Page:Gallaudet and his school.djvu/6

 thru life without an education. (Children discontinue play and run out; Alice follows.)

Gal.—Have you made no effort to put her to school?

Cogs.—Yes; I thought she might be sent to the public schools as she seems bright; but the superintendent tells me it is impossible. People seem to think the deaf can not be taught.

Gal.—I am sure they are wrong; I was able to make Alice understand the word "hat" and she quickly wrote it after me. There is no doubt that she can learn.

Cogs—But they will not take her in the public schools.

Gal.—Are there no schools for the deaf?

Cogs.—None in this country that I know of. A few years ago a man in Virginia by the name of Thomas Bolling tried to start one but was not successful. He had a deaf brother named John who was probably the first deaf pupil in this country.

Gal.—Why did he give it up?

Cogs.—He employed one John Braidwood, a grandson of Thomas Braidwood, of England, who invented a method of teaching the deaf. But young Braidwood took to drink, squandered funds provided for the school and disappeared and the effort to start a school was abandoned.

Gal.—That was unfortunate. Do you know whether there are really many deaf children? One of your profession probably is informed on this subject.

Cogs.—Quite a few, but rather scattered. There are about 84 in Connecticut; maybe 400 in New England and 2,000 in the whole country at this time.