Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-06-26


others interested in deaf-mute education and
philantropic work generally assembled at Ken
dali Green to witness the ceremonies attending
the unwilling Of the statue of Thomas
Hopkins Gallaudet on the college lawn.
Three o'clock was the time fixed for the un-
yelling of the statue, and at that hour the con-
vention met in the hall, with President Hodg-
son in the chair. Invitations had been issued
to many officials Of the government and promi-
nent people Of the city, including President
Harrison, the Secretary Of War, Hon. A. r.
spoford, Hon. Walker Blaine, Hon. G. G. Hub
bard, President Patton, President Gilman and
the faculty Of Johns Hopkins university and
many prominent ministers of the city. A large
number of invited guests were thus mingled
with the members Of the convention.
The Marine band discoursed music and Rev.
Job. Turner, Of Virginia, the Oldest deaf mute
missionary in the Episcopal church, offered
prayer. The executive committee made its
report through its chairman, Mr.. Theodore
Froelich, of New York. From this it appeared
that the voluntary contributions from the deaf
and their friends for the memorial had
amounted to S12, 9i4. rs, and that after all
expenses were paid small balance would re-
main. The committee feel that the selection
of Mr.. French as artist was justified by the ex-
cellence of his work. More music followed,
pupils Of Rev. Thomas Gallaudet, in which
personal recollections of the good man were
given
Mr.. r. P. McGregor, Of Ohio, the orator of
the day, then arose and delivered his address
in graceful signs. Mr.. C. n. Haskins, of Ohio,
reading il for the benefit of the hearing por-
ton OF the audience.
Mr.. McGregor's Grafton.
Mr.. McGregor, after referring to the progress
Ia1 -, a. -
deaf, represented so well by the institution in
whose walls they were assembled, alluded to
the history Of the Greeks, which begun when
Cadmus taught them the alphabet. with the
appearance of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet upon
the scene" said the orator, .the history of the
deaf of this country begins. Up to that time
that the deaf existed in America was as IN
known as the existence OF the Greeks before
they began to emerge from barbarism into the
light of civilization, or if one was met with
here and there, he was looked upon as a nom
entity, or as barbarian to be feared. whose
existence was simply tolerated because the
civilization by which he was surrounded but
of which he was no part, forbade the killing Of
any creature in human form, no matter how
deformed or loathsome he might be. With the
advent OF Gallaudet, our Cadmus, among us,
what change was speedily wrought. He
brought with him the manual alphabet. he I'M
folded to our astonished gaze the civilization
more for us than the Cadmus of old could do
for his pupils. he babe us look mp and behold
a Saviour crucified holding out the blessed
hope Of Immortality beyond the grave. Under
his guidance we quickly emerged from dark
ness and took our place in the ranks of civiliza-
tion-and we have kept il ever SINCE"
Mr.. McGregor sketched rapidly the events of
the life of the elder Gallaudet. from the time
of his birth, December 10, 1888; his expedition
to Europe in his early manhood to acquire the
ma o. 61ao tipor 1aa ILL.,
ception by Able Sicard, his return to this
country with Laurent Clerc, Able Sicard's
most accomplished deaf assistant and his estab-
hshment of and devotion to the school at
Hartford. the mother school. The orator re-
ferred 70 the caution, conservatism and wisdom
which characterized the early endeavors of Dr.
Gallaudet and led to the establishment OF a
system OF education in this country upon
moral and religious grounds, and upon the
basis of our common school system. But that
for which they were above all else indebted to
Gallaudet was his adoption of the sign language
as the chief means of reaching the understand
ing of the deaf and communicating instruction
to them. He adopted the French system and
the sign language as the best, the shortest and
deepest channel by which to convey the stream
of knowledge to the dreary desert.
THE SIGN LANGUAGE.
"The sign language in its Developments"
Mr.. McGregor said, ''has followed the same
lines which govern all speech. From the prim-
tive form in which L'Epee found it in his first
pupils it has gone on steadily developing in
terseness, significance, accuracy, copiousness
and beauty, until now il is capable Of render
ing every phase of human thought Like other
languages, it has its dialects, its slang terms,
and Its value as repository of forgotten
usages. Having no lexicon its vocabulary
though rich and expressive, and capable of in
hnite combinations is necessarily short for
nowhere is the law Of the survival of the fit
test more vigorously enforced. In this lam
guage all useless verbiage is ruthiessly doomed
to extinction by the very necessities of exist
ence. The tendency is always to condensation
and force Of expression. 1t is most pictur-
esque and pliabie instrument of human thought,
the birthright OF the deaf, Gods compromising
gift to those from whom he has withheld
the greater blessing of speech 1t is "a
highly practical and singularly descriptive Ian
gusge, adapted as well to spiritual as material
objects, and brings kindred souls into much
more close and conscious communion than that
OF speech, enlarged by culture into greater
copiousness. more precision and greater accu-
racy, until 1T has reached a cIearness. an elo-
quenee, power as impressive to us as any
spoken language ever is to any hearing audi
ence. and which exercises over Us through the
whole range OF human thought a supreme in
nuence, when no words, spoken, written, or
tnger-spelled, can hope 10 equal
This is the channel through which GaIlaudet
conveyed the golden Argosy, laden with the
choicest literature of all ages scientific facts
Cleaned from all parts of the world and the
truths OF Revelation to a benighted people in
the dark valley of ignorance. And what has
been the result!''
THE RESULTS.
MIR. McGregor said the results could be seen
on all sides, in shops and manufactoriers. in
the schoolroom and pulpit, in the studio of the
artist and laboratory of the chemist. in govern
ment and mercantile Offices, ON the farm and
In the bowels Of the earth, IN the printing
ONCE and In the editors sanctum, in society !
giddy whirl and in the quiet home circle. Go
where you win, in the city, village, or country.
You VIII see the results OF his labors, of tn 9
system he inaugurated, in useful exemplary
citizens, who contribute their share to the
general prosperity; in good neighbors. who do
as they would be done by; in wise fathers and
mothers, who train up their children in the
way they should go; and in Christians whose
scope OF vision Is not terminated by the narrow
horizon of this life, but stretches away into the
endless vistas Of eternity.
And yet" said the orator, "there are those
who have risen up in these latter DAYS 10 at
tack his memory and annul his work who
boldly assert that the system which he insti-
tuted, and which to-day combines the best
parts OF all other systems, consists only in
equipping deaf mutes with q more systematic
language OF signs than they already possessed
and In enabling them TO understand each
other; and that those taught by this system arr
human In shape, but only half human in at.
tributes.'
my friends as Daniel Webster once said in
one OF bis most eloquent addresses, We must