The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-06-07
The Most SenSitiUe People
By J. NJ. ROBERTSON

were classified scientifically to include deaf mutes, idiots imbeciles and the backward.
 "If the director of the School of So- cial economy Is correctly reported he is woefully backward in his Knowledge of deaf mutes. To classify them with the feeble minded Is an erroneous and un- scientific as 1t would be to classify football players with chrysanthemums. Mentality is much more independent of the sense of hearing and the power of speech than Is commonly supposed.
 .'On the first page of the same issue of the Republic kindly humorous ref erenee is made in the football team of Gallandet College for the Deaf at Washingt The ball teams of this institution annually meet those of Johns Hopkins university, United States Naval academy. University of Virginia, Georgetown university and other colleges. often as not the deaf team is victorious. Were the Gallau- dites as feeble minded as one would be likely to infer after reading the reported remarks of the learned direc- tor of the School of Social economy, 1t Is hardly possible that they would have repeated opportunities for try ing their skill against clubs com posed of picked members of the 'eugeni- cally fit
 | "Gallaudet college will celebrate it's semi centennial next summer. There will be a great reunion of graduates and former students of that institution. They will afford an edifying living ex- hibit for any social economist who lacks first hand information concern ing the deaf. Among those who have studied at Gallaudet will be found sue cessful architects. artists, sculptors poets, clergymen, government clerks farmers. dairymen. merchants and men In various other honorable occupa- tions.
 1 Deaf men have not only graduated from this college established for their the hearing as well. Washington uni- versity, Columbia university. Massa- chusetts Institute of Technology, Uni versity of Toronto. University of Cali fornia, schools of divinity and other colleges have conferred degrees on deaf students. or. to use the phrase ology of the social economist deaf mutes Miss Helen Keller Is a con spicuous illustration of what deaf mutes can do and have done when given the proper environment and edu- cational advantages.
 The reckless, unwarranted and unscitntific classifying of deaf mutes with the feeble minded. the criminal the delinquent the insane and the de- pendent by people in position to catch the public ear is an outrageous injustice to a deserving and worthy class of the community. Deafness is a handicap to advancement, but all that the deaf ask Is at least an equal chance for earning their living in oc- equations in which hearing is not ab- solutely necessary There are many such occupations but where the public gets the impression that deaf person lis also a mute and feeble minded. he becomes the victim of unjust and cruel discrimination.
 | There are deaf mutes who are also feeble minded. as there are hearing people who are feeble minded, but the proportion of the former Is smaller than that of the latter The same is also true of the criminal. of the delin- quent, of the insane and of the de- pendent.
 | "1n their pursuit of happiness, which is the inallenable right of everyone, the deaf seem to prefer to marry | among the deaf is much smaller than among society at large. The children or deaf parents almost without excep- ton are able to hear, are otherwise physically normal and turn out better than the average child of hearing parents in the same walks. of life
 'One ever present and fruitful source of misconception and prejudices against the deaf on the part of those who dc lnot know them well Is caused by i'm posters, who go about pretending to be deaf and asking for aims.
 1 At the last session of the legisla- ture an effort was made to pass a more effective law dealing with such kinds
 of imposition. It had strong backing and met with no opposition, but was one of the many measures which failed of final passage owing to lack of time. It will be reintroduced at the next ses- sion of the general assembly,
 JAMES H. CLOUD,
 "Gallaudet School, St. Louis"
 To Dr. Mangold Is another reply in