The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-02-11
Electrical Device of a Mobile In
ventOr Tested With Wonder
full Results.
OPENS WORLD TO AFFLICTED.
Seventeen Year-Old Boy Hears
Music and Repeats the Ian
guage of the Nursery for
First Time.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

REPUBLIC SPECIAL
New York. Feb. 10.-Orris Benson. a bright
boy OF II. deaf. dumb and blind from In
fancy. never heard the sound of the human
voice or the strains Of music until last
Thursday afternoon. To him the outer
world has been as mysterious a void as to
the famous Helen Keller. though, like her.
he has been taught much solely through the
sense of touch.
In the presence of several Of New York's
most distinguished aurists young Benson
clamped to his head a little device such as
a switchboard attendant wears in a telc-
phone exchange. and In less than ten min
utes a new world had opened to him. For
the first time since babyhood he was hear
ing and actually repeating audibiy after his
instructor such simple words as mamma"
papa" hello" horse" and house" Or
rs Benson. at the age when most boys go
TO college was learning to lisp the language
of the nursery.
BY a short electrical wire the headpiece
was connected with a photograph. and into
the brain cells. where music had been
known only as a name. rolled the martial
strains Of Sousa's STARS and Stripes For
ever"
Startled by sound of Music.
The boy started In his chair as II shocked
by a galvanic battery. His sightless eyes
moved In their sockets pathetically. like
those of a wondering child. His hands.
long accustomed to do the work of eyes and
ears alike. instinctively clutched at the
clamped headpiece as II to solve the mys-
terry OF this new and strange sensation.
For an instant an expression almost of
pain passed over his features. then. with a
look OF strained intensity. the lad settled
back In his chair and for the first time in
his life listened. His nimble fingers sought
those OF his instructor, and In the sign
language of touch he said:
Yes. I can hear It: but what Is it?"
1T is music. q military march. How do
you like itg" flashed back the supple fingers
Of the instructor.
The strained expression relaxed into q
childlike smile Of enjoyment, slingled with
justification. The boys fingers spoke
again. and the teacher. glancing at the ex-
perts. who sat eagerly watching the ex-
pertinent. said:
He tells me that the sensation is very
pleasant"
Before Orris Benson removed the little
electrical device and went back into the
world he knew-the world of darkness and
Of silence-he had heard the sound Of his
own voice and the voices Of others. he had
listened to the tinkling rhythm of a guitar
and he had learned to speak falteringly
the fond words Of babyhood that are lisped
at a mothers knee In the world where
there are sound and sunlight and maternal
love.
Has Made Four thousand Deaf Hear.
There are said to be not fewer than six
millions Of human beings living who are
deaf-mutes. The electrical instrument
tested with such remarkable results. IS one
which its inventor, Miller Reese Hutchi-
son. believes will enable al lof them to hear
sound, and not less than 80 per cent of
them to acquire q practical use of articulate
language. He has already experimental
upon 1900 deaf-mutes In the institutions of
New York. Alabama. Michigan and other
States. and he says he has not yet found
a case where he has utterly failed to con-
vey the sound Of spoken words In at least
q rudimentary degree. His instruments are
now in use In the New York institution for
the instruction Of the deaf and dumb. where
they have shown results that are gratifying
to the principal. Enoch II. Currier.
In the experiments conducted or Thurs
day last. eight lads from the New York in
stitution took part. They were keenly alive
to the situation. and with bright eyes and
def fingers maintained an animated con-
versation while Mr.. Hutchinson adjusted his
apparatus. Six or eight medical and surgical
specialists from the Eye and Ear Hospital.
the Ophthalmic Hospital and similar instI-
tutions, were present, and Edwin A. Hodg-
son, editor of the Deaf-Mutes' Journal. who
has been totally deaf for twenty-eight
years, was an interested SpeCtAtoT.
Alfred Stern. an uncommonly bright-look-
ing boy of Is. with keen blue eyes and ag-
gressively red hair. was selected as the
first subject. An attack Of scar.et fever had
left him perfectly deaf ten years ago. and
he had rever heard a word since. He was
| q difficult subject. but In a few minute he
/, was repeating audfbly words ~ansmitte
by means of the photograph. and the cleo
trical receiver.
Inventor . Native of Mobile.
Similar experiments were conducted for
the other boys and all were able to hear
and to repeat what was said to them. Orris
Benson was finally seated In the expert
mental chair, and, to the surprise Of those
present, he proved to be the most apt Of
all the subjects. Although he had never
spoken from the day Of his birth he re-
, peated words of one and two syllables aud
IDLY. SO that all present could hear.
Miller Reese Hutchinson, the young wiz
ard. who has wrought these marvels. Is an
expert electrician. though he Is only "a years
old. He IL a native of Mobile. Ala 1t was
friendship for an afflicted comrade that
first led him to turn his talents In the direc-
tion of alleviating the misfortunes OF the
deaf.
Lyman Gould of Mobile. who Is about his
own age, Il entirely deaf. Mr.. Hutchin-
son used frequently to travel on the Mobile
Bay steamboats,. with Mr.. Gould. and he
observed that his friend could not hear even
the screeching blast Of the big steam whis-
| tie.
He turned his attention to the task OF de-
veloping some application OF electricity
which might enable the d=af to hear. For
four years he has worked upon this fnven-
ton. latteriy in his New York laboratory.
until now he considers the device perfected.
In its earlier stages Of development. Mr..
Hutchinson was encouraged BY experiments
conducted in various States. but imperfec-
lions were discovered In the apparatus from
time to time. and he limited the expert
ments to his personal friends. He Is now
prepared publicly to demonstrate, under
proper auspices, the wonderful helpfuinsss
of his invention. and institutions all over
the country are In correspondence with him
in arranging local demonstrations.