12 
in the dispute, what cannot he contested is, 
that all strangers are at firft sight ftruck 
with the remarkable proficiency exhibited 
by some of Mr. Eschke’s scholars. Uni- 
versally the children consigned to his 
care consider hin as their common father; 
and he passes almost every moment of 
his life in the midst of his adoptive fa- 
mily. Travellers, therefore, and persons 
who have had but a superticial opportu- 
nity of viewing Mr. Eschke’s school, 
usualiy consider the course of inftruction 
adopted in it to’ be much superior to 
many others, but some men of sound 
judgement and competent imforniation 
alter examining it deliberately, have been 
inclined to think that Mr. Eschke gives 
himself rather too much pains in exerting 
himself to bring into display the extraor- 
dinary qualifications of two or three fa- 
vourite scholars, with the dazzling appa- 
ratus of profound metaphysics, and that 
the especial care he takes to improve these 
chosen few, and exhibit these prodigies, 
abstracts too much of his time and 
thoughts to be able to give due attention 
to the children of inferior capacities, and 
to many acquirements which would be 
more generally useful to the favourite 
scholars themselves, a defect of system 
which Mr. Eschke partakes too much in 
common with the professors in France, 
and which must infallibly be prejudicial 
to the general improvement of the deat 
and dumb wherever introduced. 
~ J have already had occasion to advert 
to the extraordinary abilities of a young 
man, named Habermass, who Is assistant 
to Mr. Eschke. This young man, although 
he has been always deaf, yet at present 
speaks almost as distinctly as any other 
persen, and comprehends whatever Is 
spoken before him by only observing the 
play of the museles of the mouth of the 
person who is speaking. What is still 
more extraordinary is, that, if you even 
hide the mouth from him, he can tell 
what is said by the motions of the rest of 
‘the face. This is a degree of perfection 
truly admirable; and admitting that but 
few can attain to it, yet, when so inuch 1s 
proved to be possible far one individual, 
who will deny that it may be possible for 
the rest of those in his cendition to read 
distinctly, when all the face is left open 
to observation? 
_ Mr. Eschke has found out a very easy 
way to talk to his scholars in the dark, 
He traces the letters of the alphabet upon 
their backs with his finger, and m this> 
way they converse with each other, when 
there is not light enough to distinguish 
the motions of their mouths. 
Account of the Establishments for the Instruction 
(Aug. I, 
Among the pupils of this school, many 
have been observed to entertain a strong 
inclination to speak in rhime-, and what 
to many seems inost extraordmary is that 
their rhimes are not founded upon a re= 
currence of like spelling, but actually 
upon similar sounds. This is however, 
pertectly natural to those who understand 
that the simxarity of sounds proceeds 
from the similarity of the motions which 
producethem. [havetaken notice ofa cor- 
responding penchant to write in rhimes, 
among the children of the deaf and dumb 
schoolat Paris. The rhimes made by these 
were purely orthographical, and fre- 
quently defective in measure, but these 
deaf and dumb children were truly so, 
for they did not speak, and consequently 
the only rivme that they could conceive 
was, one which struck the eve. There was 
in London some years back, a .young 
ian, a miniature painter, who was dea¥ 
and dumb, but taught to write by Mr. 
Braidwood, and this young nian not only 
frequently made rhimes, but even wrote 
some short poems. 
I have not heard of any school for the 
deaf and dumb in Sweden, a country 
which abounds in useful establishments 
of almost every other kind.* 
In the states belonging to his majesty 
the king of Denmark, there is as yet but 
one school for the Deaf and Dumb, al- 
though, from some very enlightened mea- 
sures which have recently been adopted 
by the government, it will soon be other- 
wise. ‘This school is a private one; the 
government, however, allows the profese 
sor a salary, as a pension of encourages 
ment. It is established at Kiel in Hol- 
stein. The director and sole professor 
is a Mr. Pfingsten, who is praised as a 
very modest laborious man. He has in 
all about sixteen boarders, some of whom 
belong to Danish families settled in the 
United States of America, whence they 
have been sent to him for their ins 
struction. All these children speak dis- 
tinctly; and guess what Js said by the moz- 
tions of the mouth. When by themselves, 
they carry on conversation through the 
means of signs resembling the forms of 
the Gothic letters. Their education is 
attended to very carefully and the plan 
of the school 1s a very good one. 
The government of Denmark is 
meanwhile taking measures to found 
a very extensive instituuon for the 
instruction - of the deaf and dumb, 
* in number 158 of the Yonthly Ma- 
gazine it is mentioned, that an Institution for 
the education of the deaf and dumb is to be 
established in Sweden. ai 
in vwe , oa 
