The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-11-15
10 A|Q DEAF AUfES
VOLTA BUREAU IN WAsHINo.
TONS FAsHIoNAsLE ACTION.
Unique Institution Establlshsd BY Dr.
Alexander Graham Bell with
Prize Ne Received for In.
venting Telephone.

washington.---On a. quiet street Of
Washingtor's once fashionable neigh.
bor, Georgetown, there IL q build
ing whose peculiar appearance arouses
the curiosity Of all strangers who see
It. 1t is something like q library,
something lihe a mausoleum and
something like small Christian
Science church with roof garden on
top.
1t is none OF these. n you know
what It Is, even after you are told Its
name. you may step right along to
the head of the class. Persons who
know about the Volta bureau are not
plentiful enough to get in your way.
The story of the Volta bureau is in.
teresting. The beginning of It lies back
in Italy more than 150 years ago
when Alessendro Volta, who was to
make study of electricity, was born.
Later Napoleon had a great opinion
of the Italian scientist and established
the Volta prize.
This prize, great reward for inven-
tions or discoveries, is not conferred
at regular intervals. In fact, 1t has
been given only three or four times
In 1880 1t was voted to DR.. Alexander
Graham Bell in recognition of his
service TO the world in producing the
telephone.
The prize amounted to about $1O,'
600. Dr. Bell was Jch man, SO he
set apart the sum as fund to be
used for the benefit of the deaf
First he invented it in one of his
own inventions. That turned out sc
well that the original $4,000 became
100000 and the Volta fund was .
sizable sum.
Part of this money was used fol
that building OF battling aspect In
Georgetown. Helen Keller herself
turned the first spadeful Of earth. May
I, 1894.
Part of the structure really is II.
brary, and absolutely unique at that
AT the rear of the building, which is
Ilreproof, are the steel book stacks
containing thousands of books, period
icals and pamphlets, forming the
most remarkable collection OF stats
tics in regard to the deaf that exists
anywhere in the world.
DR.. Bell has the best of reasons for
being interested in the deaf. His own
wife is what used to be called deaf,
mute, though 1t Is no longer an ac'
curate term. Mrs Bell has been
taught speech. and as she is an ac,
complished lip reader. many persons
have met and talked with her without
discovering her deafness.
1t was DR.. Bell himself who taught
her to speak. His father, Alexander
Melville Bell, invented the system
known as visible speech, and sent his
son from Scotland to this country to
introduce the method In schools fol-
the deaf here.
Among the young mans pupils was
daughter OF Gardiner G.. Hubbard
Her teacher fell In love with her and
she became the wife of the inventor.
The Volta bureau corresponds with
almost svery civilized country in re,
gard to work for the deaf. On Its
shelves are books in all languages
Its aid is sought by various govern
ments.
Japan sent representative to this
country to study our system OF In.
struction for the deaf. and the man
thus sent spent weeks at work In the
Volta bureau. 1t has compiled tables
OF statistics not to be found anywhere
else. ~
Ii is gratifying fact that the blu
reau's investigation shows the United
States to lead In work for the deaf.
Germany, however, is close second
The report for 1900 shows l26 schools
for the deaf in this country, with q
total Of 1896 pupils. Germany has
80 schools, with 6,947 pupils.
Great Britain comes third and
France fourth. Even China has three
schools. although two are French In.
stitutions In Cochin China, and the
third was established by an american
missionary and struggles along on
gifts sent from this country and Eng.
land. AS the school accommodates
only Is pupils and China is supposed
to have about 100000 totally deaf per.
sons 1t is not exactly adequate
Japan has three schools, two OF
them founded by natives and one
maintained at the public expense.