The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-24

| Ieres Win their progress in acquiring
| English. but your true American claims
the pursuit of happiness as an inaliepabiC
| 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 degree of per-
| lection that an expert who can hear read
| lily fnterprets a speech or a sermon, as
| IT is usually delivered. to an assembly OF
| deaf persons by means of signs. The
| school authorities make no effort to teach
| tins language, but rather try to suppress
| IL Stiii. the pupils pick it up with re-
| markable rapidly.
| 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 its 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
| dictate 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
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 a 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 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 to
start the pGpil at a trade suited to his
character and ability. and between this
and his school work he divides his time
until graduation. The trades found by
long experience to be most serviceable TO
the deaf are farming, carpentering, shoe
making, printing, and baking for the
boys and sewing, dressmaking, and cook
ing for the girls. In the Kansas school
the art department must not be over
looked. In the pursuit of art DEAFNESS
is no handicap. and the progress the pu-
pills make is highly creditable to them
selves and to their teachers.
THE PUPILS LIFE EVER A HAPPY ONE.
The life at school is happy one. When
the duties of school and shop are over
the pupils indulge in various forms of
In hn of q
ground the deaf mute is at his best, quick
of eye and alert in action. Baseball and
football teams, by the rapidity and ma
chine-like precision of their movements.
are placed in high rank. Especially IN
baseball their excellence Is apparent, 4
fact to which Kansas University is Well
qualified to testify. Intellectual forms of
recreation are by no means neglected.
Several literary societies are Kept up dur
ing the term. and the pupils take great
delight in giving exhibitions, which in
clude song singing and story telling.
tableaux, and the drama.
Visitors often come with long faces and
hearts filed with pity, which they pro-
pose to deal out in appropriate exclama-
lions, but they soon lind their precon-
ceived notions are all mistaken, for the
aspect of the whole school is thoroughly
business like, full of zeal and interest
And, when work is done, the children
never lack the means of enjoyment, SO
that at whatever time one may drop In
upon the school, he will find busy and
happy a lot of children as are to be found
anywhere in the world.
During the past year over DO Pupils
have been in attendance, under the direc-
ton of nineteen teachers in the school
and six instructors in the in
dustrial department. Prof. I'll. G. Ham
mond superintendent of the school, is
every inch an educator. His long expe !
rience and strong character thoroughly tit |
him for successful management, and |
large number Of pupils Will carry the |
stamp of his influence through life.
Only in one respect does the State of |
Kansas fail in its duty to its deaf chill |
dren-in not removing the management !
of its school from the sphere of political |
influence Eveh more than the State uni |
versity does the school for the deaf de-
serve this consideration at the hands of !
the State. An act of justice secured to |
young men and women in full possession |
Of their faculties should not be denied to !
the deaf wards of the State who, already |
by their affliction, may be |
made the victims of partisan greed and |
cruelty.
one cannot doubt the Justice of the com
mon heart in Kansas, and when the sub |
iect is presented in the proper light a |
certain voice in favor of justice and right |
N educating their deaf children. To the |
pupil the Institution is more than a |
school: II is a home, a church. q social |
and the influences which |
smanate from the head of the school are
so powerful. so widespread and far
'eaching that none but the highest type
If manhood should be allowed TO assume
he responsibility and the stability and
.uarded in every possible way.-Kansas
'ty Star