The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-13

IN their state systems of schools. among
them Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and II
hpois,
The contention has everywhere been
made. that deaf children of taxpayers
have the same right to be educated as
other children have, and that<they have
the hight to be educated at home Most
states provide some sort of grim institu-
tons for these defective children. but
to most parents of the better class the
idea of the institution is abhorrent. Ev-
eryVhere in the oral schools parents
associations and mothers meetings aid
the teachers, for it is important that the
children should always be spoken to,
never signed to, at home, and that, if
possible, they should not be permitted
to know that they are different from or
binary children Many of them do not
know that they are deaf, and think that
all children meet the same difficulties
that they do in learning to speak. Many
of them do not know that there is sucl
a thing as sign language in the world.
And above all, and over all, the never
ending patience of it!
Let US suppose child that has never
heard sent to such a teacher. The be-
ginning is the production of some com
mon word, mamma as the first word
OF the hearing child is the one generally
chosen. 1t is several days before the
real tuition on the word is commenced;
the teacher must first win the confidence
OF her pupils, SO that they will be on
working relations before they begin.
Then, when the time comes, the pupil is
seated before the teacher and taught
to, put one hand on the teachers cheek,
where the ''m' sound is produced and
the other on her throat just above the
larynx, where the sound of the broad
a. is produced. The child is shown
hot 4I7oy
IN making the sound is to be initiated
Day after day the teacher says the word
over, the childs hand still on her cheek
and throat. When the idea first comes
the pupil will make the motions with
the throat and face, but unvocalized-
without sound. Let the reader say the
word mamma" with his hands on the
place where the sounds are produced,
trying first without vocalization and then
speaking it with full vocalization He
VIII notice that the difference to the
touch comes in a vibration when the
word is given sound. 1t is this vibration
(which the deaf child must next learn
This is the hardest task of ALL It lasts
on the average perha ps three months al
though some catch the idea of a vibra-
tion from almost the first moment When
this is done, the first real step is taken
1t was my good fortune to see a teach
Ter of the oral method force the first word
out OF one of her afflicted children. The
subject was pretty, faxen-haired girl
six years of age, possessing perfectly
every faculty except hearing. She was
born stone deaf and had never spoken.
There had been two or three preliminary
lessons, designed to give her the idea
that she was to follow the teacher in
the movements of face and throat that
make the word mamma" They had
resulted in limitations of the motion with
out the vibration which means sound.
The child was seated on low stool be-
fore the teacher, who had been cuddling
and petting her to gain her confidence
The teacher tried, by expression and
gesture, to bring out the connection be-
tween the word expressed by the mys-
ferrous motion of her lips and the idea
that it expressed. Again and again she
repeated the word. The baby held her
hand against the throat. and regarded
the moving lips with a look of curiosity
that had no understanding in it.
Try dear" said the teacher. as though
she were speaking to one who heard. The
words meant nothing. but the kindly man
ner must have carried the idea, for the
face and throat of the baby moved awls-
wardly in imitation. But there was no
sound Again the patient instructor re-
peated the word and again pressed the
child's hand against her throat that she
could feel the vibration at work. And