The Washington times., 1902-12-07
Faculty Of Gallaudet College.

Faculty of Gallaudet College.
dining room. MIX and spilled were not
among the words that had been learned.
One little girl. equal to the emergency,
however, cried out: The Cow FELL She
knew the milk came from the COW. and
thought that explained the situation" d"
According to Dr. Callaudet, the first
days in the Kendall School are spent in
happy recreation and in learning to be
attentive. Attention is the keynote Of
such success as IS attained by the
pupils. The children have simple studies
which teach them color. form and num-
Der, and from collection OF toys they
learn the names Of common objects
The child soon learns to read his
name from the teachers lips and to come
when he feels the vibration Of the floor
upon which the teacher pats 20 attract
attention. The touch is trained by hand
ling geometrical planes and solids.
which he learns to identify with closed
eyes.
Feeling Vibrations"
Feeling vibrations is nearest the.
totally deaf ever come TO hearing" said
DR.. Gallaudet. in May last. after sew
eral encouraging preliminary trials. an
alkaoulion Of the latest pattern. for use
with three persons at a time, was pur-
chased for the benefit Of the students.
This instrument with a graphophone at
tachment and combining the principles
Of the nicrophone and the telephone en-.
ables many deaf people who can hear no
ordinary sounds to enjoy music and to
distinguish between some Of the differ
ent sounds employed in speech. Some oil
the deaf with considerable hearing can
understand conversation by the aid oil
the instrument.
Whether or not those who have only
enough hearing to distinguish a few
sounds can be trained so as to under
stand words and sentences. we have not
had sufficient time to determine. We
are having constant experiments with
the instrument with some degree OF sue
cess. Much remains to be done to make
it an absolute success. If It can be made
50 at all"
Teaching the deaf TO speak is done
largely by vibrations. Touch training is I
therefore an-important. Tn, child is
made to place his finger tips on the
sounding-board Of guitar or piano and 1
feels the difference in vibrations and .
judges the pitch Of the voice OF tho
teacher when high or low tone Is being
played. The teacher sings a scale and
the pupil judges the pitch by placing his
fingers under the teachers chin and
the vibration. In this wav
the pupil learns to control his own
throat and chest when he speaks.
Pay Strict Attention.
The children OF the silent world soon
learn that by not paying attention they
miss something. The teacher calls a
-hIld to the blackboard. and before the
lass draws his head. putting IN the de-
.ails Of hair, ears. and eyes. The next
,hild drawn has an open mouth with
.ccth and tongue. Then the children are
given hand mirrors in order that they
nay find their own teeth and tongues.
)ther pr0ales arc drawn on the black
BOARD with the mouth and tongue in the
position that science has taught they
should be TO teach the dumb the FIRST
,onsonants they can most easily learn.
The facial gymnastics undergone by the
pupils TO copy these pictures are really
very amusing. The children stand be-
ore the teacher, one at q time. ana fmf-
ate the positions she assumes I'm MAX
ug The letters. Very shortly the let
ers are written before that part Of the
profile representing the mouth. giving
he appearance OF having come from e.
The children take their next step IN the
ahEuagc lesson by copying these
iroduaily the pupil is led along Ike a
'erson IN a dark corridor. until al the
nd the scholar comes out into the light