Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-04-09

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the alphabet is learned the child be-
gins to spell and say words and is
shown the object which the words
indicate, .. e., for the word COW he is
shown a picture of a COW or a bust
better a bust or cast of the COW as
it is then clearer object teaching.
Right here a great difficulty arise
because the child has no idea of
sound. He therefore cannot repeat
the same sound twice the same way.
In fact it scarcely knows whether it
is whispering or yelling. In short
his voice is irregular from want of
conlol. (This only applies to per-
sons who have never spoken as those
who have learned to speak and after.
wards become deaf have a regular
tone to their voices
The child learns to regulate the
tone of the voice by shortening and
frightening the vocal cords and also
by the sense of feeling. Both are
acquired by applying the hand to
the larynx or throat while speaking.
When the teacher wishes to teach
the child to say certain sound or
word the child must put one hand
on the larynx or throat of
the teacher and the other on its
own throat While in this position
the teacher says a word or sound and
the child feels the vibrations with
its hand and then tries to reproduce
the same word or vibrations in its
own larynX or throat. 1t thus
lengthens and shortens the vocal
cords as violinist shortens and
lengthens the strings Of a fiddle to
produce a definite sound or word.
The child thus speaks with more
certainty and convenience the first
few years with its hand on its throat
in order to regulate and control its
voice. The voice Of a deaf mute
always sounds peculiar and broken
because of inability to modulate.
In the same sentence can be heard |
doleful pathos and comic mirth,
whispering and screeching, but per
fectly Ineligible.
Deaf mutes cannot therefore learn |
to sing, that is excluded from their
exercises. They are taught from 6
to Is years of age. The boys then
learn trade. No work shops are
yet connected with the schools. |
After eight years Of training they |
can converse quickly and intelligibly |
with any speaking person without |
sign or pencil. A teacher only in
structs ten scholars who sit in a half |
circle around him so they can all see
him speak. 1t must be remembered I
that few persons are born deaf, prob
ably in 1900 persons. Deafness is
caused by disease mainly after birth.
The most notable and terrible is the
cerebrospinal meningitis, (infama-
ton of the coverings of the brain and |
cord, called brain fever)
This is an epidemic disease and |
often devastates whole districts in a
short time. 1t causes deafness by |
paralyzing the nerve which supplies
the organ of hearing The stagger-
ing gait of deaf mutes is probably /
due to the paralysis of this nerve,
and also to the disturbance of the
of fluids in the semi-cir-
cular canals in the ear. These half
round canals (3) are supposed to
give a man the sense of balance or
position. Deaf mutes are not capa-
bic of such rapid and high culture
as the blind The ear is the best |
and most certain organ of early cul-
ture. knowledge gained through !
the ear makes deeper impression
on consciousness than through the
eye. Impression remains longer in |
the ear than the eye. Music stirs
the soul to its depths or sooths its
agitations,wh sights give the mind !
a lighter impression and more quick
ly pass away. The ear is the organ
of reflection and teaches the mind
abstraction.
The blind receive a fine sense of |
ideas through the ear as in music,
cries of pain, company and business.
He thus learns relations, one of the
highest powers of man, The UNI
cultured deaf can only think by in
tuition or by pictures. He cannot
think abstractly or in words and it
is doubtful whether a person can
learn clear thinking without words.
There are four boys deaf to three
girls. Generally the girls are much
more capable Of culture than boys.
All schools are approaching the
German method Of instruction, a. G.,
the system of loud talking. This is
of course the most practical, as when
q child leaves the school he must go
among persons who do not know