Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-09-05
Timely Discovery.
The State school for the Deaf.


Probably no other state institution
or school of learning is calculated to
interest one or more than the School
for Deaf Children, located at Jack
sonville, Illinois. The school wears
the prominent distinction of being
the largest of its kind in the world,
there being over 800 deaf children
between the ages of s and y attend
ing the school, and vet. so Superin-
tendent Walker recently informed
the editor of this paper, there are
hundreds of deaf children throughout
the state whose parents are either i9-
norant of the fact that the best of
free school privileges are provided
and awaiting them at jacksonville. or
else they are so dead to the impor-
lance of the early training of
such children, as not to appreciate
the esponsibility they are Sinking.
The superintendent informs US
that the best are at which to begin
deaf ehild's education is, ordinarily,
eight years, and that though this
may seem a tender age, provision is
made for the best of care of the little
ones during the nine months in each
year they remain at school. The
common school branches are taught,
and in addition lessons in drawing
and painting to those who evince
talent in that direction. Aside from
the school proper, there is n well
equipped industrial department,
where the trades of printing, cab
inet-nlaking, shoe-making and bak-
ing are taught the Logs, as well as
classes in wood-turning and wood
CARVING. Experienced foremen are
employed to teach these trades, and
after a boy or girl finishes the course
he or she has the foundation of an
independent. self-supporting citizen.
Articulation and speech reading
from the lips of others is also, in
many cases, very successfully taught,
though this is somewhat limited.
! A new department of this pro-
gressive institution will this year be
opened, in which all the new pupils
who enter will be given test, with
the view of instructing in and by
speech. and so far as found possible
a good proportion will be taught
speech and ip-reading, and also be
taught by and through this medium
solely. without the Intervention of
signs such as are commonly used by
deaf mutes. 1t is expected that this
new department will result in many
future pupils leaving school with the
ability to make themselves known
bv vocal utterance, and to under
stand the utterances of others by
watching the motions of the lips. A
modification of this method has been
| practlced for many years, but not to
the exclusion of systematic signs.
The Illinois School for the Deaf
keeps abreast with science as applied
to the instruction of those deprived
of hearing, and it should be an honor
to any deaf person or to their parents,
to be able to graduate a child there.
The buildings are very extensive in
their proportions, costing fully $780,,
000. The annual expenditure for
running the institution is 800, 900.
About 40 teachers are employed.
Everything Is furnished free to resi-
dents of Illinois. including board,
washing, books and tuition Chill
dren who have become deaf through
sickness comprise a large proportion
of the pupils, and this includes all
children who are so hard of hearing
as to prevent their being instructed
in the ordinary public schools. A
fine library of $4,000 volumes is in
constant use by the pupils, as well
as complete gymnasium.
1t should become duty of every
one knowing these facts to make
mental canvas of their neighbor-
hood and if any child totally or par
TALLY deaf is being shut out from
school privileges, to notify the par
ents of the provisions made for free
education, and to notify Superintend-
ent S. T. Walker, at Jacksonville, of
the existence of such child if it has
not yet been to this school.
The next term of school begins
Sept. 20; but the uperintendent re-
quires formal application to be made
to him before hand, in order that
space may be reserved.