, 1877-03-17
1880 p. Immediately ater tnssc ~ taesscs 1855
the reunion banquet WILL oe eelseo a' ano u1et':
ery House.
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.

| THE DEAF.
70 the Editor Of The Tribune.
] CHICAGO March 1G.-I was much pleased 10 see
| the letter from ~ Friend OF the Deaf" in your
issue of the l2th calling attention to the articu1a-
ton method OF teaching the deaf II the parents
of deaf children would only take the trouble to in
| auirc for themselves TO the best methods Of in
structiou. there is no donbt but that they would
insist upon articulation icing taught, and that
only in the new school for the !eat,a deaf
| The word deaf nnte ia only properly applied 70
those whose organs OF speech as we'll as those OF
hearing are affected, for deaf person is not mute.
does nni only needs skilifn trainius TO make the
| sounds in the arbitrary manner which is called
speech. Teachers by the sign iangnasc nrgne that
! thoughts. but they are not natural; on tug con
trary, unnatural Us deafness itself, and only
sf lin sss hem on an L is Sr ae thai only
| very bright. children can be taught to SPEAK.
tha not nr as 1 been r. Basion sea1y
In the State Normal School at NoIthamp-
Mass and II y e sn nc,{ tnst'tnsoa IT Nsm
where titey admit ali pupils Of ordinary ability
from all grades Of society and from all nsti9nal-
Germany, and Austria. NJ signs arc used. and
most Of the teachers themselves do not understand
sign sns"ass y t9s 9f the
and fast III the child knows the written word no
sign whatever Is allowed. Thus the Child Is actu
l Q
Of aec in the boston school who could speak dis
tinctY, and who could read from primer IN the
same manner that hearing child docs, without
making motion.
places him al once in communication with his fel-
low beings. Thosc who can communicate by signs
only are cut Oft from cou,municatio1.with any who
are not trained in the like MANNER for these slsns
are utterly uninteli.ibfe 10 the uninlttatcd. or
coursc. ittakcs more time 10 tcach child to speak
than to make signs, but who Will not think it time
well spent? And it causes 10 delay in
the chsla's genera! cducation, fos this
and it. is a%aTns b To- see m the
And after all. articulation and l1p-rcading are
very simple. 1t requires only great patience and a
skill IN detecting the clements Of sound but signs
substitute. Therefore, it il great mistake
tu try to combine the methods. That is the worst
plan Of all, for since il is easier to make signs ut
hrst, than to speak, it is hard to eradicate them
aftcrward, just in teaching music: II the child
is allowed to cultivate the faults, which arc easiest
in the beginning it itbcconacs almost impossible to
correct those faults when once confirmed. Will
the parents Of the deaf u Chicago look into the
future a little, when their little ones shall have
grown to be men and woman, and their sons wish
10 enter business, end ask themselves # they will
not then wish they had givcn their afflicted chill
drcn every advantage in their reach:
nm amazed TO lind how ignorant and indifferent
in regard to the Improvements in tho methods of
instruction are the parents whom have met
There + already one institution in illinois, Let
us now have day school. taught by articulation
only. Miss Trast and her assistants have
been doing noble duty in Jacksonville, and ut I'LL
the institutions in tlis country they employing
articulation tcaclers us branch. but wish the
new Chicago school, might be something even bet
ter. ~
haze visited with pleasure the little days school
for articulation teaching, lately opened IN Memo
rial Chapel, on Indiana avenue, near Thirtieth
street, and wish peupe would take interest enough
to watch Its progeress from the beginning
PARENT OF 4 DEAF CHILD.