The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-05-14
HAVING EARS, HEAR NOT.


deaf mutes from this city and vicinity
were assembled in ST. James Episcopal
church to attend divine service, conduct
ed in the sign language by Rev. Henry
Winter Syle, of Philadelphia, himself
deaf mute. Quite number of hearing
persons were present, spoken exercises
being conducted at the same time by the
rector DR.. Knight. During Mr.. Styles
sermon. the rector read extracts from
paper prepared by Mr.. s., and read re-
Gently before 4 body of the clergy in
! Columbia.
The number of deaf mutes is about
equal to the number of blind, averaging
one person in ever 1900. according t.
which Pennsylvania has nearly 5000.
Philadelphia has 500, and Mr.. Style has
the names of so in Lancaster county, 90
in Reading. and % near Allentown.
Abont one-half the deaf are born So.
the rest lose their hearing through dis
ease or accident. In some cases the deaf
ness is hereditary, but it is not necessari-
| ly SO. There are cases known where
father and mother were both deaf mutes
(b"rn so). hut the children could hear
we'll. and learn to talk as readily as other
children. About ono-tenth the number
OF the deaf became so through scarlet
fever. as many through cerebro-spiual
meningitis, and large number Of teeth
ing.
In the various institutions in New York
State there are 1900 deaf mute pupils:
according to this our State should have
about 1000; she has $50, and there are
accommodations for no more. New York
has eight institutions for the deaf and
dumb; Pennsylvania has but two. ono III
Philadelphia, established about 1920, and
one near Pittsburg, established in 1870.
The latter was at first a day school in
Pittsburg, but SO grew in Importance
that it was soon incorporated and movee
to Turtle Creek. There are also two day
schools, one each at Scranton and Eric.
Pupils are admitted to these institutions
and educated free of expense. after they
are ten years of age.
Mr.. Style was educated at private
school for deafmutes, then at Trinity
College, Hartford, Ct, afterwards at Cam
bridge, England, and graduated at Yale
College in 1869. He then taught III 4
New York institution for six years, was
!, clerk in the Philadelphia Mint for sis
years. which position he left last Decem.
her to devote himself to the ministry.
He is the author of the article on thu
Deaf and Dumb, institution for, etc.
in Appleton's New Encyclopedia. IL
has a congregation in Philadelphia, which,
one week in each month he leaves IN
charge of an assistant while he himself
does missionary work in central Pennsyl-
vania. He thinks there are probably -
of his Observation-Disclosures in this county.
and is DESTROYS of obtaining tho name
and address of all them, and Of all other
throughout the State. He rightly decma
it of the most vital Importance that al!
such children should be educated, and
greatly dcprecatcs the unwillingness "i
SO many parents to send their children to
suitable institutions. Mr.. Style will be
here again the first week in June, the
exact date to be announced hereafter.
He says that only about One-tenth OF
the deaf can protitably be taught t.
speak and read the lips. This was tl.e
first way tried. as far back as the Reform
alton.
The idea of using the natural gestures
of the deaf was first put to practica
use by the Able De rDpee, in Paris in
116O. He devoted his fortune and life t"
them. After his death the government
took up his school. In 1916 gentleman
was sent from Hartford, Conn, by
committee. to England, to learn how t"
teach the deaf There were Gully 4 ie"
teachers there and they made a monopoly
of it-would teach him their way unless
he paid large sum and bound himself
not to show others how. He refused, and
went to Paris. where they gave him every
facility, and one of the best deaf teachers
there came back with him to the nlted
States. The clergyman was Dr.. Gal
laudet. and the Frcnchman, NJ. Clerc--
fathers respectively of ReVs. DIR. &. ana
DR.. c., of the present day.
at is a very natural desire 10 keep up
the speech of child after he has lost
his hearing, and even to teach child
who has never heard to speak, does not
seem an unreasonable wish, ST. accustOm-
ed are we to regard speech rs the natura
mode of communication between mai
kind. 1t is certainly perfectly possible
as we'll as highly desirable, to cultivate
the speech after the loss Of hearing, AMI
for this purpose too great pains cannot
be taken by parents and friends TO GOV
rect the faulty utteranCes into which the
child is certain to slide without the cot
rection of his own ears; to teach Tho
proper pronunciation OF new words, aHn
above all to encourage the use OF speech
treating it not as show accomplishment
to be exhibited to strangers till bashla,
child gets very reluctant to speak, Dat -
a natural way of talking.
With the born deaf it must be remeH
bered that it becomes purely mechan'-
cal accomplishment, of whose results
thew have no direct knowledge any NOR"
than thew would have of the sounds re
sulting from their striking the keys OF
piano. or than blind man would have ol
what he was doing if he were seated he
fore an easel with palette and bruSh',
in his hands and bid to paint away.
Bv patience some OF the born deaf MAY
be taught to speak, and even to speak
we'll. But with most it is painful an"
difficult performance, giving pleasure
neither to the speaker nor to those who
hear, and the practical consideration
comes i'll, that that the time for the IN
struction is very limited to s years a.
most. The means are SO limited that
there can be only one teacher 10 say 20
pupils, whereas to teach articulation pro
pcrly requires tho teacher to have not
over six pupils; and under these limita-
tons a greater amount of mental develop
ment and instruction can be effected by
the use of the sign language, which the
teacher finds ready to hand, and has bui
to improve. than by the laboriouS and
taiiouS ,petho1 of Snaerh