The San Francisco call., 1895-07-16
Welded FIFTY YEARS.
DR.. and Mrs. GaIIaudet FeliCi-
tated Upon Their Golden
Anniversary.
TALK IS AT A DISCOUNT.
A Milestone in a Romance Begun
Under the Walls of the
Institution.

NEW YORK, n. Y, July ia most
remarkable golden wedding was celebrated
this afternoon by Rev. DR.. and Mrs.
Thomas Gallaudet, at the New York In
stitute for the Instruction OF the Deaf and
Dumb. There have been remarkable
scenes in the midst of the spacious
grounds that overlook the Hudson from
One Hundred and Sixty-third street.
There have been brilliant balls where the
steps of mute dancers kept time to music
to them inaudible; theatrical perform
ances where the pantomime of acting on
the stage was responded to b. panto-
mime of applause from the audience, and
funerals where mourning could find no
expression in words. But Mrs. Gallaudet,
Principal Currier believes, is the first deaf
mute who has rounded the golden fftieth
milestone of welded life, and while no
sound of mirth reached the passerby on
the neighboring avenue this ,fternoon the
visible tokens of merrymaking were pres
ent for those who had the opportunity OF
witnessing the unusual occasion.
The anniversary marked a romance
which was begun under the walls of the
institution in 1884. Sixty-one years ago
girl, descended from an old New York
family, prominent in medical lines, entered
the New York institution to receive in
struction as a deaf-mute. She took the
full seven years course, graduating in 1S41.
DR.. Thomas Gallaudet was then ore of the
teachers and the old story which has been
told so often in words was told apparently
just as effectively in gestures, for on July
10, 1845 they were married. That their
marriage was happy one was abundantly
evidenced at the ceremony to-day.
When the carriages with the aged couple
drove up to the wide veranda which COM
mands the palisades across the river, en-
phatic demonstrations were made by the
party awaiting them, which DR.. Currier
translated to as enthusiastic cheers. DR..
Gallaudet, in the garb of an Episcopal
clergyman, looked hale and happy and his
seventy-two years had but slightly streaked
his brown hair aud close cropped beard
with gray. His wife, who is a trif1e younger,
looked fully as vigorous, and there were
few marks of time in her black hair and
sprightly step.
Dr. and Mrs. Gallaudet were escorted to
the chapel where the formal ceremonies
begun. This is vacation time, and only
about forty out of four hundred pupils are
staying at the school, but a number of
prominent alumni were present, and there
were visitors from surrounding cities as
well as leading New Workers. Speech was
at a dIscountin the ceremonies of the aft
ernoon Dr. Currier can command Wig
orous flow of English, but he fell back on
the language of signs in his address of well
come, and assured his spectators that this,
SO far as he knew, was the initial golden
wedding in deaf-mute circles.
All OF the children of the aged couple
were present. They are Mrs. Sherman of
Jersey City, DR.. Burt Gallaudet of the Col
lege of Physicians and Surgeons and the
Misses Virginia, Bessie and Edith, who
have been prominent il st. AIMS work
and the Trinity schools. DIR. Isaac Lewis
Peet, principal emeritus of the institute,
was in the West and could not be present
DR.. Gallaudet is the eldest son of DR..
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet of Hartford.
Conn.,, the pioneer of deaf-mute lnstruc-
ton in this country. The latter studied in
Paris under Able de FEpee, who was the
first to interest himself in the work
throughout the world. The elder Gallau-
det founded the Hartford institution in
1917, and in the same year the New York
institution took its charter. His son was
for years a leading teacher in the latter
school, and only left in 1853 to establish
St AIMS Protestant Episcopal Church for
deaf-mutes.
The present DR.. Gallaudet originated the
movement for the spiritual instruction for
this class, which has spread SO that now
nearly every Episcopal diocese in this
country has mission worker for deaf
mutes. He remained the active head of
his church until 1898, when be was made
rector emeritus. His vigor has not
abated, for he has planned to sail with
Mrs Gallaudet for Europe, July q, on a
two months missionary trip in England
and Ireland.