The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-07-04
MEETING OF DEAF MUTES.
This Viii Convene This Morning in the
House Of Delegates.
MUSIC And DANCING LAST EVENING.
Large Number are Registered Mt Ford's
Hotel and the Session VIII be Very In
teresting-Address by the Mayor.

There was nothing unusual about the looks
| OF the register at Ford's last night except a
larger number Of arrivals, yet one did not have
to look far from it TO see one of the most novel
not to say strange-scenes ever beheld in any
| gathering here. This is the lay of the meeting
| Of the deaf mutes Of the State and they are re-
| inforced by large number from elsewhere, who
came merely to look on and to take their 4th
| in Richmond.
These people converse in signs and gestures
and by spelling words on their fingers, and last
nights gathering was a sort Of reunion and
! pow-Wow generally and none except those deaf
seemed TO know what TO make OF II. Anyhow
they looked on with wide open eyes.
THEY DANCED.
After supper the reading-room Of the hotel
was cleared and about twenty couples INDUCED
In dancing, while little groups here and there
were engaged IN animated conversation and APP
parently on lively topics
How do they hear the music? asked a TIMES
reporter. We'll" said young man. taking his
pencil and pad and writing, they might do
without It. They learn the figures and step.
and then they catch step and bounce around
naturally. The music and the tread Of course
they feel. ana there is no trouble on that score,
hence You see some OF them are pretty good
dancers Tho reporter saw that they were
and. furthermore, that most Of the ladies were
pretty. too.
Among those from abroad are DIR. f. A.
New lorkclty which Is perhaps. the only rep
representative journal of these people, though
there are some twoscore papers published at
the State schools; Professor Thomas f. Fox of
the New York institution. who IS one of the
brightest young men in his class; Mr.. George
;; Porter. editor OF the Arkansas School Optic;
Mr. Alexander /. Pach, of the famous Pach
Mrothers,, the New York photographers; Mr..
Thomas NJ McCreery. of West Virginia; Mr..
William Christian, OF Shenandoah county, and
Rev. Job Turner
STATES REPRESENTED.
Besides New York. West Virginia, Arkansas
the District OF Columbia. Maryland and North
Carolina are represented at tho meeting, and
the mutes figuring in II are the flower Of the
mutes Of the state, and are engaged in every
The meeting to-day will he opened by Mr..
John W. Michaels, Of ROckbridge. at O'Clock.
and after invocation Mayor EllysOn will deliver
an address OF Welcome, interpreted into the sign
language, AMI formally answered by one of the
delegates. There will be other addresses. after
which The matter Of organizing State assOcia-
ton VIII 10 IN order, Tho meeting Is the first
OF the kind ever held here and will doubtless
lead TO- something OF great benefit TO this class
Of people.
THE FIRST ATTEMPT.
The formation of State associations by deaf
mutcs has yielded much good. and this j. the
first attemgt in this State and it is very promis-
ing. Mr. fo the founder Of the Empire State
Associau0n-the largest Of any mute organiza,
lon-sald last night that the material looked
splendid. and hat the number gathered there
would DO credit TO q meeting called hy an asso-
cation OF twenty-five years Standing. There are
some six or eight hundred deaf mutcs in \ir-
GINA and nearly q hundred are enrolled IN the
State school yearly
These people are not all horn dumbof course.
Many have lost heir sense of hearing through
disease and accidents; hence with general IN
crease OF population deafness increases Some. |
however, are deaf from hereditary causes. For !
instance. one of the delegates. who was at
Fortress Monroe yesterday met a colored boy. |
whose mother. grandmother. a sister and a |
tics intcrmarriage of the deaf has not caused |
deafness; There arc Ave or six deaf couples mt |
this gathering and about two dozen in the |
State, and with those having children none are |
deaf or are at all thus affected