milan international congress

8/10/2019 Milan International Congress

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WRITTEN R

MILAN INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS

PROCEEDINGS AND RESOLUTIONS


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E D W R D M I N E R G L L U D E T

M E M O R I L L I R RY

G a l l a u d e t CollegeKenda l l G r e e n

Washington D C


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REPORTO P T H E P E O C E E D I N G S O F T H E

INTERNATIONAL CONGRESSON T H E

EDUC TION OF THE DE F < - .

HELD AT MIL N

S E P T E M B E R t 11th, 1880;

T A K E N F R O M T H E E N G L I S H OFFICI L MINUTES,

R E A D BY

A . A .

KINSEY,S E C R E T A R Y O P T H E E N G L I S H - S P E A K I N G S E C T I O N O P T H E C O N G R E S S :

P R I N C I PA L O P TH T R A I N I N G C O L L E G E F O R T E A C H E R S O P TH DEAF,ON TH G E R M A N

SYSTEM, EALING, L O N D O N .

WITH AN PPENDIXContaining Papers w r i t t e n fo r th e Congress by Members of the

Society fo r Training Teachers of th e Deaf: a n d diffusionof the

G e r m a n

System in the Uni t ed Kingdom.

L O N D O N :

W . H . A L L E N CO., 13, WAT E R L O O PLACE, S . W.

1 8 8 0 .


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INTRODUCTION TO REPORT

T he Proceedings an d Kesolut ions of th e InternationalCongress recently held a t Milan, re of such vital im

portance tha t the Society fo r diffusing th e G e r m a nsystem in th e United Kingdom feel it to be their dutyto bring them unde r th e considerat ion of the i r countryme n a t th e earliest possible period.

Official Reports will, doubtless, be issued in due ourse ; bu t these will be printed in th e I talian andFrench languages only and s o me t ime m u s t ne es

sarily elapse before they n be placed in th e handsof the Members.

T he only available Report in English is tha t whichw s read by th e ecret ry of th e English-speakingportion of th e Congress, M r A. A. Kinsey, s th e

official record of each day s proceedings.T h e following a c c o u n t is taken from M r Kinsey s

report, which, on being read, w s approved by th emembers present.

The questions discussed a t th e Congress were th e

following :

ON METH O D S

1. State th e advantages of the Articulation Methodo v er tha t of Signs, and vice vers (looking a t it chiefly


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from th e

pointof men ta l development w i th o u t ignor

ing its relation in a social point of view .2. Explain in wh at th e ure O ra l method

consists and show th e difference between tha t and th e

C o m b in e d system.

3. Define exactly th e boundary between so called

M e t h o d i c a l signs and those called N a t u ra l .

4 . W h a t are th e m o s t natura l and effectual means

by which the Deaf Mute will readily acquire th e us e

of h is own language ?

5. When and how should G r a m m a r be used in

teaching language wh eth er articulation or s igns are

used ?

6. W h e n should manuals or book s be put in th e

hands of pupils In w h a t branches of instruction m aythey be suppressed ?

T he discussion of these various subjects resultedin th e adoption of th e following Resolutions :

I .

T h e C o n g r e s s

Considering th e incontestable superiority of speechover signs in restoring th e deaf mute to society an din giving him a more perfect knowledge of language

Declares

T h a t th e Oral method ought to be preferred tothat of

signsfo r th e education an d instruc

tion of th e deaf and dumb.


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II.

The Congress

Considering tha t th e simultaneous use of speechand signs has th e disadvantage of injuring speech,lip-reading, and precision of ideas

Declares

T h a t th e Pure Oral method ought to be preferred.

I I I .

T h e Congress

Considering tha t great n u mb er of th e deaf anddumb re n o t receiving th e benefit of instruction andtha t this condition is owing to th e

impotence

impotenza of families and of institutionsBecommends

T h a t Governments should take th e necessary

steps tha t all th e deaf and dum b m ay beeducated.

IV .T h e C o n g r e s s

Considering tha t th e teaching of th e speaking deaf

by th e Pu re Oral method should resemble s mu ch s

possible t ha t of those who hear and speak,Declares

1. T ha t the m o s t natural and effectual me ns

by which th e speaking deaf m ay acquire th e

knowledge of language is the i n tu i t ive

method viz. tha t which consists in settingforth first speech and then by writingth e objects and th e facts w hich re placedbefore th e eyes of th e pupils.


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2 T h a t in th e first or maternal period th e

deaf mute ought to be led to th e observation

of grammatical forms by m e n s of examplesand of practical exercises and t ha t in the

second period he ought to be assisted to

deduce from these x mpl s the grammatical rules expressed with th e u tmo s t

simplicity and clearness

3 T h a t books writ ten with words and in fo rms

of language known to th e pupil n be putinto h is hands a t any t ime

VT h e Congress

onsidering th e w a n t of books sufficiently elemen

tary to help the gradual and progressive developmentof language

Recommends

T h a t the teachers of th e Oral system should

apply themselves to th e publication of specialworks on th e subject

V IT h e Congress

onsidering th e results obtained by th e numerous

inquiries made concerning the deaf and d u mb of everyage an d every condit ion long after they had quittedschool who when interrogated upon various subjectshave answered correctly with sufficient clearness ofarticulation an d read th e lips of their questionerswith th e greatest facility


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Declares

1. T h a t th e deaf and d u mb taught by th e Pur eOral method do n o t forget after leaving school

th e knowledgewhich they have cquired therebu t develop it still fur ther y conversationand reading which have been made so easyfo r them

2 T h a t in their conversation with speaking

persons they mak e use exclusively of speech

3 T h a t speech and lip reading so f ar fro m beinglost re developed by pr ctice

VII

T h e Congress

onsidering t ha t th e education of th e deaf anddumb y speech h as peculiar requirements ; consider

ing also tha t the experience of teachers of deaf mutesis almost unanimous

Declares

1. Tha t th e m o s t favourable ag e fo r admitting

deaf c hild in to

school is from eight to tenyears

2 T h a t th e s ch oo l t er m ought to be s ev en yearsa t least ; but eight years wou ld b e preferable.

8. T h a t no teacher n effectu lly teach classof more than ten children on th e Pure Oral

method


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VII I

T h e ongress

onsidering tha t the application of th e Pure Oralmethod in insti tutions where it is n o t yet in active

operation should be to avoid th e certainty of failure

prudent gradual progressive

Becommends

1 T h a t th epupils newly

received into th e

schools should form class by themselveswhere instruct ion should be given by speech

2 T h a t these pupils should be absolutely separated from others to o fa r advanced to be

instructed speech and whose educationwill be completed by signs

3 T h a t eachy ear

n w

speakingclass be

established until all th e old pupils taught signs have completed their education


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INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF TEACHERS

OF DEAF MUTES

HEL IN M I L A N

S e p t e mb e r 6th 7th 8th 9th 1 0 t h 11th 1880 .

ENGLISH OFFICIAL MINUTES OF THE PRO EEDINGS

BY T H E SECRETARY

E L E C T E D F O R T H E E N G L I S H S P E A K I N G SECTION

A RT H U R A . K I N S E Y.

T h e Congress commenced it s initial sitting on

Monday 6 th September a t Twelve noon

A n inaugural address wa s delivered y Caval. Dott .

ugusto Zucchi Pres ident of th e Council of th e Royal

Institution for th e Deaf Milan and Representative ofth e Minister of Public Ins truct ion fo r Italy. T he

rules fo r th e regulation of th e business of th e

Congress were n e x t read and in accordance with

certain provisions therein contained th e election of

officers y ballot wa s proceeded with. After con

siderable delay th e following declaration wa s mad e of

th e result of th e elections


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IJwsiireni of Cottgrm :

CAVAL. SAC. G I U L I O TARRA

Director of th e Institution fo r th e Deaf an d D u m b P o o r ofth e

Province of M i l a n .


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ke-Jfomtarg for Hermang :

M HUGENTOBLER,

Director of Private School fo r Deaf-Mutes, Lyons.

Ifice-fw siaent of t\t nglis|-8pafekg Section :

D R PEET,

Principal of th e Institution fo r th e Deaf an d Dumb, Ne w York, U S A

ice-J5tratarg of Snglxs^-spjeaking JSMiion:

M R A. A. KINSEY,

Principal of th e Training College fo r Teachers of th e eaf onthe

G erman

System, Ealing, Lo n d o n

T h e meeting w s then adjourned until the n ex t

day a t 9 m

Tuesday, 7th September, 1880

T h e proceedings of th e Congress commenced a t9 30 m After several documents, telegrams and

letters relating to th e official business of th e Congress

had been read, th e Meeting proceeded to consider th eProgramme of Questions fo r discussion, s settled byth e Organising Committee appointed by th e last In t e rnational Congress held in Paris in 1878 ; and it w sdetermined to pass over Sections I and II.,

O n

School Buildings

and

Teaching, and to proceed ato n ce to Section III On Methods, taking th e

questions in th e printed order :


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PROGR MME

i

B U I L D IN G S S C H O O L MATER IALS

1. Is th e School to be a Boarding or Day School

Describe the advantages and disadvantages of boththese methods of education.)

2. Th e Day School only omprises th e constructionand management of classes, in accordance w ith c erta inhygienic rules mad e with a view to preserve andameliorate th e heal th of th e pupils th e details of th eschool machinery th e arrangement of slates, desks,seats, c.

3 T he Boarding School comprises besides theclasses, th e construction

1st O f dormitories o f proper dimensions, allow

ing fo r a n u m b e r of children all livingtogether in common

2nd Of a refectory3rd O f a covered yard.4th O f an infirmary5th O f one or more workshops so arranged as

to answer th e end contemplated, eithert ha t th e Deaf Mute should learn a t Schoola t rade in th e usual course of study, ortha t h e should be apprenticed in privateworkshops after leaving School.

6th Lastly, it is necessary tha t a BoardingSchool should have large cour t s belongingto it an d be well provided with gymnasticapparatus.


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II

ON T E A C H I N G

1 O f wha t should the working plan of Deaf MuteSchool consist

2 Which is th e best age fo r Deaf Mute to be

admitted to School either in se of being taught articulation or by signs ?

3 W h a t re th e physical and intellectual conditions

necessary in order to enable Deaf Mu te to be well

instructed and to obtain n intelligible pronunciation

4 How long should th e studies of Deaf Mute

continue whether h e is taught by articulation or

signs

5 Is it necessary to separate congenital Deaf Mutesfrom those who have b eco m e deaf from illness

6 H ow m a n y pupils n on e teacher teach

thoroughly e i ther th e articulation method or bysigns

7 Should Deaf M ut es be unde r on e teacher duringthe whole

periodof their

instructionor should th e

teacher be changed w h en they have cquired certaina m o u n t of information

8 During lessons should th e pupils usually sit or

stand ? Should they generally write on black nv s

or slates

9 W h a t should be th e length of each lesson

Should there be n interval between tw o lessons


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IV .

S P E C I AL QUESTIONS.1. Will th e Dea f taught by articulation forget when

they leave School th e chief part of th e learning c

quired there and will they when conversing with

hearing people prefer using gestures and writ ten la n

guage to articulation

If this reproach h as an y t r u th in it to wha t m u s tthis state of

thingsbe

attributedand

byw h a t me ns

c n it be remedied ?

2. Where and how c n young people whose deafness prevents their studying classics obtain n education analogous or equivalent to t ha t given in secondarySchools open to hearing people ? Should it be in

higher division of th e Schools fo r Deaf Mutes or in

speci l School ? Should it be with their own Teachersor with ordinary Professors

3. W h a t professions do Deaf Mut e s generally fo llow ? W h ic h offer m o s t advantages to them ? Can

any fresh c reers be th rown open to them

4. Are there n o t diseases and is there n o t morbidstate of health more common to Deaf Mutes than

hearing people ? A re there n o t in consequence of

th e ordinary temperamentsof

Deaf-Mutes certainrules fo r health which should be followed ? And

should n o t special c re be bestowed upon the state oftheir health ?

5. Does th e number of Deaf Mutes s given in th em o st recen t Censuses in th e different countries of

Europe compared with th e general population of eachcountry increase or diminish ? In either case stateth e re son


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M. Magnat, Director of th e Pereire School fo r

th e Deaf, a t Paris, t h en proceeded to read from th e

Report which he h ad prepared as on e of th e official

reporters of th e C om mittee of Organisation, on th e

papers which h ad been received by t ha t Commit tee

in answer to th e questions proposed. After some

discussion an d delay it was decided that, as th e whole

document was in print and in th e h an d s of m em ber s

of th e Congress, it should be taken as read

I t was then proposed, in consequence of w a n t of

time, to l imit speakers and readers to te n minutes,

upon which M r B St J o h n Ackers, Honorary Secre

tary of th e

Society fo r Training Teachers of the Deaf

and Diffusion of th e

German

System in th e United

Kingdom, observed tha t writers of papers having been

requested to m ak e them twenty minutes in length,such a proposition if agreed to , would cause th e withdrawal of most, if n o t all, of th e papers prepared byth e English section fo r th e Congress.

D r Buxton, Secretary to th e ociety fo r Train

ing Teachers of th e Deaf, c, London, pointed ou ttha t those who h ad been a t great trouble and expenseto attend th e Congress, with papers m o s t carefullyprepared fo r th e occasion, should a t least have sufficient t ime afforded them fo r the reading of th e same

Mrs A c k e r s (Prinknash Park, loucestershirewas then invited to read h er paper which sh e p ro

ceeded to do, in th e French language. She relatedin a m o s t impressive manner th e lengthened and ex

haust ive inquiries m ad e by herself and M r Ackers in


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search of th e best system of instruction fo r the i r little

deaf daughter, and, finally how theywere

fullyco n

vinced of th e immense superiority of the

German

system over all others.

At th e conclusion of th e paper, which wa s greetedwith general and sustained ppl use th e Pres identasked tha t it might be presented to th e Committee, inorder tha t it might be printed.*

M. L Abbe D e L a Place, Almoner of S. Medard,Soissons, mentioned tha t th e schools in France now

employ all methods by which th e object of instructingth e deaf m ay be attained.

M. Ejerkegaard-Ekbohrn, Secretary of th e RoyalCourt of Sweden, and R ector of th e Institution fo r th e

D eaf and Dumb, Bollnas, said t h a t in Sweden, after

many Congresses, th e opinion wa s that th e deaf anddumb should b e d iv ided into three classes,

1. Those who could be taught to speak.2 . Those who could n o t though n o t markedly

d ef ic ie n t in intellect .3. Those who were idiotic.

D r. E . M. Gallaudet , President of th e Deaf-

Mu te College Washington, United States, then reada paper, in French, defending the Combined

system,

an d maintained that signs were the natura l languageof th e deaf, as also th e mother language of mankind .

M . H u g e n t o b l e r Lyons replied tha t th e deaf

taught upon th e articulation system h ad ideas and

language given to them plus speech by which to ex

T he English version will be found in th e AppendixB


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press themselves, which w s n enormous gain over

sign-taught pupils.T he Meeting then adjourned unti l 2 p . m . when

th e Rev. T h o m a s Arnold, Private School, North

ampton, pro eeded to read paper in favourof th e articulating system. H e had had twenty

years experien e of tha t system, and w s of opiniontha t it places th e deaf on the s me platform t h a t we

ourselves occupy.T he Rev. T h o m a s Gallaudet D . D . Rector of

St. A n n s C hu rch fo r Deaf-Mutes, New York, replied.

Having used th e sign language fo r fifty years hebelieved fully in it s importance to th e deaf-mute, andtha t it is necessary in order to lift h im up from

ignorance to ideas. H e accompanied h is speech

throughout by signs, and concluded y giving signversion of th e Lord s Prayer.

Padre Ma r c h i o (Sienna) exclaimed simply in

English,

Come and h ea r ou r pupils.A resume of pape r y M r. R . lliott Head

mas te r of th e sylum fo r the Deaf and Dumb, Londonand Margate, w s given in French by M. Leon Va isse.M r. Elliot t w s of opinion t ha t experience teaches theCombined system to be th e best, and asked tha t suchmethod be adopted.

M. L Abbe Balestra Director of th e Institutiona t Como, replied tha t in Italy there We r e deaf childrenwho could speak and express themselves without anysigns or pantomime whatever, an d he strongly urgedupon th e Congress th e adoption of th e method of speech.


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Miss ull Private School, Kensington) then proceeded to read her

paperin

French, u p o nh er varied

experience in teaching th e deaf. T he regulations ofth e Congress would n o t permit this paper beingfinished a t one reading, and the lat ter portion was

accordingly reserved till th e following day.M. H u g e n t o b l e r Lyons), who had been requested

to read a paper from H e r r Director Rossler, of

th e Institution a tHildesheim,

withdrewit,

on th e

ground tha t th e m a t t e r contained th ere in h ad alreadybeen sufficiently discussed.

T h e P r e s i d e n t proposed to close th e sitting witha resolution. After a long and animated discussionas to th e form of resolution, D r. Peet N ew Yorkproposed an amendment as follows: T h a t th eresolution be referred to a

Committee,to consider and

report upon a t th e n e x t Congress. Th i s wa s put,and immediately neg tived

An adjournment fo r twenty minutes to consider

th e form of resolution then took place After which it

was put to th e meeting as follows :

I .

T h e ongress

Considering th e incontestable superiority of speechover signs in restoring th e deaf-mute to society, andin giving him a more perfect knowledge of language,

Declares

T h a t th e Oral method ought to be preferredto tha t of signs fo r th e education and instruc

tionof th e deaf and dumb.


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T he Resolution w s carried almost unanimously,

th e numbers in its favour being about 160, s nearly s could be ascertained ; and th e dissentients 4.

T he result w s greeted with loud applause, and

th e meeting then adjourned.

Wednesday September 8th, 1880 .

The sitting w s opened a t 12.50, p m T h e m i nu te s

of th e previous meeting were read by the respectiveSecretaries of Italy and France . Certain correct ions

having been made, on th e interposition of M . Va isse

Paris), shor t discussion followed between M.

Magnat Paris) and M . Franck, Special Delegate from

France, of th e Minister of th e Interior ; after which

th e m m u t e s were read in English. Telegrams from

th e King, Queen, and Minister were read.M . L Abbe G u e r i n Marseilles , upon th e sug

gestion of M . Vaisse Paris), proposed t h a t th e t e rmMethode Orale pure should be used during th e sittings,to express th e articulating, or

German

system,

approved by the Resolution passed yesterday.M . Claveau, Inspector- General of th e Charitable

Ins t i tu t ions of France, n e x t addressed th e meeting,upon Question 2, Section 3.

D r. Tr e i b e l Berlin) proposed tha t Question 3,Section 3, should be taken first : O n th e differencebetween N a t u r a l and M ethod ica l Signs

M r. A rn o l d Northampton) n e x t spoke upon this

question : observing t ha t in his opinion Natural Signswere those used by th e uneducated deaf to express


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their thoughts; tha t they were rude descriptions of

objects and actions Methodical Signs were abbreviations of such signs arranged according to some

systematic method Conventional signs were n o t

symbols they were abridged outlines of natura l

objects and such aerial outlines were incompetent to

express menta l ideas H e concluded by stating tha tth e sign language introduces n inverted order, and

impedes th e progress o f language. A resume of hisaddress w s given in French by M. Va isse.

M. H u g e n t o b l e r Lyons) read H e r r Dir Rossler s

H ildeshiem nswer to th e s me question, to th eeffect t ha t natural signs re those used and u n d er

stood by hearing persons ; all others re conventional,and should be abolished

T he nswer of M r lliott London and Margate)to th e s me question w s read by M Va isse. H e

thought it very difficult m a t t e r to define exactly th edifference between natural and convent ional signs

M. M a g n a t Paris) and th e Abb6 B o u c h e t Aurayhaving spoken on th e s m e subject3

D r Tr e i b e l Berlin) said t ha t teachers in

Germany could n o t agree to define th e e x a c t differencebetween natural and artificial signs. A sign whichw s natura l to one child w s sometimes acquired or

artificial in an o th er H is opinion w s th e s me s

given in He r r Rossler s reply. H e would willingly see

man y of th e signs observable in certain schools entirelydispensed with ; b u t a t th e s me t ime would n o t propose to deal with young pupil after th e m nner of


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disciplined soldier with his arms rigidly fixed to hissides.

D r. Peet N ew York), whose remarks were t r anslated by M . Va isse, thought t ha t signs grew naturallyo u t of th e mind-picture of a deaf-mute, and tha t two

deaf -mutes placed together would unquestionablydevelop a language of signs. T he order of such a

language wa s the same as tha t of an art ist in paintinga picture, and th e inciden t of a boy shooting a bird

would be dealt with in th e same way viz., tha t both

artist and deaf-m ute would delineate first, th e tree,then th e bird, n e x t th e boy, then th e gun ; and, finallyth e shooting an d th e falling Those w ho sa y tha t th e

sign language injures the English language shouldmake th e deaf m u t e blind as well, fo r nothing theysee is in th e English language ; b ut all in the languageof signs. H e then concluded by giving some examplesof signs, supposed to represent the abstract ideas of

religion, philosophy, c.

M . L A b b e alestra Como replied tha t signsdiffered, as countries differed. Signs, it is true, mightconst i tute th e first crud e language of n a tu re ; bu t we

can n o t mak e them into a language in th e proper sense

of th e word.

M. H o u d i n (Paris) thought tha t th e only conven

tional signs were those of th e Abbe de L Epee, or

others modelled upon them, and considered th e t imeof th e meeting wa s lost in discussing th e differencebetween artificial and natural signs.

Miss ull then proceeded with th e concluding


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portion of her Paper, in which she showed m o s t clearlyth e weakness and failure of th e various systems so

long and earnestly tried by her, to advance deaf pupilsto serviceable com m and of language, with th e sole

exception of th e Pure Oral method, in which she now

res t s with perfect satisfaction In her own simple,b ut m o s t effective language, she said t ha t sh e

gave

up signs because they injured speech ; sh e gave upthe Combined system because it injured th e voice s

well s language, and sh e gave up vocal symbols Visible Speech because they reversed th e process of

nature, and hindered ready command of speech.T he reading of this Paper w s several t imes

interrupted by general applause, and it w s ordered tobe printed.*

Signor F o r n a r i Milan), n e x t speaking describedhimself s disciple of th e late Inspector Hill, of

Weissenfels, who favoured natura l signs s th e onlymedium by which th e teacher c n a t first mak e himselfunderstood by his pupil ; bu t w e n t on to say tha t youm u s t n o t m ake regular language of signs, because

signs once learnt by th e pupil c a n n o t be forgotten.W e

oughtto abolish such language from every

insti tution F o r himself, he upheld speech : Viva la

parola.D on Vi t t o r e B r a m b i l l a Milan urged similar

views, reading from printed work published some

years ago

M M a g n a t Paris) considered tha t in th e ele- See

Appendix.


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mentary stages signs w e r e to certain extent,

needed.M. H u g e n t o b l e r Lyons) would n o t admit tha t

signs w r necessary a t all.T h e P r e s i d e n t then addressed the meeting, saying

tha t yesterday th e Assembly passed Resolution, bywhich articulation w s declared preferable to th e sign

system. They m u s t choose on meth o d or th e other.

Like th e real mother before King Solomon, whoclaimed h er child in its entirety or n o t a t all, so hedecided wholly in favour of speech T o teach byspeech alone required great courage an d signs m u s tbe abjured, though very few simple gestures mightbe allowed w h en th e little child w s first introduced to

school life. In th e school room begins th e

redemp

tion

of th e deaf mute ; h e is waiting to be made

m n of y his teacher. L et th e pupil be taught tomov h is lips in speech, n o t h is hands in signs. T heOral meth o d is possible ; th e Mixed system impossibleand illogical To m ake th e deaf baby into speakingm a n give him wha t ou r mothers gave us language.The Mixed system is impossible, because, if you mov

the fingers, hands, a r m s head and th e whole ody a tth e s m time s th e lips the pupil s attention isdistracted. T he method of signs s tands in deadlyopposition to tha t of speech. O f all m o v e m e n t s fo rth e expression of ideas, those of th e lips r th e m o s t

perfect A ll is comprehended in tha t wonderfulinstrument, th e mouth, played upon y th e hand ofth e Deity Patience, patience, and patience Instruc


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tors m u s t concent ra te their efforts to teach pronunciation

quietly, ex ctlyand

perfectlyand then will

speechprove itself to be th e best, th e only possible method

T he Pres ident broke off here a m id st e n th u sia stic

applause andT he sitting was adjourned a t 4 3 0 u ntil th e follow

ing day a t 8 a m when th e President would continueh is a dd re ss

Thursday September 9th, 1880

T he Sitting com m enced a t 8 35 a m

Signor F o r n a r i Milan) read conclusion of th e

minutes of th e proceedings of September 7th, on

which M. Guer in Marseilles) followed with th e

minutes in French, th e minutes in English havingbeen read in full on the

preceding day.Announce

m e n t s were m ade from th e Chair t ha t in the after

n o o n from 2 to 4 o clock, th e School fo r th e poorwould be open fo r inspection, and t h a t a t 8 p m there

w ould be a dramatic performance at th e Royal Inst i

tution by some of th e deaf pupils ; also t ha t therew ould be an examination n e x t Sunday, a t 12.30, of th e

girls and former pupilsof th e

poorschool of the

province.

Telegrams from D r Matthias Friedberg) and

Herr Schiebel Zurich) were read, sending cordial

greetings to th e Congress.T he Abbe alestra invited th e Mem ber s to visit

his school a t Como after th e close of th e Congress

The P r e s i d e n t then proceeded with his address,


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saying tha t th e Pure Oral method gave to th e pupilcor rec t

pronunciation, facilityof

speechand exact

comprehension of words, with easier us of t h em ; andtha t th e great advantage of th e method w s to developin th e m o s t na tu ra l w ay th e tende r faculties of the

pupils This method, too, w s particularly adapted toth e teaching of religion. H e also fully agreed with

wh at had been read by M . Brambil la . W h e n God

gave soul to

m a nH e

gaveh im th e

facultyto form

ideas, and to express them H e gave h im speech. H eadded tha t h e h ad taught religion fo r m a n y yearsby signs, bu t decided definitely to adopt th e PureOral system, because he w s satisfied tha t h is pupilsinstead of understanding abstract ideas, which he

endeavoured to convey to them by m ns of signs,w r

only placedin

possessionof

grosslymaterial

images.M . L Abbe Guer in Marseilles , in translating this

address, added tha t he w s c onve r t to th e P ure O ral

m ethod. T h e impossibilities urged against th e systemc a n n o t stand before th e analysis of th e arguments ofth e purists. H e w s also glad t ha t M . Franck, h is

countryman,h ad

acknowledgedth e

superiority of th eOral method ov r tha t of signs. H e concluded bythanking th e whole Congress and in particular thoseladies who h ad spoken so firmly and so well, andended m o s t eloquent speech amids t loud applause.

M . E k b o h r n Bollnas, Sweden following said,t ha t he voted fo r speech pure speech, b ut did n o t

think th e system could be applied to all deaf-mutes,


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s s o m intellects could n o t be reached by the simple

spoken word.M r. Kinsey Ealing, London called attention to

th e fact tha t bu t very little t ime remained fo r the

discussion of th e large n u m b e r of questions on th e

pr ogr am m e pointing o u t how very important certainof them w r to th e general b en efit o f th e deaf, mor

particularly in after life. H e thought that, after th e

m o s t eloquent an d powerful addresses of th e Pres identyesterday and to-day, th e discussion might be closed,and egged to submit the following resolution to th e

Congress :

T h a t members desiring to read papers preparedfo r th e Congress y invitation should have

precedence ov r those m em ber s who have

already been accorded such n opportunity,or w ho have spoken a t s o m length mor

than once.

M r. Kinsey w e n t on to say tha t s he had been

called upon y th e President, on several occasions,to speak upon th e questions before th e Congress, and

had declined to do so on the ground t ha t h e could n o t

read detached portions of his paper which d ealt w ithm o st of the questions on th e programme he askedtha t his paper might be read in tw o parts.

M . H o u d i n Paris observed tha t s he had lw ysworked fo r th e Oral system, h e w s surprised to have

been alluded to s partisan of signs. H e ppl udedm o st heartily th e P u re O ral method.

Mr. A r n o l d Northampton said tha t in England


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a strong feeling existed in favour of th e Combined

method. H e was altogether opposed to it, as itwas

nothing more than a compromise fatal to both

systems. T h e Pure Oral method is n o t a failure

w h en carefully used. t supplied th e best in s t rumen t

of thought, and prevented mutism. T he Mixed systemintroduced confusion. Those taught by signs, thoughtin signs; those taught words, thought in words.

Translation from signs to words only bred confusion ;signs inverting language, as so graphically shown

yesterday D r. Peet .M. L A b b e Bouchet Au mo n ie r des Sourds-Muets

de la Chartreuse d Auray, would us e speech in school,b u t thought there were some words w hich m u st be

explained by signs.D on Vi t t o r e B r a m b i l l a Milan) said tha t after

th e eloquent address o f th e President, h e would withdraw th e remainder of h is paper.

Frere Hubert Inspector of th e Schools fo r Deaf-Mutes of S. Gabriel a t S. L a u r e n t su r Sevre, remarked

tha t having taught th e deaf very m a n y years on th e

sign system, and having heard tha t the Italians in

structed without th e use of signs, he cam e s a w andwas completely converted to th e Pure Oral method,and hoped tha t th e method will be adopted th ewhole world .

T he P r e s i d e n t then invited any opponent of th ePure Oral method to speak,

Whereupon th e Abbe Bour se Soissons observedthat th e last speaker s conversion had simplified his


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own opinion. He, too, should leave th e Congress with

convictions of the superiority of th e Pu re Oral methodn o t to be shaken.

M. L Abbe Couvert, Almoner of th e Institutionfo r Deaf-Mutes a t Bourg, said t ha t he w s

new partisan of the Oral system, b u t did n o t

think it applicable to deaf-mutes of inferior intellectual power.

D r. P e e t New York then read paper defendingth e sign system. H e said t ha t signs were more sim

ple than labial articulations, and more sily understood. H e had, however, seen wonderful results of

th e O ral method in Milan, and would endeavour so to

arrange th e proposed new buildings a t New York,tha t he might apply the articulation meth o d in

greater degree than a t present.The President in reply to question, said if

children om e to them of very l imited intelligencethey do admit them ; if totally idiotic they do not, itwould be useless. They have special pr ogr am m efo r th e less intelligent children, and great results were

obtained with them . H e concluded by inviting

members to o me and se e this special class, fo rthemselves.

I t w s th en determ in ed to end th e discussion.

Several fo rm s of resolution w ere presented to th e

Congress whereupon n adjournment of ten minutestook place, to settle th e form, and on resumption ofth e sitting, those proposed by M . Franck Paris and

Signor Fornar i Milan were submitted :


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riday eptember10th, 1880.

The sitting commenced a t 8.50 a m

After th e minutes of th e proceedings of th e 8 th

instant h ad been read

T he P r e s i d e n t said t ha t th e Abbe Balastra wished

to know how man y members of th e Congress desired

to v is it h is school a t Como.

I t was proposed and pproved t ha t letters shouldbe sen t to th e Mayor Prefect, and Government,thanking them for their assistance, and to th e Committee of Organization a t Paris, represented byM . Va isse.

t wa s announced tha t a second sitting would

be held to-day from four to six o clock, and tha t

th e Congress would be closed t o m o r ro w after th etwelve o clock sitting.

Signor F o r n a r i Milan) said tha t in voting yesterd y i t was on a point of order, fo r in spirit he cordi lly pproved of M . Franck s resolution, especially as M.Franck had been a t one t ime opposed to the Oral

method, bu t no w acknowledged it s superiority over th e

sign system.D r. E . M . G a l l a u d e t Washington), being about

to leave Milan, was permitted by favour to read a

paper on th e higher education of th e deaf an d dumb.H e said he wa s of opinion tha t th e deaf-mute, when

requiring a higher education, wa s n o t in a pleasant

position in schools fo r th e hearing, and therefore

should be received into speci l schools. H is own


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college fo r this purpose w s founded in 1849, and

Government aid w s asked fo r it . T he results had

been excellent, and he should like to se e such inst i

tutions in Europe.T h e P r e s i d e n t thanked h im fo r the paper and

said t h a t it should be printed.D r. B u x t o n London asked if papers which had

been prepared on o ther subjects would also be

printed, and th e reply w s in th e affirmative.M . H u g e n t o b l e r Lyons thought tha t there w s

n o t sufficient n u m b e r of deaf mutes to require th e

foundation of speci l institutions.P a d r e Ma r c h io Sienna w s of opinion tha t con

sidering th e large n u m b e r of deaf mutes wanting ev en

common education, it w s n o t yet t ime to th ink of

universities.

M r. Kinsey, referring to s ta tem en t m ade byD r. Gallaudet, tha t n u m b e r of scholars from th e

Washington ollege having passed in classics,mathematics and sciences, had obtained positions s

teachers, asked wh eth er such teachers were n o t

employed in teaching deaf mutes like themselves.D r. G a l l a u d e t answered tha t w s so

M r. Kinsey further remarked tha t although wewere all rejoiced to know t h a t th e higher branches ofeducat ion were n o t beyond th e deaf taught on an ysystem, yet he thought it fa r more serviceable to the

ordinary deaf pupil t h a t h e should be placed in fullcommand of h is own language before proceeding toth e study of sciences. H e quoted from report of


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D r. E . M . Gallaudet, as follows : tha t

he had felt

diffident about conferring a degree on a young m an

upon his graduating, who was n o t competent to

cons t ruc t a gr mm ti lly correct sen tence in his ownnative language.

The P r e s i d e n t asked fo r a resolution requestingth e Governments of all civilised countries to declare

obligatory the elementary education of a ll d ea f m ut es .

M. Ek b o h rn Bollnas) said tha t in Sweden and

Norway tha t was already th e caseD r. Tr e i b e l Berlin) said tha t th e t ime allowed

fo r deaf mute education was n o t sufficient, and asked

fo r a vote tha t societies should be founded to help and

protect deaf mutes when they leave school.

M r. lliott and the Rev. W . S t a i n e r London),and th e Abbe B o u r s e Soissons), having spoken brieflyupon certain disadvantages which attend th e presenteducation of the deaf

Mad ame Rosing Christiania, Norway mentionedthe case of tw o deaf mutes educated by th e Oral

method a t Christiania, who had stud ied a t an univer

sity, and afterw ards o upied high positions underGovernment.

M r. lliott mentioned t ha t in L ond on education

had been provided fo r some of th e deaf mute poor byth e School Board, bu t no help from Government had

been givenM. L Abb6 Bour se Soissons) would ask Govern

m e n t to grant means to institutions fo r providing adult

institutions of an industrial kind.

c


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M. L A b b e lestr

Comosaid t ha t

yester ywe called for speech ; to-day we m u s t call fo r moneym o n ey which moves th e world.

M. H u g e n t o b l e r Lyons said t ha t deaf-mutes re b orn w ith th e s me faculties s hearing children.

They differ from th e r e s t of mankind only w h en they re taught signs. Moral development is t h en p revented.

Writingshould be considered

only s

secondary form of communicat ion. Speech m u s t be

learnt by practice, n o t by g r a m m a r.M. Claveau, Inspector-General of Charitable

Insti tutions in France, spoke in high praise of th ework he h ad witnessed a t Bordeaux, an d expressedhis opinion tha t women were better fitted than m en

to u nd erta ke th e education o f th e deaf.

A resolut ion w s drafted a t th e suggestion of th e

President, and submitted to th e Congress in th e

following form :T h e C o n g r e s s

Considering t ha t great n u mb er of th e deaf anddumb re n o t receiving th e benefit of instruction, andt ha t this condition is

owingto th e

impotence im-potenza of families and of institutions,Recommends

Tha t Governments should take th e necessarysteps tha t all th e deaf and d u mb m ay beeducated.

This w s agreed to unanimously. T he sittingw s then

adjourned.W h e n th e sitting w s resumed, a t 5 p.m. M.


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H u g e n t o b l e r Lyons

read letter from D r.Matthias,

Director of th e Friedberg School, expressing regretfo r h is absence from th e Congress.

M. Ho u d i n Paris then submit ted h is resolut ion.

Slight alterations w ere proposed y th e Abbe

Balestra Padre Marchio, and M . F r a n c e .

D r. Tr e i b e l Berlin , proceeded to speak upon

questionN o.

5,s ec

3, sayingtha t from th e na t u r e of

th e German language it w s iound impossible to dis

pense with th e teaching of grammatical rules in theeducation of deaf-mutes. In Germany th e practice of

n o t teaching g r a m m a r h ad been tried, with bad results.H e thought t ha t during th e last tw o years of th e

course full and complete idea of g r a m m a r should

begiven

to th epupils.

M. Huriot Director of the National Institution

fo r Deaf-Mutes, Bordeaux, remarked t ha t M. Houdin s

resolut ion w s n o t opposed to the spirit of D r.Treibel s ideas : g r a m m a r should be taught by practice an d s occasions present. After lengthy dis

cussion, in which several verbal amendments were

proposed th e sittingw s

adjourned until the followingmorning a t 8, w h en th e vote upon M . Houdin s resolu

tion will be taken.

Saturday, eptember 11th, 1 8 8 0 .

T h e pro eedings commenced a t 8 .30 m ; th eminutes in Italian, French, and English being read

by the respective secretaries.After few remark by Signor Fornari th e Abbe


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Balestra and th e President the joint resolutionof

the President Padre Marchio and M. Ho u d i n w s

submitted to th e Congress s follows :T h e C o n g r e s s

Considering tha t th e teaching of th e spe king deaf

by th e Pure Oral method should resemble s m u c h s

possible tha t of those who hear and speak

Declares1. Tha t the m o s t natura l and effectual me ns

by which the speaking deaf m ay acquire th e

knowledge of language is th e

intuitive

method viz. tha t which consists in settingforth first by speech and then by writingth e objects and th e facts which re placed

before th e eyes of th e pupils2. T h a t in th e first or maternal period th e

deaf mute ought to be le d to the observationof grammatical forms by me ns of examplesand of practical exercises ; and tha t in th esecond period h e ought to be assisted todeduce from these examples the gram

matical rules expressed with th e u tmo s tsimplicity and clearness.

3. T h a t books written with words and in formsof language known to th e pupil n be putinto his hands a t any t ime.

T h e r es olu tio n w s carried by large majorityThe P r e s i d e n t then announced tha t th e Abbe

Binaghi offered

premium fo r th e best elementarylesson book in French or Italian also premium for


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one in English to be awarded a peci l Com

mittee a t th e n e x t CongressThe Report o f th e Sub Committee upon th e t ime

and pl ce of t h e n e x t Congress having been presentedit was resolved tha t th e n e x t Congress should be helda t B asle in August 1883 an d the following memberswere appointed a commit tee to organise arrangementsin conjunction with a local committee to be formed a t

Basle :

M r. B . S t. J . A c k e r s

M . L A b b e Balestra

M . L Ab b e Bour se

D r. B u x t o n

Signor F o r n a r i

M F r a n c e

M L Abbe G his l a nd i

M G ro s s e l i n

M L Ab b e G u e r i n

M . H o u d i n

Fre re H u b e r t

M . HUGENTOBLER

M H u r i o t

M L a R o c h e l l e

M M a g n a t

M . L Abbe March io

D r. Peet

M Eu g e n e Pereire

Frere P i e r r e .

Pr inknash ParkGloucestershire.

Como

Soissons

London.

Milan.

Paris.

Milan

Paris .

Marseilles

Paris.

St. Laurent sur

Sevre

LyonsBordeaux.

Paris .

j

Sienna.

New York.

Paris .


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D r Pe y r o n Paris

Cav. Pin i

MilanHerr R o s s l e r Hildesheim

Cav. Sac Ta r r a Milan

D r reibel Berlin

M. L e o n Va isse Par is

M. Vimin St Etienne

Cav. Z u c c h i Milan

M H o u d in Paris then submitted the followingresolut ion :

T h e Congress

Considering th e w an t of books sufficiently e lemen

tary to help th e gradual an d progressive developmentof language,

Recommends

T h a t th e teachers of th e Ora l system should

pply themselves to th e publication of specialworks on th e subject.

Carried

M. L A b b e G u e r i n Marseilles then submitted th e

following resolution to the Congress :

T h e Congress

Considering th e results obtained by th e numerous

inquiries m ade concerning th e deaf an d dumb of everyage and every condition, long after they h ad quittedschool, who, when interrogated upon various subjects,have answered correctly with a sufficient clearness of

articulation, and read th e lips of the i r questioners with

th e greatest f cility


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Declares-

1 Th a t th e deaf an d d u mb taught y th e ?ureOral method do n o t forget after leaving schoolth e knowledgewhich they have acquired there,but develop it still fur ther by conversat ionand reading, which have been made so easyfo r them.

2. T h a t in their conversat ion with speakingpersons they mak e us ex lusively of speech.

3. Tha t speech and lip-reading, so fa r fro m beinglost, r developed y practice.

M r. A c e e r s England said tha t s th e questionbefore th e ongress contained in th e Abbe Guer in s

resolution, w s o n o n which he had prepared paperwhich t ime did n o t permit of being read, he wished to

say tha t he ompletely agreed with th e opinion expressed y th e Abbe Guerin ; and, s he h ad found pupilstaught on th e Pu re Oral m eth od in m u c h bet te rcondition after having left school than pupils taughton other systems, he would impress upon th e youngteachers present, or those n w to th e system, t ha t justin proportion s yo u allow signs to pupils in schools,so in after life will such pupils fail to express themselves intelligibly in spoken language.

On th e conclusion o f M r. Ackers address he w s

invited by th e President to present his paper to th e

ongress in order tha t it might be printed.T he resolution w s then put and carried.


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The rules fo r th e n e x t Congress were n e x t read

each rule being submitted and agreed to separatelyT he following resolutions were also submitted to

th e Congress and carried :

T h e Congress

onsidering t ha t th e education of the deaf anddumb by speech has peculiar requirements ; consider

ingalso t ha t th e

experienceof teachers of deaf mutes

is a lmost unanimous

Declares

1 T hat th e m o s t f av o ur ab le age fo r admitting

deaf child into school is from eight to ten

years

2 Th a t th e s ch oo l te rm ought to be seven yearsa t least ; b u t eight years would be preferable

3 T h a t no t eacher n effectu lly teach classof more than ten children on the Pure Oral

method

T h e C o n g r e s s

Considering tha t th e application of th e Pure Oral

method in institutions where it is n o t yet in active

operation to avoid the certainty of failure should beprudent gradual progressive

Is of opinion1 T h a t th e pupils newly received into the

schools should form class by themselveswhere instruction should be

given by speech


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2 T h a t these pupils should be absolutely sepa

rated from others to o fa r advanced to beinstructed by speech and whose educationwill be completed by signs

3 T h a t each year ne w speaking class be

established, unti l all th e old pupils taught bysigns have completed their education

T he Papers of D r Symes Thompson, of D r Buxton,and of M r Kinsey London, were accepted y the

President, fo r use in preparing full report of th e

Congress.

Meeting adjourned a t 11 m till 12 30

Saturday fternoon September 11th, 1880

The final Session of th e Congress commenced at1 p m th e Prefect of th e Province, Signor Basile,

Signor Csesare Correnti, and other persons of distinction being present. A resume of th e work accompHshedby th e Congress w s then read by Signor Fornari,after which Cav. Zucchi, in the n m e of th e Govern

ment, took leave of the Congress and, in n ablespeech declared tha t Time alone would do justice tot h e r es olu tio n s which had been passed, and show thew isdom of th e reforms which had been agreed to H efelt sure tha t every one would re turn to his own

country with deep convictions of th e superiority of th ePure Oral system, th e universal adoption of which

w s so ardently to be desired


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M. France representative of th e F re nch Govern

ment, followed witha

candid avowal of h is completeconversion from his old views, in favour of th e m a n u a l

system, to th e Pure peech method W h a t he hadhimself seen and heard in th e I talian schools, combined

with th e lucid arguments of Signori Tarra, Guerin,and Balestra, h ad produced conviction in h is mind n o t

to be shaken H e would say to them in conclusion,

Viva la parola puraThe P r e s i d e n t regretted to part from his new

friends so soon H e w a s however, rejoiced to think

that in departing they would take with them everywhere to th e deaf children of their various countries

th e good tidings

Y ou shall speak.M r A c e e r s (England), through M Va isse, presented

a

written address of thankson

behalf of th e Englishm em ber s of th e Congress. I t was as follows : T he

English members of th e Congress, assembled in Milanto deliberate upon th e e du ca tio n o f th e deaf, desire to

place upon record th e expression of the i r w a r m e s tthanks fo r the cordiality with which they have beenreceived by th e officers and th e heads of th e insti tutions

in this city and espe i lly to acknowledge their obligat ions to th e refect of th e Province, who h as presidedon th e occasions when th e Congress has been receiveda t th e Royal Institution fo r th e Deaf and Dumb,

To Cav. Zucchi, President of the Board of Director s of the Royal School,

Cav. Pini, President of th e Board of Directors

of th e School fo r th e Poor,


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To Cav. Tarra th e devoted and eloquent Presiden t

of th e ongress

whoseservices

to th e c use of the education of

th e deaf, which he has promotedwith such conspicuous s u c c e s scanno t be to o highly honoured,

M . L Ab b e Balestra fo r h is services in th e

s me cause by personal labours

a nd u nw e arie d advocacyM . L Abbe Guerin, Vice-Secretary of th e

French Section, whose abilities

and eloquence have b een so preeminently shown a t this ongress

M . Houdin, and all the other acting officers

of th e ongress w ho have so ably performed their

several duties ; and especially to th e venerable HonoraryPresident, M. L e o n Vaisse, whose services they grate

fully acknowledge particularly fo r h is great kindnessin interpreting th e proceedings fo r th e English membersand whom they warmly congratulate on th e success

which h as a tte nd ed h is labours to promote th e purposeof t hi s e n th u sia st ic Congress.

They beg to present their tr ibute of respect andthanks also to

M. France th e Representative of th e Minis te r of

th e Interior, of th e French Government, and

M. Claveau, Inspector- General of the CharitableInstitutions of France,

fo r thei r inf luent ial support and advocacy of th e c use

of th e education of th e deaf.


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To all their colleagues in attendance a t this

Congress they offer their hearty congratulationson

th e good feeling and the success which h av e marked

this assembly of th e friends o f th e deaf gathered from

so many of th e m o s t eminent na t ions in th e world

T he a dd ress w s then laid before the Presidentand M r. A c k e r s proceeded to address th e meeting s

follows :

M . L e President In th en m e

of th e Englishportion of the ongress beg to hand you theirwritten thanks . L et me also tender to the members

of this august convention m y deepest personalthanks fo r llowing m y wife to read h er paperand fo r th e more than kind w ay in which it w s

received. nly m othe r s love burning to give to

other deaf children th e blessing h erown

child whoh as lo st it s hearing has received viz tha t of education

under th e pure system of speech would have induced

h er to come forward and read h er paper. t is th e

first t ime sh e h as ever spoken or read in publicdesire to express m y deep thankfulness to

Almighty God fo r having permitted so great n

advancement in th e education of the deaf in th e lasteight years .

When a t t ha t time we visited some forty schools

we were told tha t it w s of no us e to visit Italybecause th e pure system of speech h ad only recentlybeen introduced there. W h a t change h a s taken

place since then we have now all seen fo r ourselves

This is mainly owing believe to th e burning


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eloquence of M. L Abbe Balestra, b u t more especiallyto th e noble -hear tedness and u nw e arie d d ev otio n of

our President, Signor Tar ra and c n say, from ou r

ow n personal observation, tha t the result has been tha t

in no country has th e system been more perfe tlycarried o u t than here in Italy. N or is it in Italy

only hardly know whether, on th e one hand, to bemore thankful tha t France now repudiates th e term

F r e n c h s applied to th e sign system, and con

siders it reproach tha t it should be named after

her, o r on th e other hand, tha t Italy is jealous,and righteously jealous, of any one country- even

Germany, where th e system has flo urish ed fo r more

than 100 years giving its own n m e to th e best of

all systems, t ha t of pure speecha m indeed, deeply thankful to th ink tha t there

should be such desire tha t this system should be

universal, and hope and believe tha t such will be to

great extent th e result of this Congress, throughoutth e countries of th e civilised world. L et me conclude

by saying Viva la parola.T he Rev. Th o mas Gallaudet D . D . fo r A m eric a

M . Hugentobler fo r Germany ; th e Abbe Guerin,M . Houdin, and th e Abbe Bouchet, fo r France, and

M . Eebohrn fo r Sweden, respe tively returned thanks

fo r their various countries.

S i g n o r Corrent i in bidding al l farewell, re

grette sincerely that, when he w s Minister, h is effortsin behalf of education fo r deaf -mutes had n o t had

the full me sure of real beneficial results which he


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PPENDIX


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PA P E R S

Contributed by Members of th e

Society fo r Training Teachers of th eDeaf a n d i usion of th e

German

System in the United

Kingdom.

I.

M NT L D E V E L O P M E N T O F T H F D E A F U N D F R T H E GERMAN SYSTEM. By M rs . S t. Jo h n A c k e r s .

II .

E X P E R I E N C E O F VA R I O U S M E T H O D S O FE D U C AT I N G T H E DEAF-BORN. B y S usan na E . Hull

I I I .

A N T H E EDUCATION O FT H E D E A F. By Arthur A.V Kinsey Principal.of Training College.

IV .

ADVANTAGES T O T H E D E A F O F T H E G E R M A NA SYSTEM IN A F T E R L I F E . By B . S i. J . Ackers H o n . Secretary.

V.

A N T H E H E A LT H O F D E A F - M U T E S . By E . Symes- Thompson M.D. Vice-Chairman of Committee.

V I.

S P E E C H A N D LIP-READING F O R T H E D E A F - AU T E A C H E R S TESTIMONY T O T H E G E R M A N SYSTEMBy Day id Buxton Secretary.


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MENTAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE DEAF

U N D E R T H E

G E R M A N

S Y S T E M

A P P R

RE D THE INTERN TION L CONGRESS T MIL N

S E P T E M B E R 7th 1880

BY

MRS ST JOHN ACKERS


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PAPER BY MRS ST. JOHN CKERS

T h e subject of the Paper which I have been askedto write fo r this m o s t interesting Congress is

T he

advantages of th e a rtic ula tio n m e th od over tha t of

signs ; looking a t it chiefly from th e point ofmenta l development without ignoring it s relation ina social point of view.

N ow one of th e chief objections urged againstth e

German

system of teaching th e deaf (i.e.

articulation and lip-reading) by those who advocate in

preference th e French system (i.e. by signs andth e manua l alphabet), is, tha t th e menta l developmentof children taught under th e form er is fa r behind that

of those taught unde r th e la tte r. O ur ea r nes tattention having been called to the subject of th e

education o f th e deaf the fact of ou r only child

losing he r hearing a t th ree m o n t h s old, w e in th e

years 1872 and 1873, m o s t carefully visited some

thing like forty institutions and schools fo r th e deaf,some on th e

French, some on th e

German, and

some on the

Combined

system, in America, on

th e C on tin ent of Europe and in G r e a t Britain,* and F o r further particulars see

Vocal Speech fo r th e Dumb, a

Paper on the education of th e

Deaf an d Dumb, G e r m a n

system, read April 25th, 1877, before th e Society of Arts, byB . St. J Ackers. Published by Messrs. Longmans Co., London.


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we n o tonly

s w th epupils

a tschool,

b u t also after

they had left it some m a n y y ea rs . Having examined

th e pupils thoroughly, n o t only those in th e higherclasses, bu t in a lm ost every instance working ou r w ay

up through every class, from th e lowest to th e highest,we feel anxious to give ou r unqu lified support to th e

German

method, s ffording to its pupils greater

advantagesin

pointof menta l

developmentt han the

French

method, an d I c a n n o t help thinking t ha t

those w ho urge t ha t th e

German

system

dwarfs the

intellect, do so without knowing wha t th e G e r m a n

system is . Many speak and write s if th e mere

development of th e mechanica l part of articulation

constituted th e

German

system. They do n o tno w

deny tha tdeaf children c n

be taught to spe kbut m a n y still insist t ha t when they do they only talklike t rained parrots.

ny teachers of th e F r e nc h

system too, goodand earnes t people s they a r e , anxious fo r th e welfareof th e deaf, and anxious, if possible, to take n

unprejudiced view, yet both speak and w rite about

th e G e r m a n system without having investigated,except in th e m o s t superficial way, w h a t tha t

system is .

As n example, on e writer of great authority, th e

Principal of large institution on th e

French

system, who commences h is remarks in n article

comp ring

Articulation with th e manua l method,

Se e n A rticle in the American Annals, July, 1878, The

greatest good to th e greatest number, by I . L . Peet, L L . D .


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55

by saying t ha t

adequate opportunity h as been

afforded in connect ion with th is in stitu tio n fo r

thorough investigation, and tha t gr of interesthas been felt sufficient to justify claim to n

impartial expression of opinion, yet goes on to sayArticulation, wi th o u t lip-reading, is source of

annoyance ra ther than convenience. Lip-reading, if

generally possible, would have fa r th e greater valueof th e two, s it would give the deaf mute n idea ofwha t w s being said in h is presence. t is however still r r e r accomplishment showing how entirelyhe fails to appreciate the fact that, with pupils taughtproperly on th e pure

G e r m a n

system, articulation,

lip-reading, and writing re all simultaneous. O nebranch is n o t allowed to get ahead of th e other. A

pupil is taught to pronounce word w hich is then

explained to him, he reads it from th e lips, and then

h as it writ ten down, and th e whole course of instruc

tion is upon this principle. Though in th e very earlystages of teaching, the s me am o u n t of ideas m ay n o t

be given to child s might be in th e s me t ime on

th e

French

system, t ha t is still no criterion that

his menta l powers re n o t being quite s mu ch

developed e.g. child taught on th e

French

system, having no practice in articulation and lip-reading to occupy his time, m ay be in position to

begin certain a m o u n t of geography, arithmetic,

history, c, months, or even m o r e before child

taught on th e

German

system ; but surely no onewill sa y t ha t therefore h is menta l development is


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greater. T h e m em or y is exercised, th e powers of

observation and reasoning r e cultivated, habits of

attention and studiousness r e being fostered quite s

surely and s carefully in th e

German

system

pupil s in th e French ; only those powers r e

being devoted to the study of th e language (articulate;read from th e lips, and written,) of h is own country,instead of to variety of other subjects. When th e

language is on e acquired sufficiently to enable

general subjects, i.e., Keligious teaching, arithmetic,

geography, c, to be taught y it, those subjects ret aken up and grasped y th e pupils quite s quicklyand infinitely more accurately t han by pupils taughtunder th e

French

system. A nd it m u s t n o t be

supposed t ha t long t ime elapses before

German

system pupils attain sufficient language to enablethem to be taught general subjects through it .

To show how s o o n this is th e se I m ay give oneor tw o samples of th e general knowledge attained bychildren of different ages a t

German

system

schools. One, where the teaching w s ra ther belowthan above th e average for it w s too poor to allow ofmore than five teachers to ighty pupils, children ofall denominations were received, and when they hadbeen three years a t school they all knew sufficient

language and lip-reading to be in position to be

taught religion by their respective lergymen who me in a t stated hours to give them regularinstruction. While we were there th e Ko man

Catholic Priest me in, and we s w him giving


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lesson to s o me of his flock. Children who h ad been

on y tw o years a t school were doing simple sumsAnother class w s having geography lesson. Theyunderstood both me and th e German lady who acted s interpreter to m y husband, and did th e sums sh e

suggested very well. Those in th e n e x t class above,

aged fourteen, w ere having lesson in historyn o t connec ted with the i r own country which lesson

they were to write o u t th e following dayTh en again a t ano the r school, which w s

decidedly good o n e the children w ho had n o t beentw o years a t school w ere extremely quick with mental

arithmetic. T he teaching w s y articulation a lmost

exclusively not y writing , an d th e sums n o t evenwrit ten b u t given orally. Those in the i r fourth y eara t school w ere conjugating difficult German verb,and th e following day we s w this s me class having lesson on s o m e story which h ad on y been giventhem to read th e day before. O ne boy w ho lost

hearing a t tw o years old, related the whole from

m em or y capitally, and nearly all w ere intelligent and

quick in their nswers Pupils w ho had n o t been

quite five years a t school h ad Scripture lesson before

u s which they did very well indeed . T he interpreterand I examined and cross examined them, n o t only in

th e lesson, bu t in general knowledge of th e Bible, andtheir nswers were m o s t satisfactory. She examined

every class in ou r presence by articulation, and we

proved the teaching to be m o s t thorough, fo r while wew ere examining pupils th e teacher as in man y other


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of th e German schools we visited) left th e room fo r

s o me time, so tha t we had th e examination quite toourselves A rithm etic and geography were very

satisfactory. Composition w s but very imperfect in

t ha t particular school, though even then it w s fa r

beyond wh at we ev er found pupils of th e s m e ageable to do in institutions conducted on th e

French

method, and beyond, too, wh at m o s t pupils of any age

in such establishments could have done while ins o me of th e other

German

system schools we

saw th e composition done by pupils in th e higherclasses, five or six years u n d er instruction, w s

exceedingly gooI have entered in to th ese d etails in order to give

some idea of th e menta l development of the pupilswe s w in

German

system schools, and m ay add

tha t our interpreter, who w s well acquainted with th e

ordinary schools o f h er country, more than on e gaveit s h er opinion, after carefully examining th e pupilsan d I m ay here men t io n t ha t we w ere m o s t particularin examining all th e pupils, n o t picked ones only butall, bad and good, dull and bright, wi th o u t any except ion t ha t they had done better in l ngu geexercises and general at ta inments than children ofth e s m e age in primary hearing) schools, and equalto those of th e middle class in Germany and thisfrom our own experience in other countries we fullybelieve to be cor rec t

Moreover tha t this view is corroborated by otherswho have visited German

schools fo r the purpose


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59

of investigating th e education, is apparent. Professor

Jorgenson, th e Teach er of the Royal Insti tution fo rDeaf Mutes a t Copenhagen, reported of M r. Arnold s

school a t Riehen, school w here th e

German

system w s carried o u t in it s m o s t thorough m a n n e r ,tha t th e pupils of the higher grades were able to

c o n v e r s e with e s e an d fluency using s goodlanguage s hearing people of the i r age. They w ere

well versed in geography, history, mathematics, natural

history, and natura l philosophy. Those of th e highclass were reading W i lhe lm Tell, by Schiller,

rendering each sen ten ce into prose, thus givingevidence tha t they fully understood th e text. Theywere able to onverse tolerably in French* and it is

fact tha t M r. Arnold s tw o sons hearing boys were

educated a t his school with th e d ea f c hild re n of th e

s m e age, because they could n o t get so good n

education a t an y school fo r th e hearing in their neighbourhood. Th ere is indeed no l imi t to the branches

of study which m ay be successfully followed y pupils

taught on th e

German

system.N o t only their own language, bu t foreign tongues,

m ay be cquired with fluency, and we know se s

where three languages a t least were so learned.

Can system which n produce such results be

in an y possible w ay justly accused of dwarfing th eintellect or impeding menta l development? N o.

Surely language is th e great m e n s y which th e

Se e n Article in th e American Annals of th e Deaf and Dumb,

January, 1879. The N a t u r a l Method. By D . Greenberger.


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powers of th e min d are developed wh eth er in the

hearing or th e deaf. A nd wha t is language o r speech ?I t has been defined by one of ou r English writers as

th e conveyance of ideas from mind to m in d in

logical method .

I t is t h a t great gift of G od to m an which enables

him to hold intercourse n o t only with th ose im m edi

ately around him bu t with those w ho would otherwise

be separated from h im by distance and by t ime ; whichenables h im to share th e thoughts and reap the benefits

of th e experience of th e good th e noble an d th e

great m en of past ages and by which their influenceinstead of being limited to their ow n immediate circle

is handed dow n to future generations. A nd we main

tain tha t this precious power of language is given to

th e deaf far more fully u n d er th e German

than

un der th e

French

system. Teachers of th e lat ter

often speak as if written language to rench

system pupils wa s th e equivalent and mo r e than th e

equiv lent to spoken language in

G e r m a n

system

pupils forgetting t ha t the latter in addition to their

spoken language have more com m and of writ ten

language and use it m u c h mo r e easily than those

taught on th e

French

system being able to write

it gr mm tic lly and idiomaticallyOf course we m u s t n o t compare pupils from

German

system schools w ho have n ot more as th e

maximum than about seven years teaching and on

an average only five years and leave school usuallyfrom thirteen to fifteen years of age with those


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F r e n c h system pupils in America w ho have

generally th e advantage of m a n y more years of education and are much older when they leave th e in stitution Compare th e former with pupils of th e same

age and who have had th e same number of years

teaching on th e

French

system and ou r experienceis t ha t whether in England Scotland France or

America th e latter will be fa r b eh in d th e

German

system pupils in written language deficient in factin tha t very power of conveying ideas from their own

minds to the minds of ordinary hearing peopleW e found to o amo n g th e

German

system

pupils tha t even those w ho having had bu t a very shor ttime a t school left w h en their education was but

very imperfect yet having th e key to knowledge

Language were able afterwards to educate themselvesby means of books in th e same w ay as hearingpeople and w h en we saw them they had a knowledgeof and delight in th e literature of their country fa r

beyond wh at we had ever seen in th e m o s t highlyeducated toto congenitals on the rench system.

I t m ay n o t be irrelevant to notice here th e facilityw ith w hich in

German

system schools anyone m ay

thoroughly t es t fo r himself th e e x a c t a m o u n t of know

ledge attained by th e different pupilsA stranger ca n ask questions of any k ind he

pleases and ca n judge y th e answers how far th e

pupils ar e proficient in th e subject ; but in schools onth e

French

system on the contrary the attempt

to find o u t y mean s of language th e knowledge of


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ign l ngu ge b u t ev en his be st ta lk proves to consistof few and m eagr e ideas which scintillate into thou

sand different signs like th e b eams of th e sun re

flected from piece of broken mirror. H e fareseven worse when it omes to talking in English.

Y et with all these admissions I question whether any

French

system teacher thoroughly appreciates th e

isolation of h is pupils even th e m o s t highly -educated

o n e s in th e hearing world apart from their im m ediate friends who have learnt fo r their sake signs and

finger talking. Writ ten language takes so mu ch timean d even had they com m and of it is cumbersome

comp red with spoken language or th e manua l

alphabet. Those hearing persons w ho r e un us

tomed to the deaf r e shy of using it and do n o t like

to th ink tha t th e small talk of conversation is written

down ; and th e d eaf themselves r e chary in producingtheir tablets because it calls general attention to them

and they th ink it is trouble to strangers to be asked

to onverse in writing.W e have m et grown up people who were

remarkably well educated and intelligent yet who

would n o t attempt more than the shortest an d m o s t

meagre conversat ion in writing and n o t unfrequentlysome who refused to attempt an y conversationbecause they knew we did n o t unders tand th e m anual

alphabet or signs whereas persons mu ch youngerand on ac co un t o f their age less accomplished peopletaught on the

German

system were only to o

ple sed to en te r into conversation and would go o u t


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of their w ay fo r th e sake of ano the r chat with us .

Indeed we rarely came across an instance wh eth er

amongst p o o r or rich where they did n o t show

pleasure a t conversing with us .

T h a t they do soon learn to th ink in spoken

language is evident from th e fact tha t they constantlyta lk in their sleep

T h a t speech is a real delight to them even in th e

early stages when it is yet very imperfect no one

who h as spent m a n y hours with them will denythough I question whether people who have had no

opportuuity of seeing them have an y idea of th e

a m o u n t of delight which i t is . As soon as even a

few words are mastered th e little voices m ay be heard

all over th e house calling to parents brothers sisters

teachers servan ts yes even to their animal petsand as th e child gets older th e eagerness with whichit will rush up to talk about anything tha t h asinterested it th e delight of pouring o u t its thoughtsand ideas ca n hardly be appreciated unless seen.Over and over again one h as to say

Now you m u s t

really n o t talk an y m o r e or you will n o t finish wha t

you are doing or la m to o busy yo u really m u s tn o t go on talking to me an d th e usual answerback from the deaf child is

Bye-and-bye when you

are ready m ay I talk to y ou ? A s a u t u m n eveningsdrew in ou r own little daughter h as often come to her

governess with th e request

Please light th e candlesI w a n t you to talk to me and this in her pl ytimewhen she might have am used herself as sh e pleased.


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Precious indeed is th e gift of articulate language to

deaf child s precious s to hearing one MindI do n o t sa y it is perfe t s in hearing child bu t Ido say tha t though it m ay n o t be fully perfect it is of s great practical us e to deaf s to hearing childand such source of intense delight tha t it adds

immensely to th e enjoyment of it s life in fact t ha t it

becomes part of t ha t life t ha t the expressions of

joy of s o r r o w of as to n i sh men t or amusement burs tforth s naturally from th e lips of deaf child tha thas been taught on th e pure

German

system s

from hearing o n e

In conclusion then le t m e only add tha t w e who s parents ily witness this in th e c se of ou r own

darling child we who have s een th e inest imable boon

th at it is to all classes and th e practical us e t ha t it isabove all to th e poor earnestly t rus t t ha t th e resul t

of this International Congress will be to extend to

th e deaf far and wide th e b en efits o f th e

German

system so tha t they m ay no longer have withheld

from th em in an y country tha t m o s t precious gift t

us e of spee h

L O U I S A M J A C K E R S

P r i n k n a s h Park

G l o u c e s t e r s h i r e

E


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MY EXPERIEN E OF VARIOUS METHODS

O P

EDU TING THE DEAF BORN.

R

READ AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS AT MILAN

S E P T E M B E R 7 th 8th 1880

S U S A N N A E. H U L L


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MY EXPERIENCE OF VARIOUS METHODS OF

EDUCATING TH E DEAF-BORN.

Gentlemen I t is in no spirit of egotism t ha t Iv en tu re to bring before y ou m y own experience in

various methods of educating th e deaf; b u t in th e

hope that in so i l lustr ious n ssembly th e onvictions o f n e a r n e s t worker w ill h av e due weight.

During th e seven teen years I have devoted to th e

deaf I have h ad no thought b ut their best welfare Ihave now n o desire stronger t han to lead o th ers to

m y own persuasion tha t this is best secured by

educating them according to th e

German

method

by vocal speech and lip-reading.W h e n I began m y work in 1863 I h ad n e v e r s een

deaf-born child. I w s ignorant t ha t so v as t

n u mb er of our fellow beings w ere deprived of th esense of hearing and I h ad no idea t ha t so man yinstitutions existed fo r th e ameliorat ion of their

condition. A ll I then knew h ad been gathered from shor t acco u n t of L a u r a Bridgman and James

Mitchell in Chambers agazine Very early in life

m y in teres t had been aroused by vivid realization ofthe nobleness of D r. H ow e s effort to res to re L a u r a

Bridgman to social life; b ut no opportunity of

following in h is footsteps opened to me till th e year of


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which I speak Th en I heard through m y fatherLondon physici n of th e m i se ra ble c on ditio n of

young lady who by succession of fevers had beenleft lame maimed deaf and almost blind. No one

could be found to educate this unhappy child and m yfather w s appealed to fo r advice and assistance.

The slumbering desire of m y hear t awoke and I

gained permissionto

attemptth e ta sk . y

pupilretained few words chiefly n o u n s an d m y firstattention w s ben t on increasing h er store of these.

Ignorant s I then w s of th e science of phonetics itw s no light work to improve h er pronunciation and

increase he r vocabulary : often week w s spent in

gaining one new word h er imperfect sight added to

m ydifficulties. T h e two handed

alphabetw s th e

m e n s of communication on m y side ; bu t vocal

speech w s th e natura l medium on hers . Slow s

the progress w s a t first undoubted su ess crowned

m y efforts. I abandoned m y formerly chosen

profession and gave myself wholly to th e educationof th e deaf. I now heard of th e institutions lre dy

establishedand visited one or tw o in

Englandin th e

hope of gaining fresh ideas fo r m y work. I foundhowever tha t m y pupils were already in advance ofthose in the public institutions so fa r s language w s

concerned. B u t I w s assured tha t whatever I had

accomplished with children like m y first pupils deaffrom fever I could do nothing fo r those born deafwithout

signsconventional

signss used in th e

institutions.


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I believed th e dictum of those so mu ch more

experienced than myself and asked how to gain t ha t

knowledge I w s told tha t it w s impossible without

myself entering n institution Nothing then remainedbu t to teach without signs or form them fo r myselfThis to some ex ten t I did though I dropped them ssoon s th e spelle form had been learned

I en t e r thus minutely into m y first steps to showhow utterly unprejudiced I w s to any system how

ready to adopt anything tha t could be to th e advantageof m y pupils.

With regard to signs m u s t add that on

looking back I date decline in m y success in

teaching language from th e t ime of t he in tro du ctio nof those signs. With the signs

deaf m utism s

in

composition made their appearance : errors which had

b een u nk no w n before I m th e more persuaded tha t

these

deaf mutisms

were due to th e signs because

looking no w a t th e question from th e opposite pointof view I mark steady increase of success in

teaching language and disappearance of

deaf

mutisms step y step s I h av e laid aside signs. I m certain signs will always injure language an d

spoken language is s natura l to th e deaf s toourselves when it is s with other children th e onlyme ns of communicat ion presented to them

Two deaf born sisters now c me to me and

believing s I have been taught tha t they were dumb

I made no attempt to gain vocal speech Twelvemo n th s passed and rumours reached me t ha t in


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France and Germany th e deaf born w ere taught to

speak: tha t they had voices. Now, indeed, m yinterest w s awakened. I h ad set before myself th e

go l of restoring m y deaf children to h o m e -life and

society : w h a t could more fully do this than vocal

speech added to th e language of books and writing ?

Inquiry brought to m y knowledge th e Jewish Deafand D u m b Home, then just opened in London by th e

generosity of th e D e Rothschild family Th i s w s

early in 1868 . I applied to th e director fo r instruct ionin th e system b u t could n o t co n sen t to th e condit ions

and r es tr ic ti on s u n d er which alone he offered it to me

I w s again th row n back on m y own resources Iresolved tha t m y pupils should speak with their voices,but how w s I to accomplish m y end ?

Professor Melville Bell h ad shortly before publishedh is Visible Speech Alphabet. I had already gained

knowledge of phonetics on another system u n d er hisinstruction, and I now turned to Visible Speech. Istudied th e symbols I s w they w ere adapted to

milan international congress

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