The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-09-12
How Deaf Mutes are Taught.

write and even to talk. He has toys,
books, and playmatcs to amuse him,
and when he leaves school he is able
to 20 out into the world and earn his
own living.
A little over hundred years ago it
was believed that children who were
born deaf were idiotic as we'll, and no
attempt was made to educate them.
AS they could not hear what other
persons spoke, and as they were not
taught to read what others had written,
they grew to manhood very little if
any better than idiots, and those who
were unfortunate enough to have no
homes wandered about the country,
Stunned by grown persons and feared
by children.
The good Able de lEpee, who
founded the first school in the world
for deaf mutes in Paris in 1778, open
ed a new life for these wretched out
casts. He sought out the deaf mute
children in the poor quarters of Paris
and made them his friends. He found,
when they ceased to be afraid of him
for these poor children were not US
ed to kindness they used GER
tain signs by which they could make
themselves understood. These signs
he carefully studied, and he made
them the basis of the great sign Ian
guage that is now taught all over
America and Europe.
He brought number Of these chill
dren into his school, and taught them
other signs and explained to them the
meanings. When he had brought
them to this point, he taught them to
spell out words with their fingers, and
after that to read and to write, so that
within few years he proved what
monstrous injustice had been done to
the deaf mutes almost ever since the
world was created.
You would naturally think that it is
very difficult matter to teach little
boy who had never heard word spo-
ken, and knew nothing Of the language
that other boys pick up almost before
they can walk, how to read and spell.
But it is not half so hard as it seems
to be.
The other day I saw class Of eight
little boys in the big deaf and dumb
institute on Washington Heights at
work in their classroom. None Of
them were over twelve years old, nor
had been in the institute longer than
six months.
The teacher, who is a deaf mute,
pointed to small jug that stood on a
table. One of the boys promptly
spelled jug on his fingers. Then the
boy went to the blackboard and neatly
and quickly wrote the word with his
crayon. There were other articles on
the table, and each Of the boys spell
ed and wrote their names correctly on
the board.
By this means the boys learned that
certain things have certain names.
They also learned what those names
are and how to spell them. AS the
list is so chosen that the names con-
tain all the letters of the alphabet, SO
by the time this lesson is thoroughly
learned the boys have mastered the
entire alphabet. In the same way
they are taught to spell such words as
"good" and chad" First they are
made to understand what good means.
When they understand it they spell it
out on their fingers, and afterwards
write it on the blackboard.
But this takes great deal of time
and patience. A little deaf boy
spends three years studying primer
that my young readers could learn
from cover to cover in less than three
months. Little by little and step by
step the mind is trained, and at the
end of three years the children can
spell and write simple sentences:
Then they are ready for the study of
grammar, geography, arithmetic and
other branches Of education. BY
the time they are young men they are
ready to 60 to college, and there is a
college ready for them to attend. 1t
is called the National College for Deaf
Mutes and it is in Washington. When
boy or girl passes through this insti-
tuition he or she can read Latin or
Greek as well as your big brother can,
and perhaps even better, and can spell
out the meanings of the words in the
English language on the fingers faster
than they can be written out on paper.
Of course deaf mute children don t
learn quickly. They are the same as
other children; some are bright and
some are very dull indeed. But they
have to make such good use of their
eyes, which are both eyes and ears to
them, that they are usually very OBJ
serving, and, as you probably know,
it is the observing boy who usually
stands at the head of his classes in
school.
Sometimes children are not only
born deaf but blind also. The educa-
tion of these poor children is very
slow, and takes a great deal of pa
tience and sympathy. In this same
class have just told you about there
was blind deaf mute. He could not
see the table, with it's load of jugs,
rules, hats, caps and other articles.
But he could tell them apart by touch
ing them. Then, after feeling his way
to the blackboard, he could write the
names with his chalk, little more
slowly, but equally as well as his com
panions did. He could also spell the
words with his fingers. You will ask
how he could understand what his
teacher wanted him to do. That was
done this way. The teacher would
first take his little hand in his own,
and spell out the name of the article
he wanted him to write on the black
board. The blind boy felt of his
teachers fingers, and as each letter
was formed he would repeat it with
his own little fingers. When the word
was finished, he knew what it was as
we'll as though he had seen it spelled
with pair Of bright eyes.
If you ever visit deaf and dumb
institute you will be surprised at the
amount of noise you will hear. AS
none of the inmates can hear his own
voice, he does not know that he is
mol;nc sound when he laughs OF