Daily globe., 1883-08-15
MITES.
The New Method Adopted for Their In
struction.-An Interesting Narration OF a
Visit to the Nebraska Institute.

StructiOn.-An interesting NARRATION Vi q
Visit to the Nebraska Institute.
From the Davenport Gazette.l
Having seen an account not long
since of new departure in deaf mute
instruction taken by the Nebraska In
stitute at Omaha, I resolved, when IN
that vicinity recently, to visit the insti-
tuition and satisfy myself as to the cor
rectness of the reports, and also to
make study of the methods used to
bring about such wonderful results.
AS it is a matter of practical import
ance to the afflicted and their friends as
we'll as matter of scientific interest
and inquiry, venture to send you a
brief account of the new method which
has created such stir among teachers
and parents of deaf mutes.
Without going into the history of
the discovery, the claim made for it is
as follows:
That children classed as deaf mutes,
but whose sense of hearing is not en-
tirely destroyed, can be taught to hear
and speak, and can be graduated from
the institution as more or less "hard OF
hearing" perhaps, but capable of taking
their places in society without notlcea-
bie defect Of either hearing or speech.
Tie experiment from. which the discov-
erJ was gradually evolved was tried
L 81 with class of the older pupils,
aod after three months drill, it became
evident to all that the sense of hearing
was becoming developed. They could
distinguish sounds or words uttered in
a loud voice, could hear music on the
piano as evidenced by their changing
step when the music changed, and one
morning boy rushed down stairs in an
ecstasy of delight, saying he had heard
the whistle from the Union Pacific car
shops. Seven years he had slept In
the same dormitory with that whistle,
each morning, sounding In his ear but
making no impression on his dulled
sense of hearing until now. These
pupils being of the senior class, soon
left the institution and it was de-
termined to try next class of the
youngest pupils, who, being less in the
fixed habit Of signing" might be more
amenable to voice culture, and who
would be in the institution long enough
to fully demonstrate the possibilities OF
the new method. This class consists OF
children from s to 13 years of age, who
entered the school last September SO
deaf as to be unable to hear the loudest
call, and who had never been known to
speak.
spent half day hearing recitations
in this room, which is In charge of Miss
Mary McCowen, one of the most COM
petent and pains taking teachers in the
institution, whose ingenuity has gradu-
ally developed the method and perfect
ed its details. and to whose energy, and
indefaigable persistence in applying
it, the wonderful results are chiefly
due. A recitation in orthoepy would
have done no discredit to o class oi
similar age in the public schools; some
were indistinct and occasionally one in.
correct at first, but not one failed upon
repetition to give the sounds correctly
and in good voice. In spelling, the
class did better than the average class
of similar grade in the public schools.
The language lesson, dictated by the
teacher, was written by each pupil up
on the board with surprising rapidity,
correctness and legibility. In all these
exercises the teacher, while enunciating
with great distinctness, did not raise her
voice above the ordinary conversational
tone, some of the class being able to
hear even a whisper. The voices of the
children were, in some cases, as might
be expected, peculiar and somewhat
unnatural, lacking the smoothness and
fiexibility Of those having had voice as
birthright, but what they said was
well expressed as to language, and
plainly audible over the whole room.
In order to guard against any possibil-
ity of "hp-reading," the pupils were
required during these exercises to stand
with their backs to the teacher or with
eyes closed. The youngest of the class,
boy s years old, of deaf mute parents,
read fluently and with good expression.
On asking him to read a lesson which
he had not prepared, he did so with
quite as much ease as the average school
boy, and his intonations showed an un
derstanding of what he read.
All this is more wonderful when we
appreciate the fact, of which most peo-
pie have never thought, and which the
earlier eXperimenters with the audi
phone, even in the deaf and dumb in
stitutions, entirely overlooked; namely.
that even after deaf mute child hears
what is said to him, the meaning of the
sounds is as unintelligible as Greek to
the unlearned, and must be taught
laboriously, word by word, by the use
OF the appropriate sign, with which he
is already familiar. These children
have now vocabulary of about 300
words, but a new word. although they
hear it perfectly, is as much stranger
them as aword from foreign language.
They are full of enthusiasm at learning
to speak, and never seem to tire of
practicing their new accomplishment.
1t is not claimed, as some have hastily
supposed, that teaching in deaf and
dumb institutions will, by this discov-
cry, be revolutionized, or the sign Ian
guage done away with. On the con-
trary, this method is applicable to
selected cases only. In this institution
about one-ffth of the whole number
were considered suitable subjects for
such instruction, and it not being un-
reasonable to suppose that a similar
OrOnOrtiOn MIGHT bo fO11nd in otbor in