The times., 1901-03-24

English, but your true American claims
the pursuit Of happiness as an inalienable
right, and to deprive the deaf of the sign
language would take away the source OF
their greatest happiness. The sign Ian
guage which consists of pantomime and
the art of drawing pictures in the air,
has been brought to such a degree of per-
feCtion that an expert who can hear read
lily interpretS a speech or sermon, as
ii is usually delivered. to an assembly OF
deaf persons By means of signs. The
school authorities make no effort to teach
this language, but rather try to suppress
it. Still, the pupils pick it up with re-
markable rapidity.
Accustomed to the use of signs from an
early age, the pupils excel in rendering
songs and poems which they do with a
grace and beauty that never fails to eX-
cite admiration. The most striking fea-
ture or an object or it's characteristic
movement is taken as the basis of the
sign. The distinctive features of the cow
are shown by forming the hands at the
sides of the head to represent horns, fol-
lowed by the action of milking. Horse
is represented by placing two fingers of
each hand at the sides of the head to in
dicate the small ears. and the act OF driv-
ing Mule differs in using the whole hand
for the ears and giving the peculiar mo-
ton of mules ears in walking. Fig
ures of speech come as naturally in the
sign language as in EngliSh-a peculiar
modification of the sign for mule mean
ing stubborn. Day is made by tracing in
the sky the apparent course of the sun
from dawn until sunset. Passing the hand
backward over the shoulder indicates past
time, extending the hand forward refers
to the future. Love is made by pressing
the hands to the heart: hatred by throw
ing the hands away from the heart ac-
cOmpanied by the natural facial express
sion.
Deaf mutes in the dark might be con-
sidered at great disadvantage when
they want to communicate with one an
other. but such is not the case. When
the lights go out or the moon hangs low
in the horizon the tale of old can be
told anew by taking her hand in his and
the words spelled in her hand are con-
| veyed to the brain by the sense of touch
almost as rapidly. and to the heart more
effectually, perhaps, than by sight.
The deaf cut off as they are from ready
| communication with hearing people, al
most always seek in marriage a COM
panion similarly afflicted, and in such
unions many have found that sympathy
| and happiness which nothing else could
! give Statistics show that even in the
| marriage of two persons born deaf the
| liability to have deaf offspring is only
! very slightly increased.
Every effort is made in the schools 10
! start the pupil at trade suited to ms
| character and ability. and between tins
and his school work he divides his time
| until graduation. The trades iounG oy
| long experience to be most servlceaole 10
! the deaf are farming, carpentering, siOe-
| making printing, and baking Tor the
| boys and sewing, dressmaking ana COOK
| ing for the girls. In the Kansas scnooi
| the art department must not be over
! looked In the pursuit of art deathesS
| is no handicap. and the progress the pu-
/ pills make is highly creditable TO thein-
! selves and TO their teachers
THE PUPILS LIFE EVER HAPPY ONE.
| The life at school is a happy one. When
! the duties of school and shop are over
the pupils indulge in various forms oil
recreation. In the sports OF the play
ground the deaf mute is at his best, quick
| of eve and alert in action. Baseball and
| football teams, by the rapldity anu IN. ma
| chine-Iike precision of their movements
| are placed in q high rank. Especially III
! baseball their excellence is apparent =
! fact to which Kansas University is Wei
qualified to testify. intellectual forms OF
! recreation are by no means neglected
| Several literary societies are kept UP our
! ing the term, and the pupils take grea'
delight in giving exhibitions, Whicn e1,;I.r IN
| clude song singing ana story teIiahs
I tabIeaux, and the drama
! Visitors often come with long races afio
! hearts filed with pity, which they pro-
! pose to deal out in appropriate eXclama-
| lions hut they soon find their precon-
! cefved notions are all mistaken, Tor tne
aspect of the whole school is thoroughly
| business-like, full of zeal ana interest
| And when work is done, the cnlidfeI
/ never lack the means of enjoyment, SC
| that at whatever time one may drop II
| upon the school he viii find as busy anc
! happy a lot of children as are TO be foune
/ anywhere in the world.
| During the past year over 25o pupils
| have been in attendance, under the oIrec
| tion of nineteen teachers IN the Schoo
| denartmeut and six instructors in the in
! dustrial department. Prof. II. G. Ham
! rnond superintendent of the school,
every inch an educator. His long eXpe'
| rjence and strong character thoroughly III
| him for successful management ana
| large number of pupils Will carry tnt
1 stamp of his influence through ne.
| only in one respect does the state oi
| Kansas fail in its duty to its deaf emil,
dren-in not removing the management
of its school from the sphere OF polltica
influence. EveH more than the State UNI
| versity does the school for the dear de
| serve this consideration at the hands oi
fhe State. An act Of justice secured Il
| Young men and women in full possession
! of their faculties should not be denied L
| the deaf wards of the State, who, ALREADY
handicapped by their affiiction, may b.
made the victims of partisan greed ani
| cruelty.
mon heart In Kansas, and when the sub
| iect is presented in the proper light
broad-minded people VIII speak in no un
certain voice in favor of justice and rlgh
/ in educating their deaf children. To tn
| pupil the institution is more than
| school; It is a home, a church, socia
| community. and the influences which
eTnanate from the head of the school ar
| so powerful. so widespread and far
| reaching that none but the highest typ
| of manhood should be allowed TO assum
the responsibility, and the stability anC
dignity OF the position should be safe
guarded in every possible way.-kansai