Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-03-05

The Wonderful Progress In the Education
OF the Deaf and Dumb The Curriculum
Of the National College al Washington.
some Of the work Done.
Very little Is known about the ancient |
treatment Of the deaf. but Aristotle Is
credited with saying somewhere in his |
musty works that the deaf are wholly |
incapable Of receiving intellectual In
struction. History tells us. however,
that deafness was sometimes deemed a |
visitation Of divine wrath. and that the |
poor victim was frequently destroyed to
save the family honor, or was classed
with the idiotic or insane and treated as
an outcast This opinion must have
prevailed many centuries. for 1t was
within the last i50 years that IT was dis
covered that the deaf were capable Of
receiving intellectual instruction.
A college for deaf mutes was founded
In the city Of Washington about twenty
six years ago to combat the popular
prejudice The college grew and thrived
Few people know anything about the
National Deaf Mute college. OF the Co
lumbian Institution for tho Deaf and
Dumb, as it Is known officially, at Ken
dali Green, Washington. A man who.
had he lived 1000 years ago, might have
been roasted because he could neither
hear nor speak today studies moral phi-
losophy, the calculus and ancient and
modern languages. and graduates from
college with a degree.
THE colLEGE-
The Columbia institution was incor-
porated in 1857, and has since then been
sustained by congress as an institution
where deaf mute children living in the
District Of Columbia and children OF
soldiers and sailors should receive free
education. Ample provision is also made
for 4dsaf mutes from the states aud ter
ritor1ce. gho have not the means of de-
frayiner the expenses of tuition, which
amount to $3.50 year. The institution
continued for seven years as an ordinary
high school, but In 1864 it was decided
10 organize collegiate department, and
congress passed an act authorizing the
! institution to confer collegiate degrees.
The institution was then divided into
two departments, the school and the
National Deaf Mute college. In one Of
his annual reports DIR. Edward NJ. Gal
ssThe object of the directors in estab-
fishing a school Of this grade, thus TAX
ing step unprecedented in the history
of deaf mute instruction, was in part to
+. prove what had been doubted by some
that persons deprived Of hearing and
speech could. in spite of their disability
= engage successfully in the advanced
y studies pursued in colleges for the hear
N ing. The more important end in view
y however, was to afford to class of per
> sons in the community, already numer
d ous and increasing steadily with the
, population, an opportunity TO secure ths
y advantages Of rigid and thorough
: course of intellectual training in tn,
! higher walks of literature and the lib
eral arts.
N The best evidence Of the success of th'
II movement can be found IN this para
q graph from the annual report OF 1887
!. which tells what pursuits some of th'
graduates followed:
WHERE THE GRADUATES 90.
Fifty who have gone ont from tn
college have been engaged in teaching
one has entered the ministry, three hav,
become editors and publishers of news
papers, three others have taken positions
connected with Journalism. ten have en-
tered the civil service OF the govern
ment, one while filling position as in
structor in a western institution hai
rendered important service to the eoas
survey rs micruscopist, two have be
come accomplished draughtsinenin arch
itects Offices, one has been repeatedl,
elected recorder OF deeds In southern
city, and two others are recorders clerk
in the west.
I Another has been elected city treas
4 urer and is at present cashier Of a ma
tionai bank, one has become eminent a
practical chemist and assayer. tw,
have taken places in the faculty Of thei
alma mater and are rendering valuable
service as instructors, some have gon,
. into mercantile and other offices, SOM
. have undertaken business on their own
Il account, while not a few have chosei
o agricultural and mechanical pursuits Ii
which the advantages Of thorough men
= tai training viii give them superiorit,
Z over those not 80 well educated.r
= Congress has been liberal with tn
institution. In 1881 n fine gymnasium
was completed. which cost $4,000
Most OF the students In the college ar
r. graduates of the lower department O
,e the institution. but not few receive,
their early education in separate loca
schools. The entire curriculum. includ
ing an introductory year. embraces
period OF Ave years. Candidates for nd
mission 70 the introductory class are en-
anined in these subjects; The com
mand of English as shown In oral o
finger spelled conversation; In rendering
at sight paragraphs selected from schoo
hooks and from newspapers; In extern
porsneous English composition; arfth
metic; history Of the United States
history of England to the beginning o
the reign OF Henry VII; politica
geography; physical geography. and Ella
ments Of natural philosophy.
: The curriculum OF the college is abon
the same as that of any other college.
includes mathematics. English. Latin
Greek. history, zoology, botany, chem
istry. physics, physiology, French
German. logic, mental and mora
science and political philosophy. Tn
degrees which the college has conferre'
"a are. Bachelor Of arts, bachelor O
/. science, bachelor OF philosophy. Inaste
TO OF arts, master of science and doctor O