December 19, 1890.] 



SCIENCE. 



536 



oral system, and, with tears in his eyes, asked if his little 

 daughter eonld ever be taught to speak. In a year he heard 

 from her lips the words " father " and " mother." 



Miss Rogers removed with her little school to Northamp- 

 ton, and beeaaie its principal. Thus the first school for 

 teaching articulation, lip-reading, and oral instruction, was 

 estahlished in this country. 



A member of the committee from Boston, also a member 

 of the school committee of Boston, took an especial interest 

 in the hearing. He attended every meeting, and visited our 

 little school at Chelmsford, called repeatedly to see our 

 daughter, and aided us by every means in his power to ob- 

 tain our charter, having first inserted a provision giving us 

 the right to establish schools in two other suitable places 

 besides Northampton. The name of that gentleman was 

 Dexter S. King. His interest in the education of deaf chil- 

 dren, instead of ceasing with the granting of our charter, 

 increased. 



Scarcely was our school opened, when he asked that a 

 branch might be started in Boston. This we were unable to 

 do. Mr. King, as a member of the school board, secured 

 the appointment of a committee to consider this subject in 

 1868 and 1879. The city was canvassed. Fifty deaf children 

 vfeve found, of whom only twenty-two were in school. 

 Twenty-eight were at home, with no one able to render them 

 aid in their search for an education. The committee estab- 

 lished this school by the name of " The School for Deaf- 

 Mutes." It was on Nov. 10, 1869. in a room in the old 

 schoolhouse in East Street, with nine pupils. In one week 

 an afternoon session had opened for eleven other pupils in 

 the schoolhouse on Somerset Street. In January, 1870, it 

 moved into suitable quarters on Pemberton Square, where it 

 remained for several years. 



When Mr. King retired from the school committee of the 

 city of Boston, in 1871, a series of resolutions were passed, — 

 "that to him was mainly due the project of establishing in 

 this city a public school for deaf-mutes, the first institution 

 of the kind in America," — and expressing the thanks of the 

 board for his valuable services. 



For the remaining years of his life he was almost a daily 

 visitor at the school. In the year 1873 the name of the 

 school was changed to " The Horace Mann School." A 

 principal was necessary who could not only instruct the 

 deaf, but could supervise all the interests of the school, se- 

 curing both the affection of the pupils and the confidence 

 and respect of the school committee. To Miss Fuller this 

 school and the deaf children of America owe a debt of grati- 

 tude that can never be repaid. 



A few years later an English gentleman, Mr. B. St. John 

 Ackers, visited the various schools of England and America, 

 seeking for the best means of educating his own deaf child. 

 He decided that she should be taught by articulation rather 

 than by signs, which was the system then used in the Eng- 

 lish institution. He was so much pleased with this school, 

 that he engaged one of its teachers. Miss Barton, to return 

 with liim. More and more convinced of the superiority of 

 articulation teaching, and feeling the importance of thorough 

 and earnest teachers, he was led to establish a normal school, 

 which has sent out many teachers well fitted for their work. 

 Subsequently Mr. Ackers, then a member of Parliament, was 

 influential in securing the appointment of a royal commis- 

 sion to investigate and report upon the condition of the 

 blind, the deaf, and the dumb of the United Kingdom, and 

 ■was appointed one of the commission by the Queen. 



Mr. Gallaudet and Professor Bell were invited to be present 



as representing the two systems in use in this country. Mr. 

 Bell gave a full account of the Horace Mann School and its 

 work, in which he has always felt the deepest interest. In 

 their report the commission recommend "' that every child 

 who is deaf should have full opportunity of education in the 

 oral system; that all children should be for the first year, at 

 least, instructed in the oral system; and after the first year 

 they should be taught to speak and lip-read on the oral sys- 

 tem, unless they are physically deficient; that children who 

 have partial hearing should in all cases be instructed in the 

 pure oral system; that trained teachers of the deaf should, 

 as in Germany, receive salaries such as would induce teach- 

 ers of special attainments to enter the profession, and on a 

 higher scale than those enjoyed by trained teachers of ordi- 

 nary children." 



In England as well as in our own country the influence 

 of our work has been felt. The year before the Clarke In- 

 stitution was opened, there were only 119 deaf children from 

 the State at school. Now there are 312, an increase of 160 

 per cent, while our population has increased only 50 per 

 cent. 



Massachusetts has, therefore, more than three times as 

 many pupils to-day in proportion to population as it had 

 twenty years ago. Starting from Massachusetts as a centre, 

 public interest was everywhere excited by the deaf. New 

 institutions and day-schools were established in different 

 parts of the country. In many of these the oral system 

 alone was used. In all, teachers of articulation were em- 

 ployed, and articulation and lip reading made a part of their 

 daily instruction. The number of pupils has increased from 

 3,246 in 1870, to 8,575 in 1890; and, in proportion to popula- 

 tion, the ratio of increase equals that of our own State 

 three to one. Who can doubt but that this is due to the 

 influence of the Clarke and Horace Mann Schools, and to 

 the general interest they have awakened in the education of 

 the deaf ? 



Institutions for the deaf are undoubtedly necessary in 

 every State, as children must be gathered from distant points; 

 but wherever there are, in cities, a sufficient number of chil- 

 dren, day-schools are certainly to be preferred. The home 

 influence, the strong ties of affection, are often more impor- 

 tant to the deaf child than to the hearing, for he is less pre- 

 pared to fight the battle of life. The success of the Horace 

 Mann School has led to the opening of day-schools in Port- 

 land, Providence, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Chicago, St. Louis, 

 Evansville, New Orleans, and La Crosse. 



Let us here pause for a moment to pay a tribute of respect 

 to the memory of one of the first and best teachers of this 

 school. Early in its history Miss Bond became interested in 

 it, and gave to it her time, her sympathies, and her earnest 

 laboi-s. For years her efforts for its progress were unwearied, 

 and even in failing health and extreme physical suffering the 

 welfare of the school was ever in her mind. 



When we consider that the interest in deaf-mute educa- 

 tion which formed the Royal Commission and the recom- 

 mendations which have so changed the system of education 

 in Great Britain is a direct growth from our work, have we 

 not reason to believe that the seed sown in our weakness has 

 already borne much fruit, and will yield a still more abun- 

 dant harvest ? 



Believing that for the deaf our system lessens their priva- 

 tions, brings them more into communic ition with their friends 

 and fellows, and, instead of building up still higher the sepa- 

 rating wall of a dififerent language, opens to them as to others 

 the treasures of written language, shall we not rejoice that 



