The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-11-23
The Education Of Deaf Children.

Possibly few readers of this paper
are aware Of the number Of deaf chill
dren in the United States; children with
out speech, because of their deafness,
without language until they are brought
within the schools provided Tor their
special instruction.
There arei 11S such schools in the
United States. in which 1855 pupils are
being educated by 1885 teachers. Vi
these 11S schools. 81 are public schools,
46 public day schools and 10 are de-
nominational and private schools.
Sixty-two of these 11S schools are
known as combined method schools,
that is, two methods are employed in
teaching-the Oral method, by which a
portion of the pupils are taught speechi
and the Manual method, by which a
portion Of the pupils are taught by
signs and the manual alphabet. In nifty
four of the 118 schools mentioned-the
oral method alone is employed, and in
two schools, namely. the school for col
ored deaf youth in Texas and the state
school in Oklahoma, the manual method
alone is employed
The manual method and the oral
method of instruction have the same
end in view, educating and fitting for
citizenship.
Dr. A. l.. H. Crouter, the superintend
ent of the Pennsylvania Institution for
the Deaf, the largest but one in the
world, in speaking of the oral method
says:
"This method seems to be commencing
itself more and more to heads of schools
for the deaf, and their instructors in this
country. In the oral schools it is always
applied; in the manual or combined
schools, the number of pupils receiving
the benefits of this form of instruction
is constantly increasing. No less than
C,l67 out of a total of 11,022 taught in
the schools for the deaf in this country
last year, were taught wholly, or in
part, by oral methods.
This is a remarkable change. when
it is remembered that a generation ago,
there was no school in the country in
which oral methods of instruction were
pursued. Speech to the deaf child is
doUbly important, it not only enables
him to hold social converse with his
fellows, after the manner that is COM
mon to almost all men. it places him in
a position where he can the more readily
command the means of self-support.
THE deaf man who can speak and
read the lips, even imperfectly, commands
positions and employment much more
readily than one who has never enjoyed
the benefit of such training.
And now. what is our own State doing
for the education of her deaf children
A school for white deaf children is
located at Morganton. and one for the
colored at Raleigh In the school al
Morganton there are at present 22l pu-
pills. In line with the majority OF the
combined method schools, as shown by
the figures above, the number taught by
the oral method is steadily increasing
There arc now III pupils in the oral
department
The policy of the school is TO give all
entering children an opportunity to learn
to speak, and to carry on their cduca
ton by this method if possible When
ever children do not acquire speech and
arc not able to understand the speech
of others sufficiently to make il prac-
ticable to continue them under this
method. they are placed i'm the manual
department, where. with the exception
Of speech, they receive the same educa-
ton