The Portland daily press., 1898-08-31
THE DEAF MUTES.
Proceedings Of the Closing Day OF
Convention.
INTERESTING PAPERS READ BY
PROMINENT DEAF MUTES.
car,as p,.ved at School for Dcaf-Oficers
Elected for Next Two Years-One OF
the Rest Conventions Ever Held.

the Best Conventions Ever Held.
Gy the courtesy of the management of the
Portland School for the Deaf, the building
was thrown open to the visitors on Monda!
evening, and a pleasant time was spent in
a Mock Trial, In which Portland boy
figured as the culprt in q hen roost robbery
case. The whole was roaring farce and
caused much merriment. The game of the
Dumb Band was next played, separately by
the ladies and gentlemen mad proved very
interesting game to the audience. 1t is
form of amusement invented with ingenuity
by the deaf themselves. All sorts OF muslcai
instruments areSIepresented in signs by the
persons i'll line--and at the tap OF the
prompter's stick on the floor, the noise OF
which is felt rather than heard or seem the
signs are changed with lightning like
rapidity, each person taking up the sign
from his left hand neighbor and the sharp
eyed prompter watches for a false note or a
misstep, and quickly rules out one perform
er after another until the last one is left and
he gets a prize.
In the course of the evening, Miss Taylor
made the following address to the visitors;
MISS TAYLoR's ADDRESS.
at is scarcely fitting that 'one not to the
manor born should welcome New England
TO New England soil, but as the. representa-
tive Of the Maine School for the Deaf, 1t is
fitting that 1 should tell the educa ted deaf
men and women of New England something
of the school which the deaf children OF
Maine are being educated.
ssIn the four years during which the COM
blned system has obtained in the school, the
following changes have taken place. the at
tendance has doubled from thirtv-ive to
seventy-five pupils; = day school with its in
conveniences changed to an institution OF
boarding school where the children are well
housed and cared for, mentally, morally
and physically. A fine dormitory building
has been secured with commodious quarters
for both sexes. Religious instruction fur
nished to the pupils in way that there can
understand, by Catholic priest or Sisters
from the convent and by Mr.. E. W. Frisbee
of Boston in he Episeopalian form of wor-
ship for the Protestant pupils. The term OF
attendance has been increased by the
nberality of the Legislature from ten to
twelve years. Instead of depending on
charity as formerly for medical attendance
and inspection, a regular visiting physician
is now employed to look after the health of
the pupils at all times. A board of trustees
appointed with reference to sound business
principles in the management of the institu-
ticn by the governor, composed of promi-
nent business men of this city, who show
their interest in an appre.iative way by
personal attendance at board meetings
where as formerly little or no interest was
shown in the affairs of the school. Thanks
the generosity of Mrs. L. d. III. Sweat of
this city, manual training department has
been added to useful resources and capacity
OF the school, For the first time in the
history of the school, deaf persons of in
telligence and capabiiity have been ap-
pointed among the salaried officers of the
school. From single method, a com bina-
ton of the best known methods have been
introduced. and all friends of the school
have remarked that while the pupils facili-
ty of speech has not deterioated in the least
a more favorable showing of mental de-
velopment, rounding out the minds of the
children III other respects, has been remark
ably manifest. AS you see, all that can be
done has been and is still being done fol-
your little brethren and sisters of Maine,
and hope that the record of this young
school will come up to and equal that of
the old Hartford school in Joint of resources
and eficiency.''