Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-04-19
''HOW LEARNED TO TALK AGAIN.,
Losing the Voice i'm Childhood and Re-
covering it in WOmanhOOd-An Ar.
ticulatiOn SchOOl-The Experience Of
s'HOward GlyndOn.''

Written for THE EvT.SING STAR
became deaf suddenly when about eleven
years old from acute disease or rather from a
complication OF acute diseases. | had I'D to
that time. with the exception Of an attack of
ague in the preceding fall, been accounted an
unusually healthy child. not having been con-
fined to my bed by any sickness since infancy
All my senses We're unusually acute and my
organization vigorous, while at the same time
extraordinarily sensitive. I had however
grown very fast. having at the time | speak of
almost finished growing. | began TO 90 to day
school at the beginning Of an unusually severe
winter. Just after recovering from the ague for
which had been given large quantities of qu-
nine. This may have weakened the sys-
TEN OF growing child. So that more
care than usual was necessary: but as seemed
well. no notice was given to a severe cold
which took about two weeks before Christ
mas. 1t ran on for a week or so and then one
afternoon | came home with such a drOWsv
feeling that at once threw myself on a bed
ana stupor eEsued. | remember nothing more
OF any consequence until weeks afterwards.
when awOkc as from n long deep sleep and
saw the doctor and my mother standing beside
my bed talking together. | could not hear
ANYTHING they said; and possibly when they
each in turn spoke to me only stared a. them
though perfectly conscious This led to an
Investigation. when it was discovered that |
was utterly deaf. During my conyaiescence
there was no way to talk to me but by writing.
and SO my school slate and pencil became my
constant companions.
As regaincd health examinations OF my ears
were made and different forms Of treatment
tried. / had grown totally deaf in both ears
without any apparent change oFany sort and so
far as / knew. without ever having had any
trouble with my carS-nOt so much as pain in
them. Examinations told nothing: and after
everything available had been tried with no
result, the doctors suggested that the nerve of
hearing had been either completely destroyed OF
paralyzed. From that time 10 this have not
heard sound hut have been quite sensitive
TO vibrations. which convey many sounds even
that OF the human voice but not TO the extent
OF distinguishing quality and tones, not to say
words.
As began to minrIe again with others this ne
cuharIty was noticed: that my voice had under
gone so great a change that those " no had
known me previous to my sickness testified
Il UT they Could not recognize me 10y my voice
alone. 1t had become ScpulChral like q voice
from the gave. Some delicate chords of nv
throat must have been injured by my Illness
Indeed, for long time suffered a great deal
with my throat. Speaking was to lie effort.
out still not SO much Of an effort but that [
would have continued to talk as best could
only some Of my family, with iniudicous
franknesS, told ME how unpleasant my voice
had grown. Before my illness | had on unusu-
ally pleasant voice. it was said. in reading and in
singing. as well as in talking. 1t was especi-
ally spoken OF as being always so very natural
and spontaneous; but now it had grown unnat-
ulal and strained. ] soon BEGAN to be sensitive
about using it. and talked less and less. |.
however. from time to time made efforts in my
unaided way to correct the trouble but re-
ceiYIng no assistanCe-fOr none then knew how
to help mel grew worse aud worse. After
few years | was sent to a sign school, and con-
tracted there the habit of relying entirely on
pencil and paper for conversation with all who
G;d not understand signs rthc manual alphabet
M aft tor hnp
years. and returned home again although still
talked at home and was partially understood
by the members Of my Immediate family, ADAM
doned altogether the attempt to talk to any one
else. Indeed. the fact that outsider WAS lis
tening to ne would check he instantly. In this
way there grew up in ne nervous impeachment
OF speech in addition to other draw backs. Yet
had the most intense desire to use my voice as
Others did, though certainly il was enough to
discourage me to have strangers stop and turn
around curiOusiy at the sound OF my speaking
and to St" the look of nOn-c0mpr9hcnSion on the
face of any one not familiar with me- if | adj
dressed them orally. did not like to see people
look at each other aud ask What does She
say At last might almost be said to be really
dumb IA we'll a. deaf and this continued
until 1871. About that time | heard of the
first articulation school ever established
in this country, the Clarke institution at North
ampton, Mass. 1t owed its existence to large
bequest. left for the purpose of establishing it.
by Mr. John Clarke. OF Northampton. who him.
self became gradually very deaf. and for this
reason probably. had great sympathy with other
deaf people. However the money to found such
a school would have been useless for that pur-
pose had not fitting principal been found in
the person of Miss Harriet Rogers. of Billerica
Mass. She was a sister of the lady whom Dr.
Howe. or Boston. selected to have charge OF
Laura Bridgman in his benevolent experiments
with the deaf. dumb and blind girl The begin
ming OF Miss Rogers career as teacher Of artic-
ulatiOn and lip reading for the deaf dated from
her taking little girl. who had become deaf In
babyhOOd to teach. When | first went to the
Clarke school 1t had been open but short time
My articulation then was indistinct and often
unlntelligible There was a failure to sound
consOnants and gutterals generally. NY pro-
nunciatfon was about as bad my articulaton
but perhaps the most unpleasant thing was the
pitch Of my voice, which was very high-a fall
setto-and strained while my enunciation was
unusually rapid Of all these things was not
at the time aware only know that did not
speak like other people, and that it was an I'M
pleasant effort for me to speak.
The first thing done was to teach me the
sound or sounds of each letter of the alphabet
We all learn the Of the letters OF the alpha
bet, but few of Us are consciously aware that
the name Of the letter and it's sound are as
different things. az it is to spell a word by the
names of the letters Of the alphabet and then
pronounce 1t by their sounds. This drill helped
Inc to analyZe the sounds made: and to know
ftOr l made them was great help. learned
to give the proper sounds by placing my hand
on the teachers throat and feeling what she did
with the muscles of the throat and by watching
the position OF the lips, tongue. and teeth and
their movements when she made given sound
| also learned the proper pronunciation of
words, accents, and emphasis in the same way.
| was then put through vocal drill on the
vowel sounds every day But the most difficult
thing of all was to get me to use the chest
tones. | at first had no conception of how it was
done, and for months my teachers labored with
me, and put forth all my powers; but it seemed
as if should never be able to speak single
sentence in a low key. Everything was tried;
all sorts of experiments and various kinds OF
vocal gymnastics well. 1t must be borne in
mind that could not hear my own voice and
had nothing to guide me in trying to train and
modulate it but my sense of feeling; and this
sense Of feeling had to be educated before I
could trust it; and so for long time would not
know whether went right or wrong. except
through being told of it by those
who heard me- All the rest that /
might learn would avail me but little
unless could learn to pitch my voice properly
With what secret tears and heart burnings and
impotent desires. and baffled efforts, worked
on tor months The unavailing endeavor seemed
to consume my life: but would not give it up.
My teachers very nearly did. however, although
they had not yet spoken of it to me; when one
day, in some tneXplicable way, | struck the
right pitch. The change was so sudden that the
teacher who was with could not at first
raaliza fhat IL ,paS I that smoke And there Wa9