| Show i d ii 1 f 10 L r u 1 I J I Ii I t t bride ride t t o J Jt r c Just Imagine d How the P Perplexed Minister and the 1 us ma lne e an e R Rt t v C-v W r w f With fh A Guests Felt When Miss Gillespie s Suddenly Suddenly Stopped e Talking and Stayed J as Dumb um as s the Bridegroom SI r. r Throughout T h r ou ou the e Entire B n 1 re r Wedding Ceremony Qc S 1 u r 4 x Q Y 1 f A This u. u 4 y x Y Ring y r r A ASLa SLa ff t y a 4 t f r 4 a i 4 Y a ac c w c 1 x r- r Thee v vh J rv t h v f r Y rR r 1 W Wed A 8 d r- r I J r ry ry r r r v r 4 4 J v rJ 7 I r rI j I 44 i 1 I I I j c cc c ll The S1 Six 1 c Photographs the tile Left on Illustrate the Sign Language Symbols for Six Sit Very f Important Words of the Marriage 1 Service Exactly as Employed by Arthur Shawl During His Wedding to Miss liss Gillespie Declining to Commit Herself to t Spoken Words She Promised to Love Honor and Obey Him Himin in the I Same Sign Language F- F I. I By C. C D. D Crudginton ru n I 0 you ou take this man to be bc your our lawfully O D DO wedded husband 1 Amid the thc painful and mid totally unexpected silence that ensued every eye in the little church at Akron 0 0 turned wonderingly toward Miss Nellie Gillespie the the- bride who stood motionless at the altar with lips tightly compressed refus refuse ing to sa say one word She was dressed most becomingly in to a charming charm charm- ing wedding gown of white with orange blossoms blos bos- sours that harmonized with the deep blue of her eyes and the golden sheen of her hair At her side stood the groom Arthur Shawl whose whoso wife she had promised to become Only a few moments before the wedding ceremony cere cere- mony began Miss Gillespie had been chatting gaily with her attendants There had been no indication of an impending hitch in the proceed proceed- ings If Miss Gillespie had made up her mind not to go through with the wedding ceremony by declining to answer such formal questions as the minister was required to put to her in the usual 1 wa way she had not given an any signs of it t. t Everything Everything Every Every- thing had proceeded with smoothness until the very moment when she had been asked if she would take Mr l Shawl for a husband 9 The Best Man lan to the Rescue And at that point the bride su suddenly began to act as if she had been stricken dumb The minister repeated repented the thc question and still there was no answer Miss Gillespie was staring straight ahead acting as though she had not heard a word The groom was doing tho the same Others in the church began to feel most uneasy Then suddenly as if actuated by a brilliant Idea the best man stepped to the side of the minister minister min- min ister aster and began in in the deaf and dumb language to translate the tho clergyman's question into signs He spelled out on his fingers in plain sight slight so that both the tho bride and groom could se see every character Do liDo you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband 1 Miss Gillespies Gillespie's look of abstract disinterestedness disinterested disinterested- 1 ness Hess changed into a broad smile the moment the groomsman began She watched his fingers spelling spelling spell spell- ing out the question and as soon as it was completed com corn plated she answered in tho the same sign language I III do From that point on the wedding ceremony wa was continued through the medium of the groomsman acting as interpreter Every word the officiating rr on y f r N NY d t f J. J f. 3 t- t J t. t C 4 if f j C fJ h 7 h i rebY S 1 I r i Jt r rr ti rt f r e V Vr Vt t r s. s a F f Ji xv A tY Y 1 Mrs BIrs Nellie Gillespie Shawl and Her Deaf Mute flute Husband Arthur Shawl Although I Mrs 1 Shawl Can Both Speak and Hear She Refused to Say One Word from Beginning to End of the Wedding Ceremony 0 clergyman uttered was translated into th the deaf deat and dumb language by the tho interpreter for the benefit of the groom a deaf mute mute- and also forthe for forthe forthe the benefit of the bride who seemed insistent that the wedding be conducted in such a manner that her to husband-to-be would be able to understand every word of it When the clergyman asked her a question she waited until it was repeated in the thc sign language b by the interpreter Then she gave her answer in inthe inthe the thc same sign language so that the groom could understand ever everything rth ng and her answer was re repeated repeated repeated re- re orally to the minister by the best man Why did you insist on having ing the wedding conducted in that way war 7 the bride now Mrs Arthur Shawl was asked after the ceremony was ended endued Why did you refuse to say Yes when the minister r questioned you 1 liS Simply imply because was her very womanly an an- saver Then she continued My l husband is a deaf mute but I am not as you observe I wanted wanted want want- ed cd things equalized I wanted to put myself right with him from the very be beginning inning of our wedded life I love the silent language as the medium of conversation between mutes is called I use it more than I do my own own voice in conversing conversing conversing convers convers- ing with others for I seldom leave the sphere of the deaf mutes I III am more at home with them than among the speaking classes Therefore I do most of my talking on my fingers And I wanted to start our married life as we must keep it up during during during dur dur- ing all the happy years to come come to to start it with absolute equality and a perfect understanding between my husband and myself even though Ican I Ican Ican can speak and hear and he cannot I Why She Refused to Speak That Is why I declined to answer the clergyman's clergyman's clergy clergy- mans man's question If I had given my answer orally Arthur would riot not have heard it It is true that he understands Up lip reading rending and by watching the tho clergyman's lips and then mine he could have read rend the question and also my answer but I wanted to tobe be even surer than that So I became for the they y I y c v 3 9 k w a r r r t Ott t I w jy 4 P i rr f i ir r x In the Factory Where She Is Employed Employ d Mrs Shawl Acts as Interpreter and Adjudicator of Disputes Between the Deaf Mutes Mutes' and Other Workers Yorkers er 1 i t tur S 1020 i n time being a deaf mute and I didn't utter one on on y word until after we were married N The best man man was there to act as 1 for Arthur only I made him interpret for forme me also Then Mrs Shawl laughed heartily as she con continued con con- on- on l But poor Arthur nearly needed an extra extra ex ex- tra set of hands for ono one part of the ceremony 1 When the clergyman slowly and solemnly prod pro flounced the words With this ring I thee wed the interpreter repeated the phrase on his fingers r and when Arthur repeated what the interpreter r rhad had spelled out Ire he was kept so busy saying it with both hands that he hc had to interrupt himself himself i ito to place the ring upon my finger at the P. P roPer proper time I. I Wooed Won Von Wedded Without Words fords J The wedding of Nellie e Gillespie and Arthur Shawl was s the happy culmination of a a. a romance almost without precedence The bride was wooed j won and wedded without a spoken word It was wasa a wedding without parallel at least in the history J I of the Silent Colony at Akron 0 O. In this unusual unusual un us usual colony there thero ar are more than seven hundred deaf mutes men and an d women mostly engaged in is the manufacture of automobile tires Naturally where deaf mutes are employed ed ia la 1 I th the e same factory as ns ordinary workmen and women many orders have hae to be bc given in lin the sign language or through the medium of paper and dad and I pencil And nd sometimes there ther have be been n complicated compU ted misunderstandings which necessitated th the 11 employment of an int interpreter to smooth out little differences and to make everything connected with 1 the work perfectly und understandable t 1 I That vas was Miss Gillespies Gillespie's job fob Although born of parents who were both deaf and dumb she was possessed of the full faculties of speech and hear hear- ing But the sign language came to her as naturally nat 1 uray as the human voice Arthur Shawl boarded board board- i ed at her parents parents' home and there the romance began Although she refuses to tell just dust how he hc proposed proposed pro pro- posed to her Mrs Shawl has intimated to other speaking girls in Akron that they never can ape ap H ap-H predate just dust how thrilling a proposal of marriage can be unless they receive a n declaration of love Jove ia in inthe the sign language And those of us who patronize the movies and have watched screen actors go through a all the tha 1 f motions of a propos proposal l without a spoken word can 1 realize J just st how romantic and poetic a deaf mutt mute c can n be when he is in loye bye Nothing is moro more impressive according to t Little N Nellie as Mrs j Shawl is called than to witness a a silent service where deaf mute girls sing upon their fingers If you understand the silent l language of the tha finger fing-er alphabet she states you ou will find nd it wonderfully won won- impressive to hear a deaf mute girl sing Nearer My ly God to Thee Thee- for she interprets inter inter- pr pret t the words and sentiments of the tho song both bothin y yin in action and facial expression and puts her who whole soul into her singing When the rumor rumor- that rumor that Miss Gillespie was to b be b. married spread through the silent silent colony colony great 1 was the excitement through fear that she would leave leae the tho factory guide and mentor would be lost to them f Gloom changed to joy when Little Nellie lelle wigwagged wig the news that she would remain remain WJ with h J them for at least a year year and and now tho the colony u is happy and contented aga again n. n S J J S- S |
