The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-22

the resulting children will be deaf-mute.
II the trouble ended with the children II
would not he so bad. but 1t is likely to re-
appear internationally for generations,
thus propagating the mischief indefinitely.
II both of the persons are deaf and dumb,
as said a moment ago, the expectation
is that one in five Of their offspring viii
be a deaf-mute, and after few genera
tions of such marriages the faculty OF
speech will practically pass away T'om
that family, barring only an occasional
freak child that can talk.
Now, this is a very dreadful state OF az
fairs, and to blind at 1t IS wrong, II we
can do anything to modify the situation.
One of two things must come to pass
sooner or later-either there will be deaf
mutes in nearly every family, or else
distinct deaf and dumb variety OF the hu-
man race will be recognized ana pro-
hibited from marriage with hearing peo-
pie. 1t seems to me that this latter Is
likely to prove the solution OF the ppoo-
lem. II would be best II people born dear
could be prohibited from marrying at all
hut the difficulties in the way OF enforcing
such q RESTRICTION are OpNIOuS'
Just To illustrate the manner IN WHICH
the curse may be propagated l VIII men
tion the case OF man nameu oio""'
who took I'D his residesce long TIME "eo
in the town of HenniRer, n. ID. ne mas
been the progenitor of four generations
~ deaf-mutes. comprising thirty-one IN
d,v,duals thus afflicted. Then there was
the case of a certain Lovejoy, OF Sydney,
Me. who has had twenty-five dear anu
dumb descendants. I think that old not
mention the fact that after deat-mutes
hal married each other for fVe genera
tions the characteristic may be regarueu
az fixed TO such an extent as only the
exceptional child possesses the tacul'y
Of speech.
Az Won are probably aware in earlier
ages deaf-mutes were hardly DISTINGUISH
ed from the insane. They could not taih
mr. hear. therefore It was supposed thaI
they were unable to think. Indeed theS
were commonly subjected to treatment
such as was accorded to mad tolks' Which
as Won know. was sufficiently cruel ana
harbarous. Ignorance Is always the MOTH
or of cruelay. and so it is not surprising
"a find that deaf and dumb people IN an
Gent times, and even In hte middle ages
were treated in a manner when. we
v-cuId now regard as outrageous. 1t was
Imagined. as a matter Of course, that they
were incapable of being Instructed.
II IS only within very recent years inst
the deaf-mute has been recognized III ms
nroner status. Now 1t Is realized that he
Is mentally not inferior to the person who
talks. the only difficulty being to commu-
nicate with him, and this latter proolen
has been SOLVED to a great extent. Cd
yiousIy, however, the modes Of commune
cation employed have had to be lnVeh'eu
developed by persons who could near anu
talk; the deaf and dumb on their side
were helpless. Even an unfortunate ike
Helen Keller, who a generation ago would
have been regarded to hopeless mental as
we'll as physical darkness. inasmuch as
she lacks sight as well as hearing IS no"
made able to speak articulateE. en1oV
freels the use of several languages.
Unhappily the system we have adopted
while operating in such a manner as TO
place them in communication with the
world at large and thus render them nap
DIV. Is a direct cause of the spread OF the
a lotion which 1t is designed to alleviate.
It segregates these persons to institutions
keeping them away from normal people.
The latter, as a rule, do not becom &C
uuainted with deaf-mutes; the form a sort
of notion to the effect that the inhabit-
ants of deaf AMI dumb asylums, so called
are on the same plane with the insane
and IL the choice IS given. they will run
away rather than meet them. From their
point of view the deaf-mutes are per-
hans dangerous for what Is to be thought
of human beings who think in gestures
and are unable to talk. Not many years
ago. down in Alabama, man was so
alarmed by the GESTURES Of deaf-mute
that he shot him.
One reason why we do not realize the
seriousness OF the danger 1 speak of Is
that we do not often meet deaf-mbutes.
and therefore we do not apprehend how
numerous they are. Still less does it oc-
cur to imagine that a future time
there may be deaf and dumb people
among our own descendants. Surely We
ought to do everything possible TO prevent
that; and yet 1t is most likely to come
about unless adequate measures are taken
TO prevent 1t.
Now in order to emphasize the propo-
sition and to make evident the danger
that is a head II may be appropriate TO
consider what We would do IL We were
trying TO create a arce OF deaf-mutes
t. To mill
seperate them from hearing persons early
in life and make them live together in
one place guarding them from the pos
sibilt;y of making acqualtnances among
hearing persons of their own age. This,
in truth. is what we do, combining hum
dreds OF them together in Institutions,
where they are kept until they are adult.
The next thing we do with a view to
the OBJECT suggested. is to promot inter-
course among them in/adult life, so that
the boys and girls that have met each
other in the institutions might meet again
as men and women. Finally we would
bring about periodical reunions OF the
former students. held at the schools from
which they were graduated
As a matter of fact, we do all these
things. The graduates of the deaf and
dumb institutions usually organize them
selves into associations. Societies Of deaf
mutes meet IN many cities. monthly
or oftener, and there are state associa-
lions for promoting social intercourse
among deaf and dumb people. while
periodical conventions are attended by
deaf-mutes Of both sexes There is even
a national association OF deaf-mu;es, and
newspapers and periodicals. published by
deaf-mutes. keep their readers informed
as 10 the nnYeme,;s OF deaf-rnr,ses rhnir