Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-13
Annual Report Of President Gallaudet
of Columbian Institution.
FORTY YEARS OF SUCCESS
Results Of a Tour Among the
Schools of Europe.
A STUDY OF RTHODS

| ton for the Deaf and DUMP, 1or the past
| fiscal year has been submitted to the Sec
| rotary Of the Interior and, together with
certain valuable appendices, has just been
| given publication in pamphlet form. FAR
ticular interest attaches to the document
| from the fact that 1t is the fortieth annual
report of the affairs Of the institution. as
| we'll as from the fact that it contains ref
erences to a visit by DIR. Gallaudet to the
| European schools for the deaf and dumb
| during the past summer
| This Journey was undertaken by special
authority of the board of directors, and in
| the course of "a letter to that body DR.. Gal
lauGet outlines the results of his tour,
| which was for the purpose OF securing in
| formation that might be of assistance in
| confirming or modifying the conclusions
| that have been reached by those in charge
of the Columbian Institution as to the rela-
tive methods of educating the deaf.
| Schools in Europe.
| DR.. Gallaudet goes on to say:
| ut will be remembered that in 1867 l
| made, under your authority, an extended
| examina ton of schools for the deaf in
| Europe. a full account of which was pub
| lished in connection with the tenth annual
| report of this institution.
| I'm the forty-four schools then visited
| essential differences in the methods OF m
| struction employed were observed, Whlch
led to the following classification ana desls
| nation viz:
| "0D The natural (nanual )method. found
! ed by the Able de FEpee in France in 1IHo,
| based on free use of the natural IAN
| guage of the deaf mute, That OF pantomlmc
| gestures; employing this, however, as d
| means only to the end in view. which is the
| induction of the mute to society by max
ing him acquainted with the vocabulary,
the grammar and the idioms of his YER
| nacular thus empowering him to read I'M
| derstandingly and write correctly, the Ian
| guage of the country where he resides. Inc
| extent of education which may follow TINS
| great aim of the natural (manuaD method
| depends, of course, only Oh the means, dlS-
position and talents of the pupil
| "(2) The artificial (oraD method, founded
| nearly simultaneously by Samuel Heinicke
| in Germany and Thos. Braidwood in Scot
| land about the year 1850, which has for its
| principal aim the development by I'M
| natural processes Of the power of speech,
| and the training of the eye or the mute 10
| perform as far as possible the part OF the
| palsied ear, by discerning the meaning OF
| spoken words from the changes in position
| of the vocal organs. The NATURAL language
| of the mute is, in schools of this class, sup
| pressed soon and as far as possible, ana
| it's existence as Il language capable or be
| ing made the reliable and precise vehicle Tor
| the widest range of thought is1gnored The
| extent of Intellectual culture opened TO
| muteS unueT tDlS IleliOu Is iSSs "ltHih a
| given number of gears than that afforded
| by the first method.
| ''G) The combined system. Under this
| head were classed those institutions which
| are endeavoring QS6) to combine the two
| methods just described, recognizing the
| utility of the sign language at every stage
| of the course of instruction. and at the
| same time including a greater or less degree
| of attention to spoken language. Here will
be found many schools where the value
| and practica blity of teaching articulation
| was once wholly denied and the system of
| artificial speech vehemently denounced;
while, on the other hand, institutions Or
| ganized and for many years conducted on
| the principles laid down by q man who
| declared that all other methods than his
| own Chat Of articuation) were useless and
| perncious, and no less than deluSive folly,
| fraud and NONSENSE are now found recog-
niZing and employing the natural language
| of the mute to d degree which assigns them
| a place in this third classification
Superiority of the Combined System.
"a comparison of results attained in the
| schools visited compelled me to give de-
| cided preference to the combined system
and the recommends tons I was led to
make at that time Os6O were for the gen.
| eral adoption of such a system in the
schools of our country.
! Satisfied as l am of the unquestionable
| superiority of this system over either of
! the single methods employed separately, it
was with no little regret that l observed
| in the course of my recent Investigations
| in Europe that few schools took a decided
| and open stand in favor of a combination
of methods. The effort was general OH the
| part of officers of schools to maintain that
| ascendency of the oral method which has
been secured on the continent Of Europe
| within the last twenty years.
| But opposed to this there was brought
| TO my notice the most remarkable una
| nlmity and earnestness of opinion on the
| part OF the educated deaf mutes of Europe
| that the best education Of their class was
| not secured by the practice of the oral
| method, they having themselves been train
ed hereunder, but that the combined sys-
tenn, as perfected in America should be
| universally accepted and employed.
| "A number Of teachers, also, working in
| oral schools. expressed opinions favorable
! to the combined system, but said they did
rot feel themselves at liberty to make such
| views public as long as the policy of the
| management of their schools was for the
| single oral method.
1.-The interesting interviews 1 had with
| large numbers of adult deaf mutes out of
| school for several years and with teachers
| actually engaged in their work, will be
| found fully described in the papers trans
| mitted herewith.
This testimony of the educated deaf
| the most competent witnesses to be found
| where methods are on trial-deserves, l
| think to be accepted as conclusive. That
! it will exert an effective influence on the
| adjustment of methods In Europe, sure to
take place in the near future, 1 have no
| doubt.
| In my recent investigations in Europe
| met with nothing which leads me to differ
| ent conclusions as to methods from those
| reached thirty years ago, with the single
| exception that my estimate as to the prac-
| teal value Of speech to the deaf after leav-
ing school is modified by the testimony of
| the deaf themselves on this point,
| Il was more than little surprised that
many intelligent deaf mutes, who seemed
| to me to speak fairly well, should say that
their speech was really of small practical
| service to them.
| Il would not be led by this to advise any
| diminution of effort in our scho IA to i'm
part speech to our pupils, but II should
| certainly recommend that a higher stand
ard of success be set, and that with chill
| dren falling below that standard oral in
| struction should be abandoned.
AT many points in Europe great interest
| was manifested in our college, and the wish
was expressed in all the countries visited
that they might have schools Of similar
| grade.
1.-The effort for a college for the deaf in
! Great Britain Is taking definite shape, and