The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-05-20
LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR
MEMORIES OF A DEAF MAN

| Editor The IImeS-NeWS;--
| have read with interest tins
small item in your paper:
Deaf Cruelty Condemned
$50 little was known Of deaf
ness in the golden days of Greece,
| that Aristotle taught that the
deaf have no souls and are little
better than animals "
l would like &c state from per.
sonal experience over a period OF
thirty years that the people OF
this county and city do not regard
us as much better. No one but
the deaf can realize what misery
and heart-breaking agony the pco-
Iple put on them.
Suppose a deaf man goes to
town to look after business. OFTEN
! he has to make inquiries OF SIX or
eight people before he can flnd
one with the courtesy and cOnsid77
Grafton to write the desired IN
formation. The rest work the II,
mouths. The more you plead With
them to write out the information
the louder they yell. They make
| the sorricst jackasses imaginable
| of themselves. =,
A deaf man is one thousand
miles away, and he cannot read
riddles and chicken tracks any
more than any other man. Let
him 90 with a roll Of cash to
spend and they can find plenty OF
| time to explain all about every
things even using the stengrapher
and TYPEWRITER. Let deaf man
ask a favor Of any kind and they
don't know a thing. II Is harder
for a deaf man I" make a living
than it is for any other class or
unfortunate people unless It IS the
blind, and they are given much
more consideration than the deal.
And the deaf person suffers
more agony and torment at the
hands of his family and friends
than the blind do. There IS no
pleasure or satisfaction in life for
deaf man as regards his compan-
Iionship or friendship. Every big
headed bigot abuses and imposes
on him. abusing him with his
mouth when he cannot hear what
lis said, which is worse than back
biting.
Of course, lady or a gentle
imam will not do this. Just how
many gentlemen do you run across
in q day? I can't find many since
hard times came along. When
ASKING. for work or favors, Eve
been told they didn't care d
what went with me. A deaf man
loves his friends, his children, his
personal effects the same as any
other man. All l ever asked Of
anyone was justice and fairness.
A gentleman will act as one wheth-
en- he thinks I am or not.
Let us say deaf man gets
lonely for compromising. If he
visits a nieghbor they either ig-
more him or talk with their mouths
that ne cannot understand until
he feels so unwclcOme he is COM
pelled to leave with sad feelings.
Let the crowds to his house and
they sit there and gaze at him and
talk to his wife or family without
ever expressing a friendly word.
Surely not quite all do that way,
but the biggest part of them do.
live had pretty good treatment at
Imost of the better class churches.
But some of them are run by
heather and not Christians. A
deaf man likes to attend church
sometimes. He also wants to feel
welcome. To ignore him like a
dog is bad enough, but to over
persuade him and try to force him
to take part in the service is still
Iworse and embarrassing to the en-
tire congregation. A handshake,
La friendly written word will eX-
Ipress cordial welcome and is suf-
ficient.
| What effort was ever made for
the deaf and destitute in Hender-
son county. l know for a fact
THAT good strong men with farms
land means Of living have been
lgiven work when it should have
been given more needy men in
worse circumstances. A deaf man
lis vassal to all big headed Off
GERS and people who think he has
no sense. They ruin his business