The National tribune., 1883-06-28

readers because Of the speaker, gives 50 good an
idea of the work under discussion that it may
be worth while to insert it in full:
THE PRINCE OF WALES SPEECH.
My Lords have now the honor and pleasure Of
proposing to you the toast of the evening" Pros
pery the Association for the Oral Instruction Of
the Deaf and Dumb" Applause It is sad 70
think that originally the deaf and dumb were put
out OF the way objects unworthy TO be coEsid-
ared human and il was only in the 18th century .
that a more humane treatment was commenced.
Rabelais first mentions that the deaf and dumb
may be taught to understand what is said 10 them
by the method of what is called hp-Teading; and
at the end of the 10th century it also found that
they might be taught 70 utter aTtieulate soGndf
in fact TO speak. Hear, hear This method gem
tlenlen, is based on inpartng a conception of ths
nature Of sounds by the sense Of touch, and il was
nrst pracsiced In spain ifttIe more ra 20 years
ago. In --agland and in other countries il was de-
scrbed in the 18th century, but though Il dis
covered that 8 rule children dnr1b only be-
cause they could not hear and that their organs Of
speech were perfect. for long time bysieians and
surgeons insisted that the flaw lay in those organs
OF speech, and continued performing, fear, the
most cruel operations upon Them At the beginning
OF the present century two systems OF instruction
for the deaf and dumb were IN operation in this
country. Inc ilrst was known as sne French sys-
tenn, and it is the system most in It
sisss In educating them by signs and gestures The
disadvantage of this method is that the pupil upon
the completion of his education. however well he
may converse in signs and gestures in the insttu-
tion in which he has been trained, is unable TO
meets outside it in the world. The second system
is the German method which now prevails through
out Europe with the exception Of England and
France. Under this scheme OF instruction, the deaf
and dumb pupil Is not allowed TO make OF
signs and gestures il being found that instruction
by signs and instruction by sound articulato
speech cannot exist side by side. The great adj
vantage OF the latter system iS that it enables tho
deaf and dumb to converse not only with those
who have received a special training, but with
their own families and those IN whose company
they are thrown What Is practicable Illustration
of this fact2 / had the advantage only this mor1l-
ing of seeing few of the pupils of the Association.
do not think l can sufficiently praise or render
adequate thanks to the admirable director, Dir.
William Van Praagh, Tor the resIIitS which havs
been successfully achieved Hear, hear.I Ger
tainly it perfectly wonderful to TO wlias
saw this morning. It was astonishing to hear a
little child, who had received / think. only three
months instruction, articr;late sounds TO pos
itively distinct IAppiause-l cannot ON this
casion forget that one whom know all Interested
in this excellent association viii deeply has
been taken from cannot forget TO mention
her nane-that of Baroness Meyer De ROthschiid-
We a know what an immense interest she took IN
the institution. and how she helped by every
in her power to keep up and strengthen its useful
ness. The Association for the Oral Instruction Of
the Deaf and Dumb only founded. think four
years ago, and had for its object the Introducing
into England Of that German system of which
have spoken for the instruction of she deaf and
dumb. For the first few years the school SUD-
ported partly by school fees and partly by private
subscriptions. Each child contributes IN propor-
ton TO the means OF the parents and We're 1T merely
institution for teaching deaf children OF the pros
porous classes the school would be selsuppOFting.
There now sixty children IN the school, and
think all will agree that their progress reflects the
greatest credits the director, MIR. Van PraSgh.
Looking to the peeuniary side find that during
the past year the outlay has been great in Develop
ing the school as normal college and the defies
has been great, amounting. understand 70 sew
eral hundreds or pounds The last census returns
show that there were nearly 5,0o0 deaf and dumb
IN Great Britain which Is at the rate OF about
deaf and dumb out of every 2O00 of the population
The total number of pupils IN schools and insstu
| room for extension of the system which has
been advocated by the Association for the Oral In
struction Of the Deaf and Dumb. Hear, hear-l
His Royal Highness concluded by an earnest
appeal for peeuniary support to the Institution,
and called upon Its president, Lord Granville,
to reply.
THE SYSTEM IN THIS COUNTRY.
! 1t may not be generally known among read
ers of THE TRIBUNE that the oral system Of
| instruction is in use in America. There are,
| however, schools in New York, Boston. Phila-
| delphia, and several other cities In Philadel-
/ phia, the State Institution for the Deaf and
/ Dumb, though organized with reference to the
| instruction of the deaf by signs, has formed an
/ experimental branch school in a separate house,
under different teachers, and in this branch
school receives day pupils, IN order 70 test the
| system under the best possible circumstances.
/ If the results are such as may be expected, the
/ oral method of instruction viii doubtless be IN
4
1 If this system of instruction had nothing elsa
| to commend it, it would be worthy of careful
study for the hints which it affords for ordinary
school administration. No one can visit an
oral school without being deeply impressed by
| the advantage that accrues to both teacher and
pupil from organization n small classes. Each
pupil has thus full share of attention, and the
distraction of maintaining discipline is minim-
| lied for the teacher. Personal relations be-
| tween teacher and pupil have scope for deveI-
opment in q small class which are wholly I'M
possible in the large classes of our public
| schools; the relation of teacher and pupil is
therefore human, and not. as so often happens
| in ordinary schools, mechanical. An incidental
advantage of this organization in small classes
| IS the field thus opened for women teachers,
who are found especially adapted to the work
of teaching the deaf.
Another advantage Of the oral system is that
| It develOpeS the physique of the pupils IN q
natural way by bringing the vocal organs into
healthful use, developing the lungs and diulin-
| ishing aS far as possible all abnormal inactivity
consequent upon the defect OF the ear.
The strongest argument, however, in favor
of this method of instruction is its hHmanizing
tendency. The very nature of the method
precludes the herding Of children together IN
institutions and compels them to be kept
among normal people, thus stimulating them to
effort to become normal themselves Deaf
Chll0reQ 0erueu tO2etneT DatufaAly NeVciOp
signs Of their own, and so tend 60 become
class apart. Deaf children, living constantly
among speaking children, are naturally eager
to understand their playmateS and answer IN
telligibly. And this Is the prc-emineRt beauty
of the svstem-that its whole tendency Is to-
wards restoring the defective child 90 the posi-
tion among speaking people which he has lost
through his defect-towards making him, so faz
as possible, a completely human being. f. &