The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-02-05

| in 1885, when it was found that the
State school reached with its benefits
only third of the children afflicted.
Ohio and Illinois finding the same con-
ditions obtaining there, followed the ex-
ample of Wisconsin and with entire
success, thus enabling many children to
be kept at home, and relieving the State
of the cost of their board and protec-
ton in the central or main school or
asylum.
| With the deaf usually all the other
faculties are preserved, but from non
practice of speech they soon become
mute. A child cannot acquire a IAN
guage it cannot hear without instruc-
tion along lines specially adapted to
the affliction Of the sense Of hearing.
But a deaf child taken at earliest school
age can with comparative ease be
taught speech and in a large sense the
affection of deafness removed, SO as 20
enable the pupil to acquire good ed
ucation and become self-helpfW and
lf-supporting.
On the grounds of humanity, there
| fore, a strong plea is made for taxing
| the deaf child in hand at an early age
without removing it from home life. 1t
is claimed that the very smallness OF
these day schools for the deaf, augment
their efficiency, since it leads the par
ents of the afflicted to- render aid to the
special teacher, which is always found
very desirable Few parents are in
formed or skilled in the special meth
DDS Of teaching the deaf, but under the
day school system they speedily come
to understand it, and thus develop as
valuable aids to the teacher.
A strong plea is made also for asso-
citation of the child with children OF
its own years, others and humanity III
general in every day life, as powerful
aid in it's education and a valuable
agency in fitting it for useful adult life.
This living in the midst of Industries,
society, business life and home sur
roundings, is held to be notable as
sistance as opposed to the restriction OF
asylum life.
We are told that there are now IN
our country ninety-five schools OF the
order asked for here, with 9,I49 pupils,
and of these 5,49S have been taught to
articulate freely and to read speech by
lip motion; that 3,466 are taught wholly
by the oral method without the aid OF
signs. So it is pointed out that in
stead of the instance of a deaf child
being able to use speech freely, being
looked upon as something marvellous, 1t
is an every day fact
scented fairly. There is no decided op-
position, as we understand, to the sys-
tenn proposed here. But naturally there
is ti1nidity about grating upon the
schools more new things. And TINS
is altogether commendable caution 1t
is advisable, therefore, to examine offl-
cially and fully into the subject and
this ought to be done by the Commit
tees on Education Of the two houses.
If it is found that it cannot be done at
this session, though the claim is made
that it can be covered inside of two
weeks and every fact in connection
with it be thoroughly explored. then
the subject should be committed to
some State official body to be looked
into and reported upon two years hence.
But no step in the way of establishing
such schools should be taken except
after thoroughgoing inquiry and ex-
haustiye Investigation