The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-03-30
MAKING THE DUMB SPEAK.

MAKING THE DUMB SPEAK.
NOT n MIRACLE. Bur BY PATIENCE,
INGENUITY. AND PRACTICE
RssAiss che Lsps sr . sssaser. saA lat.
sassss bic Ussspasees ~ Fselsss ths W.
Srasisas 81 bis Chess, Threas. ssA jaws
A hundred years ago most persons, II
asked how the dumb could bs made TO speak.
| would no doubt have answered without hesita-
ton: by miraclel" Yet nearly . quarter OF
| . century earlier In $780, = German. Samuel
| Heinicke. had started . school In Leipsic for
teaching deaf mutes to talk. This school 10
| still in existence. and other schools based on
| Hsinicke's method. which. Of course. has been
| greatly improved. have been founded In difisr-
ent countries. 30 that At the present time tho
teachin. OF the dumb to speak forms an impor.
tant branch OF education. Few persons who
have not paid special attention to the subject
| have any idea OF this.
On the west eide Of Lexington avenue. OK.
tending from sixtv.sevsnth TO Sixty-eighth
street. stands ive-story brick building with a
quaint little cupola over its central division. 1t
| IL called the Institution for the Improved In
struetton OF Deaf Mutes. Within It's walls nearly
| $50 little tongues. upon which nature has i'm
| posed the burden OF silence. arc daily taught
rule children are dumb solely because they are
deaf. and therefore unable to hear and initiate
| the vocal sounds uttered By those around
| them. It 10 very rare that the vocal organs OF
. deaf mute are detective. On the other hahd.
children under z years who have learned to
speak perfectly almost always become mute II
they lose their hearing. as they frequently do
cersbro-spinai meningitis. Children born deaf
are technically termed congenital deaf mutes,
cass s IN sa =. sr
pear. Il te generally easier to teach the former
since the child cannot hear. his other senses
and the nsthod o. tsaehinS him to speak must,
h:t sosd: e sros:a 70 him. How this
can best DO seen. In the primary class. made up
present il consists Of about : dozen little boys
and girls and e taught with much skill, pa.
little ones who entered the institution perfectly
dumb In September last are all able now to Vt
ter simple words and sentences disstinotly
Bui smother thing That surprIsss The visitor
quite as much ~ thsi. specsinS y that hs
and lsgibly as well IS spell correctly any word
ne T H." difficulty Of teaching the dumb child to
speak ia. in reality not 80 great as 1t may seem
70 the reader. Nssrly al dsat mutss can utter
'e Tas . ssn Il seS sss%
to utter those simple vowel sounds correctly
as well as 0. on. = and the easier OF the con-
f To sasch the vowel sounds, says Mr.. David
Grsenbergsr. the principal OF the institution.
his hand on the teachers chest. where he can
feel the vibration. and to lot him watch the
dstss 3, hs 81
mute depends entirely On Watching the I rsls-
o. Ups
The Details OF instruction are. of course
would be tedious In a sketch OF this kind. the
following characteristic examples are selected
formation. Of ah. the most Open OF all vowel
sounds. the mouth and throat are opened
the FL. hs
pressing against It's sides and leaving oniy tho
smallest possible passage. through which .
a qSss 'f TIM easiest and the most acslt
vowel sound to teach; In teaching the pu-
mouth Nv Mhh as vide
a. II can Be consistently with the production OF
sound . also made to PLACE ONE hhnd
The vibration Of 9 can also b felt under the
Of in ss ~" sa ss q
make the pupil feel that while in sounding
tho lsrynI IL depressed. In sounding 1t Is
Meditation q the voice is taught from the the
s %%is sb Mnss ns hs tIe
chords. and thereby lowers the pitch. simul:
increases the tension Of the vocal chords and
elevstes the pitch. The nasal tone ia corrected
;h bas he s" TO sa
own and the teachers mouth and nose. to the
that In The s5s OF the sGunS
the II thu does lo by
The simplest consonsnt sounds. and conss
pSp IN %S :d. sF .hs s.s
tho utterance OF them py having the back OF hi.
nsa s"s to s e sHsrsss Hs
vocal organs until he Is able to emit his bres At
In tbs same msnnsr he Is assisted IN IN
u Sa H s
little backward with y paper folder,
sound correctly, tho letter. or combination 8
. lettars representing II iewrIttsn. on the black
and and s ss s sn 4. n
clinch the Identification. As soon as he is abls
TO utter simple vowel and consonant soun !s
taught to so%Sins shsm n!9 T wsi
!: :re !mmediatsiy written upon the. 5isckboardt
! and Objects, Thus he is simultaneously laugh
thu ps 81 lis ssschsr to ASSOCIATE woras viii
their signihcation. and TO write tho Letters AM
/ | words rs he learns them. the most uitt1"ul
: sounds for a deaf mute tn learn urs the hi sini
sound OF q. CHI. and J. but these are acquire,
like the rest by patience and practice.
The pupils In most cases show y REMARKABLY
, delight when they first md ont the real obiac
Of the funny pufrs. blows and Misses. whi9
I 70 overcome tho difficulties necossariiy attend
> ing their attempts ut articulation.
a The development OF speech sounds occupies
according to the capacities Of individual pupilt
from three to four or. nt the utmost NV
r months. They are kept 10 the primary elias
generally for ons year. then instructed In tn
= English language. and finally cnrrisd throuc
higher branches OF study. The more advance
, pupils. as u rule. enunciate clearly. thoug
y they are apt to fall INTO u kind of lisp. BIZ
- when their attention is called to II the
quickly remedy the defect. 1t is not an I'm