The Raymer enterprise., 1914-08-06

TO be turned away from the visitor upon his en-
trance their attention would not be diverted
since their organs OF sight have to perform the
duty OF the useless ears Should they see the
newcomer. however they will smile an affection
ate welcome. then direct their gaze once more 10
the lips OF their teacher II Is this concentration
of gaze which first betrays their physical handi
cap All the knowledge they receive must come
through the sense of sight. and their eyes are
ever on the alert TO catch the smallest movement
of their teachers lips
The oral-deaf department OF the Parker Prac.
tise school is under the direction Of Miss Mary
McCowen. the founder OF the McCowen Oral
School for Young Deaf Children. For more than
thirteen years this school carried on the pioneer
work for the deaf In Chicago, and since 1896
when speech classes were organized In the pub
lie schools, has supplemented that work by con
tnuing to teach the very young children. There
are eight classes totang about ninety pupils
under charge of Miss McCowen and her assist
ants the children ranging In age from five to
sixteen years.
The caller probably will be ushered into one OF
the kindergarten classes. Here he will find ten
or dozen eontented little scholars seated In
baby chairs about low table. II is likely they
will be counting colored sticks or making pat
terms with them. murmuring all the while the
teacher talks busily and naturally to the children
Just as II they could hear. no other form of com
munication than spoken language ever being en-
ployed. This is necessary in order to so develop
the brains Of the children that they shall think
and express themselves In spoken language as
naturally and unconseously as hearing children
Two not unreasonable questions may be asked
by anyone whose notice is called to this work
how and why do these children reproduce the
speech they never heare And second. what does
it do for the children when they are grown,
Let us watch one of the baby classes. The pro-
gram suddenly changes from the play with the
colored sticks and blocks The teacher. leaning
forward arrests the attention of one of her pus
pills, enunciating with perfect articulation some
simple word Instantly the child's expression
crystallizes to reveal pure concentration of
thought All the intelligence of the childish men
taity is focused through the eyes on the teachers
lips. Then gradually there germnates In HIS
mind sense Of '|n mental action that evoked
the motions Of her lips and tongue as she spoke
and this sense blooms into an imitation OF the
act accompanied by the corresponding sound II
this is not correct the teacher repeats the word
and Illustrates to the child Just how II should
be made Usually he gets II more and more per.
feet each time and when the lesson Is finished
he returns to his play smiling from pure Joy in
the Intellectual exercise.
Only the simplest words are given for the child
to reproduce at first These are really not words
at ALL but mere sounds. When individual sounds
are mastered they are then combined to form
words For example, suppose the child has
learned to make the sounds of the vowel "a" tahl
and the consonant m" The teacher now places