Omaha daily bee., 1883-04-02
Wonderful Work in Deaf Mute
instruction. g.
Developing the Hearing Into
Use Where it was not
Thought to Exist.
What Prof. Jchu A. Gillespie
Has Done tor Humanity.
Inter esting Facts About tho Ne
braska Institute for the
Deaf and Dumb.

nign language first reached the per-
lection with which they r now
taught Ia the deaf and dumb insti.
tutes of the world, humanitarians felt
rejoiced because q new era had dawned
on the unfortunate, who had been
bereft of hearing and speech. Those
who had invented finger and object
talking were hailed as public benefac.
tors. 1t was thought that nothing
more could be done for the benefit OF
the deaf mute, and so matters re.
NAMED until lip language or visible
speech was experimental with. This
was found to be a grand success, espe.
oially the method arranged by Prof.
Bell, the father of the telephone.
Thus another giant stride was taken
In the education Of deaf mutes. BY
observing tho motions of the lips OF
their instructor, OF the persons ad.
dressing them, the spoken words are
Understood and replies are given,
although the pupils do not hear one
jot or tittlo Of what Is said on
either side. This method has
been reduced to such O
science that apt children have been
taught to hold conversations Oh well
as any ordinary persons, although
their hearing was entirely destroyed.
Hence 1t is that in New York city,
Boston and Northampton, Mass,
there are institutions devoted entirely
to this branch Of deaf muts i%nstruc-
tion, and the result has been wonder
full. Surely there vas no field for
further advancement In the science of
imparting knowledge t. deaf mutes,
and the most experienced educators In
this line oontented themselves with
doing tho most perfect work they
could with the methods they had, be-
cause the most visionary never dream
ed that any improvement could be
made. 1t remained for Prof. John A.
Gillespie, of the Nebraska Institute
for the Deaf and Ddmb, located Just
northwest of this city, to come for.
ward with another advancement In the
science of deaf mute instruction,
which Ia moro wonderful than all 9th.
ers, and threatens
TO sTARTLE II WORLD.
Pfof. Gillespie has devised q means
of teaching deaf mute children to
hear, and he feels justly proud Of
being able to send out young people
who have thus been afflicted, not 81
deaf .mutes who arc learned In al
branches OF modern education, which
they can only express by sign or writ
Ing but "a educated persons
who will enter the world a. edu
Gated people who are hard Of hearing
In other words, he feels perfectly sat
is6ed, from careful and practical OK
periments, that where there IL tn
least particle Of hearing existing Il
ear, he can develop and train 1t int,
strength and value, just as physica
exercise gives vigor and power to
muscle. AS sound ia the basis of al
speech, and there are no mutes from
natural causes where the hearing |
perfect, the discovery of Prof. Giles
pie In the matter of training the SEM
Of hearing, will bring speech of II
own accord and confer q benefit o.
humanity that cannot be properly Of
timated. 1t goes without saying tina
this new departure 10 the grandest In
p%rovenent In the science of instruS
tlon Of the age, and rebounds to tn
great credit Of our state and Ito Inst,
tutions.
The BEE reporter, having heard
rumor of what was being done In TIL
line at the Deaf and Dumb institute
visited that institution Friday, an
saw with his W eyes the wonderfl
workings Of this system of developin
tho hearing. Prof. Gillespie, In
pleasant interview, said that durin
many yesra' experience as a teacher b
had given this matter of developin
the hearing considerable study, b,
inasmuch as 1t wal deemed an impo
sibility by uome of the most learne
educators of the deaf and dumb, an
. was never thought worthy of Il
. slightest discussion In their oonvel
y tions, he did not submit his theorl
/. to any practical test. About thr,
!. years ago, however, when the aud
= phone as an aid to hearing was +
ceiviDg great praise, he sent for o.
and experimental with some of Il
children In whom 1t wal thought Il
hearing was not entirely destroye
1t was found to work an improvement
II this nearly destroyed sense W
strengthened by such artificial mea
= as the audiphone, why could 1t not
m trained and made more powerful n
useful by other meanl2 So frc
that moment Prof. Gillespie went
C6 work to practically
DEvELoPE THE HEARING.
e. Miss Mary McCowen, one of I
ablest teachers In the institute, v
"a selected to give instruction In the n,
system, 1t was very tryi
on the teacher and this q
other reasons prevented the work
instruction from being thoroughly
n In motion until last September, VIII
a an oral and audiphone class was
ganized with Miss McOowen as
~ ~structor. Fourteen children, less tn
"a ten years Of age, who had entered
institution at that date and who me-
had any instruction whatever, eitl
In signs, Visible language, readil
writing or object learning, were sele
cd as a class. To all intents and p
poses they could not hear In
slightest manner Miss McCov
commenced with the sudiphone, CIV
instruction In the vowel sour
Owing to the difficulty the child,
had In adjusting the instrument
the trouble In preparing 1t for tn,
the use Of the andiphone was "
abandoned In every case where
could possibly be done. Miss
Cowen continued her most fatigu