The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-01-23
THE DUMBTALK.
How They are Taught to Rsaa tho n1ovs. .
meuts Of the Lips.

u 60hS
Southeastern Connecticut, lea the vii
lage Of Mystic Biver, is o school house
where the deaf and dumb are taught to
speak like hearing people and under.
stand spoken words through the sense
of sight. A very touching incident is
told by the principal, Mr.. Whipple.
about a former pupil, a young woman
who had graduated deaf and dumbfrom
DR.. Poets sign school in New York.
She came to Professor Whipple to learn
articulation and lip reading. Through
the aid of an ingenus alphabet Din
vented by the late zerah
G. Whipple), which pictures
the organs of speech in the position
they assume in producing audible
sounds, this pupil was soon athletic speak
80 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 Lord'sprayer. Perceiyingh her agita
ton, he could scarcely restrain his emo
! ton as he corrected the few unimpor-
tant errors and delicately returned it
! to her. The next morning she came
axultingly to him esclaiming, vocally,
L prayed last night with my voice"
Her teacher then asked her if she had
aever prayed before. ooh, yes" said
she, II have thought my prayers, but
never spoke them before" and then she
said, audibly, "Mylipsshall praise Thee.
o God" "Attend to the voice Of my
duplication o Lord" The enthusiasm
manifested by this young woman in her
new-founa power of speaking was shar-
ed in by her family and friends, who
greatly rejoiced with her. We quote
from Il letter she wrote Professor Whip
pie after she had returned home: / shall
never give up my speech for anything
in the world. It is a great enjoyment
to me, I assure you. My friends on
slider it q perfect wonder, and don't ind
it at all hard to understand ME. Many
smart and intelligent people think I
have been restored to hearing. Is that
not funny?" Another interesting casa
is that of q nephew of the late Governor
Packer, who is receiving instruction of
Mr.. Whipple 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
received instruction in the art of lip
reading only about ten weeks, and his
progress for so short a time has been
remarkable. He reads the lips of his
friends with but littla difficulty, while
he converses with his instructors so
well that a stranger looking on would
hardly suspect that lie was deaf. A few
evenings ago he tried an experiment of
reading shadows. A friend convcrsed
with him for some time, he standing
behind her in such q position that he
could not see her face, depending
wholly upon reading the shadow of he1
lips upon the wall in understanding
what she said.
But the most wonderful case Of deaf.
mute speaking in this country, and per-
haps in the world, is s man about 60
years old, an uncle of Mr.. Whipple,
who lives about six miles from New
London. The following account ap-
peared in a paper published near his
home:
"Tllis deaf man possesses quick Der.
ceptions, with o fine intellect. He
meets and converses with strangers.
and they never Lllstrust that he is deaf.
The only serious difficulty that he en-
counters is q mustache, which hides the
mouth. Evenings he has some trouble,
especially when the face is shaded SO
that he cannot plainly. see the move
ment Of the lips. It is then he spends
much of his time reading, often orally,
to his invited friends. At q mass grove
peace meeting, held Of Mystic River
nearly two years ago, he wa intro
iuced from the platform, and spoke to
an nstonished audience of over 5000
people, who listened in breathless
silence to the words of one who was
born deaf and dumb. Mr.. Whipple
tolls some amusing anecdotes about him
self. He once mel q stranger near his
home who asked him if there was a
deaf mute in that neighborhosd who
had been taught to speak, and he re.
piled: 4 am the man of whom you
speak, and you can Judge for yourself
he was once conversing with q lady
that did not know he was deaf. Her
face being hid by her bonnet, he had to
get very near in order to see her mouth.
She, installing his motive for rudeness,
hurr.edly left him standing alone. They
afterward became well acquainted
and had many a laugh ovel
the incident of the long
s%un-bonnet. Mr.. Whipple married o
very estimable hearing lady, and she
talks with him apparently with us much
ease as she would were his hearing per.
feet"
This deaf man was taught to speak
by his father, the late Jonathan Whip
pie, 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
understand spoken words through the
sense OF sight. Such instances as these
narrated strengthen ones faith III the
prophecy of Isaiah: "Then shall the
anne leap as q hart, and the tongue Of
the dumb shall sing"
Naquet, the champion of divorce leg.
Station in France, is a Jew, whose an
cestors came to France from Algeria.
His wife is a Roman Catholic and their