, 1884-05-18
A SILENT SHOPFUL.
An Establishment Where Deaf Mutes
Only Are Employed.
Interesting Talk Concerning Their
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS at Their
Work Than OIhers--A Peep
ut the Family.
kansas City Star.l

A reporter for this paper, In the office Of a
Fifth street hotel, a few evenings ago, had
his attention attracted by the silent rapidity
with which a couple of workmen were putting
in an elaborate wire-screen back of the
counter. In all the din and hustle OF the
crowd in the office these two men said not a
word, not even to zach other, while they
fastened piece after piece in its place with
something that was singularly suggestive of
Rutomatons or machinery.
The reporters knowledge of wire-work was
principally confined TO that species which has
a politician at one end and an office at the
other, 20 he strolled over and asked some
trivial question. Neither of the workmen
paid the slightest attention. There seems
to be a GOODNESS about this reception"
unused the reporter, but he had been there
before, and repeated his inquiry in a louder
key. Still they calmly pursued their work,
ignoring both his presence and inquiries.
This was carrying industry to a ghostly ex-
tremity, and he was about to go Off mad
when the clerk said with a mean, malicious
grin;
They're deaf mutes, both of 'em. Could
not hear If you were to fire a cannon by
them or invite them TO drink"
This Inst was conclusive, and the reporter
noticed then that they used a queer panto-
mime in asking each Other for tools.
Inc TepOTLsI, Deluk utSTOuA Vi II
formation, made a call Mt the office of the
wire-works. A pleasant lady back of the
desk said:
ayes, we employ deaf mutes altogether in
our work. We have nine at present, and
nave had as many as fifteen. But we didn't
make any effort to get them, and don't
make n speciality Of employing mutes, l as
sure you. 1 will tell you how it happened:
Quite n long time ago a mute came TO us for
work and we hired him. He turned out to
be a first-rate workman, fast. intelligent, and
honest, and did a hundred times better work
than we had any idea he could. So we took
quite a fancy to him, and one day he brought
around another mute. He signed to us that
he was a good man. too, and so we em-
ployed him. That was the way of it; ono
drew another, until they have practically
~monopolized the work, and 1 must say l pre-
fer them TO any others"
The reporter asked what their particularly
good points were.
"well, they are hard workers, and our
business requires a considerable amount Of
artistic taste, that we find the mutes have,
as n rule, more than other people. / suppose
that not having some Of their faculties the
Others are better developed. At any rate,
they all have a very correct eye for form and
effect. You would be surprised to see the
really beautiful work some of them do In
wire, making fine screens, lower-stands, and
the like, with no other pattern than their
own Judgment. Besides they nre good-tem-
pered, never quarrel among themselves,
never eavesdrop, you know, never sass back
and-well, never ask foolish questions"
ADO you know anything about how they
are situated personally" asked the reporter,
overlooking her covert shot; whether any of
them are married, for instanceln
AI--I-- 49, 400 GaVaWnl ~ NHa. 49,
married and nave families. One of them
has the prettiest little wife-she can talk as
well as anybody and seems to think the world
and all of him. The married ones all have
nice homes and are really well-to-do for
wo~rking-people. They seem to make quite u
little colony all by themselves and seldom
mix with outsiders. How do they make
themselves understoodi Why, partly by
signs and partly by writing on tablets. 1
have noticed that their gestures are all very
expressive, and when one is with them any
length of time he has very little difficulty in
knowing what they want"
~ should think the inflrmity would handi-
cap them in the business"
"On the contrary, they are decidedly faster
than other people. Do you see that man
theref" She pointed out n workman in u
blouse in one corner, who, with u hand rest
ing on a mahl stick, was rapidly tracing
floral patterns on a piece of fine ironwork.
Ale can do that quicker and better than any
one l know of in town, and his eye is so true
that ho can do IL just as well without the
mahl stick as with it. They are paid by the
piece, and average as large or larger wages
than anybody"
There was something peculiar about tho
looks OF the mute laborers, although it was
difficult to tell exactly what. In all Of them
was the suggestion of some mechanical fig
ure rather than a human being, that the re-
porter first noticed. One of them when
pleased made a peculiar chuckling noise with
his throat, something like q hen exulting
over an egg. 1t was the only sound he had
ever uttered.
Later in the day the visitor passed tho shop
at about the hour work was over and just as Il
tidy, sweet-faced young woman with a boy 3
or 4 years old, came to the door. The thought
struck him that this was the wife Of one of
the mutes, and he paused at n discreet dis
lance to take observations. Sure enough, n
moment later one of the workmen, pulling
on his coat, emerged. No word was spoken,
but tho child laughed gleefully and put out
its arms to be taken up, and tho woman,
smiling, pointed to it The man threw back
his head with an eloquent look. jumped the
boy on his shoulder, and the trio started off,
the mother and child chatting gaily to each
other and the father n silent but apparently
delighted spectator. There was something
ineifably pathetic about the scene, but they
all seemed pleased and happy.