August 26, 1892,] 



SCIENCE. 



119 



work in articulation teaching have been the most ready to 

 respond to inquiries relating to the subject. We cannot, 

 therefore, assume that the percentage holds for the schools 

 that have not replied to my circular letter. 



Still, even if we as ume that these 363 deaf children were 

 all who were taught by the oral method, the percentage must 

 be very much higher than that given by Professor Gordon. 

 This will be obvious from the following considerations: — 



The schools containing these cases had a total attendance 

 of 5,614 pupils, of whom 836, or 15 per cent, were new pupils 

 admitted during the past school year. 



If this proportion held good for the whole country, then 

 there must have been a total of 1,385 new pupils — or 15 

 per cent of 9,232 ^admitted during the year just closed. 



Now 363 of these, at least, — or 26 per cent, — we know 

 were taught by speech. Hence, for the younger pupils, the 

 true proportion taught by speech lies somewhere between 26 

 and 43 per cent of the whole. The lowest estimate very 

 much exceeds the figures of Professor Gordon. 



We have no means of ascertaining whether the proportion 

 of our pupils taught by speech is increasing or diminishing; 

 and I think it would be well to direct the attention of the 

 editor of the Annals to the importance of collecting and 

 publishing statistics upon this subject. 



I have glanced over the most recent reports of American 

 schools for the deaf, and there are a few points contained in 

 them to which I shall direct your attention. 



In the twelfth biennial report of the American Asylum at 

 Hartford, the principal. Dr. Job Williams, gives his views 

 upon what constitutes success in articulation work. He 

 says : — 



"We hold that direct and earnest effort should be made, 

 by expert teachers of those branches, to teach speech and 

 speech-reading to every pupil, and in no case should that 

 effort be abandoned, until those teachers are convinced that 

 the pupil will never acquire enough of speech to be of any 

 practical use. In some very unpromising cases the possi- 

 bility of acquiring speech is not given up for two or three 

 years. Here let me say that the criterion of success in speech 

 should not be perfect naturalness of tone and inflection. It 

 would be unreasonable to expect that, where the sense of 

 hearing is wanting. Intelligibility is the prime requisite of 

 good speech. Tone and inflection are secondary considera- 

 tions. Any pupil who has mastered speech and lip-reading 

 so far as to be able to carry on conversation in regard to the 

 ordinary affairs of life in speech so plain as to be readily 

 understood by the members of his own family, even though 

 others fail to understand him, should be counted as a suc- 

 cessful articulator and lip-reader. It is worth while to con- 

 tinue the instruction in these branches in many cases where 

 the degree of success falls considerably short of the ability 

 to carry on an extended conversation, provided that what of 

 speech is acquired is easily understood. We must recognize 

 the fact that intelligible speech is the readiest and most ac- 

 ceptable means of communication with people in general, 

 but it must be intelligible. It is worth while for a child to 

 gain even a limited amount of speech and lip-reading (the 

 latter is as important as the former) in all cases where it 

 can be done without serious sacriSce in mental development 

 and acquisition of language." 



We all must agree with Mr. Williams in these remarks. We 

 should, of course, aim to have our pupils speak so clearly 

 and distinctly that anyone can understand them ; but I am 

 sure Mr. Williams is right in saying that a much lower de- 

 gree of proficiency might constitute a pupil a successful 



articulator and speech-reader. Mr. Willian)s rightly claims 

 that oral instruction is successful if the speech of pupils is 

 intelligible to their friends in their own homes, and among 

 their own people, even though others have difficulty in un- 

 derstanding what they say. It is a very difficult thing for a 

 teacher, and especially for an articulation teacher, to realize 

 this. I have been myself a teacher of articulation, and I 

 know how they feel. Their ears are sensitive to mispronun- 

 ciations, as mine were. It is difficult for them to realize 

 that voices, which to them may be disagreeable in tone, may 

 be very sweet and pleasant to those at home. It is difficult 

 for them to realize that imperfect speech may be better than 

 none at all; and that speech so defective as to be unintelligi- 

 ble to strangers, may be of the greatest value to the pupils 

 in their own homes, and among their own people, as a means 

 of communication. This fact has been specially impressed 

 upon my attention by the report of the Mississippi Institu- 

 tion, which, in many respects, is a very remarkable docu- 

 ment. That institution has had a class of twelve pupils 

 taught altogether by speech and speech-reading. While all 

 of them have made great progress in speech-reading, some 

 , have gained but little power of speech. 



Mr. Dobyns, the principal, says: — 



" While I have been more than satisfied that the institu- 

 tion was justifiable in the small outlay in this department of 

 instruction, yet, for fear my zeal to keep pace with the times 

 may have gotten the better of my judgment, I submitted the 

 following questions to the parents of the pupils in this class, 

 knowing that they desired the very best thing for their chil- 

 dren." 



I will not take up your time by reading the questions and 

 replies, but will merely say that the answers demonstrate, 

 that speech, which may be thought very little of by the sen- 

 sitive ear of the teacher, is considered a blessing at home. 

 None of these parents desire their children to be removed 

 from the oral department of the school ; but, on the contrary, 

 they all earnestly request that their children be continued 

 in this department. Where there is any difficulty in decid- 

 ing upon the value and success of the articulation taught to 

 our pupils, with whom should the decision rest ? Surely 

 with those who are nearest and dearest to our pupils, — with 

 those who have their interest most at heart. Mr. Dobyns, I 

 am sure, is right in referring the question to the parents and 

 friends at home. 



In this report, Mr. Dobyns incidentally remarks that now, 

 whenever a new pupil enters the institution, the request 

 comes from the parents: " Please see if you can't teach my 

 child to speak." He has, therefore, asked from the Missis- 

 sippi Legislature an increase of appropriation to enable him 

 to employ another articulation teacher; and I am sure we all 

 hope he may get it. 



There is another point in the report of the Mississippi In- 

 stitution to which I would direct your attention. Mr. Dobyns 

 has collected and published statistics concerning the earnings 

 of former pupils, and he goes to his State Legislature with 

 the proof that the graduates of his school, so far from being 

 dependent upon the public for support, are actually wealth 

 producers, earning annually a larger amount than the State 

 appropriates for the support of the school. He proves that 

 it is not a matter of charity to educate the deaf ; and demon- 

 strates that the money appropriated for this purpose is in the 

 nature of an investment, yielding profitable returns to the 

 State. 



I would urge all schools for tlie deaf to carry out this plan 

 of Mr. Dobyns, and collect statistics concerning the earnings 



