Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-11-07
KENDALL GREEN.
A Brief Glimpse Into the school
Rooms of the Columbia Institute
for the Deaf and Dumb.

TEACHING THE DEAF TO HEAR WITHOUT KARs-
THE DIFFICULTIES OF LEARNING TO SPEAK
SPEECH MADE VISIBLE TO THR EYE-AN IN
TERESrING TALK WITH DR. GALLAUDET ON
SOME PHASES OF DEAF MUTE EDUCATION.
One Of the points of interest about this city.
which always proves attractive to visitors, is
Kendall Green. 1t is a charming picture Of sub
urban beauty. where art and nature have united
their gifts, and the result is harmonious WHOLE
at once pleasing to the eye and grateful to the
cultivated taste The buildings which have
been erected for the students OF the Columbia
Institution for the Deaf and Dumb. located
there. are grouped together in an irregular but
picturesque mass of brick and stone. with here
and there graceful tower rising above the
peaked roofs and the walls, which are
dashed with the rich coIorins Of the
clustering leaves Of clinging vines. On
all sides the wide swe-p of yelvety lawn
rises and falls in gentle fluctuations, its so.t
beauty accentuated by the clumps of shrubbery
and trees scattered about This is the picture,
and the framework are the hills which gently
ascend. their broad bosoms and winding top
aglow with the October tints that seem to fairly
run riot in the splen Tor and variety Of the color
ing. The sun. as It glances across the lawn
and through the bright-hued leaves Of the de-
PAL liHI year lAlS upon Tue gilStetltng towers
and turrets of the buildings and from the metallic
points here and there. sends forth CLEANS OF
| light as if in response to the gorgeous specta-
Gle that revels on the autnInnal hills.
What lovely scene!" at last exclaimed a
| member of party of visitors who had been
gazing about in silent admiration. The tone of
the speaker was subdued. as if afraid that a
loud word would break the charm of the pic
ture. 1t was a lovely spectacle. and The STAR
man who had accompanied some friends on a
visit to the institution wondered if Kendall
Green had ever looked that way before.
A SINGULAR SCHOOL ROOM.
The visitors. however: soon became conscious
that time was passing away. and turning their
| backs upon the picture, entered the buildings.
After looking about on various things of inter-
e It connected with the education OF the deaf
! l.lutes the visitors paused in one of the school
rooms, where instruction was being given in
articulate speech. 1t was a strange school
rOom and the method OF instruction was
equally novel. There were perhaps, a dozen
scholars in the room at different times, repre-
senting ages from seven to sixteen. and these
| were taught separately or together just as their
advancement in knowledge permitted.
About the room were hung charts. on which
were drawn phonetic characters representing
the sounds of letters. or rather as sound is an
unknown factor to these little unfOrtunates it
| would be more correct to say that they repre-
scented the position of the mouth when the let
ter uttered.
A little girl was called before one of these
charts. and the teacher. a lady, pointed to one
OF the characters. at the same time making the
sound with her lips The little one initiating
the represented sound with her lips, repeated it
correctly. then another and SO with several OF
the voWels and cOnSOnantS; but presently she
makes mistake and fails to make the sound
correctly. What does the teacher do? She re-
,Ns.atC hr,{ at,1 81, I,<I,.
taking the child's hand she places it on her own
throat, and at once the pupil corrects the error
and makes the right sound.
why do you place her hand on your throats'
asked HE STAR man. with some curiosity.
TO make her understand what muscles in nv
throat are used in making that sound" was the
prompt reply, land in this way the child learns
TO mai the correct sound by knowing what
part OF the throat is used
TALKING BY THE EYE.
A more advanced scholar was called up and
sentences In the phonetic characters were read
off These sentences were written by the
teacher upon the blackboard and We're sug-
gested by the presence of the visitors. In the
same way the teacher addressed questions to
the scholars. and. watching their. lips, they
replied with more or less readiness.
DR.. Galiaudet, the president of the college.
who had come in was able to converse quite
speech.
One big boy. who said he was fifteen years
Old. understood very readily the movements of
the lips and cOnyersed quite freely. He asked
THE STAR man if he had heard bis address to
the President of the United States on public
occasion at the college recently and while the
visitor was obliged to say that he had not he
coud not but admire the facility with which he
used his voice. Yet the teacher said that when
this boy began four years ago to acquire speech
hn cad fn sit in, rnp% 49, 49, t>a.A
the phonetic characters with the tears running
down his face, perfect picture of despair at
his Inability to make the sounds.
Some Of the chdren's voices were remarka-
bly, well modulated and sweet. while others had
the artificial harshness noticeable sometimes in
partially deaf persons One little girl. who had
just begun to learn to speak, repeated from the
board some simple words, such az cat, dog, &C..
written in English.
How do these children learn the English al
phabet Z" inquired The STAR man.
"They are taught that in another room" re-
pied DIT Gallauaet, and going across the hall,
he opened door into room, where there were
number of children seated at desks.
1--WE teach the children English words the
first thing. For instance. here is little boy
who just came to the institution this morning
See what he is doing"
THE METHOD OF LEARNING ENGLISH.
The visitor looked in the slate that was lying
in front OF the little fellow, and saw the word
ak written many times.
'How does he know what that means," in.
guired the visitor.
In reply the teacher pointed to the word Ak
written on the board and made signs to the boy
to tell her what it meant. The little fellow.
with a broad grin, fshed out a toy ak from a
box OF playthngs. and brandished it In the air
in q triumphant manner
'Alter the scholars have acquired some facil-
ity in their studies the articulation training
comes in. and they are taught visible speech, !"
observed DR.. Gallaudet, as he led the way from
the room.
" You see, the system employed in this insti-
tuition embraces both the sign and the articuiate
system. Instead Of combining ourselves to one.
We use what is good in both This is necessary
in order to adapt education to the wide differ
ence in ability and quickness which is found in
school of this sort, where the children are not
picked"
THE LIMITATIONS OF VISIBLE SPEECH.
"Is the system of visible speech a practical
success with deaf mutes generality" asked the
visitor.
Learned and laborious instructors Of the
deaf" was the earnest response, both in
Europe and America. with ample knowledge of
the mechanism of speech and of methods well
adapted to teach the deaf to articulate and read
from the lips, and who have taught thousands
OF persons TO do this with eminent success