St. Paul daily globe., 1892-12-26
In Six Months Miss Cora
Smith Has Learned to
Speak Readily.
Dumb Since Childhood, She
Has Acquired the Power
Of Articulation.
Pluck, Energy and Determi-
nation Of an Afflicted
Young Woman.
She Can Speak Rapidly, Using
Words Of More Than
One Syllable.
She Can

Six months ago Miss Cora Smith was
dumb. She had not spoken for twenty
years. Today she is able not only to
carry OH a peri ectly connected, inteli-
gible conversation with any one, but
when put to the test proved beyond
question that she can speak rapidly, is
not limited to words of one syllable,
and can also understand what others
are saying by watching the movement
of their lips.
1t has taken the young woman exactly
145 hours, during period of six months.
to accomplish this. And what she has
learned has been acquired in New York
city. yl
There is no other case on record of an
adult mute learning TO speak in SINH
lar length of time, and the generally ac-
cepte d theory has heretofore been that
adult mutes could under no circum
stances be trained to talk. Miss Smiths
case is not only unique, but it repre-
sents an advance thought, discovery
based upon scientific principles that has
been made by woman. a teacher for
years in the New York Institute for the
Deaf and Dumb, which is supported by
the government. and of which Isaac
Louis Peet is principal. This discovery
will affect thousands of men, women and
children who have heretofore been
doubly isolated from society by the loss
of both speech and hearing, says the
New York Advertiser.
Miss Smith is an intelligent, good
looking young woman. She is twenty
five, and native OF Morenci, Mich.
Nine years ago she entered the
Columbus Institute OF Ohio, and at the
close OF nine years. course she gradu-
ated in all of it's branches of learning,
save talking.
She could not even say 'boy," one of
the easiest of words. Soon after her
entrance in the institute articulation
was adopted. Among others she sub
mitted to two weeks test at the ex-
piration of which time she was rejected
from the articulation class as an incur
able.
A very close relationship exists among
these institutes throughout the United
States. Miss Smiths attention was
called to the new theory advanced in
New York, and she decided to take ad-
aantage Of the new method. She is an
intellectual girl. She reasoned out the
theory advanced, and six months ago
arrived in the city to test it.
AcaFIeu 10 L lila HI NO cCChS'
Two weeks after her arrival it was
ascertained that even in that space OF
time she learned to talk slowly. with
evident difficulty add in disconnected
sentences, but intelligibly. Since
and will soon return to her ma
tive city, her whole life frightened and
rendered more useful by the power of
speech and the mastery OF lip
reading. She said recently: when l
was baby had scarlet fever and lost
the use of my voice. 1t never returned
sufficiently to use in talking. could
only make unnatural sounds. Mother /
will be so happy, and everybody at the
Ohio institute so surprised. They all /
thought it impossible for me to learn to
speak, and laughed in doubt at the idea.
But l shall talk with everybody, just to
let them know about this wonderful
method. - :
Miss Smith is tall, has good figure,
and an intelligent. pleasant face. She
is retiring in disposition, and it is only
in her wish to give hope and encourage
ment to hundreds of deaf mutes that
she has consented to call public atten-
ton to herself. Every inch of ground
she has gained by application of the
most Jealous kind. Obstacle after OBJ
stacle has been fought obstinately by
hours of work, monotOnous. difficult
and fatiguing. She has to reason out"
every word she utters. and to speak it
mechanically. Then she must practice
over and over and over again tile same
tiresome thing. But the result is grand
success, and is worth any painstaking.
Her voice is low and natural, and pleas
ant to listen to.
1t must be remembered that six out OF
every ten voices of mutes at first are
shrill, heavy, and harsh like the voice
of an animal. These are the extremes,
and they are recognized by every teach
er of every school Tor the 0eaf land
dumb in the world. 1t takes nine years
for such children to learn what others
learn in five, while adults are not sup
posed to be able to learn at all. The
organs of the throat and head are hard
and stiff. There is no vocal" sound,
merely glunt, a squeak or laborea
breathing that ends in Kissing like
escaping steam.s Sound is simply felt,
not known. by them. Neither children
nor adults have any notion Of the par
ticular kind of noise they make with
mouth and lips. This is, true of con-
genital mutes, and equally so OF ,all
other save hearing mutes.
Again, there is that large class OF
children who are not deaf, who, Oh tue
contrary, can hear whisper, but who
have tO he Taught Speech as the piano