The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-06-22
Press Excursion.

pleasant ana prOHCdDle oLo. iho n"Soo
iation met according to schedule at
Glenn's Springs on Monday, the 1Sth.'
instant with about two hundred news
paper people in attendance.
Interesting papers were rcad and IN
structiye talks made Oh many phases OF
the newspaper work. Especial mention
sbould be made of the talk made by Mi.
Poe of the Progressive Farmer OF Raleigh,
NJ G. Mr.. Poe took for his subject the
DEVELOPMENT of North and South Carolina.
The burden of his talk was education.
The only way to develop our country
with it's material resources Is to develop
the human The speech was a
plain practical talk, and was listened to
with pleasure and profit by every men,
Der OF the Association.
It was intended that the Association
be given an automobile ride from Glenn's
to Spartanburg Via Cedar Springs, but
owing to the rains this project was
abandoned. On Wednesday afternoon,
however, the Association went to Spartan
burg via the Glenn Springs Railway and
was taken in automobiles to Cedar
Springs.
AT CEDAR SPRINGS.
Many members of the Press Association
had never paid a visit to this State instl-
tuition for the education Of the deaf and
the blind, and to such this visit was a
revelation.
On arrival the visitors were taken to
the auditorium of the institution where
a printed program was handed each.
The Association was greeted by an
Anthem-"Gloria in Excelsis"-sung by
the blind pupils. It would be a difficult
matter to find a class that could sing
with the same volume, rythm, and per"
feet time as does this class of blind pupils
Class demonstration work was then
taken up in order to show the editors
how the blind children are taught.
FORMER ABBEvI1LE BOY RECITEs.
All know that the blind read by means
of raised letters, but all do not know that
they can make these raised letters and
thus write whatever they wish. By
means OF a small instrument they ore.
enabled to make any character in our
alphabet in raised letters. A pupil wrote
from dictation, and this was read by
another pupil, and typewriter by another
showing with what facility the blind carl
express thought in permanent form, One
wonderful demonstration was the state
ment and proof Of an abstruse propo-
sition in Geometry by Bemus Jones'
formerly OF this city. The facility and
correctness with which he rendered his
proof would do credit to an older pupil
endowed with every sense. The pupil
gets a mental picture Of the figure with
all It's points and lines and then proceed
with the proof just as %anylother pupils
would.
Exercise with the deaf and blind is
just as necessary as 1t Is with others, and
even more SO. A demonstration In pyra-
mid building with the deaf pupils showed
wonderful agility and strength. At a
given sign they rushed into form, one
above and on the shoulders Of the other
in pyramid form just as do acrobats in
our ~circuses. The demonstration was
worth seeing.
Gymnasium work of the deaf girls was
also an interesting sight to witness. Tn
butterfly dance was given by them and
strange to say, to music. Of course the
music was only for the benefit Of the
audience. The girls were directed in
their movements by signs made by the
teacher. Their movements we're just as
rythmical as those in a similar exercise
at any other school. The editors were
Sc pleased with the demonstrations that
they fr%eduently a%pplauded the children.
A%pplauding the deaf would seem to be
wasted energy but they understand what
8 meant through the sense of sight.
BLIND AND DEAF.
There is at the institution one pupil
that Is blind and deaf. Dewey Cantrell,
a child OF ten or twelve years, who lives
in a world of utter darkness and utter
silence. He is totally blind and totally
deaf. How it is possible to kindle the
spark Of intelligence and fan it to a
flame in such a case Is something difficult
to understand. And yet it has been done.
This child can talk rapidly with its fin
gers. The beginning was most difficult
His teachers said that it was necessary to
make him do without several meals in
order to teach him the one little word
.'eat", which was the first that he learned
to spell on his fingers.
SINGING RY SIGNS
Another strange sight afforded the
editors In this demonstration work was
the singing Of the deaf mutes. They
sang by signs the hymn, Coward Chist-
ian Soldier" At the same time 1t was
also sung by a class Of blind pupils, 80
that hearing the words and seeing the
signs at one and the same time the OBJ
server could see the analogy between
words and signs. Paradoxical as it may
seem, the deaf sing at Cedar Springs.
The Superintendent Of the institution,
Prof. Walker, made an address to the
editors which was simultaneously trans
lated to the dumb by his SOL who is a
teacher in the institution, To this address
Mr.. August Kohn, President Of the As
ISOLATION, replied. The reply was also
translated to the deaf through the med