Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1916-08-18
STATE SCHOOL FOR DEAF.
Continued from Page Three.

that every deaf child in this state
shall have the opportunity 10 learn 10
speak and read the lips OF his friends.
If he has the ability. This work must
be individual. aud smaller classes are
necessary, 10 pupils being a large
class for this work. We succeed in
teaching over 60 per cent of the chill
dren to talk intelligibly and to read
the lips of others, and this without
lneglecting their education in other
lines.
1t has been estimated that one per-
son in every 1900 is deaf, and if this
is so, then not all are attending our
school who should. This is hard to
understand in view of the fact that
the state pays all of the expenses of
their education and the only expense
to the parents is the railroad fare.
Even this the county will pay if the
parents are unable to do so. There
is not school in the state, nor any
where for that matter, where the stu
dents are more happy and contented
than they are at our School for the
Deaf. and those in charge of the
school are constantly devising plans
to give them still greater happiness.
It is in no sense of the word an Gin
mate" institution, and none of the
students are under any more restraint
than they would be in any other well
regulated and well governed school
1t is a revelation to the visitor to
attend the regular morning chapel ex-
ercise and watch the students Sign"
the we'll known hymns, such as
Nearer My God to Thee" You will
notice that say Sign" as the words
are produced by the class entirely by
signs and motions. When any dis
visitor comes to the school
he is requested to speak to the stu
dents, and as he proceeds with his
talk the superintendent or one of the
teachers translates it by signs to the
students.
We have a moving picture machine
and regularly give exhibitions for the
benefit of the students, and their de-
light at these performances can bet
ter be imagined than expressed. 1t is
my firm belief that if the parents of
all deaf children in the state could
but visit the school they would better
appreciate what the state is doing for
the children thus afflicted and would
take immediate advantage of the
splendid opportunity offered them.
The very large percentage of deaf
people are thus afflicted under the
age of 2 years.
The population of the school has
steadily advanced since it's establish
ment, with the exception of the past
year, and since the establishment in
many of the larger counties of deaf
classes in their public schools. At one
time we had Fl students from the
state of Idaho, but since that state
has established similar school our
population is confined entirely to the
state of Washington. In 1901 we had
70 students; in 1902, 81; in 1903,
1O4; in 1904, 80; in 1905, 1O7; in
1906, IFS; in 1907, 1877; in 1908,
142; in 1909, 109; in 1910, lis; in
1911, 1877; in 1912, 1879, and at the
present time we have 1875 students
who are educated and maintained by
the state at cost of a rrifie over 81
per capita for the nine months OF the
school term.
Interesting Anecdotes.
The difficulties OF the deaf in ac-
quiring colloquial English idioms
always pleases. Little Mary came to
school in tears, saying, MY little
bro ,her is dead and it is my fault"
why, what do you mean?" asked
her teacher; you have done nothing
to hurt your brother" "Oh! yes, l
have. See what my mother wrote to
me-" handing to the teacher letter
she had received that day from home.
The teacher read, Your little brother
is tickled to death with the fountain
pen you sent him." Mary had never
been taught the meaning of the idiom
"tickled to death" and took it liter
ally.
A child on losing his hearing is
very apt to stop using his speech and
soon forgets it. Some time ago
boy came to the school and was there
nearly a year before they could get
him to make an effort at speech. One
day he connected with the orchard
and became literally "full of prunes"
ones at that. That night
he had the usual stomach-ache and
was heard crying. He was put to bed
and given some medicine. The super