The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-02-08


modern Silent Hoosiers at play.
Silent Hoosiers" are the young
men who participate on athletic
teams of the Indiana State School
for the Deaf. Courageous" Hoo
siers would be more appropriate.
Any person blessed with all the
faculties of physical Wilderness, who
allows himself to grow respondent
over minor troubles of health or
fortune, might we'll attend a basket
ball game at the State Deaf School
to absorb an inspirational lesson in
the beautiful art of laughing in the
face of unkind fate. When body
sees the attitude taken by these
boys and girls as mirrored by them
in their basketball gym, he curses
himself for the very selflshness Of
his petty everyday complaints.
nN entering the gymnasium IN
~ the main building, just north
of the state Playground, you are, of
course, impressed by the unfamiliar
silence. Only a low, toneless buzz
comes from the section of hackers
for the visiting team. You look
across the gym at the bleachers
packed solidly with students of the
school. Tired, discouraged, bitter,
uncomprehending faces? Hardly.
understanding smiles, reticent
smiles, coy smiles, masterful smiles,
eyes eager for the appearance of
the team, and everywhere hands are
talking-talking rapidly and gustily
about-well, what does Hoosier
youth talk about at basketball
games?
The section is overwhelming
feminine. Some one explains that
the high school enrolment is 10, of
which 40 are girls, which leaves few
boy rooters when you subtract the
Is who play on the teams. The en-
rollment of the school proper is $40.
The Silent Hoosier varsity appears,
10 husky, clean-cut young men. A
burst of applause breaks from the
far bleachers, that is all. The OPP
posing team shows-more applause,
courteous, which mingles this time
with a dash of startling cheers from
the visiting spectators.
n
DLAY begins. The Silent Hoosiers
l. handle the ball smoothly. They
use a fast break. Not a sound es-
capes from their lips. The visiting
players. strangely affected, are SOM
Der and restrain their voices to near
silence. But they play good ball
and soon have the home boys on the
run.
The Silent Hoosiers call time out.
Cary Ayres, their handsome captain,
calls them together and gestures
furiously with his hands. They
watch him intently, nodding their
heads. Meanwhile, there is COM
motion in the Silents' student sec
ton. A girl, all smiles. is being
pushed out on the floor. She turns
and waves her arms in signal. The
students are tense, then from the
threats of those among them who.
though deaf, have vocal power,
comes the distinct cry: Fight!
Fight Oh-h-h-Fight!" Jubilant
applause follows.
You get a strange feeling in your
throat and your heart goes out to
these youngsters who throw cheers
into the face of hooking irony
cheers never heard by the heroes
they are intended for, nor even by
the humans who form them
The referees encounter less diff
Guilty than do the arbiters in other
games. Some of the Silent players
can hear the especially shrill whis-
ties used, the others know that &C
ton has been stopped when they
see others on the floor relax. The
referee never has to illustrate the
reason play has been stopped. they
sense 1t.
q
THE game continues, and the
J. Silent HooSiers are beaten by
three points. Their coach. Jacob
Caskey. for whom all players show
complete admiration, pats them on
the back. and tells the observer
they have not played their usual
game. They defeated one of the
strongest smaller teams in the state
the night before, and are tired, he
says.
The student section on the far
side breaks up. Few hands are
talking now; just quiet signs and
longing glances at the scoreboard.
They drift away in small groups.
The gym is quite still. But it is not
strange now, it seems natural. When
you reach the outside, the city
crashes about you noisy and bois-
ferrous, and through your head runs:
Then the ears of the deaf shall
be unstorped and the tongues
of the dumb shall sing they shall
obtain giadness and joy and sorrow,