Page:Vocal Speech for the Dumb.djvu/19

Rh taught communicate, not with their fellow-pupils and teachers only, but with their hearing fellow–creatures also.

Remembering the three classes called. 'deaf and dumb' in this country, let us take a few examples, all of which, came under our personal notice, unless mentioned to the contrary. In these cases names and dates will not be specified, but they are at the service of any person who chooses to ask for them for the purpose of proving the accuracy of the statements contained in this paper.

I will not weary you with cases of the semi-deaf speaking, because it must be evident to all, that this class—having hearing, although not sufficient to enable them to be educated with hearing children—have ear enough to understand to a certain extent the modulations of sound. We will pass on, therefore, to the next class, the semi-mute.

The first case we will take is that of one of the daughters of a gentleman who, through his kindness to us, has become a great personal friend of my own. As soon as he heard the object of our journey, and that our child was deaf, he spared neither pains, time, nor personal exertion to help us in this matter.

His child had lost hearing, from fever, between four and five years of age. At that time there were no schools in his country on this admirable 'German.' system; but the parents, convinced of the advantage of this method, made themselves acquainted with the details of instruction, which were successfully carried out in the person of their own child, as you will acknowledge when I tell you that she was able to go into shops in Germany and get