The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1904-07-09
A BENEVOLENT BARONET.
Deaf and Dumb Englishman Who
Spends Most of His Time in
Charitable Work.

At the recent entertainment of the
st. Sayiour's Social club, all Of whose
members are deafmutcs, the central
figure was Sir Arthur Fairbairn, the
deaf and dumb baronet." as he is
known all over England. says a Lon
don letter in the Detroit Free Press.
Possessed of an abundant fortune, d
keen and cultivated intelligence and
rare artistic tastes, Sir Arthur would
hardly have been deemed a selfish mai
had he devoted his . to getting
all the enjoyment possible out OF an
existence in which he Is doomed to
play a silent part. But his own al
Fiction has only stimulated him TO
devote his time and means to amel-
iorating the lot Of those who are sim
ilarly stricken, and have in addition
the burden of poverty TO contend with.
And that this work has brought hin!
happiness in far greater measure than
would have come to him had he SIM
ply used his wealth to minister to his
W pleasures no one who notes his
bright, animated COuntenance, his
sparkling eyes and, above all, his
CHEEKY smile, can doubt, In his phil
anthropic labor he is ably seconded
by his sister, Miss Constance Fair
BARN, who is also deaf and dumb.
To enumerate all the associations
for promoting the welfare of the deaf
with which Sir Arthur is connected
would require a long catalogue. The
various Offices he fills in them are no
sinecures. They entail a vast amount
of correspondence and much travelling.
Any invention, idea or suggestion
which promises increased educational
facilities or other advantages for those
who dwell In silence receives his
prompt attention and support if good
for anything.
Though he cannot talk there are few
men in England who address more
public meetings in various parts of
the country, his audiences being like
himself all. mutes. With his fingers
he can speak" as rapidly, and, judg-
ing by the effect on adopts in sgn
language, quite as eloquently and per-
suasively as many who have a wide
reputation for oratory. No important
meeting of the deaf is deemed complete
without a speech" from the baronet.
His home in Brighton reveals his
many-sided culture. Beautiful pic
lures hang on the walls, The library
is well-stocked with books. Many
rare works of art and historic memen-
toes adorn the various apartments.
Travel is one of his passions. He has
been all over Europe and has visited
the principal cities in the United
States. His collection of briC-a-brac
Is largely the result of these peTigrina-
tons. Some of the objects were dis
covered in slums in Paris, Christiania
Sap0Ieon's hair, finely framed and &C
cgmpaBied BY three autograph docu-
ments attcsting its commences, was
bought by Sir Arthur in a mean little
Dd~h btlCtl III 1 ans Lbl OLA l0ulo' II
stands near to an exquisite vase, a
gift from Emperor William L., who in
bis old age Inundated the descendants
Of the man who wore that hair. This
superb vase, with its artful Cuplds up
holding a female form, was the kaiser's
present to Sir Arthur's father, who
was chairman Of the great Manchester
exhibition Of 1856. and of the interna-
tional exhibition in London in 1862
Another large vase was the gift of the
third Napoleon, as well as an exquisite
tea service, each piece marked with
the imperial cipher and own
Sir Arthur Is now So years old, He
enjoys vigorous health, which may be
attributed TO the fact that despite the
great amount of hard work he does he
finds time to indulge his tastes as a
sportsman with the rod and gun.
is another form of recreation
of which he is very fond.