The Portland daily press., 1895-01-17
HEARD THE DUMB TALK.
Educational Committee Visited the
Deaf and Dumb School.

The Glasses Exhibited Their Requirements
from the Beginners Harsh, Parrot
Pupils Distinct, Intelligent Statements
Wonderful Zip Reading.
The Portland School for the Deaf on
Spring street was visited Wednesday al
ternoon by the legislative committee on
education, for the purpose of thorough
inspection of the school and its needs,
with the special object of Investigating
as to the necessity or expediency OF
state appropriation for dormitory for
this school.
+ This visit was the result OF bill re-
Gently entered by Mr.. Merrill of Port
land, favoring such dormitory and the
appropriation of $4,000 for the purpose.
The committee consists of Senators
Hume of Washington, Stone of Frank
lin, Wells of Kpox. and Representatives
Boothby of Saco, Howe of Milo, Plum
mer of Dexter, Burns of Westbrook,
Peaslee of Wiscassett, Howes of New
Sharon. and Daigle of Madawaska.
They arrived OH the noon train, and
were met by Messrs. Brownson and Al
Ian, of the Portland school committee,
who have special charge of the Deaf
School, and President Laughlin Eof the
Common Council.
They took dinner at the Preble House,
and then were driven to the school
where Miss Taylor and her assistants
and all the pupils were ready to receive
them.
Senator Hume, as chairman of the
committee, questioned Miss Taylor as to
the condition of the school. She urged
the great need of dormitory, saying
that the IS pupils were boarded around
in many different boarding houses and
that thus they cannot have the care
they ought, and the separation from the
school and necessity Of going back and
forth is very Instantaneous for the
scholars.
Mr.. Brownson wished to say. what
Miss Taylor would not say for herself,
that she had been principal since last
March, and that since then the scholars
had increased from IS to So. She had
travelled all ever the eastern and central
part of the state in search of deaf and
dumb unfortunates, and had been sue
cessful in bringing many to the school.
Miss Taylor explained that there are
many deaf and dunno children in the
state, of all ages, whose parents have
neglected them, and from motives Of
false affection and penuriousness object
strongly to their going to the deaf
school. She had found out about them
by aid of the census and inquiries lead
ing therefrom.
The first class that was inspected by
the committee, together with Mayor
Baxter, who with Messrs. Brownson and
Allan. has charge of the school. and ex-
Mayor King, who has always shown
great interest in it, was class Of eight
pupils, varying in age from Is to 81
| years. They have all come to. the school
| within four months, as result OF Miss
Taylor's finding them out and inducing
their parents to let them come.
They are just sas ignorant as the
Youngest in the school, and have to be-
gin at the beginning. Most of them
came from poor homes and knew abso-
| lutely nothing; that is, they had no
| conception of language, did not know
| their own names or the names of any
thing else. Though living and working
| like human beings physically. they
lived and worked mentally like animals.
| Receiving no instruction in their homes
| they had no knowledge other than would
| be acquired by an intelligent animal in
performing it's daily duties. AS one has
| intimated since he came here, his con
ception of the world, while at home,
was that it was no larger than the limi-
| ted area of country that he had seen
about his fathers farm.
| This class is under the care of Miss
/ Harris. They have already learned to
| speak short sentences in this short space
of time, and spoke SO as to be under
stood, though of course with no express
| sion. They could read short sentences
| from the teachers lips, and could write
| them on the board
| The next class, of nine little boys and
| girls. from to 10 years of age, was IN
| der the charge of Miss Armstrong. They
too, have come from their homes within
q few months The teacher said stand
| up and they stood up. "Bow," they all
| bowed. "Fall down." march," "sit
down" they obeyed. reading the COM
mands from her lips.
| Little Chester Wood worth Of Jones'
port, 10 years old, wrote sentences in
| letters as plain as print.
| A large class of more advanced pupils
under Miss Plympton, gave very sig
niicant exhibition of the possibility of
teaching the dumb to articulate. For
| instance, Coleman Casey of this city, Els
16 years old, and has been pupil nine
years. He came from home of extreme
poverty. and of course knew nothing.
| Now he can read and articulate with
entire distinctness, sentences that he had
never seen before.
Senator Hume wrote words upon the
black board for the class to interpret,
| and Iaushahle incident resulted He