The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-10-18
The Dumb Talk.
Springfield Republican.


In a somewhat obscure corner oi
Southeastern Connecticut, near the
village of Mystic River, is a school where
the deaf and dumb are taught to speak
like hearing people, and understand
spoken words by the sense of sight.
A very touching incident is told by
the principal, Mr.. Whipple, about a
former pupil, young woman, who had
graduated deaf and dumb from DR.. Peet's
sign school in New York. She came to
Prof. Whipple to learn articulation and
lipreading. Through the aid ofan inge-
nious alphabet Invented by the late
Zerah c. Whipple, which pictures the or
gaps of speech in the position they as
sumo in producing audible sounds, this
pupil was soon able to speak so as to be
easily understood. One morning she
brought her slate to Mr.. Whipple with
something written in this alphabet. On
reading he found it to be the Lords S
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 vocally, 81 prayed last
night with my voice" "
Her teacher then asked her if she had
never prayed before. ooh, yes" said
she. 81 have thought my prayers, but
never spoke them before" and then she
said, audibly, "Mylips shall praise Thee,
Oh, Cod" Attend to the voice of my
supplication, Oh, Lord" The enthusi-
asm and joy manifested by this young
woman in her new-found power ofspeak-
ing was shared by her family and friends,
who greatly rejoiced with her. We
quote from a letter she wrote Prof. Whip
pie after she had returned home: 81
shall never give up my speech for any,
thing in the world. 1t is great enjoy
ment to me l assure you. My flien6s
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 a
nephew of the late Governor Packer,
who isreceiving instruction of Mr.. Whip
pie through the summer vacation. This
gentleman lost his hearing about nine
years ago-a few weeks before he was to
graduate from college. He has receiv-
ed Instruction in the art of lip reading
only about ten weeks, and his progress
for so short time has been remarkable.
He reads the lips of his friends with but
little difficulty, while he converses with
his instructors so well that 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 posi-
ton that he could not see her face, de-
pending wholly upon reading the shadow
of her lips on the wall in understanding
what she said.
Rut. the. most wonderful case ofdeaf-
haps in the whole world, is man about
60 years old, an uncle of Mr.. Whipple,
who lives about six miles from New
London. The following account ap-
peared in paper published near his
home:
"This deaf man possesses quick per-
ceptions, with a fine intellect. He
meets and converses with strangers, and
they never mistrust that he is deaf. The
only serious difficulty he encounters is a
mustache which hides the mouth. Even
ings he has some trouble, especially when
the face Sshaded so that he cannot plain
ly see the movement of the lips. 1t is
then he spends much ofh;s time reading,
often orally, to his family or invited
friends. At mass grove peace meeting
held at Mystic River nearly two years
ago he was introduced upon the plat
form, and spoke to an astonished audi
ence 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 anecdotes
about himself. He once met a stranger
near his home, who asked him if there
was a deaf mute in that neighborhood
who had been taught to speak, and he
replied, Il am the man of whom you
speak, and you can judge for yourself.
"He was once conversing with lady
who did not know he was deaf. Her
face being shaded by her bonnet, he had
to getvery near in order 70 see her mouth.
She, mistaking his motive for rudeness,
hurriedly left him standing alone. They
afterward became we'll acquainted, and
had many laugh over the incident OF
the long sun-bonnet. Mr.. Whipple
married very estimable hearing lady,
and she talks with him with apparently
as much ease as she would were his hear
ing perfect. "
This deaf man was taught to speak by
his father, the late Jonathan Whipple,
who was the first in this country to make
the discovery and demonstrate the fact
to the people that deaf mutes may be
successfully taught to talk and under
stand spoken words through the sense
of sight. Such instances as these mar
rated strengthen ones faith in the pro-
phesy of Isaiah: "Then shall the lame
man leap as hart, and the tongue O
the dumb hallsing."
Rayauce i'm Character.