M DEAF AM> IM-MI!. INSTITl'TK'VS KOIl THE. 



1'KAK AND DUMB, INSTITUTIONS FOR THE. 430 



00)7 half Uut nurubar, but effort* are being made to obtain a suitable 

 ana <vmm> liu building which promiae tu b immediately micoewful ; 

 the hmd-niwter U Mr. W. N. ill, who ha* three iwirtant teacher*. 



The Bristol and Western Diirtrict Institution for the deaf and dumb 

 was mtablished at Bri.t. I ii> l-ll; it* benefits are available to all 

 deaf unite* redding within the c-ity and county of Brbtol, and the 

 adjacent oountie* of Oloueerter, WilU, Somerset, Hereford, and MOD 

 mouth, together with the southern division of the Prim-i|>ality of 

 Wale*. IU income from subscriptions and donations i* about 4002. 

 a year, from children'* myniento 21 2/., from Consols 88/. The num- 

 ber of pupil* U 82. The oo*t per pupil, with BO small a number, and 

 under a heavy rent and other establishment charge*, is larger than at 

 the generality of these Institution*, being upwards of SiV. a year. 

 Mr. dyne i* the bead master, he has a female assistant who is deaf and 

 dumb, and a work-mistress has charge of the sewing and domestic 

 occupations of the girls. The expense of this establishment is likely 

 to undergo a conniderabl,- .limiimtion. for in March last (IS.V.'i il,,. 

 pupils were removed from their rented premises to a house in I'ark 

 Street, equal to the accommodation of forty pupils, which has been 

 recently purchased. The domestic arrangements are under the charge 

 of a matron, and a ladies' committee gives its services. 



The Brighton Institution for the instruction of deaf and dumb 

 children of Sussex, Hampshire, and Kent, was established in 1841. 

 Pupils are received, however, from all parts, priority of admission 

 being given to those residing in the three counties named. It is sus- 

 tained by annual subscriptions and donations, and by payments from 

 the children. In 1858 two-thirds of the income was from children* 1 

 payments, and one-third from subscriptions and donations. The num- 

 ber of pupils is 78 ; their annual cost is stated at the small sum of 167. 

 a head. There are eight teachers, four male and four female ; two of 

 the latter superintend the instruction of the girls in needlework ami 

 domestic duties. The head-master is Mr. W. Sleight, who has been 

 connected with it from the time the first experiments were made, 

 demonstrating the necessity for and the utility of such an institution. 



The Institution for the blind and deaf and dumb in Walcot Parade, 

 Bath, was established in 1843; it has no local limits; it is sustained 

 by contributions, pupils' payments, and an annuity of 2M. per annum. 

 The subscriptions amount annually to about 360/., pupils' payments to 

 62W. ; the number of pupils is 44, including three partially blind, as 

 well a* deaf and dumb, and 12 day and Sunday scholars. A Sunday 

 service is conducted by the Rev. Fountain Klwin, the president, which 

 has been found very acceptable, as well as beneficial to a certain num- 

 ber of adults. 



The Dundee Institution for the deaf and dumb and blind, is chiefiy 

 limited in its operations to Forforshire; it was established in 1846. 

 It is sustained by voluntary subscriptions, by payments of the full fees 

 and board by parents of some of the pupils, and by partial payments 

 of parents and parishes for others. The average annu.il cost per head 

 is 181. ; there are 40 pupils, and two teachers. Mr. Alexander Drys- 

 dale, himself deaf and dumb, is the principal. 



The establishment of a Roman Catholic institution for the deaf and 

 dumb in the vicinity of Dublin, was accomplished in 184C; the de- 

 partment for girls is connected with the convent of St. Mary's, Cabra, 

 and was opened in 1847 ; the number of girls is 80, they are taught 

 by the sisters of St. Mary's convent. The boy's department is under 

 the care of the Christian Brothers of St. Joseph's, Cabra, of the reli- 

 gious order of Saint Dominick ; the number of boys under instruction 

 U 87. The cost of each pupil is about 181. per annum. The institu- 

 tion is under high patronage, and is adequately supported. During 

 the year 1857 its annual subscriptions amounted to 7671.', donations, 

 710/. ; the pupils' payments were 1262/. ; and bequests amounted 

 to 1567. 



The Deny and Raphoe Diocesan School for the deaf and dumb, 

 situated at Strabane, was commenced in 1848. It is limited to these 

 unitixl dioceses, including the whole of the county Donegal, and parts 

 of Tyrone and Londonderry. It is sustained by voluntary subscriptions, 

 without any payments from pupils. The 15 children it contains are 

 maintained and educated at a cost of IS/. 9t. a-hcod. There in only 

 one instructor, Mr. O. W. Downing. 



The Cambrian Institution for the deaf and dumb was established in 

 1847. It was commenced at Aberystwyth, but a few years after 

 removed to Swansea, at which place a permanent building has been 

 erected, which has been occupied by the pupils about two years. The 

 institution may, however, still be regarded as in ita infancy, having had 

 certain difficulties to surmount, together with changes of masters, 

 which have prevented it from accomplishing all its purposes. It boa 

 17 pupil*. IU income in 1857-8 was about 6001. Mr. A. M.-hill.-. 

 formerly an assistant at the Yorkshire institution, has recently been 

 appointed the master* 



Donaldson's Hospital, at Edinburgh, was opened in 1850. It is a 

 richly endowed establishment for the maintenance and education of 

 150 bars and as many girls, with a preference for all of the name of 

 Donaldson and MarshalL The governors have devoted a portion of 

 the institution for the education and maintenance of deaf and dumb 

 children. There are 42 deaf and dumb boys and 28 girls in this 

 department. The number of instructors occupied in this special work 

 is four, three male* and one female. The pupils are admitted between 

 the ages of seven and nine, and remain till they are fourteen. The 



principal i* Mr. Angu* McDiarmid. Whether the experiment li. 

 progress, of bringing up deaf-mute* with hearing and speak in.- rliiMn-n, 

 will prove beneficial in any respect to the former, has yet to he seen. 

 Some hops* were once entertained that remits might ensue fav. 

 to the acquisition of our vernacular idiom*, always a work of some 

 difficulty to the deaf and dumb. 



All these institutions arc under the direction of committee* chosen 

 from the subscribers residing in or near the towns where tli< 

 situated. These committee* appoint masters and other officers not 

 chosen at the annual meetings ; they establish the general rule* of tl,.- 

 institutions which they control, but they do not interfere with tin- 

 course of instruction. One or more examinations of the pupils take 

 place in the course of each year, which the subscribers and the public 

 generally are invited to attend. 



Industrial occupations for both boys and girls are a feature in most 

 of these institutions, though trades, as a future means of 

 livelihood, are not taught ; the limited time which the deaf ami dumb 

 have for instruction in language and knowledge forbid* the 

 priation of any portion of it to what may be better nder a 



master and during apprenticeship. It must be borne in mind that 

 ordinary apprentice* have fourteen or fifteen yearn in whii-h i 

 the language, ways, and customs of the world in which they live, while 

 the deaf and dumb have to acquire all this by direct teaching . 

 their school years to enable them to compete with others in the 

 acquisition of a trade ; in order to make the most of t h. 

 long hours of teaching generally prevail, and the industrial employ - 

 ments and other exercises which health demands fill up their days. 

 Large gardens are attached to many of the institution*, in which th<- 

 boys obtain a certain amount of healthful exercise by their labour : in 

 two of them printing is taught to some of the elder children, basket- 

 making in one, farm-work at another ; in all, the girls ore taught 

 household work, and sewing ; and in many, the boys perform those 

 offices which fall to men-servants in large establishments. Se\ 

 the institutions grant premiums towards the apprentice fees of both 

 boys and girls on leaving school, provided the business and the master 

 or mistress are approved of. In most of the institutions there are 

 three classes of pupils ; the most numerous are the poor, who are 

 either instructed gratuitously, or who pay a small sum, varying fr< >m 

 2*. 6d. to 3*. 6rf. per week. These sums ore paid by the parents or 

 friends of the children, or by the parishes to which they belong. In 

 the latter case, it has often been found a difficulty to convince overseers 

 of the policy of educating their indigent deaf and dumb, and thus 

 restoring them to society ; but under the operation of the new Poor 

 Law, the difficulty is in some measure provided for ; permission being 

 there given for the advance of sums for the " deaf and dumb and 

 blind." It must, however, be stated, that this permissive cla 

 not sufficient to bring the deaf and dumb of the poor and pauper class 

 under instruction, and the sooner the required payments are made 

 compulsory the better it will be for the deaf anil dumb and the 

 community. The second class of pupils received into our 

 are those whose parents can afford to pay their expenses, so that n 

 burden is in such coses imposed on the funds subscribed for charitable 

 purposes. The payment is generally 20/. ; this being about 

 expense of pupils in the provincial institutions. The third class of 

 pupils are those whose friends con afford to pay a large sura for their 

 education. The number of such pupils being very limited, the masters 

 of institutions generally have a proportion of the income arising from 

 this source assigned to them. 



The establishments for the deaf and dumb have become doubled in 

 number during the last thirty years, and considerably more than 

 double the number of children of this class have come under instruc- 

 tion during the same period. Most of the ii", . .us arc 

 now full, several have been enlarged recently, and others are contem- 

 plating further extensions. In one only has the number materially 

 diminished, namely, the National Institution of Dublin, \vl. 

 decrease is more than made up by the extension of the l"i 

 tion, and the Roman Catholic establishment at ( 'abra. The mi' 

 pupils under instruction in the United Kingdom is now 1550, against 

 780 when the article in the ' Penny Cycloptedu ' was published ' 

 two years ago. And what are the Results of this extended nio\ . 

 and of the education of this class? We ore enabled to answer this 

 question thoroughly with regard to one institution, at which it is the 

 custom at intervals of a few years to make inquiries respecting all 

 former pupils on the following points : 



1. In what occupation has A. B. been engaged since he left school f 



2. Is it found that lit has acquired that business with the same. 



nearly so, as those who hear and speak f 



3. Has hit conduct been generally ap; 



4. Note any particulars respecting A. B. which are likely to be 

 interesting to the committee. 



These inquiries were renewed during the present year, they were 

 addressed to clergymen of parishes or other ministers of religion, to 

 employers, and to parent*, anil fnun tin- detailed answers, which are 

 all published, the following analysis has been made. Of the 534 who 

 hod been received into .tion, 430 had left school, and are 



thus accounted for: of 296 (174 boys and 122 girl*) there are I 

 or informal returns; 32 were deficient in intellect though generally 

 improved, 27 died during education, or before acquiring trades, 4 wen- 





