A DEAF BOY WHO BECAME A GREAT BIBLE SCHOLAR.
John Kitto was born at Plymouth, in the south of England, on December
4, 1804. His father, who was by trade a stone-mason, was a man of
intemperate habits, and as a result there was constant poverty in the
Kitto home. John never went to school for more than a few days in
his life. At ten years of age he began to help his father and often
had to stagger along under very heavy loads, or climb ladders
carrying slates for the roof. For two years the boy did almost a
man's work, and then, one day as he was ascending a ladder carrying a
heavy load of slates, he missed his footing and fell a distance of
thirty-five feet. A group of terrified workmen gathered around him
and he was carried, limp and bleeding, to his humble home.
For two weeks he seemed more dead than alive. Then one day he awoke
and tried to get up. He did not understand his inability to rise.
When his mother came he asked for a book which, in spite of his lack
of schooling, he had learned to read. His mother answered his
inquiry by writing upon a slate. Then it was that the sad truth
slowly dawned upon John Kitto that, as a result of his terrible
accident, his sense of hearing had been totally destroyed. Several
remedies were tried, but they were of no avail. The injury to the
nerve of the ear was such that he could not hear any one speak, in
fact he could not hear even the loudest music. Thus John Kitto, not
yet thirteen years of age, found himself shut up into a world of his
own in which his chief companions were books.
He was unable to help his father any longer and tried to make a
little money by painting signs, such as, "Lodgings to Let". This,
however, did not prove to be much of a source of income, and so his
parents sent him to Plymouth workhouse, where he was taught the trade
of shoemaking. When fifteen years of age he was apprenticed to a man
named Bowden. This man treated the deaf boy with much cruelty. John
was compelled to work hard from six o'clock in the morning until ten
o'clock at night, thus working for sixteen hours each day. Even then
the boy's great love for reading showed itself, for weary though he
was, he spent some of the time allowed him for sleep, in poring over
books. At length the cruelty of his employer became more than he
could bear, so he complained to the authorities. He was released
from his contract and taken back to the workhouse. There he remained
for another four years, reading very eagerly the few books which were
obtainable. The poor boy was practically denied companionship with
other young people, not only because he was deaf, but also because,
not being able to hear other people speak, he largely lost the art of
speech himself. This difficulty increased as the years went by,
until people who were strangers could only make out what he said with
great difficulty.
His studious habits soon began to attract attention. He wrote some
articles to the _Plymouth Journal_ which were read with much
interest. A public subscription was taken up for him in the town and
he was sent to a school, that he might learn to become a printer for
a missionary society.
Just about this time he came into contact with a Mr. Groves, a
dentist of Exeter, who was greatly attracted to the deaf boy. He was
engaged as a tutor of Mr. Groves' sons; and also several other pupils
were secured for him. By this time he had become much interested in
learning languages, and had mastered several, including Hebrew. Then
something happened which changed everything for John Kitto. He was
taken by Mr. Groves on a trip abroad, which included long sojourns in
Russia, Persia, the Caucasian Provinces, and other places in the
East. Four years were spent abroad, and they were great years for
John Kitto. Probably the extent of his misfortune had sharpened his
other faculties; at all events his observation was unusually keen and
nothing escaped him. He returned to England in 1833 and wrote a
series of very interesting articles for the _Penny Magazine_, signed,
"The Deaf Traveller". His sojourn abroad had given him an insight
into Eastern life and customs. On his return to England he decided
to publish some books which would make the life of Palestine more
vivid and thus increase interest in the Bible. Accordingly he
published "The Pictorial Bible", in three large volumes. At that
time very few books had been written with such a purpose and they
were eagerly read by Bible students. Several years later--in
1845--he published his greatest work, and one which has entitled him
to a foremost place among Bible commentators: "The Cyclopædia of
Biblical Literature". This extensive work reveals an amazing amount
of painstaking research. For a great many years it was regarded as
indispensable for those who wished to closely study the Scriptures.
While it is not nearly so well known now it is certain that most of
the valuable material it contains has been made use of by later
writers who have worked along similar lines. In addition to the
foregoing books John Kitto wrote a large number of others, and also
many magazine articles. Gradually his reputation spread and he
became recognized as one of the great Bible scholars of his day.
He was a man of very regular habits and almost every waking moment
was spent at his work of reading and writing. He rose as early as
four o'clock in the morning, did a little gardening, then worked in
his study nearly all day long. Several people visited him and tried
to carry on some kind of a conversation, but seldom with much
success. At first the method of talking by finger signs was tried,
but few could understand it. Later he tried to hold some kind of
intercourse by writing everything down; but this was so painfully
slow that it was given up. Thus it came about that even those who
wanted to help him, realized that their visits were a strain upon him
and that he seemed happier when left alone.
There was one family, however, where there were several children, all
of whom loved him very much. Each one of them learned to use finger
signs and were never so proud as when they would carry on some sort
of conversation with the great scholar. He was deeply touched by the
friendship of these children, and although he could not hear them as
they practised on the piano, he could feel the vibration by placing
his fingers on the soundingboard and in that way marked their
progress in music.
John Kitto married and had children of his own, whom he loved dearly,
although he never heard them speak. In spite of the great value of
his books his income was never very large at any time. In 1850 he
was granted a civic pension of five hundred pounds a year. In those
days that was considered a good income and no doubt it did much to
lift the burden of anxiety from his mind. There certainly was no
mistaking the high regard which was felt for him everywhere.
Although a layman he was granted the degree of Doctor of Divinity by
the University of Giessen in 1845. He was also made a Fellow of the
Society of Antiquaries the same year.
In 1851 his health began to fail and some time later he went to
Germany to try the mineral waters there. He did not obtain the
desired benefit, however, and he died at Cannstadt in 1854, having
reached the age of fifty. His passing was greatly mourned in
England, for the boy from Plymouth workhouse, living for nearly forty
years under a terrible handicap, had found a place of very great
usefulness in the world.