Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-06-27

washington Is among tnc u clIleS
which now have public school classes
in speech reading. enabling innumer-
able children to keep up with their
classes and continue their develop
ment under normal conditions. MANY
who were previously considered stu
pid have revealed unusually alert
minds and apparent apathy with re
gard to study has changed to eager
ness to learn and keen ability to con-
centrate upon their work. Children,
with their plastic minds. grasp in
struction in lip reading far more read
lily than do adults.
Given Every Opportunity.
Whenever children submitting 10
the federations tests are found to
have ear troubles that may yield To
treatment they are given every oppor-
tunity to overcome the defects. DR..
Harold Hays. founder of the New
York League for the Hard of Hearing.
was one of the pioneers to open a
clinic for the prevention and treat
ment of deafness in children. II Is
urgently necessary that the results or
this work may he as far-reaching as
possible. for the greater part Of =
Young child's educa ton depends upon
his hearing, and where this is lost
before he can remember drastic
changes Of instructive methods are
required.
Pessimists may say that the task OF
aiding. 900 900 deafened children Is
herculean and that no organization
may hope to carry it to concluslor.
But the federation will not become
discoura ged even if the survey eventu-
ally reveals 1000 900. For it can rea-
sonably expect that q percentage VIII
Il
mean $4,000 salvaged lives, or if that
hope is TOO sanguine, even ] per cent,
10000 children. enabled to grow into
normal. useful and happy citizens.
would be ample reward for all the
federation's efforts.
Incidentally, this survey in the
schools may be instrumental IN fore-
stalling more unhappy situations FOR
some of the Childrcn-their appear
ance before juvenile courts. An otol-
ogist attached to such IL court in Phil
adelphia states that 10 per cent OF the
children brought in for delinquencies
are not delinquent at all, but merely
hard of hearing.
Standardization of various authentlc
hearing devices is a current activity
of the federation. i'll which 1t has the
cooperation of the United States Blu
reau of Standards. 1t is expected that
eventually people with varying de
grees and types of deafness will be
scientifically fitted for hearing instru-
ments. lust as those with impaired
vision are now fitted for glasses.
The federation continually makes
free distribution of Informative litera-
ture-circulars. pamphlets and re-
prints of magazine articles OF value 10
the deafened Deafness cure Quack-
cry and PseudoMedicine' is the III
teresting subject Of one, for example,
in which persons who advertise nos
trums and worthless hearing devices
are exposed, and advice given as 10
how the honesty of advertisers and
methods may he ascertained. Thou
sands of dollars annually now enrich
this class of charlatans. whose victims
are completely swindled. if their deaf
ness is not actually made worse by
ignorant tampering. Health conserva-
ton is urged by the federation. ana
constructive outlines for personal ny
giene by authorized physicians are
published.
Good Voice Asset.
A beautiful speaking voice Is de-
clared by connoiSSeurS to be the most
potent of all assets for charm that
any one can possess. II one speaks
utter twaddle in melodious tones, II Is
said, the listener will never tire,
whereas the profOundeSt wisdom Will
be a total loss if delivered through
harsh, raucous sounds which set the
nerves to quivering. Certain it is that
several actresses who till the theaters
to capacity today owe much of their
success to the rare timbre and eX-
quiSite meditation of their speaking
voices. The federation evidently be-
lieves this TO be true. for voice Cul-
tllre is another of it's recommends
tons. The deafened more than any
other class are prone TO possess voices
which are a worse handicap than their
lost hearing. so far as their relations
to the outside world are concerned.
But retention of a musical voice is
possible, and the federation will gladly
show the way.
Legal problems of which the fed
GRAFTON undertakes the solution arise
from unjust discrimination against
the deafened, as in the case OF State
laws prohibiting them from driving
automobiles. Washington, ID. c.. hap
PLY, is not one of these intoleraut
communities. But many other States
still refuse to grant licenses to the
deafened, in spite of the fact that less
cidents which occurred i'll "a certain
year ware found due to deafness. AS
a matter of fact, the deefened person
is far more cautious and careful than
the average normal driver.
Washington is one of the 40 cities
in the United States which have clubs.
leagues or guilds for the deatened.
These local organizations are chapters
OF the federation. Scientific and legal
problems are more generally acted
upon by the federation as IL whole:
economic and recreational problems by
the chapters working individually.
glance at the activities of the Wash
ington Speech-Reading Club, formed
in February, 1921, will give an idea
of the kind of work done by all the
other local bodies.
Speech Reading Club.
The Speech Reading Club of Wash
ington maintains, from October to
June, Il weekly free class in speech
reading under the instruction of au-
thorized teachers Any deafened per-
son is welcomed to these classes.
Throughout the year the club ar
ranges bridge parties, dances, plays
and pantomimeS, lectures, the use OF
of its radio Especially constructed for
the deafened) and other forms of rec.
reation for it's members. People who
have been deafened for a long THE
have dropped out of things SO oom-
pletely that they have to be taught
how to play again. "All work and no
play" makes the deafened person dull
indeed, and respondent in the bargain.
Any interests, such as the club offers.
which take him "out of himself" and
replaces morbid introspection with
wholesome pleasure is i'm itself suffi-
cient excuse for the existence OF Il
club. But these local organizations
throughout the country, the chapters
of the federation, are by no means IN
tended as monastic retreats Offering
companionship to sensitive deafened