The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1884-08-23
CAUSING THE DUMB TO SPEAK.
Lid Reading and Articulation Among
Deaf Mutes.
New York Tribune.

New York Tribune.
Between Sixty-seventh and Sixty
eighth streets, in Lexington avenue,
stands the Institute for the Improved
Instruction of Deaf Mutes. In reply
to reporters inquiries the principal
of the institution, d. Greenberger. re-
Gently said: "Uninstructed deaf mutes
are unable to produce the proper sounds
of words because they have never heard
the sounds, just as an American would
not be expected to pronounce Chinese
words accurately if he had not heard
them. 1t is popularity supposed, how
ever, that the vocal organs of deaf
mutes are unlike in some particular
those of persons who can speak and
hear. This is mistake. In our sys-
tenn we hold that the deaf mute can be-
come aware of sounds by two senses,
those of sight and of touch; that is, by
watching the movements of the lips and
face, and by feeling the vibrations
caused in the throat and breast during
speaking. When new pupil comes to
ME place him before me, make him
observe the motions of my lips, and
cause him at the same moment to put
his hand on my throat. We do not be-
gin with the vowels or consonants, but
with simple words like eye, toe,
paw, etc.
sWe treat the pupil just as a mother
treats her child. She does not sit down
and try to teach the child different
sounds that or has. No more do we
with the uninstructed pupil. In other
words, we use the natural method, lead
ing the pupil by degrees from single
words of simple sound to harder words
and then to short sentences. This is
continued for two years on the average,
and not till then is the pupils attention
called to the individual letters compos-
ing words; in fact, the pupil will learn
to read almost anything before he is
taught to observe the letters. He has
been learning words all the time as
wholes, just as when you and read |
we take in words as wholes, without no.
ticing each letter in separate way. |
One result of this is that it is rare |
thing for deaf mute to make mistakes |
in spelling. Indeed, we have no recita-
tions in spelling in the school. Do we
call their attention to the different
sounds, as the 90 in bought and in
bought Not at all, they simply pick
them up. 1t is marvellous the way they
come to read the lip-motions at dis
tance of seventy-five feet, and some will
do that if 1 even cover three-fourths of
my mouth with my hand. 1t is the old
law of compensation their eyes be-
come wonderfully sharp and quick, and
then, too, they note the play of facial
muscles to an extent of which we are
unconscious. The same development
Af ha 70 1ot, ha,, |
occupations after leaving the school,
as engravers, wood-carvers, portrait
painters, photographers, etc. After the
preliminary training of two years they
take up the studies of grammer school
course, there being fifteen teachers for
the 167 pupils. OF course, you under
stand that besides learning to read the
lip-motions of others they in the same !
way learn to speak orally and audibly.
The sound is sometimes little odd, as /,
the pupils cannot be made to modulate
the tones. For the first year they use, ..
for purposes of communication, the nat
ural gesture which every deaf mute d,
child invents for itself; but afterward
signs are discouraged. The deaf and 7
dumb alphabet is not employed. The !
advantages of the system are obvious; .
t does away with signs, which are fre- q
luen.ly puzzles to sign readers them .
selves, and it enables the deaf mutes to I
understand what is being said around II
hem." u
"Where was the systeml begunp" y
Isked the reporter. x \,
"The first school was founded in L
1eipsic, Saxony, by Samuel Heinicke. II
1 is still in existence, and is now gov g
rnment institution. In Europe it has W
ntirely superseded the old sign-system SC
With manual alphabet. This New CO
FORK school was founded on March 1st, NJ
s67, by several gentlemen who form e e
d q society of between four hundred 81
nd five hundred members. The mem. al
ers of the association each paid S10a w
ear as dues, and special fund of nc
loney was raised beyond this. The sa
,hool was located in Broadway, be-
yeen Forty-fourth and Forty-fifth
~oo+s until Auo,,ot u,ho,,