Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-29
DR.. GaI|audet EIucidates Psy.
choIogy of Deaf-Mutism.
NECESSITY OF LANGUAGE
Progress Possible When Signs Alone
Are Basis Of Thought.
NO RESTORATION TO SOCIETY
Letter Of Woman Taught in Oral
School Tells of Sights Put Upon
Her by Hearing People.

Her by Hearing People.
1.-The Mental Development of the Deaf
/ Child was the subject of an address de-
livered by DR.. f. NJ. Gallaudet, president
Of Gallaudet College. at today's session OF
the sixteenth annual meeting of the Amer
lean chronological, archaeological and
biological Society. which is holding its
meetings at the New Willard Hotel.
The morning session was given over to
a discussion of the deaf child from the
standpoint of the physician and teacher
A number of papers were read, including
those by DR.. G. Hudson Makuen of Phila-
| delphia, DR.. Francis r. Packard of Phila-
delphia. DR.. Max A. Goldstein of st. Louis
Mrs. ]. Scott Anderson of Swarthmore,
Pa; A. L. E. Crouter of Mount Airy. Pa.
j. W. Jones of Columbus. Ohio, and Miss
Mary McCowen.
Following the reading of the papers a
opened by DIR. James Kerr Love of Glas-
| gov, Alexander Graham Bell and Miss
| Mary S. Garrett.
DR.. Gallaudet's Address.
DIR. Gallaudet said in his address:
| 1.-The condition of the mind Of an I'M
educated deaf child which differs from
that of the normal child may be ue-
scribed by the single word 'deaf-mutism.
The phenomena of deaf-mutism arrange
themselves in two distinct divisions.
nancy, the physical and the psychical.
| PSychical deaf-mutism may be cOnsidere
| under three subdivlsiOns-mental, moral
| and social
I'm the mental development of the deaf
mute the great and peculiar obstacle is
| his lack of language, and as a conse-
Quence he lacks not only the language,
| but all that mental discipline and growth
incident even to the vernacular acquire
ment of language.
That the untaught deaf-mute has
methods of thought is undoubtedly true
| But the necessary crudeness of them will
| appear from the reflection that, as he
| works them out, he can only tmperfectly
| call to his aid the initiative faculty. He
rive at just conclusions only after blum
| ders infinitely more numerous than those
| of the hearing child.
Need of Some Language.
Even in the imperfect development
possible to the uneducated deaf-mute. the
necessity of some language becomes ap-
| parent. Failing to learn that of his fell
| lows. he will invent one of his own, and
| impose It's use on all who will accept it.
And when the indifference or hard
| heartedness of his family or assOcta, eS
denies him the use of this, he la yseS into
| a condition but slightly elevated above
| idiocy.
| I'VE pass to the consideration of the
| second feature of psychical deaf-mutism,
| namely. that which per aims to the de-
| velopment of the moral nature. II ne
| continue without language. his moral de-
| velopment is an impossbility. The readf-
| ness with winch his moral perceptions
| may be awakened and his moral powers
1 trained increases with the growth or MS
| faculty of language.
| That an uneducated deaf-mute should
| be morbid, suspicious, jealous. selhsh. un-
| reliable and dependent, will seem mos
| natural when one considers at how terri
BILE a disadvantage he remains, as COM
/ pared with his hearing fellows; and to
| how small an extent his mind has been
affected by those influences which nat
urally eliminate these undesirable moral
qualities from the human character.
Value of Sign Language.
1T must be observed that we have not
claimed the possession of verbal language
as necessary to the moral development of
the deaf-mute. His natural language of
signs will suffice for this-that is to say,
| for imparting the essentials of a moral
character. The speaker is however, of
| the opinion that, other things being
| equal, the deaf person who has perfect
| command of veIbal language has a de-
| cided advantage even in points of moral
development over one whose habit is TO
! thing in signs. That moral feal-mutism
can be entirely removed by the methods
now employed In our best schools, admits
| o. m quest on.
when we consider social deaf-mutism
| it goes without saying that the deaf
mute den ed all language, mu remain
a social cipher. Given only the sign Ian
..ua {; his endowment of social privi-
| leges is. of course. limited to the narrow
| circle Of those who can use that Ian
guage. If we add verbal language even
without speech or the power of lip read
| ing, We widen the social range very
| greatly.
| "And those deaf-mutes who are so for
tunate as to possess the power, and are
| granted the opportunity of acquiring
these last-named accomplishments to a
ton, may without doubt, aspire to COM
plete enfranchisement from social deaf
mutism.
Whether conditions between the hear
ing and the deaf are such as to enable
the latter. in large numbers. to realize
this aspiration, is question. 1t Is an
oft-repeated assertion that when a deaf
person has acquired the power of speech.
and - able to read the lips Of others, he
Is restored to society
! No Equality Established.
I'm a recent letter a deaf lady Of high
social standing and unusual mental abil-
ity. who was educated In an oral school,
writes as follows:
1T seems to me the pure oral teachers
expect too much of both the deaf and
the hearing. They think that the former
should be capable of an equality with
the latter, which is physically impossible
They think the hearing should receive
the deaf with open arms. or at least
meet them half way.
They OUGHT to, of course, but the
practical question is, do they? In most
cases, no. Where there are deaf friends
or relatives. something of interest and
kindness will be shown by the hearing,
but with ordinary people the deaf are
simply strange creatures. like the idiotic
or insane, though Of course in a less
degree.
THE great majority Of oralists are alb
solutely ignorant Of the way they are
iiaughte. a. behind their backs 1 my
self knew nothing OF this while / had
home and family to insure me respect
but have had some bitter experiences
since then.
For this rason. II for no other. those