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A Brief History Of The American Asylum, At Hartford, For The Education And Instruction Of The Deaf And Dumb

Creator: n/a
Date: 1893
Source: Available at selected libraries
Figures From This Artifact: Figure 2  Figure 3  Figure 4

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As time has passed on, the necessities of the case have been appreciated better, and the period of instruction has gradually been increased. Massachusetts now allows ten years to every one of its deaf children, and gives power to the Governor to extend the time beyond that limit in the case of meritorious pupils, "recommended therefor by the principal or other chief officer of the school in which they are members." In the rest of New England the State authorities have discretionary power to extend the time to about the same limit. One more step in advance is needed, viz., to grant the same privileges to the deaf child that are accorded to his hearing brothers and sisters, to enter school as soon as he is old enough, and remain until his education is completed, including instruction in the kindergarten, the primary school, the grammar school, and in speech and lip-reading.

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METHODS OF INSTRUCTION.

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Great changes have also taken place in the methods of instruction. Finding an insurmountable barrier to acquiring the system of instruction in Great Britain, Mr. Gallaudet went to France, partially learned the system there in use, and brought it, embodied in the person of Laurent Clerc, to this country. It was a marvelous system, but there was too much machinery about it, and like all the machinery of those days it was crude and cumbersome. Too much time was spent over the sign language. It seems sometimes to have been regarded as an end rather than a means. The lever was mistaken for the load which it was intended to move. For example, in the teaching of language, instead of presenting the idea vividly in brief natural signs, and then turning at once to written, or spelled, language, the idea was first given in free natural signs, next in word signs in the order of the words, and, lastly, by signs in the order of the words, each word being accompanied by other signs indicating the part of speech and giving its grammatical construction. After all this preparation came the written language for the idea.

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Other crudities there were. Mr. Gallaudet, with his coadjutors, set to work to improve this instrument which had been placed in their hands. Their successors have pursued the same course. One after another its useless and cumbersome parts have been removed, and its usefulness has been increased thereby. It is, and will always continue to be, the easiest and most efficient medium of thinking for the congenitally deaf. It is invaluable as a means of conveying ideas rapidly, both in giving information and in making explanations. Every teaeher of the deaf should be a master of the sign language, and should use it with perfect freedom and yet with great discretion. It should never be more than a means to an end. In the days when the school period was so short, the end sought was to lay up knowledge in the sign language. Now we have passed beyond that, and merely use it as a means of reaching the point where all knowledge may be reached through the English language and stored in it.

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The system of instruction is now thoroughly eclectic -- writing, speech, lip-reading, manual spelling, pictures, pantomine, actions, and the sign-language are all freely used. The ends aimed at are the mental development of the pupil and a mastery of the English language, and any means which will conduce to these ends are unhesitatingly employed.

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ARTICULATION.

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Articulation has always had a place in the instruction given in this school. From the beginning the semi-mute and semi-deaf have had their speech kept up and improved by special attention. The subject was investigated from time to time in its workings in other countries by special agents of this and other schools, and the best light to be had was followed. In the very limited time allowed for the school course, and considering, also, time age at which pupils were admitted, it was not deemed wise to extend the instruction beyond the above-named classes. As the school period was increased more could be done. In 1845 the following resolution was passed by the board of directors:

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"Voted, In view of the facts and results obtained by Mr. Weld, the Principal of the Asylum, during his late visit to various institutions for the education of deaf mutes in Europe, that the board of directors will take efficient measures to introduce into the course of instruction in the Asylum every improvement to be derived from these foreign institutions; and with regard to teaching deaf-mutes to articulate, and to understand what is said to them orally, that they will give it a full and prolonged trial, and do in this branch of instruction everything that is practically and permanently useful."

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In accordance with this resolution about thirty pupils received special instruction in speech and lip-reading during the school year of 1845-6. In the following year forty pupils were so instructed. Three years later we find the class in articulation and lip-reading still numbered about forty, and so on, showing that there was a thorough and persistent attempt in the spirit of the resolution, and with results in some cases, both in speech and lip-reading, which have rarely been excelled.

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