The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-02-12

to make some efforts to identify him
The child did not know the name Of
the city from which he had come, so
there was nothing to do but to send
him through the country with a
guide, hoping he would recognize some
city.
This was done and at last, while
passing through Bordeaux, the lad
recognized house there as his
home. Inquiries were made there and
finally it was learned that he was the
son of Count de Solar, an immensely
wealthy nobleman.
At that time deaf-mutes were not
allowed to inherit property in
France, and as soon as the defect in
the boy was discovered he had been
taken to Paris and turned adrift in
the streets, where the priest had
picked him up. The boy was returned
to his father, but eventually he was
murdered by relatives, who feared
they might suffer financially through
the boys return home.
Soon after the opening of the
i DCAOO4 duOLuSI pAACSU1 6ApDS
Sicard, made the acquaintance of de
lEpee, and together they labored in
the work until the discoverer of the
system died in 1889.
In the meantime, other schools had
been opened in Europe, notably in
Dresden and Marlborough. The lat
ter by Thomas Braidwood, who de-
vised another and far inferior sys-
tenn, known as 1.-THE tWo-hand sys-
tenn" Braidwood, unlike the French
priests, charged enormous prices for
his instructions, SO that his school
was open only to the very rich.
The beginning of the 18th century
found many deaf-mutes i'll America,
chiefly around Hartford, Conn. The
teaching of these unfortunates was
a problem to the American people,
but hearing of the BraidwOod school,
they decided to send doctor over
to England to learn the method and
then establish school in this coun-
try. Accordingly DR.. Thomas Gal
Iaudet was commissioned about 1872,
to go to Europe.
Arriving there, he was told that
the Braidwoods would be delighted
to teach an American the methods,
| providing, of course, that he would
promise never to diVulge the infor-
nation to Americans. And then, with
that love for their fellowmen. char
acteristic of the English, they in
sisted on placing Dr. Gallaudet under
$4,000 bond to insure his silence.
| The doctor, Of course, refused their
terms and was on the point of re-
| turning to this country when he met
Able Sicard, of the French school, i'll
London.
| The Able had gone to England to
| try to raise money for the Paris
school, which at that time was sadly
i'll need of funds. Gallaudet told him
his troubles, and the sympathetic
priest at once invited him to visit
Paris. There, the Able told him, he
could learn the entire method, and
in view of the purpose he intended
to put his knowledge to, Sicard was
only too glad to teach him gratis.
This exhibition Of charity stood in
bold contrast with the attitude of the
English school, but Sicard did more
than this. He allowed his best pupil,
Laurent Clerc, to accompany the
doctor to this country, the only un.
derstanding being that Clerc should
be allowed TO live as a Catholic and
that no attempt at proselytizing be
made in his direction.
Accordingly the first school for
deaf-mutes in this country was
opened at Hartford, Conn, on April
Is, 1917, by Gallaudet and Clerc. The
latter, however, due to the fact that
he never received further instructions
or solace in his faith, quit the faith
and died Protestant.
In 1857 the Hartford school opened
a branch in Washington, d. c. and q
few years later another branch in the
form of the LIE Couteulx Institute
was opened i'll Buffalo by the Sisters
of st. Joseph.
| At present there are over 10000 peo
l PIC III Gu1D COuuJIy WIZ O. " LOINAAJ uNcL
They are being cared for i'll nearly
$50 institutions, many of which are
run by Catholic Sisters. The system
taught is the "one-hand alphabet" de.
vised nearly 200 years ago by the
simple French priest, Able de PEpee
The invention of this French priest
j has been boon to those unfortunate
souls who have not the normal means
of interchanging their thought. Able
de FEpee is one of the many striking
proofs of the fact that the Catholic
| Church is ever solicitous concerning
the improvement of the lot of unfor'
tunate mankind.
| knT0DQ AIN nlIIpnH