The Portland daily press., 1876-04-11
Visible Speech 1.-The Clarke Insti luton.


The proposition to establish Bells meth
cd for the tuition of deaf mutes
as part of the Portland common
school system will invest with inter
est the report from the Clarke Institu-
ton Of the graduation of its first class, which
completed its eight-year course last sum-
mer.
HAIRY Hans, well known to the last gener-
alton of Portlanders, had the reputation of
being the biggest fool in town; but this he
disclaimed; his sister was bigger fool, he
said, because she didn't know il. Our coun-
try is not only behind some others in import
ant branches of edu,ation, but we do not
know it. The following, from the journal of
George Ticknor, during his residence in Mad
rid in 1918, will illustrate this:
"There are a few institutions for education here
that should be separately mentioned, because though
tenn In the first place. there is the school for the
deaf and dumb. 1t should be remembered in speak
ing of this that the world the power of teaching
them to spain. for it was Bonet-to whom Lope de
Vega has addressed one of his sonnets-that first in
vented it, The present institution is not large
an old one. 1t was established the return of the
king, who gives is it $500 of the 900 dollars
yearly and contains only twentyseven pupils They
more to speak intelligibly. One fact witnessed,
and knew therefore personally, which is extremely
curious. Not one of the pupils of course can
have heard a human sound and all their knowledge
and practice in speaking must come from their im-
tation of the viSibte mechanical movement of the
lips, and other organs of enuncation by their teach
crs, who all Castilians; yet each speaks clearly
and decidedly, with the accent of the province from
which he comes so that could instantly distinguish
the Catalonians and Bscayous and Casliians. while
others more practced in Spanish felt the Malagan
and Andalusian tones. How is this to be explained
hrIfh
ent conformation of the organs Of speech?"
In 1854 we find Messrs. Stone and Keep, of
the American Asylum, opposing an appropri-
alton for new institution for the instruction
of those too young to be received at Hart
ford, on the ground that the "logic of facts
was entirely against the system of articula-
tion." 1t was ga theory of visionary enthu
siasts." Teachers in institutions where the
sign-langdage was employed, although devot-
ed to the interests Of their pupils and to hu-
manity, were entirely convinced that they had
given the system of visible speech thorough
trial, that to attempt to teach it was to go
back to the dark ages, and that the results if
persevered in would be to give an articulation
to which the filing of a saw or the shrek of
the steam-whistle would be music. Yet Har-
rtet B, Rogers and other enthusiasts persist
ed, and the "logc of facts" shows class Of
six, graduating with good academic educa-
tion, as evinced by their theses, and with oral
readings and recitations, which were pleasing
and interesting to the auditors. Not only is
the fact demonstrated, but the method is in
troduced as part of the common school sys-
tenn of Boston, and even the sign-language in
stitutions are taking it up successfully. As
wonderful as was the telegraph when it first
broke upon us, almost as startling was the
realization which came to the operators few
years later that reading the marks on paper
was to become obsolete while the ear would
learn to receive it like human voice When
philosopher thrusting his arm into the un-
known plucks forth great discovery to bene-
| fit his race, he must expect the disciples of
the old dspensation to stand aloof and doubt
at him, but shall we. who see that the deaf
hear, and hear that the dumb speak, hesitate
TO aid with all our hearts the effort to place
within reach of every unfortunate mute child
the magic wand which will unseal his ears and
loose his tongue? If we are sixty years be-
| hind Spain in learning how to teach we may
yet outstrp her by making it universal among
our people. Nothing will so much encourage
| progress mong our scientists as the prompt
| application of meritorioCs discoveries; and
perhaps science has but just started on the
race, and that the great truths lie beyond.
And we may hope that America will yet
take position in philosophy as advanced as
| that she holds in mechanical arts.