The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-07-10
READING HUMAN LIPS.
The Wonderful Skill in Lip Reading
Shown by two Deaf Girls

The Wonderful Skill in Lip Reading
Shown by two Deaf Girls.
From the New York Herald.
The convention of teachers of the
deaf and dumb was resumed yester-
day at the New York Institution,
Lexington avenue and East Sixty
seventh street. At the morning and
afternoon sessions number of papers
were read on lip reading and methods
of instruction for the deaf and dumb.
A resolution was passed, on motion of
Rev. Frederick Fl. Wines, that the at
tention of wealthy and benevolent
persons be called to the fact that the
improvement of the condition of the
deaf and dumb would be materially
furthered by the establishment of a
school for instructing teachers in ar
ticulation.
AT the evening session paper was
read by Miss Fletcher, of Boston, on
Newspaper Reading" In the paper
Miss Fletcher set forth that she had
found it an excellent idea TO allow the
pupils to read extracts from the news
papers in class and ask questions con-
corning what they have read. This
plan was commended as an excellent
OuO ny GuO NOV. NIL w 1ACo, L IluClpd1
Greenberger and others. The latter,
however, suggested that it might be
as well when newspapers were thus
read to use the New York newspa-
pers in lieu of those publications is
sued in Boston. Miss Keller, of the
New York Institution, next read
a paper on Speech Reading" and
Miss Wooster, of the Clark Insti-
tute, described the methods of lip
reading adopted in her classes. Mr..
Greenberger, of the New York insti
tuition, then described the case of a
pupil who slept with a servent girl.
The two were heard talking together
in the night. AS there was no light
in the room, it was evident that the
conversation was not carried on
through the medium of lip-reading.
Inquiry was made, and it was dis
covered that the pupil was in the
habit of putting one hand upon the
girls chest and the other upon
her throat, and ascertaining by
| the vibrations of sound the
words she uttered. Some interesting
exhibitions of the wonderful aptness
of deaf mute pupils followed. A pu,
pill of the New York institution, g
comedy girl of 16 years, was called to
the platform. Although deaf to the
loudest noise, she aSily understood by
watching the motions of the lips
whatever was said to her. Mr.. Green.
berger addressed her with his face
turned full towards her, then with
the face sideways and next from dis
lance of some fifteen yards away. She
was enabled in each instance to I'M
derstand his words, which were
uttered in the ordinary conversation.
al way both as to rapidity and pitch
He subsequently read passages
from Roman history, which she re
peated after him with accuracy
Even when the unusual and difficult
remark, "Ohio is the see-saw state,
was addressed to her, she readily de
ciphered the words. A girl of fifteer
years, pupil of Miss Fuller, of the
Horace Mann school, of Boston, dis.
played similar proficiency in lip read
ing, and the two pupils next held an
animated conversation with each
other, utterly oblivious of loud noise:
which were made behind their back:
to illustrate the utter lack of hearing
A noticeable feature of the voices Of
the pupils was that they both had q
peculiar languiShing, wailing tone
The teachers state that they expect tt
conquer even this popularity in time