Show deif delf MUTES A GOOD WORD IN 1 BEHALF OF THE unfortunates SALT larce lakke CITY april 16 iasa 1884 editor iveiros it is with a degree of pleasure that I 1 note the fact that the legislature at its last session made provision for the instruction and education of the unfortunate deaf and dumb of the territory ill in its primary branches a much heeled needed and long desired measure which cannot but be of benefit to them though the tiie number of deaf mutes in our territory are arc but few it is a step in the right direction to aid them to become useful and self supporting citizens that they may not be a charge thrown upon the community I 1 have had a varied experience of some thirty years among these unfortunate beings and I 1 will say that though this faculty the faculty of heaning hearing has been denied them I 1 it is nevertheless true that most if not all are capable of being educated to a better standard of excellence in intellectual and moral culture doubtless it would be Inte interesting t to 0 many who do not understand age these s e beings to give a short sketch upon theli thell mode of life and peculiar way of makin making themselves understood by those IV with ith whom they come in contact there are different grades of deafness and dumbness which may be classified as follows those who have been born deaf and dumb are na naturally I 1 the hardest to bring to an understanding in of even the most simple everyday every day tris tri things S As they grow up and their fac faculties ties begin to expand a vast amount of patience and perseverance will be required of those under whose charge they are placed to bring them toa to a comprehension of the plainest affair that is in their uneducated state their brain possesses almost the same functions as that of other beings but are very dormant and of slow growth aptness not being a characteristic and ana rather conspicuous for its absence they are arc capable of being educated but only by object lessons always have an object to point to when trying to make them comprehend such as a picture etc thegean they can learn most of the words in common use then you bring them to understand the meaning of words by persistently pointing at the object of the sentence they will thus know what is meant but they will not know the sound of ef the word even of clog gog cat etc when educating this class many luany difficulties ara to be met with it would be requisite not only to have a large share of of patience but a good facial expression with the power to denote love hate sorrow humor amor etc thereon deaf 1 eaf and dumb are able to understand facial expression and are quick to comprehend every variety and expression of the human countenance it amounts to an intuition bothin nothing escapes their no tice tico another thing required will be in an emar expressive e s dve ave gesture not only of the a arms rm 1 fingers r and shrug of the shoulders hou I de r but ut a peculiar movement of th the m whole h b ody body in imitation and illustration of the subject you may be speaking of they have a peculiar gesture to denote father mother slater brother uncle aunt dunt etc and for all the numerous objects that surround them and whole sentences can be bro brought to their understanding by a simp simple simpie gesture of the arm andrace and face when words and objects they will be soon able to connect sentences aud and learn to put them in proper shape I 1 have met many deal deaf mates of eastern cities who considered themselves as having a good education still in their conversation which they usually write on small slates carried about in the docket pocket 0 c c ket for that purpose they seem to la have ve the greatest difficulty in joining sentences together ether and they have a rather peculiar gay way way oi of doln doin doing it their general mode of conversing among themselves is not only by gestures estares but also by means of the dea deaf I 1 and dumb alphabet single or double with one handor hand or with both in many anany cases the they can spell the object but do not inow know inov tile the meaning which is explained to them by gesture another class are arc those who have lost their hearing and in some bome cases their speech by disease such as scarlet fei tel fever feier er or some sonie great reat sickness some sonie are made totally deaf deat deaf through the auditory nerve of the ear eau being destroyed and some through catarrh and various other 0 diseases ls eases the mental and intellectual faculties of this class are of a superior organization to those of the other aud alid may b by cultivation be brought up to a dinue ni uch K i higher plain in fact this ilis class may be educated to any dg degree rc on a par with the most intelligent 9 c t b being eing cing their reasoning powers and nd mental capacity to grasp at ideas being the same with the exception of hearing and may be taught the sciences different lang languages biages etc but it is doubtful whether they can ever attain to a higher her degree of perfection or even ex excellence Mience in pronunciation or accent they are naturally very sensitive as well weli as suspicious and generally get t very much embarrassed barr assed when fh en trying to pronounce a word that they cannot accentuate properly this grade alho aiso have a peculiar way ot of their own in speaking being generally through the medium of sigfid but more moke particularly by tile the formation of words shaped by the thy mouth it must be understood that those who are of this latter class namely n 3 mely deaf through disease will be ab able abie le to talk aloud in most moat instances like any other eother person if brought up tolt to it and while being bein able to express themselves understandingly eire tere still in a measure mute the loss of the hearing more or less affecting the glands of the throat which are in sympathy me s with the auditory nerve of the ear rendering the voice thick aid and it cannot be made to harmonize with the variety of sounds produced in speaking still they are able to get alon aion along in that way without the aid of 01 many signs igns if you will converse with an intelligent person who is thus afflicted by wi wilting itin on a piece of paper or a slate he will wn be found to be equal in ideas expression and refinement to the most intelligent beings but it is difficult fora person erson not well acquainted with their habit abit of understanding the lips by the forming of words thereon thereon without sound to converse really intelligently by that mode these unfortunates according to the degree of education they mai may secure secure and according to their intellectual capacity are able to obtain a fair share of pleasure they can more or less enjoy sounds even music has its charms they may all hear different sounds by this mode when a piano or instrument is being played they the y either put their feet against it or their hand on it and thus what a mute may say he 66 heard is conveyed by the jar of tha sound on the nervous system which vibrates along the member touching the instrument and communicates communicate s through the whole body producing a most delightful music and sensation and giving a tolerable idea of what music is 19 piece apiece A of elastic rubber with one end in the mouth between the teeth and stretched and with one finger striking it in tle tae the middle makes it vibrate this Is will give a tolerably fair idea of the sensation of sound I 1 would by all means encourage the parents and guardians of these unfortunates to send them to the deseret university for tor by not doing so they know not the pleasure they afe aie are depriving them of tile the capacity to enjoy what few pleasures fall to them if they are too t go poor or to send them to this institution t ion lon then in the name of common h humanity umani let those who profess to be t their heir friends 1 rids show by their actions and not words by subscribing means to that end their appreciation of the condition of their unfortunate fellow creatures respectfully bakos baros PRATT |