Where deafness is absolute, or practically so, we have to seek for means
that will appeal to the eye instead of the ear. Of these, we have the
sign language, writing and printing, pictures, manual alphabets and
lip-reading. We have to choose which of these is to be used, if not all,
and which must be rejected, if any. Moreover, we have to decide how much
or how little one or another is to be adopted if we employ more than
one. Hence it is obvious that there may be many different systems and
subdivisions of systems. But the two main methods are the _manual_,
which generally depends upon all the above-mentioned means of appealing
to the eye except lip-reading, and the _oral_, which adopts what the
manual method rejects, uses writing and printing and perhaps pictures,
but excludes finger-spelling and (theoretically) signs. To these two we
must add a third means of instruction--the _combined system_--which
rejects no means of teaching, but uses all in most cases. The dual
method need hardly be called a separate method or system, for it implies
simply the use of the manual method for some pupils and of the oral for
others. Nor need we call the mother's (= intuitive or natural) a
separate method in the sense in which we are using the word here, for it
is rather a mode of procedure which can be applied manually or orally
indifferently. The same may be said of the grammatical "method"; also of
the "word method," which is really the "mother's." The "eclectic method"
is practically the combined system, or something between that and the
dual method, and hardly needs separate classification.
Let us notice the manual method, the oral method, and the combined
system, considering with the last the "dual method."
Manual.
The chief elements of the manual method are finger-spelling, reading and
writing and signing. These are used, that is to say, as means of
teaching English and imparting ideas. Signs are used to awaken the
child's thoughts, finger-spelling and writing are used to express these
thoughts in the vernacular. The latter are used to express English, the
former to explain English.
We give two manual alphabets, the one-handed being used in America, on
the continent of Europe with some variations and additions, in Ireland,
and also to some extent in England; the two-handed in Great Britain,
Ireland and Australia. A speed of 130 words a minute can be attained
when spelling on the fingers. Words are quite readable at this speed.
Although reading and writing are common to both methods, the manual and
oral, as a matter of fact they seem to be used considerably more in the
former than in the latter.
Oral.
In the oral method articulation and lip-reading are chiefly relied upon;
reading and writing are also adopted. The phonetic values of the letters
are taught, not the names of the letters; for instance, the _sound_ of
the letter a in "hat" is taught instead of the _name_ of the letter
(long A), though of course the latter is taught where such is the proper
pronunciation, as in "hate."
Here is a chart which was lately in use:
_Articulation Sheets._
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ANALYSIS OF THE VOWEL SOUNDS. |
+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| Long. | Middle. | Short. | Broad. |
+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
|Diacritic Phonetic |Diacritic Phonetic |Diacritic Phonetic |Diacritic Phonetic |
| mark. spelling.| mark. spelling.| mark. spelling.| mark. spelling.|
+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
| fat(e) = feit | far = far | f)at = fat | fall = /fawl |
| | | | \fol |
| me = /mee | | | |
| \mi | | m)et = met | |
| pin(e) = pain | | p)in = pin | |
| no = nou | move = muv | n)ot = not | |
| tub(e) = tiub | bull = bul | t)ub = tub | |
+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------+-------------------+
Order in which the Vowel Sounds are to be taught.
/Diacritic / a
| Mark < wall
| | ||
2 < \ aw, o
|Phonetic \ wol
\ Spelling /
/Diacritic / a )o u )e e o i a u oe
| Mark | path hot blu(e) set see ton(e) pi(e) lat(e) mul(e) boy
| < || || || || || || || || || ||
1 < | a o u e i ou ai ei iu oi
| \ ee
|Phonetic \ path hot blu set si toun pai leit miul boi
\ Spelling /
/Diacritic / )a )u i
| Mark < hat hut hit
3 < | || || ||
| \ a u i
|Phonetic \ hat hut hit
\ Spelling /
The consonants are as follows, though the order of teaching them
varies:--
p; f; s; h; sh; v = _f_; th (thin; moth); _th_ (then; smooth); l; r; t;
k; b; d; g (go; egg); z = _s_; m; n; ch = tsh; j = dzh = g; ph = f; kc =
k; cs = s; q = kw; x = ks; ng; w = oo; wh = hw; y = e.
The following mode of writing the sounds is now preferred by some as it
renders the diacritic marks unnecessary:--
_Middle, Broad and Long Vowel Sounds._
ar or oo ee er oa igh ai ew oi ou
aw ea ir o-e i-e a-e u-e oy ow
au ur ay
a--
_Short Vowel Sounds._
a o oo e i u
_Consonants._
h p /ph\ t s th sh ch /k \ l r m n ng w
\f / \ck/
b v d z _th_ zh / j \ g
\dzh/
These charts are given as examples of those used, but they vary in
different schools, as does the order of teaching the vowel and consonant
sounds and the combinations. The exact order is not important. Words are
made up by combining vowels and consonants as soon as the pupil can say
each sound separately.
Here are extracts from the directions on articulation written by a
principal to the teacher of the lowest class, which show the method of
procedure:--
"(1) Produce the sound of a letter. Each pupil to reproduce, and write
it on the tablet.
(2) Point to the letter on the tablet, and make each pupil say it.
(3) The same with combinations of vowels and consonants.
(4) Instead of tablet, each pupil to use rough exercise-book.
(5) Write on tablet and make each pupil articulate from teacher's
writing.
(6) When a combination is made of which a word may be made make all
write it in their books, thus:--'te--tea,' 'sho--show,' 'ov--of,'
'nalz--nails,' &c.
(7) When one pupil produces a combination correctly make the others
lip-read it from him. In this way make them exercise each other.
(8) When they have a good many sounds and combinations written in
their books make them sit down and say them off their books as hearing
children do.
(9) Make them say the sounds off the cards, and form combinations on
the cards for them to say.
(10) Take each vowel separately and make each pupil use it before and
after each consonant.
(11) Take each consonant and put it before and after each vowel.
"The above will suggest other exercises to the teacher.
"Give breathing exercises. Incite emulation as to deep breathing and
slow expiration. Never force the voice. Make the pupil speak out, but
do not let him strain either the voice or vocal organs. Do not force
the tongue, lips, or any organ into position more than you can help.
Do all as gently as possible. Register their progress. 'A' (as in
'path'; 'father'). As 'A' is the basis of all the vowels, being most
like all, it is taken first. It is an open vowel. Do not make
grimaces, or exaggerate. If false sound be produced do not let the
pupil speak loudly; make him speak quietly. If nasal sound be produced
do not pinch the nose, but first take the back of the child's hand,
warmly breathe on it, or get a piece of glass, and let the child
breathe on it, or press the back of the tongue down. Show the child
that when you are saying 'a' your tongue lies flat or nearly so, and
you do not raise the back of the tongue. Prefix 'h' to 'a' and make
the pupil say 'ha' first, then 'a' alone.
"'P.' If the child does not imitate at the first the teacher should
take the back of the hand and let the child feel the puff of air as
'p' is formed on the lips.
"'P' is produced by the volume of air brought into the cavity of the
mouth being, checked by the perfect closure of the lips, which are
then opened, and the accumulated air is propelled. The outburst of
this propelled air creates the sound of 'p.' Take the pupil to see
porridge boiling. Pretend to smoke. 'P' is taken first because it has
no vibration and is the most simple. The consonants should first be
joined to each vowel separately, and to prevent the pupils making an
after-sound the letters should be said with a pause between, _viz._ 'A
. . p,' and as they become more familiar with them, lessen the pause
until it is pronounced properly:--'ap.'"
These directions, which are only brief examples of those given for one
particular subject in one particular class, will give an idea of the
mode of beginning to teach articulation and lip-reading.
Combined method.
The combined system, as before mentioned, makes use of both the manual
and oral method, as well as the auricular, without any hard and fast
rule as regards the amount of instruction to be given by means of each,
but using more of one and less of another, or _vice versa_, according to
the aptitude of the child. It thus follows the sensible, obvious plan
of fitting the method to the child and not the unnatural one of forcing
the child to try to fit the method.
The following is the way the same principal would teach language to
beginners by the combined system:--
"The letters p, q, b and d of the Roman text are to be taught first.
The pupils are to do them 9 in. long on the blackboard or tablet
first; then trace them on the frames; then on slips of paper with pen
and ink, or in rough exercise-book with pen and ink.
"The whole of the Roman text is then to be taught in the same manner,
also the small and capital script.
"When the English alphabet has been mastered in the above four forms
the pupil may proceed to the printing and writing of his own name.
Then his teacher's and class-mates' names. Then the names of other
persons and the places, things and actions with which he has to do in
his daily life. Every direction the teacher has to give in school and
out of school should be expressed in speech, writing or
finger-spelling, or by any two or all three means. Repetition of such
directions by the pupil enables him to learn words before he has
finished the alphabet.
"All words to be spelled on one hand first; then two. When a few words
have been memorized, they should be written on slips of paper, then in
the exercise-books and dated. After this there should be further
repetition and exercising. The same course should be taken with
phrases and short sentences. Names of persons should be written on
cards and slips of paper and pinned to the chest. Names of things to
be affixed to them, or written on them. Names of apartments on cards
laid in the rooms. Where the object is not available use a picture, or
draw the outline and make pupil do the same. Never nod, or point, or
jerk the finger, or use any other gesture, without previously giving
the word, and when the latter is understood drop the gesture
altogether.
"Never allow a single mistake to pass uncorrected, and make pupils
always learn the corrections.
"Language should be a translation of life. It should proceed all day
long, out of school as well as in it. If spoken so much the better,
but finger-spelling is not a hindrance but a valuable help to its
acquisition.
"In most language lessons, especially those exemplifying a particular
form of sentence, the pupils should:
"(1) Correct each other's mistakes. Correct 'mistakes' designedly made
by the teacher.
"(2) Teacher rubs out a word here and there on the blackboard or
tablet; pupils to supply them.
"(3) Pupils to answer questions, giving the subject, predicate and
object of the sentence as required, e.g. 'A farmer ploughs the
ground.' 'Who ploughs the ground?' 'What does a farmer do?' 'What does
he plough?' Also additional and illustrative questions; e.g. 'Does the
ground plough the farmer?' 'Does a farmer plough the sea?' 'Does he
eat the ground?' &c.
"The pupils should learn meanings or synonyms of unfamiliar words
before such words are signed.
"(4) Teacher gives a word, and requires pupils to exemplify it in a
sentence, e.g. 'sows,' 'He sows the seed.'
"(5) Let them give as many sentences as they can think of in the same
form.
"Occurrences, incidents, objects, pictures, reading-books, newspaper
cuttings and correspondence should all be used."
The best system.
The "pure" oral method, as before noticed, came with a bound into
popularity in the early seventies. Since then it has had everything in
its favour, but the results have been by no means entirely satisfactory,
and there is a marked tendency among advocates of this method to
withdraw from the extreme position formerly held. Opinion has gradually
veered round till they have come to seek for some sort of _via media_
that shall embrace the good points of both methods. Some now suggest the
"dual method"--that those pupils who show no aptitude for oral training
shall be taught exclusively by the manual method and the rest by the
oral only. While this is a concession which is positively amazing when
compared with the title of the booklet containing utterances of the Abbe
Tarra, president of the Milan conference in 1880--"The _Pure_ Oral
Method the _Best_ for _All_ Deaf Children"!--yet we believe that in no
case should the instruction be given by the oral method alone, and that
the best system is the "combined." That the combined system is
detrimental to lip-reading has not much more than a fraction of truth in
it, for if the command of language is better the pupils can supply the
lacunae in their lip-reading from their better knowledge of English. It
is found that they have constantly to guess words and letters from the
context. Teach all by and through finger-spelling, reading, writing and
signing where necessary to explain the English, and teach those in whose
case it is worth it by articulation and lip-reading as well. Signs
should be used less and less in class work, and English more and more
exclusively as the pupil progresses--English in any and every form. A
proportion of teachers should be themselves deaf, as in America. They
are in perfect understanding and sympathy with their pupils, which is
not always the case with hearing teachers. Statistics which we collected
in London showed the following results of the education of 403 deaf
pupils after they had left school:--
Manual. Combined. Oral.
Quite satisfactory result 65% 51% 20%
Moderate success 29% 41% 35%
Unsatisfactory result 5% 7% 44%
That the combined system should show to slightly less advantage than the
exclusively manual method is what we might perhaps expect, for the time
given to oral instruction means time taken from teaching language
speedily, the manual method being, we believe, the best of all for this.
But it may be worth while to lose a little in command of language for
the sake of gaining another means of expressing that language. Hence we
advocate the combined system, regarding speech as merely a means of
expressing English, as writing and finger-spelling are, and a good
sentence written or finger-spelled as being preferable to a poorer one
which is spoken, no matter how distinct the speech may be. It is no
answer to point to a few isolated cases where the oral method is
considered to have succeeded, for one success does not counterbalance a
failure if by another method you would have had two successes; and,
moreover, these oral successes would have been still greater
successes--we are taking language in any form as our criterion--had the
teacher fully known and judiciously used the manual method as well as
the oral.
The _exclusive_ use of the oral method leads, generally speaking, to
comparative failure, for the following, among other, reasons:--(1) It
is a slow way of teaching English, the learning to speak the elements
of sound taking months at least, and seldom being fully mastered for
years. The "word method," by the way, starts at once with words
without taking their component phonetic elements separately; but it
has yet to be proved that any quicker progress is made by this means
of teaching speech than by the other. (2) Lip-reading is, to the deaf,
sign-reading with the disadvantage of being both microscopic and
partially hidden. The deaf hear nothing, they only partly _see_ tiny
movements of the vocal organs. Finger-spelling, writing, signing, are
incomparably more visible, while 130 words a minute can be attained by
finger-spelling, and read at that speed. (3) The signs--as they are to
the deaf--made by the vocal organs are entirely arbitrary, and have
not even a fraction of the redeeming feature of naturalness which
oralists demand in ordinary gestures. (4) Circumstances, such as
light, position of the speaker, &c., must be favourable for the
lip-reading to approach certainty. (5) Styles of speech vary, and it
is a constant experience that even pupils who comparatively easily
read their teacher's lips, to whose style of utterance they are
accustomed, fail to read other people's lips. (6) There is a great
similarity between certain sounds as seen on the lips, e.g. between
_t_ and _d_, _f_ and _v_, _p_ and _b_, _s_ and _z_, _k_ and _g_. Which
is meant has usually to be guessed from the context, and this requires
a certain amount of knowledge of language, which is the very thing
that is needed to be imparted. (7) The deliberate avoidance by the
teacher of the pupil's own language--signs--as an aid to teaching him
English. If a hearing boy does not understand the meaning of a French
word he looks it up in the dictionary and finds its English
equivalent. If the deaf boy does not understand a word in English, the
simplest, quickest, best way to explain it is, in most cases, to sign
it. (8) The distaste of the pupil for the method. This is common. (9)
The mechanical nature of the method. There is nothing to rouse his
interest nor to appeal to his imagination in it. (10) The temptation
to the teacher to use very simple phrases, owing to the difficulty the
pupil has in reading others from his lips. Consequently the pupil
comparatively seldom learns advanced language.
Other means of educating the deaf in addition to the oral should have
a fair trial in modern conditions for the same length of time that the
oral method has been in operation. To consider pupils taught manually
in oral schools fair criteria of what can be done by the manual method
or combined system, when those pupils have confessedly been relegated
to the manual class because of "dulness" (as in the case of the C
divisions in Denmark and Dresden), is obviously unfair. This division,
moreover, assumes that the "pure" oral method is the best for the
brightest pupils. The comparing of oral pupils privately taught by a
tutor to themselves with manual pupils from an institution crippled
and hampered by need of funds, where they had to take their chance in
a class of twelve, and the comparison of oral pupils of twelve years'
standing with combined system pupils of four years', are also
obviously unfair. Reference may be made on this subject to Heidsiek's
remarkable articles on the question of education, which appeared in
the _American Annals of the Deaf_ from April 1899 to January 1900.
The opinions of the deaf themselves as to the relative merits of the
methods of teaching also demand particular attention. The ignoring of
their expressed sentiments by those in authority is remarkable. In the
case of school children it might fairly be argued that they are too
young to know what is good for them, but with the adult deaf who have
had to learn the value of their education by bitter experience in the
battle of life it is otherwise. In Germany, the home of the "pure"
oral method, 800 deaf petitioned the emperor against that method. In
1903 no fewer than 2671 of the adult deaf of Great Britain and Ireland
who had passed through the schools signed a petition in favour of the
combined system. The figures are remarkable, for children under
sixteen were excluded, those who had not been educated in schools for
the deaf were excluded, and the education of the deaf has only lately
been made compulsory, while many thousands who live scattered about
the country in isolation probably never even heard of the petition,
and so could not sign it. In America an overwhelming majority favour
the combined system, and it is in America that by far the best results
of education are to be seen. At the World's Congress of the Deaf at St
Louis in 1904 the combined system was upheld, as it was at Liege. From
France, Germany, Norway and Sweden, Finland, Italy, Russia, everywhere
in fact where they are educated, the deaf crowd upon us with
expressions of their emphatic conviction, repeated again and again,
that the combined system is what meets their needs best and brings
most happiness into their lives. The majority of deaf in every known
country which is in favour of this means of education is so great that
we venture to say that in no other section of the community could
there be shown such an overwhelming preponderance of opinion on one
side of any question which affects its well-being. In the case of the
rare exceptions, the pupil has almost always been brought up in the
strictest ignorance of the manual method, which he has been sedulously
taught to regard as clumsy and objectionable.
_The Blind Deaf._
In the summary tables (p. 283) of the 1901 British census the following
numbers are given of those suffering from other afflictions besides
deafness:--
1. Blind and deaf and dumb 58
2. Blind and deaf 389
3. Blind, deaf and dumb and lunatic 5
4. Blind, deaf and lunatic 5
5. Deaf and dumb and lunatic 136
6. Deaf and lunatic 51
7. Blind, deaf and dumb and feeble-minded 5
8. Blind, deaf and feeble-minded 8
9. Deaf and dumb and feeble-minded 221
10. Deaf and feeble-minded 100
In addition to these, 2 are said to be blind, dumb and lunatic; 20 dumb
and lunatic; 3 blind, dumb and feeble-minded, and 222 dumb and
feeble-minded. These are certainly outside our province, which is the
deaf. The "dumbness" in these four classes is aphasia, due to some brain
defect.
Of those in the list, classes 7, 8, 9 and 10 are (we are strongly of
opinion) incorrectly described, being, as we think, composed of those
who are simply feeble-minded as well as, in classes 7 and 8, blind.
Their so-called "deafness" is merely inability of the brain to notice
what the ear does actually hear and to govern the vocal organs to
produce articulate sound. Many of classes 9 and 10, however, may not be
"feeble-minded" at all, but only rather dull pupils whom their teachers
have failed to educate.
It is safe to say that in some instances in classes 3, 4, 5 and 6 the
persons were only assumed to be deaf. Again, cases of deaf people who to
all appearance could not fairly be called insane but who may have had
violent temper or some slight eccentricity being relegated to an asylum
have come to our notice. A good teacher might accomplish much with some
of these described as lunatic in classes 5 and 6. Finally, classes 3 and
4 may have become lunatic owing to the loneliness and brooding
inseparable to a great extent from such terrible afflictions as
blindness and deafness combined. Probably the isolation became
intolerable, and if only they had had some one who understood them to
educate them their reason might have been saved.
We are most concerned with the first two classes, and in considering
them have to take individual cases separately, as there is no regular
institution for them in Great Britain.
Mr W. H. Illingworth, head master of the Blind School at Old Trafford,
Manchester, tells how David Maclean, a blind and deaf boy, was taught,
in the 1903 report of the conference of teachers of the deaf. The boy
lost both sight and hearing, but not before six years of age, which was
an advantage, and could still speak or whisper to some extent when
admitted to school. His teacher began with kindergarten and attempts at
proper voice-production. He gave the sound of "ah" and made David feel
his larynx. Then he tickled the boy under his arms, and when he laughed
made him feel his own larynx, so that the boy should notice the
similarity of the vibration. Then, acting on the theory that brain-waves
are to some extent transmittable, Mr Illingworth procured a hearing boy
as companion, and, ordering him to keep his mind fixed on the work and
to place one hand on David's shoulder, made him repeat what was
articulated. The blind-deaf boy's right hand was placed on Mr
Illingworth's larynx and the left on the companion's lips. Thus the
pupil felt the sound and the companion's imitation of it, and soon
reproduced it himself. From this syllables and words were formed by
degrees. The pupil knew the forms of some letters of the alphabet in the
Roman type before he lost sight and hearing, and the connexion between
them and the Braille characters and manual alphabet was the next step
achieved. This, and all the steps, were aided to a great extent by the
hearing and seeing boy companion's sympathetic influence and
concentration of mind, in Mr Illingworth's opinion. After this stage his
progress was comparatively quick and easy; he read from easy books in
Braille, and people spelled to him in the ordinary way by forming the
letters with their right hand on his left.
From Mr B. H. Payne of Swansea comes the following account of how four
blind-deaf pupils were taught:--
"We have received four pupils who were deaf-mute and blind, one of
them being also without the sense of smell. One was born deaf, the
others having lost hearing in childhood. There was no essential
difference between the methods employed in their education and those
of 'sighted' deaf children. Free-arm writing of ordinary script was
taught on the blackboard, the teacher guiding the pupil's hand, or
another pupil guiding it over the teacher's pencilling. The script
alphabet was cut on a slate, and the pupil's pencil made to run in the
grooves. The one-hand alphabet, used with the left hand, was employed
to distinguish the letters so written. The script alphabet was also
formed in wire for him. The object was to enable the pupil when he had
gained language to write to friends and others who were unacquainted
with Braille, but the latter notation was taught to enable the pupil
to profit by the literature provided for the blind. Both one- and
two-hand alphabets were taught, the teacher forming the letters with
one of his own hands upon the pupil's hand. The name of the object
presented to the pupil was spelled and written repeatedly until he had
memorized it. Qualities were taught by comparison, and actions by
performance. The words 'Come with me' were spelled before he was
guided to any place, and other sentences were spelled as they would be
spoken to a 'hearing' child in appropriate associations. The blind
pupil followed with his hands the signs made by junior pupils who were
unacquainted with language, and in this way readily learned to sign
himself, the art being of advantage in stimulating and in forming the
mind, and explaining language to him. One of the pupils was confirmed,
and in preparation for the rite over 800 questions were put to him by
finger-spelling. His education was continued in Braille. The deaf-born
boy developed a fair voice, and could imitate sounds by placing his
hand on a speaker's mouth. Two of them had a keen sense of humour, and
would slyly move the finger to the muscles of their companion's face
to feel the smile with which a bit of pleasantry was responded to. In
connexion with the pupil who was confirmed, the vicar who examined him
declared that none of his questions had been answered better even by
candidates possessed of all their faculties than they were by this
blind-deaf boy."
Mr W. M. Stone, principal of the Royal Blind School at West Craigmillar,
Edinburgh, gives this very interesting information:
"We have five blind-deaf children at this institution, and all are
wonderfully clever and intelligent. In all cases the children
possessed hearing for a time and had some knowledge--very slight in
some cases--of language. The method of teaching is, first to teach
them the names of common objects on their fingers. A well-known object
is put in the child's hand and then the word is spelled on the
hand,--the child's hand of course. The child learns to associate these
signs--he does not know they are letters--with the object, and so he
learns a name. Other names are then given and similar names are
associated together, and by noticing the difference in the names the
child gradually grasps the idea of an alphabet. For instance, if he
learns the words cat, bat and mat, he will quickly distinguish that
the words are alike except in their initial letters. When in this way
language has been acquired he is taught the Braille system of reading
for the blind and his progress is now very rapid. This method may
appear very complicated and difficult, but in reality it is not so.
There are no institutions in Great Britain specially for the
blind-deaf, nor are there any in America. I do not know of any on the
continent. Our own blind children here are receiving the same
education as our other children, and in some ways are more advanced
than seeing and hearing children of their own ages. They not only
read, write and do arithmetic, but they do typewriting and much manual
work."
Mr Addison mentions two deaf and blind pupils who were taught by the
late Mr Paterson of Manchester, and a third in the same school later on.
Another was taught in the asylum for the blind in Glasgow, though she
only lost hearing and became deaf at ten.
Mr William Wade has written a monograph on the blind-deaf of America, in
the preface to which he points out, rightly, that the education of the
blind-deaf is not such a stupendous task as people imagine it to be.
"It may not be amiss," he says, "to state the methods of teaching the
first steps to a deaf-blind pupil, that the public may see how
exceedingly simple the fundamental principles are, and it should be
remembered that those principles are exactly the same in the cases of
the deaf and of the deaf-blind, the only difference being in the
application--the deaf _see_, the deaf-blind _feel_. Some familiar,
tangible object--a doll, a cup, or what not--is given to the pupil,
and at the same time the name of the object is spelled into its hand
by the manual alphabet." (The one-hand alphabet is in vogue in
America.) "By patient persistence, the pupil comes to recognize the
manual spelling as a _name_ for a familiar object, when the next step
is taken--associating familiar acts with the corresponding manual
spelling. A continuation of this simple process gradually leads the
pupils to the comprehension of language as a means for communication
of thoughts." Mr Wade is right. Given a sympathetic, resourceful
teacher with strong individuality, common-sense, patience, and the
necessary amount of time, anything and everything in the way of
teaching them is not only possible but certain to be achieved.
Language,--give the deaf and the blind-deaf a working command of that
and everything else is easy.
In the New York Institution for the Deaf ten blind-deaf pupils were
educated, up to the year 1901. Nearly all of these lost one or both
senses after they had been able to acquire some knowledge with their
aid. In the Perkins Institution for the Blind, Boston, five were taught.
It was here that Laura Bridgman was educated by Dr Samuel G. Howe
(q.v.); all honour is due to him for being the pioneer in attempting to
teach this class of the community, for she was the first blind-deaf
person to be taught. Many other schools for the deaf or blind have
admitted one or two pupils suffering from both afflictions. In all,
seventy cases are mentioned by Mr Wade of those who are quite blind and
deaf, and others of people who are partially so. The most interesting,
of course, of all these is Helen Keller, if we except Laura Bridgman, in
whose case the initial attempt to teach the blind-deaf was made. Helen
Keller was taught primarily by finger-spelling into her hand, and
signing (which she, of course, felt with her hands) where necessary. Her
first teacher was Miss Sullivan. The pupil "acquired language by
practice and habit rather than by study of rules and definitions."
Finger-spelling and books were the two great means of educating her at
all times. After her grasp of language had been brought to a high
standard, Miss Fuller gave her her first lessons in speech, and Miss
Sullivan continued them, the method being that of making the pupil feel
the vocal organs of the teacher. She learnt to speak well, and to tell
(with some assistance from finger-spelling) what some people say by
feeling their mouth. Her literary style became excellent; her studies
included French, German, Latin, Greek, arithmetic, algebra, geometry,
history, ancient and modern, and poetry and literature of every
description. Of course she had many tutors, but Miss Sullivan was "eyes
and ears" at all times, by acting as interpreter, and this patient
teacher had the satisfaction of seeing her pupil pass the entrance
examination of Harvard University. To all time the success attained in
educating Helen Keller will be a monument of what can be accomplished in
the most favourable conditions. (A. H. P.)