The Washington times., 1902-12-07
BY WILLIAM H. F. BECKHAM.

days, that is being conducted within the
confines Of the National Capital is a rev
elation known to but few Of this city's
residents.
Under the scientific systems Of treat
ment now IN vogue. the deaf mute is
rapidly becoming a person OF the past.
and the complete liberation Of intelli-
gent deaf from the thraI Of mutism can
be believed in when men, women and
children, born both deaf and dumb. are
heard TO read aloud in an intelligent
manner from the works Of the great lit
erary masters Of the world.
AT the Kendall primary school and the
Columbian Institution for the Deaf and
Dumb. better known as Gallaudet Col
lege. both OF which are supported by an
annual appropriation from Congress.
children who have never heard language
write rapidly and freely from dictation
by merely watching the teachers lips.
The teacher speaks in a soft voice with
no more precision OF pronunciation than
IS ordinarily used by the well educated.
Different From Other Children.
When one sees the children OF the ad-
vanced grades, without knowing their af-
Fiction. one would not be able 20 guess
that ali Of them are deaf and most Of
them had been born dumb. and none had
ever heard sound One would be touched
by the wistful concentration and eager
attention to what the teacher is doing
that easily marks them as different from
the children seen in the ordinary schools.
The hands fy up as eagerly to answer the
teachers question as in the most wide
awake classes Of the city's public schools.
To teach children who have never used
language a sense Of time IN words is
most difficult, yet while the writer was
present. a small girl who could not pos
elbly have been over eleven. stood up
-ccd corrugated correctly our most IT.
regular verbs. and did not stop until
she had gone down 20 the participles
Another wrote uDon the blackboard
spirited letter. telling how she liked her
studies. and the composition. which was
spontaneous, was really remarkable.
It Is only when those who have been
taught TO artlculate. speak. that one re-
allies BY their strange. explosive. vi
brant voices that they must have seal
ed ears.
One Of the strange features in their
articulation IS that It is taught for the
method used in all pupils is the same,
although the voices vary in modulation
and expression, Just as is the case with
people who have always had the power
OF speech.
The pathetic alertness OF the children
in the Kendall School in asking and an
swering questions Of the visitors makes
them singularly interesting.
Imagine yourself stranger in a
strange land. speaking and hearing an
unknown tongue" said Dr. E. ". Cal
laudet, president Of the institution.
Conceive yourself stricken deaf Can /
you fancy yourself learning the unknown /
language spoken around you? Think .
further; II you had been born deaf or
became 80 at an early age. you could /
have no conception Of what language is
or can do. The intelligence OF the 1T
tie children who 20 into the Kendall
School at six. and at eleven speak the
English language int-uigibIy, with pur-
ity and precision. is remarkable.
when the deaf and dumb child enters
the Kendall School he has ideas. brt
only the signs Of savagcry 10 express
them. He knows hat moving tho llDs
brings a responsive moving OF the lbs
In the world around him. lie is not con-
scious that he has organs Of speech. This
is the material that the teacher Of the
dear labors over until the s3uI I'm the
voice rs liberated
Trials Of the Teachers.
our teachers who help 10 create
voices for these afflicted creatures must
have the self-abncgation Of a nun and
the capacity Of the ordinary teacher mul-
upiied many fold They must have a
personality that demands and holds at
tonuon. They must win from the chill
dren perfect faith in their wisdom and
kindness. for the pupils literally hang
upon The liDs OF the teacher without
sympathy and wise devotion the work is
killing, with them &, De- difficult De-
light. One Of the greatest delights is 10
hear the children tell OF their expert
cuces before they had speech. They
rapidly press into use the new found
words. ONLY an instructor Of the deaf
realizes the snares and pitfalls OF the
English language Reformed spelling
would soon add peace and Dleusantness
10 the paths % the teachers
"Over iu the Kendall School The other
day pitcher Of railk was spilled 10 the