The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-04-02
THE DEAF MAY HEAR.
Remarkable Invention by . Young
Southerner-One Of the Marvels Of
the Twentieth Century.
Charlotte Observer.

the Twentieth Century.
Charlotte Observer
A young Southerner has invented a
device which bids fair to become one
of the marvels of the twentieth CEN
tury in affording relief to afflicted hui
manity. In New York city Friday
Mr.. Miller Reece Hutchison gave an
exhibition at his laboratory of an
invention which he has Just perfected.
by the use Of which the deaf are made
to hear. There were present a num-
ber OF men and women prominent in
the fashionable society of the me-
tropolis, together with the Duke of
Newcastle. This company witnessed
the experiments of the inventor upon
number of pupils from a deaf-mute
school in New York, and it was evil
dent that, through his invention,
those who had been born deaf heard
for the first time in their lives. Mr..
Hutchison calls his mechanism the
"accousticon." 1t is an electrical de-
vice, involving all the important
principles of the telephone, with ad-
ditions known only to the inventor
BY it sound waves are so intensified
that they will penetrate ears that
have never heard before. The accous-
ticon is thus described:
THE device is in three pieces, which
may be carried in the pocket. That
called the receiver-which in the tele-
phone would be called the transmit
ter-is a vulcanized rubber disc about
three inches in diameter. To it's back
is attached a hook by which it may
be suspended from a waistcoat pock-
ct. The reverse face of the disc is
followed and in the hollow certain
gases, the composition being known
only to Mr.. Hutchison, are hermeti-
cally sealed.
"The other two pieces are the ear
piece, which corresponds to the re-
ceiver OF telephone, and the battery.
The latter is about three inches long,
two inches wide and half an inch
thick. 1t contains several cells, which
supply the electric current. Wires
connect the three pieces of the ma
chine"
A half a dozen mutes were expert
mented on, and the tests were in ev-
cry way satisfactory. Children born
deaf heard for the first time and the
experience appeared to afford them
the greatest Joy of their lives, in so
much that the women in the COM
pany could not cOnstrain themselves
but buried their faces in their hand
kerchiefs and had "a good satisfying
cry" A girl, deaf, dumb, and blind
from birth, heard for the first time,
and her Joy was inexpressible. A re-
markable thing happened when a
deaf and dumb boy had the ear-piece
fitted to his ear and listened to the
pianist strike up two-step. He first
began to smile and an instant or two
later he was dancing in time to the
music. This was regarded as perhaps
the best test of the whole experiment
Quite a number ofmutes were treated
to this Joyous new experience, and all
successfully. 1t is believed that the
invention will not only prove a boon
to the very deaf but that it will be
the greatest known aid in teaching
the mute to talk. With the accous-
ticon the deaf-mute can hear himself
or herself talk and thus hear what
speech sounds like. This, of course,
applies to mutes who have learned to
talk little.
The inventor of this appliance was
born in Mobile, Ala, and is an cleo
trical engineer He has been working
out his idea for several years past.
He experimental last year in Eng
land, and Queen Alexandra, who saw
one of the tests in a deaf-mute insti-
tuition, asked the inventor to give
another in Birmingham Palace, which
he did, receiving Il gold medal from
her majesty.
1t looks as if this woodworking
invention were an assured success. If
SO, it will be as a decree of Him who
is Love, granting a new measure of
freedom to His own imprisoned ones
to those who, perhaps because OF
the sins of the father visited upon
the children, or for whatever cause in
His inscrutable wisdom, are incarcer-
ated in the inner cells OF their OWL
being. unable to look upon a tuneful
world through the windows of their
souls. BY means of it Helen Keller,
and all her brothers and sisters in
suffering, will have, henceforth, a
farther skyline of living and loving
and thinking and knowing and serv-
ing. 1t is as if the hand of the Naz-
arene had again touched the ears OF
the deaf, through miracle of mod
ern science and bade them hear.
Eliminate the negro from politics
and there will be no race problem.
OF course this would be depriving
him of his rights, but some people
and they are not all negroes, have
entirely too many rights. OF what
use are rights if they are OF no bene-
fit?