The Portland daily press., 1891-05-22
THE DeAE MUTE SCHOOL.
interesting Exhibition Before tho
Governors Council Vest rday.

S'N'o inetitutions' Inc members preSeus
were Hon. L, G. Downs of Calais, who is
chairman of the councillor committee hav-
ing especial charge of the education of deaf
mutes, Hon. M. F. King of this city, Hon, j.
+. Bracket of Limington, Hon. Oromandel
Smith of Lltchtield. Hon. F. M. Simpson of
Carmel, and Hon. Parker Spofford of Bucks
port.
Upon arriving in the morning the c0un-
cillors proceeded at once to Miss Barton's
deaf mute school on Free street, where they
were Joined by Mayor True and Hon. G. F.
Libby. The education of the deaf mute
children of the state is one of the most Inn
portant matters that the Governor and
Council have to attend to. There are in
Maine. according to the latest returns, about
150 deaf mutes of school age. Probably this
is low estimate Of the number. as the re-
turns are not always entirely accurate in
this respect The education nf deaf mute
children is very difficult and costly; and the
state has assumed the expense of such edu-
cation in all cases where the parents are
unable to do it, For long time there have
been two ways of securing educations for
the children. The state has no school of its
own, and so has paid for scholars in two
schools, the school at Hartford and the Port
land school. Of which Miss Barton is princi-
pal. At present about fifteen mutes are
maintained by the State at Hartford, and
forty-six in Miss Barton's Portland school.
This Portland school, which is doing adj
mirable work, was established in 1876. DIR.
Thomas Hill, City Clerk Geo. G. Burgess
and Frederick Fox. Esq, were on the school
committee at the time, and were very zeal
Gus in establishing the institution. Mr.. j.
B. henderson was also one of the earliest
and most jealous friends of the school, as
was also Hon. Chas. F. Libby.
The admirable exhibition which the school
gave yesterday before the visitors is the
surest proof of the wisdom of the founders,
and of the fidelity and success of Miss Bar
toms management. In the Hartford school
the scholars are taught by means of the sign
language. Miss Barton's method is entirely
different, being what may be called the ar
ticulatory system. The results shown yes.
terday before the council were admirable
1t must be remembered that when the
children come to the school they are entirely
deaf and entirely dumb. Often. also, their
intellects are so little cultivated that they
are not able to control their muscles for the
simplest blackboard exercises. A deaf mute
when required to make the simplest straight
marks is often unable to do so because his
muscles have not been trained to work at
the dictaton of the mind. Such scholars as
this are taken into the Portland school, and
by its course Of training are rendered able
to understand spoken words and to speak in
telligibly themselves. The system of train
ing is scientific and extremely interesting
1t must be remembered that the deaf mute
cannot hear either any one else or himself
speak. He learns to understand others by
the motion of their lips, and himself never
hears the words which he articulates. The
basis of the instruction is the reduction of
language to its phonetic principles. The
phonetic sounds are produced by certain def
mite and distinct motions of the tongue, lips
teeth. etc. Each motion has its sound, and
whenever one Of these motions is made, no
matter by what person, the corresponding
sound must result In this important prin-
ciple is found the hope of the teacher of the
deaf mute. By long and tedious experiment
the scholar is taught to make certain move
ments Of the organs of articulation. Each
movement is represented In writing by sug-
gestive phonetic character For instance,
curve suggesting the lips represents one of
the labial sounds, the kissing sound of S Is
represented by small acute angle or dash
suggestive of a jet of air coming out between
the teeth.
The pupil gradually learns that a certain
character means a certain movement of GER
tain organs Of articulation, ana that o Que
cession of these characters mean success
ion of movements, and the succession of
movements. when made by the pupil, Is
word or sentence pronounced with more
or less distinctness, according to the degree
Of training, The great thing for the pupil
to be able to do is to master the phonetic pc
sitions of the organs of articulation, and be
able to translate those positions into phone.
tic signs. and form them into the character
of ordinary writing. Sometimes the pupil,
not quite certain of certain movement, will
go up to the teacher and put hand on the
teachers throat. At once the difficulty will
be solved and the pupil will repeat the sound
made by the teacher.
The pupils examined by the members of
the Council yesterday showed great aptness
in talking and in understanding converse
ton. OF course most of them talk with
great difficulty, but they articulate words so
they can be understood. One of the gradu-
ates Of Miss Barton's school is now engaged
in business where he has to meet many peo-
pie who come to his store as customers. He
is so proficient with the language that he
does all his business by talking. The men,
bers of the Council seemed greatly pleased
by what they witnessed and spoke in high
erms of the methods of the school and the
practical results.
In the afternoon the councillors, accom-
panied by Mayor True. took a drive about
the city, and later held consultation with
the city committee on finance in regard to
some unsettled matters between the state
and city, among them the expens es relating