The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-06-20

and need re, baton 70 hammer for year or
two ro force their entrance and measure
their appreciation by the scale OF science.
Like tile blessings of nature. they fall alike
on the cultivated and unoultivated, anu their
harmonies penetrate and wake responsive
chords in TIN. hearts of strangers to the ga
nut, whilst they refresh and gladden. the
most delicateIy cultivated ear. And then,
too, in the music OF those to whom the.oeau-
ties of nature are in endless eclipse, one al
most fancies at the utterance OF some plain
tive strain, as he catchesa sound, unlike all
other sounds. so full OK wondrous sweetness,
SO fresh aud clear, and yet so sad, that 1t
must be an echo from that world which the
blind alone nlaDit, ard from which, some
writer has said, Goods choirs are formed"
Earth's flowers and fields may be forbidden
them, but they wonder in a realm Where
their more fortunate fellows cannot intrude.
The crowd, which at an early hour last
Tuesday night, jammed the chapel IN spite
OF threatening clouds, and notwithstanding
the fact that another entertainment, al
ways popular, was being given in town, was
a characteristic manifestation Of the strong
hold which the music of the blind has upon
our people. The stage was exquisitely dec
GRATED, and every thing about the house and
grounds evidenced taste and skill guided by
thorough system. The female pupils were
attired in becoming costumes Of white, with
ornaments of beautiful natu raj flowers, and
now and then some pretty jewels, while
their bright smiles and happy faces told that
they too had been looking longingly for
the holiday. The males were neatly dress
ed, and seemed perfectly contented when
ever their hands rested upon some instru-
ment that gave forth music. Under the d.
rection OF that accomplished instructor,
Prof. A. j. Turner, a veteran in the science,
the concert was complete in everything that
could make it enjoyable. Numerous selec-
tions were played by the Baud and Orches-
ira, many OF them Prof Turner's own COM
positions, in excellent time and with fine eff
feet. OF the vocal pieces, the one which
elected the greatest enthusiasm, was by
wee little creature Of only seven years. 1t
was called ''2obbe's Song, ''and both words
aud music were written by Prof. Turner eX-
grossly for little Robbie Oden, who gave
iSNas sweetly rs song was ever sung by
chillkso young. I5 was her first effort, and
gave abundant promise for the future. The
other s,,pfano sol Jists were Lily White, whose
voice is as sweet and clear as bell, and Sue
Putnam, who in> this her first appearance at
forde striking example of the result OF
years training. Accountable solo, compos-
ed expressly for her by\Prof. Turner, was
finely rendered Ly that accomplished lady
and instructor, Miss L. T. Rerkeley, and
won merited applause. There were several
fine duets by Misses Berkeley and LNsy White,
and splendid trio for Cornet, Alto and Or
gan. by Elinger, Tyson and Turner. Xhe
music Of the choir was good, and the final,
ballad, sGood bye, sweetheart" was sung
by A. E. Moore, and brought dawn the
house.
Yesterday MOI nirg the Chapel was again
crowded to witness the closing exercises. 1t
is such curious sight to see these afflicted
children performing tasks in the various
studies, which would puzzle many OF equal
age possessed of all their faculties, that these
examinations never fail to prove of interest,
and the same faces in the audience, giving
she same close attention, may be seen year
after year. After prayer by Rev. Mr.. Has
kel. and music by the Band, pupils from the
classes of Miss Ker and Mr.. Doyle, in the
Blind Department, gave exhibitions in read
ing, maps, and algebra. The reading and
map exercises were excellent, and in the al
zebra class the equations were solved rap
idly and correctly, the pupil carrying the
whole problem in his head and working it
out as fast as his instructor could pnt down
the figures. 1t was really remarkable, and
demonstrated to what an extent the memo
~ can be educated.
In the Deaf Mute Department, pupils in
lfMr. Williams class, who came to the Insti-
tuition last year wholly unacquainted with
the alphabet, and totally ignorant, wrote on
the blackboard long sentences in a neat, le-
gible hand, and in arithmetic worked out
examples in multiplication. division, addi-
ton and satisfaction, with the greatest ease.
Think of a child making such advancement
in nine short months. Can any of our pub
lie schools of the CITY show evidences of
such rapid development? And yet these
children are deprived of beth hearing and
speech, and had the sign language to learn
from its very commencement. Two re-
markabie pupils in this Department were
Sidney King and Aleth Aitclleson, the lat
ter bright little girl OF not more than nine
years, with a face full OF intelligence. To
Mr.. Cooks class, Which is the highest in the
deaf mute department, the pupils answered
questions in history, propounded at random
by the audience, and never once made
mistake. When asked, without the slight
est hesitation, they wrote out rapidlya short
synopsis OF the Mexican war, giving the
dates. generals in command, number of SOL.
diers engaged in various campaigns, and how
they were conducted. In arithmetic exam
Piles were given them, by persons from the
audience, embracing the reduction of COM
pick TO simple fractions, and their multiple
cation, division and satisfaction, and work.
ed out with scarcely an effort. Their in
structor stated that they could master any ex-
ample in vulgar fractions, and gave any
one in the audience the privilege of propos-
ing.
The most wonderful, however, Of all the
classes is that in articulation, taught by
Miss Sallie Veitch. Most OF the members are
persons who have been deaf for years, and
some OF them have never heard a sound, yet
by a system of symbols they have been
taught to read almost any sentence with
| such distinctness as to be readily recognized.
| When it is remembered that the idea of
sound is entirely incomprehensible to them,
that they do and can know nothing of it
whatever, some estimate of the difficulty
of teaching them this new study can be
formed. They rely altogether on the mo-
ton of the lips, and what patience it has re-
quired to teach them even as much as they
have learned, for they are only as yet at the
| threshold OF the science, can scarcely be i'm