Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-06-26
Local.
DEAF, DUMB & BLIND INSTITUTION

THE FINAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT BY
The PUPILs-INTEREsTIN CLOSING
INATIoNs-MEDALs AND PRIZES
OFF For HOME.
The Deaf, Dumb and Blind Institution
closed it's session on Thursday last
During the year there have been thirty-six
blind and eighty-fve deaf mute pupils, and
in many instances their progress challen-
. ges the wonder of the beholder. In the
Blind Department there is little gil,
Katie Ayres, from Albemarle county, only
nine years of age, who reads, writes and
ciphers' with accuracy and rapidity, an
other pupil, Miss Pattie Albertson, OF
Augusta county, shows remarkable pro-
fciency in French and Algebra: and the
star scholar for that department, Miss
Lizzie Franklin. of Campbell county,
would be remarkable in any school in the
State for her educational requirements,
and accomplishments. Among the boys
in this department Ed. Beale, of Fauquier
county. and Reese Doake, OF Tazewell
county, are noticeable In the Deaf mute
department there is little girl ten years
came to the school eight months ago,
knowing absolutely nothing, and now
writes simple sentences correctly and rap
idly. Miss Ida Hiner. of Highland county,
James Pendleton, of Tazewell county, and
Eugene Arthur, of Danville, are distin-
guished in this department.
THE SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
pursued at this school is very rigid, and
though a large number Of scholars reached
within two OF three Of seventy-fve, the
standard number in the different depart
ments, none obtained diploma on account
of the absence of the missing numbers.
The Superintendent, Capt. Chas. A. Mccoy
is pressing the system of educating Deaf
Mutes pursued at the National Deaf Mute
College at Washington, which does away
with the old style of arbitrary signs and
enables the pupils to communicate IN the
same idioms of language that others use
in writing and conversation. HFor IN
stance, under the old system pupil In say
ing I went to town and saw black horse
saws by signs i town saw horse black
and when writing an English composition
necessarily does it imperfectly. The new
mode requires them to spell out at length,
which they do with lightning rapidlty, and
to- strictly observe the idioms OF the Ian
guage. A large number of the scholars
were thrown in the examinations this SEES
sion in English composition, but with the
new system that obstacle will be removed.
THE CONCERT.
The hall of the Institute was densely
crowded Wednesday night to hear the
closing concert given under the direction
of Prof. Turner, the accomplished lnstruc-
tor in music. The night was very warm
and there was a strong effort by falr
women and brave men to block up the
windows so as to cut off what little ali
there was, and suffocate their companions
outright. The programme had been Sc
lected with view to please all tastes, and
was a perfect success, though we are
obliged to say the hearers were not crltl
cal. An audience that encores "The big
Sun fower,'' and let's such splendid per-
Torrance as the overture to the Callph OF
Bagdad, and the Alpine Echo pass with
slender appreciation should go head OF It's
class as admirers Of popular music
All the instrumental music was fine, and
the execution almost without a flaw, and
that too, when we remember that it was
by blind performers, some OF whom Prof.
Turner has not had Il whole session. VI
the vocal music, Through the meadows
green'' song by Miss Lizzie Franklin only
fourteen years of age, was remarkable
exhibition of voice and culture, and duet,
1.-The Marriage Bell'' between her and
Maggie Taylor of Alexandria, only nine
years old was worthy of praise. The AL
pine chorus" a quartette, was beautifully
sung. and the flexible voice of Miss Nc
Dowell. former blind pupil, showed
extraordinary range in the high notes.
Sitting by the handsomely festooned stage
was blind lady pupil of former years who
attends every commencement, and who
always has a seat of h onOr placed for her
by the officers of the Institution. The
courtesy is well repaid by the enthusiastic
endowment of the eX-scholar, who keeps
the time as regularly as it she were the
leader of the orchestra. A delicious little
moroccan Sweetheart - sung by Miss Liz
bic Franklin, was one of the prettiest
things imaginable. Prof. Turner was
ably assisted at the piano by his son, Prof.
Stuart Turner, of Richmond, and in the
band by another son, Prof. Memory Tur-
ner, of Culpeper.
THE CLOSING EXERCISES.
Yesterday morning at 10 O'Clock the IL
nal exercises took place in the hall of the
Institute, which was hung with paintings
and drawings done by the scholars, Rev.
W. @. Hullihen, of Trinity church, pre-
facing the proceedings with prayer. Then
followed those curiously interesting exhi-
billions which attest the proficiency of the
Deaf, Dumb and Blind. The Deaf Mutes
boys, and girls. gave prompt and correct
answers on the blackboard to questions
propounded in signs by their teachers,
writing with rapidity that a reporter
would envy. Then came the reading from
raised letter books by the blind, one little
girl, Kate Ayres, reading the death scene
of Paul in Dombey & Son, from a copy of
the work presented years ago to the Insti-
tute by Charles Dickens. Harry Taylor,
Lizzie Franklin, Betty Gibson, Thos.
johnson and Eddie Beale also read fluent