The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-12
AS IF THEY COULD SEE,
interesting Exercises of the
Blind Children at Their
School.
Afflicted Pupils of the
Institution.

Can the blind see, and is it possible for
the deaf and dumb to hear and speak?
The question would almost seem to be
answered in the affirmative at one of the
annual exhibitions of the Institution fol-
the Deaf and Dumb and Blind at Berkeley.
An opportunity for Judging of the i'm
provements made in the methods OF in
structing these young unfortunates was
furnished by the anniversary exercises at
the institution yesterday.
The immense assembly hall of the main
building was crowded. Friends of the in
mates and those interested in the institu-
ton began arriving from San Francisco,
Oakland and the surrounding towns at
noon, and when the hour for the
opening of the exercises arrived there
were many who could not get into the hall.
Every seat was taken, including chairs
placed in the aisles, and no standing room
was left. So those who were unable to
gain admission to the hall did not find
time hang heavily on their hands.
The exercises began at o'clock and
lasted until 5, but the time was all too
short for the heads of the various depart
ments to demonstrate the wonderful prog
ress made in the education of the IN
fortunate pupils of the institution.
The graduating class numbered eleven,
and was composed of the following young
men and women: August Barkhausen,
Winfield Scott Runde, Elizabeth D. Cole,
Rose NJ. Craddock, Catherine NJ. Fallon,
Catherine NJ. Foley, Lydia A. Hatch,
Christine 3. Labarraque, Rose J. Mucha,
Fannie NJ. Phelps, Matilda D. Rowe The
honorably dismissed were Mary Jane Adair
and Maggie Theresa Silva.
The programme was rendered in the
following order:
Bridal chorus from 'Lohengrin" (Wagner);
Lords Prayer, orally by Miss Rosa Mucha,
deaf from BIRTH organ solo. ''Marche An
glaise" CLARK, Miss Christine Labarraque
Cole; essay, "The Coming Woman" Miss Cath
crime Foley; piano solo, "Air de Ballet" Cham
inade), Miss Lily Smith; ''Friends at outs"
"The Other Side," Miss Matilda Rowe; soprano
solo, "Thou Art Near" (Rolden) Miss Foley /:
presentaVtiif4}n n OF Diplomas piano guar
Susan winters and Pearl Clark, Masters
George Richville and William Brooks
organ solo, Theme and Variation" Oorrac),
Master Thomas Morrison; literary exercises by
the deaf; recitation and aria from the 'sHugue-
nots,' "Lieti Signor," Miss Labarraque; school
methods and apparatus used by The blind
piano duet, Hungarian Dance (Brahms),
Masters Morrison and Barkhausen; lip-reading
and articulation; organ solo, Communion in
FL (Grison), Miss Lily Smith, recitation in
signs, "The Charge of the Light Brigade Miss
Rose Craddock chorus, "Columbia' (Offen-
bach); the Lords Prayer in signs by Miss
Louise Gould.
AS may be readily understood. the mu-
steal numbers were rendered by the blind
| pupils, while the work of the deaf mutes
was confined to the literary. AS q whole
the exercises were highly interesting and
instructive. but a few of the exhibitions
deserve special mention. The reading
of the blind from raised letters was
truly remarkable. One young lady read
| several passages from book. the pages
being picked out unfortunately, nearly
as rapidly as one would read who pos
sessed sight. The reading was not only
rapid, but properly infected and given
with expression. She read from the line
| system-that is, the raised letters are the
| same as those in ordinary print The
point system is also used and the pupils
become as expert in one as in the other.
In the latter system the raised points
each represent letter or small word, de-
pending on their position on the line The
rapldIty of the reading is indicative not
only of the thoroughness of the instruc-
| ton, but OF the sensitiveness in touch. AS
the reader presses his or her fingers over
the raised letters or points the words are
pronounced, the hand, like the eve of those
! who can see, bringing two or three words
in advance of the utterance. The finger
tips become so sensitive at times that they
get sore, and the pupils have to desist
! from their practice for days at a time.
Another remarkable exhibition on the
part of the blind was the musical exercise.
One young man sat at the Brazil machine
and took notes from dictatlon, working
both hands and feet, and when the exer-
else was finished the zinc plate taken from
the machine contained the musical notes.
The zinc was then handed to young lady
who was blind and she played off the com
position on the piano. She played first
with the right hand, feeling the notes on
the plate with her left, and after repeat
ing the same performance with her left
hand played the bass and treble together
The recitation of "The Charge of the
Light Brigade was highly interesting.
Miss Craddock went through the recita-
| ton with gesture and finger language,
| while DIR. Wilkinson read from book, in
order that the audience could better I'M
derstand the meaning of her expressive
gestures. She almost talked.
The singing and calisthenic exercises of
the younger pupils were of the same order
and everything passed off in a manner
highly creditable to the institution and its
n G rucfnrc