The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-28
HABITS OF MUTES.
Census Says There Are 41,2e3 of
These UnfOrtunateS.
Surroundings Have Effect in Determining
Mental and Moral Status.

Ever since the murder of Professor
Max Eglau the attention of the public
has been directed, more than it had in
many years before, to deaf inutess their
passions, their studies, their habits and
their lives &c enerally. 1t is strange how
little the average resident knows abont
his unfortunate fellow being.
The census of 1870 stated that the whole
number of deaf mutes in The United States
was Is, 205. The eleve tn census gave
al, ,2s3-22, ,7S3 NAL and 10, 500 females.
AS parents are reluctant to acknowledge
this defect nNtheir children, the number
is probably much larger tn n that given
in the returns. 1t is estimated that no
official census ever reports more than
about one-half the existing number of
deal children less than ten years of age.
The eleventh census reported 6596
pupils in 43 public schools for the deaf,
Dut five public lDsi itul ions sent no reports
and day schools for the deaf in large
cities were also emitted In eleven pri-
vate schools there were 276 pupils and la
ter reports from the institutions give
larger numbers There have always been
more male than female pupils in the
schools.
TEACHING THBM TO TALE.
Tire earliest account of af mute be-
about 700 A. ID. Juan Pablo Bonat pub
llshed at Madrid, the earliest known
treatise on deaf mute instruction. About
1860 TO 100 DR.. John Wallis of Oxford,
and John Conrad Amman OF Holland,
published treatises on this subject.
George DalgaTno, who died in 1887, pub
lished che first manual alphabet in En-
gland. The first public establishment
in the world for deaf mutes was founded
in Leipsic ia 177S ~ the elector OF Sax
ony. Thomas Braidwood established in
Edinburgh the first school for deaf mutes
in Great Britain. An asylum was founded
in London in 1892, of which DR.. Joseph
Watson was the first principal
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, who was
horn in Philadelphia of Huguenot descent,
visited Europe in 1914, in the inierest of
the Hartford Institution for Deaf Mutes.
With the ala of Laurent Clerc, an edu-
Gated deaf mute, DIR. Gallaudet brought
over in 1916 the system matured by the
French. He married one OF his pupils.
Two sons of this marriage, Thomas and
Edward Miner, have been prominent IN
the instruction of the deaf Edward Nj.
was iustrpmental in founding the Ma
tionaI Deaf Mute College at Washing
ton, and became its president DR..
Thomas Gallaudet is we II known in con-
nection with the work Of the New York
Institution for Deaf Mutes, of st. AIMS
:,
Gallaudet Home for this class, near Pough-
keepsie. lie, like his father, married a
deaf mute pupil. His descendants, child
rem and grandchildren, have the faculty
of having well developed, and consider
able musical ability.
FORMERLY CLAsssED AS IDIOTS.
Ey the Roman code deaf mntes were
classed with idiots, as persons Incapable
of the legal management Of their affairs,
ann curing the Middle Ages they were
deprived of the right OF feudal success
sion. Even the bbe Charles Michel de
PEpee OF Paris, who systemati2ed the in
struction Of the deaf and dumb intrance,
was accustomed to speak of the unedu-
Gated dsaf and dumb as on level with
the beasts. Herr Caesar, OF the School
OF Leipsic, declared that the "deaf and
dumb indeed possess the human form,
but this Is almost all which they have in
common with other men. The perpetual
sport OF impressions mace uton them by
external things ana OF the passions which
spring up i'm their own souls; they compre-
head neither law nor duty. neither JUS
tice nor iujustics, neither good nor evil;
virtue aud vice are to them as II they
Were not
Modern educators know that there Is a
great difference, mental ard moral, be-
tween a deaf mute who has been neglected
peihaps nluucn lFOm SOCIETY AZ IAN liy
disgrace, ana one who tas been treated
with Kindness and encouraged TO improve
bis pantomimic dialect. la one case the
germs OF the rational and moral faculties
are scarcely manifested; IN the other they
have acquired considerable, though
peculiar, development. Experience has
proved that VIII "a intelligent communica-
tion with those atout him has been
established, the ordinary deaf mute diff
fcfs from Others only by the privation OF
n single sense.
The uueducrted deaf mute OF average
intelligence may communicate with his
companions by signs regarding things
he has seen In matters Of everyday life;
but when an effort 10 made to commupi-