The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-01-11
Euening Chat
An Experiment. in Sympathy.
BY RurH,EAMERoN.


A letter friend once asked me to
one of them go about for a day with
his ears stuffed with cotton in order
that he might understand the suffer-
ings Of the deaf, and learn sympathy
and patience with them.
must confess that the suggestion
then seemed to border on the gro
tesQue and-to my present shame-I
did not pass it on.
Today feel quite differently. You
see, have just passed through a per-
fod Of temporary deafness caused by
violent cold, and the suggestion
looks decidedly less grotesQue. For.
though 1 have had considerable con-
tact with deaf people all my life and
have had good reason to know men,
tally all that they have to bear I new
err knew it in my heart until today
1t seems to me that deafness is one
Of those miseries which for some rea-
son do not arouse their fair share
of compassion. Blindness strikes a
spark Of sympathy from the heart OF
flint. No one would laugh or be an
noyed at the groupings Of blind man
but it is common to see both irritation
and amusement displayed at the mis-
takes of the deaf Indeed the mis-
understandings OF deaf people are
considered perfectly good copy for the
jokesmith. Imagine the blind mans
errors being treated in this way.
No sympathy for Sea Sickness.
Queer. is it not, how capricious we
are about our sympathies? There are
certain illnesses for which 1t is not
possible to get any sympathy except
perhaps from those who love us very
dearly-seasiekness for instance or q
| cold in the head. Yet what could
make one more thoroughly miserable
| than seasickness or more utterly
wretched and at odds with the world
than a good, oldfashioned cold in the
head?
OF course, deafness is less appall-
ing, less tragic than blindness, but 1t
Is just as dreary and perhaps moro
lonesome and wish we might culti-
vate more sympathy and understand
ing for the deaf. The suggested ex-
perir-ent, though no one would ever
try it, would help US much. My en-
forced experiment taught me that a
great deal of the sense OF confusion
and OF left-outness that the semi-deaf
speak to a deaf person from another
room. Get his attention before adj
dressing him, by speaking his name.
Face him SO that he can see your lips.
Even normal people hear with their
eyes more than they realize. Place
the voice low and speak clearly and
slowly instead of shouting-it is much
more efficient and less disagreeable-
Please Read and Apply This.
One word more. An ear doctor tells
me that deafness can usually be pre-
vented II attended to at the beginning
of the trouble and that it can seldom
| be cured once neglected. One of the
most pathetic sights I know is q girl
of twelve who will probably be deaf
far hAp "a
| too) didn't have her ears attended to
at the first symptom OF trouble. There
are free 'ispensaries and doctors who
will do charity work for those who
can not AFFORD to pay. If you don't
know where to 90 ask your minister
| to md q way for you. Do something
the very first symptom Of earache "a
| forerunner of trouble not to be mere
| ly s0othed and forgotten). or deafness.
Don't let this miserable. lonely, dreary
and almost always unnecessary afflic-
i ton sadden your life or the life of
Auv one who belongs to You.