The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-08-11
DEAF MUTES TO MEET.
TWO HUNDRED WILL ASSEMBLE
HERE rms MONTH.
They VIII Come From Washington. Bal
tinore, North Carolina, and West VIZ
ginia-Notes About Them.

A guest at one Of the hotels the other
evening hanCed a Times man slip OF
paper containing writing, ana remarked
that he would wager round sum that
every deaf and dumb man, woman, anu
child in the Commonwealth were planning
an ION to Richmond about TINS uine.
The handwriting was most eA0'ii'"''
tut here's about how u ran 49,, o., n
MAY l. YOU please. sir 70 ict NJ sv ~
the Deaf Nutes' Reunion. Richmond T.
August 18th and 18th, 1885? l IKE hol, OH
Gay get. II you please, sir. take my
wife and family. and nave seou '''''''
with deaf mutes come thtI'- 4. d..
From several Of the local mutes -
learned that the mutes that met III t ni9
city several years ago. forming AN ol "a" u,
ization or association, as thcy Ga" ,ne
propose meeting here again aDo"1 ''
middle Of the month. 1870
An intelligent and lively young iduy
mute, who Is visiting friends lh tn' ~
and who is said 90 be the wife OF in' -
rotary OF the organization, says lhdt ,i's
expect probably 30 mutes IN atiehcaii,c',
which is somewhat larger than on o'h'.
occasions. 1T may be moro than thdt,
she said. "as / understand large parry
Will come from Washington, ana 10y"
big crowd will come Over from halH-
more while both North Carolina ana
West Virginia will send some, ana AT.
Michaels writes he IS going 10 hrlns
number of girls up from Arkansas. "h"i'
attend the convention only. but Will come
here with him.
The gathering Of deaf mutos In TINS
city on the 81. 4th. and 9Th of July, l6l'
is still fresh in the minds OF many mere
at that time as there We're probably l'
of them an all and their bright ana haips
faces. methods Of cOnvcrsing with e"ch
other. etc. elected probably more interest
than any other body Of strangers FlslilNs
the town before or since.
al
vague ideas concerning this class even
hen We think bow cispicuous lhl7 h-
trinity must make one, ana ihe more
one learns OF them the more NE OF 7"'
SENS 10 want 20 learn.
In this gathering there were oili,,,ft
all ages. from mere little tots that couiH
hardly more than smile, 10 Ola men ""'s
Wcmen that reminded one or chdit' t'ia 't
BOly Writ. and' TOO, anou. ''''s III,
diiion Of life seemed represented, as Wen
as the ordinary trades-some oi Wl,iCn
would az first view seem clearly hnlo-Sl-
BILE on thinking OF their inifmiile-.
Some Of these spoke and talked 10 cthcrs.
Others spoke less ard some not ar an.
although il was clear that they coula
articulate. and that very wei some
spelled out their words on their Ali-'I
alone. some Of them with lightning Iap,I-
ify. while there We're others VINO Hlvh'
in signs and gestures, some working thtI
arms like an old fashioned Windmill
and making most terrible faces.
Some Of these seemed 10 repeat What
they said with their mouths. while others
kept their lips scaled. some OF theh
spoke almost audibly when signing some
gfunted groaned, and made. all kinds OF
strange noises.
Tire laughter Of the deaf mute is as pc
culiar 10 many of them as the patent
medicine is said 20 be- TO itself. some
emit the most ferOci0us -unds, While
others laugh Ike AN extremely young iH-
FAINT. and lust as this little gureie gives
fttH
theirs give their auditors. This 3D. PLAIN
or. however. when We think of their Joss
of hearing at different ages, ana Is cl-aI
c~ when sometimes IL is noted an adult
mute speaks with the voice OF "A cHliu'
and that their vocabulary OF words goes
only back 10 about the time WhtH 'hH
maiady first came upon theh H's We
learned from some or these 10 come Nus.
lv from accident. disease, or from SUD
den illness. hence 20 is plain why deafness
increases with population. The nlstasts
that are most common causes OF tnis ALE
mcnt seem to bee scarlci-feFcr ana ''i'
bro spinal meningitis. 1tt many u..o,'n
deaf from blows. from falls. from SIuptl
rights and even from what they u'-
clare 10 have been nothing but m"li'ps
and measles. ~
Most Of these as well as those TO soon
assemble here are pupils or former l"il9
Of the State school for the deaf az 0iauh-
ton. An institution that. supporter hy
the state. any unable 10 progress lh our
public schools, may take course not eN-
cecding seven years there. free, unless
they are really able 90 pay the amount
If tuition and board, >la0 LOT lh' "'"D
I'm some instances these pupils are FUR
nished with clothing. Yet IT one VIII go
amongst the families from whence t.t1e
deaf children come. thoy VIII ma le"
indeed who could more thah CLONE .iD4''
much less furnish them win clol.iinE
and incllentals for a year. ana pay '"''
Transportation IN many man ,oro lame tbe
state. not 10 speak OF the senlmen-
al part of the thing of sending Hlls "i
ten-year-old Off 10 noaIdlis -SC ..l,'
among strangers and chIlieh Oh 49,
class and condition OF people every one
of the more or less borne oown by the
II has been said that .he parents OF
these children find they could rcAool iNp
others al home for what 10 costs THEM I'd
eend one 10 stanton. and this is largely
the reason the deaf youth are taken from
school just when they should be con-
tinLeG tnere. 49,.
Tbis school az stanton is one Of the
best of the kind in me conhliy y as W.
as being one of the Oldest. and Virginia
u1utes mold their own wherever they ma
l.utes from any other than the hcN"ish
Green sch, OILS. which give coul S'1'-
raj years beyond. ana finally "a degree
said TO bee worth as much as That OF any
ether college I'm the land
The deaf mutes when together seem TO
enjoy themselves more than in their own
homes surrounded Dos their own kith or
kin. The reason for this IS obvious. when
we note how much ground they get over
in little time among themselves. Iney
are an exceedingly wcll-pOStcd scr, ana
tie wonder is how they can learn lhl7
and that 10 cannot Doe from the news
papers, bOks or short conversations
alone: nor Is 10 altogether from their
LYNX eyes. or AN ordinary sens or GU
riosity or the like They simply get there
and generally with both feet.
Here. on this last occasion OF ~ilcl
We principally write. there We're men.
women. and children all not deaf ana
dumb. or deaf even. of course, Tor none
of these the writer of this can recall
had children that were suffering TINS IN
hrmity
Their headquarters was at Fords Hotel
ana they made this place doupsy HN''g'
many Of them talking the night cltar
through Besides. in the day time, Mhtu
not at the convention, which was held
fl the hall Of the House OF Delegates,
they seemed everywhere, for there was
spelling on the fingers as though q re"
fad had struck the town. me COM 'n-
ton was addressed hy Mayor tllySon' TO
whom ore OF the young men maui
very feeling response. -.,.
These were interpreted In the silent
language. which was the language OF the
other proceedings. "a synopsis or Mhlch
this paper gave al the time. during inc
session the galleries were well hiled,
even though silence reigncd supreme. ana
All lancuag was as Greek 10 the barnar-
ian for each spectator had only his own
ideas. and no two ideas OF any could real
IL be alike, even In the little Tits that oc-
c1rred when plain and expressive gestures
were used by those indulging whether