The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-11

When Jane Britton, whose photograph appears on this page, was three years olt she was smitten deaf and dunn. She wht had just begun to hear the sounds of thi: / world could hear no more; her frs lisping baby words forgotten, sh' could only make soft gurgling noises. sht was quite helpless Today Jane now d pretty young girl of IS, can talk with al the melody and skill and pretty infection of other girls. can read and write as they do; she can play a violin; she can dance to the tune of the music; she can even sing, yet she is stone deaf
 The story of how this Georgia girl achieved language and throttled snencets not the story of doctors, specialists and strange schools and methods, it is simply an account of mother love. For 1t was her mother, Mrs. William Lee Britton, who refused to accept the decree of fate that made her daughter deaf mute and, with infinite patience and resolve trained her to talk merely by talking to her, edu- oated her in private kindergarten and the Savannah public schools, where other children are educated and with only her own common sense to guide her, proved the success of system through which mothers and fathers everywhere may hope to lead their dumb children out of silence into speech.
 ''Why not?" said Mrs. Britton. The mistake is in thinking that deaf children are dumb because their vocal cords are deficient. This is not true. The deaf are generally speeches. because they hoy hoo rl If fbair own voices and their vocal organs of speech have not been trained by constant use. Let them see speech instead oe hearing it and they will soon learn to say what they have seen.
 A Birmingham Girl
 Jane Britton was born in Birmingham, but soon afterward her parents moved to Savannah where in her third year she was stricken with meningitis. She recov- cred, but at the cost of her hearing and her voice Her hearing vanished in a week never to return and ner voice grad ually grew weaker until her mother dis covered one day that 1t was gone.
 Mrs. Britton lost no time. She sought specialists who told her that her daugh- ters case was hopeless. One was shrewd enough to advise her that speech was possible if she were patient enough to find il. So at their home in Savannah the mother sat day after day talking to Ter little daughter. making her watch facial expression and the lips with fixed attention. There were few moments in which the little daughter was not intently watching her mother or some one else speak. Soon Jane began to utter words and since then the improvement has been rapid. Now few but those who have known her from babyhood know that she is deaf. She can carry on con versation with as much ease as any ordi- nary girl.
 She was soon able to make sounds un- dcrstand, but knew no words She learned to talk not by hearing the words, but by seeing them. If Jane could hear she would not know what one Is saying, but by seeing she understands. She learned the English language not by hearing it. hut by seeing it.
 When Jane was 5 years old she went to d private lindergarten and when she was ' entered the Savannah public schools, from which she was gradua ted three years ago. She has done high school work and speaks French fiuently. It was the desire to be like other girls, to enjoy their pleasures, that led her to go to school one day with a playmate. She immediately wanted to enter. notwith- standing the protests of the superintend-. ent Through the kindness of one of the teachers she was able to enroll By this time she had progressed so that she was not handicapped more than children who can hear. She had an unusually bright mind and it was not long before she stood high in her class. M
 An exception was made in the rules by the superintendent who was surprised by