The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-09-10

The Springfield (Mass.) Republic
can gives the following wonderful
stories CT dumb persons who have
learned to articulate:
In a somewhat obscure corner OF
Southeastern Connecticut, near the
village of Mystic River, is q school
where the deaf and dumb are taught
to speak like hearing people and un-
derstand spoken words through the
sense of sight. A very touching in
cident is told by the principal, Mr..
Whipple, about a former pupil, q
Young woman who bad graduated
deaf and dumb from DR.. Peet's sign
school in New York. She came to
Prof. Whipple to learn articulation
and lip reading. Through the aid of
an ingenious alphabet (invented by
the late Zerah C. Whipple), which
pictures the organs of speech in the
position they assume in producing
audible sounds, this pupil was soon
able to speak SO as to be easily un-
derstood. One morning she brought
her slate to Mr.. Whipple with some
thing written in this alphabet. On
reading, he found it to be the Lords
Prayer. Perceiving her agitation, he
could scarcely restrain his emotion
as he corrected the few unimportant
errors and delicately returned it to
her. The next morning she came
exultingly to him, exclaiming, vo-
cally:
II prayed last night with my
voice"
Her teacher then asked her if she
had never prayed before.
"Oh, yes" said she, 81 have
thought my prayers, but never spoke
them before" and then she said,
audibly, my lips shall praise
Thee, o God" Attend to the voice
of my supplication, o Lord" The
enthusiasm and joy manifested by
this young woman in her new-found
power of speaking was shared in by
her family and friends, who greatly
reioiced with her. Wequote from a
letter she wrote Prof. Whipple after
she had returned home
81 shall never give up my speech
for anything in the world. 1t is a
great enjoyment TO me, l assure
you. My friends consider it perfect
wonder, and don't find it at all hard
to understand me. Many smart and
intelligent people think have been
restored to hearing. Is that not
funny?
Another interesting case is that Of
nephew of the late Gov. Packer,
who is receiving instruction of Mr..
Whipple through the summer vaca-
ton. This gentleman lost his hear
ing about nine years ago-a few
weeks before he was to graduate
from college He has received in
struction in the art of lip reading
only about ten weeks, and his prog
ress for SO short time has been re-
markable. He reads the lips of his
friends with but little difficulty,
while he converses with his instruct
ors so well that a stranger looking
on would hardly suspect he was
deaf. A few evenings ago he tried
an experiment of reading shadows.
A friend conversed with him for
some time, he standing behind her
in such a position that he could not
see her face, depending wholly upon
reading the shadow of her lips on
the wall and understanding what she
said.
But the most wonderful case of
deaf mute speaking in this country,
and perhaps in the whole world. is a
man about 60 years old, an uncle of
Mr.. Whipple, who lives about six
miles from New London. The follow
ing account appeared in paper
published near his home:
This deaf man possesses quick
perceptions, with a fine intellect.
He meets and converses with stran-
gers, and they never mistrust that he
is deaf. The only serious difficulty
he encounters is n mustache, which
hides the mouth. Evenings he has
some trouble, especially when the
face is shaded SO that he cannot
plainly see the movement ofthe lips.
1t is then he spends much of his
time reading, often orally, to his
family or invited friends. At a
mass grove peace meeting held at
Mystic River nearly two years ago
he was introduced from the platform
and spoke to an astonished audience
of over 5000 people, who listened in
breathless silence to the words of
one who was born deaf and dumb.
Mr.. Whipple tells some amusing an
ecdotes about himself.
He once met stranger near his
home who asked Kim if there was a
deaf mute in that neighborhood who
had been taught to speak, and he re-
piled:
81 am the man of whom you
speak. and You can judge for your
SELF
He was once conversing with a
lady who did not know he was deaf.
Her face being shaded by her bon
net, he had to get very near in order
to see her mouth. She, mistaking
his motive for rudeness, hurriedly
left him standing alone. They af-
terwards became well acquainted
and had many a laugh oyer the in-
cldent of the long sunbonnet Mr.. |
Whipple married a very estimable
hearing lady, and she talks with
him apparently with as much ease
as she would were his hearing per-
feet" y