The Washington herald., 1914-06-24
ALUMNI SILENTLY
TOAST PRESIDENT
Mr.. Wilson Honored IN Sign
language at Gallaudet
Jubilee Banquet.
FOUNDER IN ADDRESS
Clatter of Dishes Only Sound Heard.
though Noted Sons Praise Alma
Mater in Speeches"

At Rauscher's last night there was the
unusual spectacle OF a dinner at which
l5o men and women ate in a silence pune
tured only by the subdued clatter of
silver and dishes and after which three
postprandial speeches were made with
out a word being uttered by the speakers.
It was the golden jubilee banquet Of the
alumni OF Gallaudet College, who are
holding their twenty-fifth annual reunion
here in honor of the fftieth anniversary
of the founding of the institution at
which they learned the various arts and
sciences that have made them successful
despite the handicaps imposed on them
by nature. On giancing in at the door
way of the big white and gold room saw
merely an sssemblage OF healthy. happy.
prosperous-looking folk enjoying good
dinner. And then one was puzzled by the
silence until II became evident that near
ly everybody at the tables was either
deaf or mute. or both deaf and mute.
silent Toast TO President.
The toastmaster. Jack Cooke Howard.
president Of the alumni association. is
deaf as well as being an imperfect elocu-
ZIONIST. His FIRST toast. to the President OF
the United States. was delivered in signs,
as were the subsequent toasts-''The Col
lege and its Founder" 10 which DR..
Edward NJ. Gallaudet responded. Gal
laudet Today" TO which DR.. Edward
Allen Fay responded. and "Gallaudet
Tomorrow" to which DR.. Percival Hall.
president OF the college. responded.
DR.. GaIIaudet, who organized the school
nifty years ago to carry on the work
started in this country by his father.
also spoke wholly in signs and manuel
spelling" His position was at the right
OF the toastmaster in the place OF honor
and he wore on the left lapel OF his dress
coat the cross ard red ribbon Of the
Legion of Honor. OF which the French
government made him a chevalier two
years ago in token Of his efforts in be-
half OF aficted people.
Other Members Present.
Others at the toastmaster's table
were DR.. and Mrs. Hall. DR.. John b
Hotchkiss, a faculty member and the
Oldest living alumnus: his daughter
Miss Mary Hotchkiss; Or. Charles r.
Ely. Mrs. Melville Ballard. Miss Kath-
crime -Gallaudet, daughter OF the
founder: DR.. z. A. Fay. vice president Of
the college. and Miss Helen Fay: Supt
W. @. Jones. OF the Ohio School for the
Deaf: Mrs. Enoch II. currier. and Frank
NJ. briggs. superintendent OF the Utah
School for the Deaf
At the faculty table were Prof 4 nd
Mrs. Allan B. Fay. Prof. and Mrs. Her
bert E. Day. Miss Elizabeth Peet, dean
of the women students: Robert Patter-
son. principal OF the Ohio School Tor the
Deaf: Prof and Mrs. Harley D. Drake
VIII L. HILL a Massachusetts, editor. and
Miss Helen Hotchkiss.
The dinner was arranged by n commit
tee of New York alumni, compriEIns
Thomas Francis Fox, SO: Willis m W.
BeadelL 81, and Helen Price HannRn. 81.
= Morning EIercises.
At the morning exercises in the chapel
in Kendall Green. Miss Laura Sheridan
who is largely responsible for Gallaudet's
becoming a co-education institution, was
honored therefor by having conferred on
her the degree OF master Of arts An
other woman to receive that degree at
the hands Of DR.. GaIlaudet. who made
the presentations. is Mrs. Sylvia Chaplin
Balls, who Is honored for her efforts in
teaching the deaf and for inducing many
worthy young men and women to COM
plete their education at Gallaudet.
Other degrees were awarded as fol-
lows: Doctor OF science. James Henry
Logan. SO. and Olof Hanson. Sc doctor
OF divinity. Rev. Philip ]. Hasenstad. S.
and Rev James Henry Cloud. SO: doctor
OF letters. Samuel G. Davidson, IS. and
John Schuyler Law. SO.
q poem which was recited in the sign
language by Miss Ethel wIckham. Of
Oklahoma. and read orally by Miss Mary
Hotchkiss. daughter of DIR. ]. B. Hotch-
kiss. a member of the first graduating
class OF the college who has been one
OF the faculty for forty-five years. DR..
HotchSiss opened the morning session
with an historical address which recalled
that the college was opened in 1864 with
one student. There were thirteen the
next year. he said. and IN the fifty years
of the institutions life II has graduated
1.2S2 men and women-l.2l6 from forty
seven States and Territories. eleven from
Canada and ive from Great Britain. In
all. he said, 5ss degrees have been con-
ferred, and there are fifteen members of
the faculty which once numbered only
three and 10 students where there used
to be but one.
DR.. Perceval Hall, president Of the col