Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-27
MRS. COOLIDGE AIDS
DEAF SCHOOL FUND
Tact and Grace Aided First
Lady as Teacher of Speech
less Children.

/, The tact and graciousness of Mrs
Coolidge's personality and the charm
with which she wins every one in her
exacting position as mistress of the
White House are everywhere recognized.
A less we'll known fact is that before
her marriage Mrs Coolidge had en-
barked upon unique career in which
these qualities were likewise great as
sets to her success.
When Grace Goodhue graduated from
the University of Vermont few college
girls entered any other profession than
teaching. She decided upon teaching
as a career, but kind different from
that of her fellow students. She under
took the difficult task of teaching deaf
.children.
This unusual choice of profession in
that day came about through the fact
that Grace Goodhues family in Bur-
flington, VT, knew the family of re-
.markably interesting woman who had
been blazing new trails in the education
of deaf children for some 80 years, but
in so quiet way that few people knew
anything about the work. This was Car
soline A. Yale, principal of the Clarke
School for the Deaf in Northampton,
Mass.
In 1900 this country was just begin
ming to escape from asylums and insti-
buttons for the deaf and dumb" The
teaching of speech to the deaf was still
so much of novelty that it was, among
teachers themselves, matter of con-
troversy. One small group. led by
Clarke School, took the so-called deaf
and dumb" children and, without re-
sorting to signs of any kind, taught them
to read words spoken by other people
from the lips, and to speak themselves.
. The results appeared to be miraculous
and only those teachers who had special
training and who were endowed with
unusual gifts could succeed in the work.
There was large and militant opposi-
tion to the method as expounded at
Clarke School, for there were many peo-
pie who did not believe that such teach
ing was possible.
/ This was the appeal which caught ard
fired the imagination of the energetic
and idealistic young college girl. Here
was an opportunity not only for an In
teresting career, but for great humane
tartan service.
Studied for Year.
4 To the Clarke School Grace Goodhue
applied for a position. First. she had
10 take course OF training III the
normal department. For a year she
studied the problems of the deaf, learned
10 enunciate her words so clearly that
those who hear nothing could read the
accents on her lips. learned the pho
heticS of words and the physiology of
the vocal cords. She was, in fact, in
training to be a doctor to the deaf and
cure their mutenesS.
Il She learned how great a part of the
lesson of the beginning deaf child is
the encouraging smile of the teacher
and the sympathetic hug at the end,
whether goal is quite reached or not.
Grace Goodhue's naturally warm smile
was a great asset in this new career.
& After years preparation Grace
Goodhue began to teach. Some of her
classmates went out into the new
schools for the deaf springing up in
other States, modelled upon the Clarke
School. But she stayed on in North
ampton to take a position under her
old family friend, Caroline Yale.
Y One of the primary teachers was on
leave of absence that year, and Grace
Goodhue substituted in her classes
Here she met the problem of the deaf