teacher and selected Chelmsford Centre near her
native village of North Berca as the location OF her
school, Among the pupils of the Chelmsford school were
at least three whose deafness congenaL But these
three congental among the most apt of her
scholars. In 1865, there living in Northampton,
Mass Mr. John Clarke. who had long felt special inter
est in the subject Of deafmute education; probably
paryfrom the fact that he had himself been long afflicted
with severe deafness He had frequently expressed his
intention to leave in his will sum of money for the en-
dowment Of a school deafmutes in Massachusetts,
which, up TO timc had State institution for this
class of her population. In this project he was warmly
seconded by his wife, who however, did not live to see
the unexpected realization of her husbands beney-
oent scheme during his lifetime. This realization
was fastened by the fact that rumor brought To
Mr. Clarke the news that Miss Sophia Smith, lady liv
ing in Hatfield, village Northampton, also talked
of endowing school for the deaf aud dumb on cond
ton that It should be in Hatfield When Mr.. Clarke
heard of this fearing lest he mghtbe thwarted In his long
cherished plan he at took measures 30 let Gov Bull
lock know that if the Legislature would, at its next
meeting pass act OF Incorporation, he would at once
pay $4,000 for the benefit Of the school But he
would only consent to do this condition that the
school should be at Northampton. He did not presume
to dictate what system of instruction should be intro
duced into it, but 1t generally supposed that 1t would
he sign school, partly because in all the institutions for
the deaf and dumb in the country that plan prevailed
and partly because member OF the Massachusetts, Legs
| lature from Northampton one OF the friends OF Mr..
| Clarke who laid the matter before Gov Bullock,
was strongly in of this system, he having young
daughter who congentay deaf and who was at the
| time undergoing instruction at Hartford by signs.
Up 10 this time Massachusetts, had, by special ar
rangement, sent all her deaf mutes over into Connect
cut to educated at the American Asylum in Hartford
though a great many Of her people had long thought
that this ought be. But Yankee thrift had thus
far reconciled her acting the part OF stepmother TO
her voiceless children 1t had been thought cheaper to
send them Hartford than to sustain an institu-
ton for them. Now that the thing necdful ready
money! was IL thrust upon her for the purpose
she was disposed to entertain with than here
tofore the idea Of having school Of her own for her
mutes and Gov. Bullock put the matter before the
Legislature in an earnest passage m his message OF jan
uary, 1867. The matter referred to a special COM
mttee before which appeared the friends OF Mr. Carke5
project and delegation from the American Asylum
at Hartford, who came to protest against II, because
| they did not like the idea Of Massachusetts, having
school OF her own for deafmutes. In incidental
manner, the subject of the merits Of the system
for teaching articulation was brought up. This
was like springing a mine, and intro
| duced third element into the contest For,
| since the days when Horace Mann and DR.. Howe had
brought home such favorable reports OF Its success IN
Germany, it had small but earnest party or supporters
! in Massachusetts,, especially in and around Boston,
These now forward to its merits and to plead
for it, adoption into the proposed school, But We
know nothing of 1t except on theory was the answer
Then Miss Rogerss school at Chelmsford was spoken Of
| great deal of discussion followed which was ended
temporarily by the appointment OF committee to visit
respectively the Hartford school and the one at Chems
ford and report to their respective merits This COM
mttee seems have been much perpeXed as TO how 1t
ought to decide The legislative session was drawing TO
| "A close before the chairman able 20 send in his
report which settle the question to whether it
was advisable TO encourage the project for establishing
State Institution for mutes. But speech at the critical
moment, by the member from Northampton, to whose
heart subject dear that there lent great
force and feeling perhaps uncOnsciousy TO his appeal
helped in great to decide the question. The
incorporation secured and OF the cOrpOratOrs
several of the friends OF the Chelmsford school,
among whom we must not omit 10 mention the member
from Northampton whose bias in favor OF the panto
mimic system removed after he had seen for himself
| the benefits Of the praCtced at Chelmsford. He
was heard to remark that he would give anything
| If his only child could understand from her
parents lips what they said as well as the
] scholars Of Miss Rogers understood their teacher
The Corporation waited Miss Rogers at Chelmsford,
and invited her to remove her school to Northampton
How little could she have foreseen such an event when
she first decided to try to teach little Fannie speak
Then the quiet but firm and energetic young teacher
was unknown outside of her own little circle aud had