Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-20

THE INCREASE IN THE PROPORTION OF THE DEAF.
as shown by the above table, was all gained
within the last of the three decades, 1s70-lSS0.
1t may have been due in some degree to the
marriage of the deaf with the deaf. but it may
also be explained O( by great epidemic of
cerebro-spinal meningitis which prevailed in
that and the preceding decade, producing
numerous cases OF deafness, and CD by the
greater pains taken to secure accuracy in the
| census OF 1880 as compared with all previous
censuses.
Rene Bache" continues: This really APP
| paiiing increase has no other cause than the
lntermarriage of persons born thus defective.
the offspring of such unions being almost in
yariably similarly afflicted. If, on
the other hand they take partners who are
normally equipped regards the primary
senses, the resulting offspring are more than
apt to be born deaf and dumb"
OFFSPRING OF DEAF PARENTS.
The increase, as has been shown above is
much less appalling than irene Bache" as
serts, and. such as it is, has other causes than
the one he assigns. As to the statements that
1.-THE offspring of such unions are almost inva-
riably similarly afflicted and that, when the
deaf marry hearing persons, 1.-The resulting Off
spring are more than apt to be born deaf and
dumb" the fact is that deaf parents rarely have
deaf children. of the 1856 deaf persons edu-
Gated at the Illinois institution. the largest
school for the deaf in the world. 272 have mar
ried deaf persons after leaving school and q
have married hearing persons. l do not know
the total number of children these marriages
have produced. but DIR. p. G.. Giliett, the super
intendent of the institution, says they have
been as fruitful of offspring as the average of
marriages in society at large. some of them re-
sulting in large families of children. Only 16
of them have deaf children. OF the 500 pupils
of
THE MINNESOTA SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
over thirty have married and have children,
but none of these are deaf / am personally
| acquainted with at least twenty-eight married
deaf persons now residing in the city of Wash
lngton. of whom twenty-five are married to
| deaf and six to hearing persons seventeen
! couples in alb and not one of them has deaf
child So far as am aware there are no deaf
parents of deaf children in the city. Similar
statistics might be cited from many sources.
! On the other hand deaf parents sometimes have
: several deaf children. and when large num-
| Der of marriages of the deaf are collated as
| those of the former pupils of the Illinois inst-
| proportion of deaf offspring than is to be found
| in the community at large. DIR. Alexander
| Graham Bell, who is investigating this subject
with energy and ability. has list of 52S deaf
children born In this country previous to 1880,
/ OF whom one or both parents were deaf. He
regards the marriages of the deaf with anxiety.
| believing that if continued under certain con-
! dltlons from generation to generation. they NAV
ultimately result in 1.-The formation of a deaf
variety of the human race but he is ready to
| admit that thus far in the history of the world
| the deaf children of deaf parents have been far
| less numerous than their hearing children.
THE DEAF-MUTE PROBLEM
is not yet solved, but it is receiving earnest at
| tention from thoughtful men. and We may hope
| its solution is not impossible. 1t seems to be
| unquestionable that i'll some families there ex-
lists an hereditary tendency to deafness When
| members of family in which this tendency
| exists whether they themselves are deaf or
/ mott marry other members of the same family.
| or when members of two different families in
| which the tendency exists whether themselves
| deaf or not marry one another. the tendency
| is doubtless transmitted to their offspring with
| increased intensity. Hence. probably. on the
one hand the numerous cases of deaf children
| of related hearing parents collected by the
heads of our schools for the deaf and attributed
! to consanguineous marriage; hence, also, on
| the other hand, the striking cases of deaf
! children of deaf parents, sometimes run
] ming through several successive gen
| erations, investigated by Dr. Bell,
and suggesting to his inge .iious mind the Dos
sibility of 1.-The formation of deaf variety of
! the human race" Under certain conditions it
/ is clear, deafness is transmitted; under others
it is not; but just what the respective condi-
| tons are has not vet been fully determined. 1t
| liz hoped that the researches DIR. Bell and others
| are now making. which involve the examination
| OF far wider range of facts than have vet
| been obtainabe. will greatly increase our
| knowledge of this important subject and that
as a result the conditions under which deafness
! is transmitted will be SO well understood that
| i'll many cases the deaf may be advised to fol-
! low the choice of their own hearts in marriage
! without any fear whatever of evil consequences
while in other cases, where they ought not to
marry persons similarly afflicted, or possibly
| not to marry at all, they may be warned more
effectually than hitherto OF the danger incurred
| EDWARD ALLEN Fay.
| National Deaf Mute College, Kendall Green.
| CHURCH COMMISSIONS TO DE LAID.-The
| cornerstone of the new church edifice. which
| the congregation of the 13th-street Baptist
! church are erecting at the corner of 10th and D
streets, will be laid tomorrow afternoon. The
| services will be conducted by the pastor. Rev.
Chas. A. Stakely, assisted by Rev. DIR. Cuthbert,
| Rev. DIR. Faunce, Rev. DIR. Greene and Others.
The cornerstone which will be put in place is
! the gift of Emmanuel mission. which is a mis-
sion school of the church. Prof. p. S. Foster
will conduct the music.
| BLEW HIMSELF UP.-A young man named
| Chas. Price, jr.. OF Martinsburg, w. Va. who
| for some time has been making a visit to his
| relatives near Winchester, picked up large
| stick of dynamite and several caps. near the
! railroad and carried them home few hours
! later, in company with another young man, he
went out from the house, and, after boring
| hole in pine tree. but the dynamite and caps
therein. Having no fuse they substituted
cloth saturated with coal-oil and gun-powder.
rolled i'll the center. Young Price applied the
fatal match, and the explosion followed SO sud-
denly that he was unable to get out of the
way. The tree was blown to fragments, and
the young man SO badly injured that death fol-
! lowed in a few hours.
ACCIDENTALLY SHor Hrs SwEETHEARr.-Guy
l Duncan. Of Weston, W. Va, went a few DAYS
| since to spend the evening with Miss Carrie
Radebaugh, a young girl Of the neighborhood
He was about to take his departure when she dis
covered he had pistol in his overcoat pocket,
which she endeavored to take from him. In
the scuffie which ensued the revolver was a,ci-
dentally discharged, the ball taking effect and
INJECTING painful though not serious injury
IN the girls side. 1t was narrow escape from
death.
Nh. ELKISs TO LEAVE NEW YoRx.-Mr.
Stephen B. Elkins has made all his arrange