The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-08-12
The Case Of Henry W. Rothert

,nry ". Rothert
because of the low salaries Iowa pays
its teachers of the deaf Teachers OF
4 the deaf are rare and are specialists,
and, naturally, can command high sal
aries.
j To counteract this unfortunate ten
! dency of his teachers to leave when
/ they had reached the salary limit,
I Superintendent Rothert several years
ago added to the school wonderful
! ly successful training school for hear
ing teachers who desired to take up
the work of teaching the deaf.
Under the training of the Older
teachers these cadets proved very eff
/ ficient, and the scheme is now be-
ing tried in other schools.
Another Of Mr. Roberts ideas
was the compiling of book made up
of course of study on Manners
and Morals" to be used in the school
room every day. This course is
taught in every room and is quoted
often by the different papers publish
ed at the various state schools for
the deaf.
Superintendent Rothert also built
up fine library for the pupils, which
/ think now is about the largest of
any possessed by the other schools
numbering about 5000 volumes Of
the choicest books he could classify.
l cannot conceive what could move
the deaf of Iowa to enter into any
conspiracy against Mr. Rothert. /
taught under him for ten years, and
/ a kinder man, or one striving more
earnestly for the welfare of the deaf
! could not be found to head the
school. The very motto of the school
lis one that shows the policy he has
used for years in conducting the af-
fairs of pupils and teachers. The mot
to is, Children, first, superintendent
last, teachers intermediate" And
SO it is all through. On Thanksgiving
day every teacher is expected to
wait on the pupils at their Thanks
giving dinner. Not a week goes by
but the pupils have some entertain
ment-moving pictures, lectures, par
ties, plays, everything willing mind
can devise for their instruction and
amusement.
4 At the last meeting of the alumni
convention of these same deaf in
1908 Superintendent Rothert was in
vited to be the principal speaker.
His address was afterward printed in
the isue OF the Deaf Hawk-Eye, pub
lished at the school, and 1t is sim
gular fact that the title of the speech
was The Ingratitude of the Deaf" 1t
world the deaf are classed by those
who know them best as the most I'M
grateful people living. From baby
hood-for they are almost Babies
when they enter these schools for
the deaf-they have everything done
for them, servants to wait on them
everything to amuse them, no de
mands on their charity, no sacrifices
to make as the ordinary child would
be asked to do In the ordinary fam.
lily, they are pampered and petted to
keep them from being unhappy while
away from their homes, and what is
the result? Invariably they turn upon
the one who is trying to do what is
best for them. The history OF every
state school for the deaf is full of the
ingratitude Of the deaf 1t is proven
bal among teachers.
Il love the deaf, my heart is with
them, for know how fearfully they
are handicapped. was very. very
deaf myself, and went through school
using an ear trumpet constantly
Twelve years of my life | spent
among the deaf, first at the college
for the deaf at Washington, D. C..
end then teaching at the Iowa State
school for the Deaf Since my mar
riage I have founded the Cleveland
Association for the Deaf, which now
numbers close to one hundred mem
bers-flling place among the deaf
that was sadly needed, as there had
been no such association before be
cause of the lack of meeting place
and a leader. In spite of all this asso
citation with the deaf-sixteen years
Il confess with shame, that the
deaf, as rule, are treacherous and
ungrateful in all their dealings with
those who really merit their highest
consideration.
This has been no personal feeling
for they look upon me as one oil
: themselves; it is toward hearing PEG
: pie, or toward those deaf who differ
with them in views or ideas, thai
their amending hatred Is turned.
Although $50 deaf did sign this pc
tition to the board of control, / would
just like to go over this list of names
and be able to point out to the
board how many of them are Super
intendent Rothert's implacabIe enem
les because of some long past school
scrape and its well-deserved but mild
punishment; how many of them were
| suspended or expelled in the long