EDUCATION
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EDUCATION
Europe and more than sixty in America dealing with
questions concerning the deaf. The oldest among the
latter, "The American Annals of the Deaf", edited by
Dr. Fay, is eclectic in its character and as such is tlie
organ of the combined system of instruction. For the
diffusion of the oral method there was founded, in
1899, at Pliiladelphia, a special periodical, " The Asso-
ciation Review", published by the "American Asso-
ciation to Promote the Teaching of Speech to the
Deaf". ^Among the efficient agencies for the promo-
tion of educational work for the deaf must be num-
bered the meetings, congresses, and conferences of su-
perintendents and teachers of the deaf, and of the deaf
themselves. The oldest organization of the kind is
the "Convention of American Instructors of the
Deaf", which met for the first time in New York in
1850, and for the sixteenth time in 1901, at the Le
Couteulx, St. Mary's Institution for the Improved In-
struction of Deaf "Mutes, Buffalo, as the guests of the
Sisters of St. Joseph.
There are also annual meet ings of the " Association to Promote the Teaching of Speech to tlie Deaf " ; meetings of principals and of the Department of Special Educa- tion of the National Association of American Teach- ers. At the invitation of the Right Rev. D. J. O'Con- nell. Rector of the CathoUc University of America, all persons interested In the education of Catholic deaf- mutes met in July, 1907, at Milwaukee, simultane- ously with the Catholic Educational Association, and organized the Catholic Deaf-Mute Conference. The conference is a powerful factor in enlisting the co- operation of bishops, priests, and laymen in ameliora- ting the educational condition of the Catholic deaf. The deaf themselves, also, at stated times, hold State and national conventions. Such meetings are carried on in the sign language, which, because visible to a large audience, is best adapted for public addresses, ser- mons, etc. Whenever at these meetings the deaf touch upon educational topics, they take occasion to manifest their strong protest against pure oralism in the schools, and their unequivocal adherence to the sign-language and the combined system of education. In the United States deaf-mutes are entitled to a share in the school fund, and special boarding and day schools are provided for them. Most of the institu- tions are controlled by trustees appointed by the State. The term of instruction is from seven to twelve years.
Actual Conditions — According to the subjoined statistics, compiled from the "American Annals of the Deaf" for 1907, there are 60 public State schools, 60 public day-schools, and 17 denominational and private schools, making in all 139 schools for the deaf in the United States, having an attendance of 11,648 pupils — 6317 boys and 5331 girls— 1552 in- structors— 471 men and lOSl women. Out of the total number of 139 schools for the deaf, there are 13 Catholic schools with the following enrolment: St. Joseph's School for the Deaf, Oakland, California, 39; Ephpheta School for the Deaf, Chicago, Illinois, 72; Institute of the Holy Rosary, Chincuba, Louisiana, 37; St. Francis Xavier's School, Baltimore, Maryland, 35; Boston School for the Deaf. Randolph, Massachu- setts, 93; Mater Boni Consilii School, St. Louis, Mis- souri, 40; St. Joseph's School, Longwood, Missouri, 20; Notre Dame School, Cincinnati, Ohio, 12; St. John's Institute, St. Francis, Wisconsin, 71; St. Joseph's Schools, 3, NewYork City, 417; Le Couteulx, St. Mary's School, Buffalo, New York, 176— making in all 1002 deaf pupils in Catholic schools. It will be noticed that, in the four Catholic schools for the deaf in the State of New York, which has a deaf population of about 10,000, there are .593 children cared for; and that, in nine schools scattered throughout the remain- ing portion of the United States, where there is a deaf population eight times as great as that of the State of New York, only 409 are provided for. If all the
States were as generous as New York in caring for its
deaf children, there should be, if adequate facilities
were provided, 4744 children in Catholic schools for
the deaf outside of the State of New York.
With the exception of the New York institutions for the deaf, the other Catholic institutions are almost entirely dependent upon the charity of religious sister- hoods. Pupils of all denominations are admitted, the only requirements for admission being a sound mind and good morals. Good work has been done by these devoted sisters for Church and State, and their gradu- ates are respected and self-supporting citizens; but, as they carry on their schools with little support from without, the number of pupils is necessarily small. The pupils are for the most part girls, and, because there is no male community in the LTnited States, as there is in Canada and Europe, to take charge of the deaf-mute boys, these are obliged, with very few ex- ceptions, to attend State or public day-schools.
The celebrated school for the deaf at Cabra, near Dublin, Ireland, has two departments. The St. Joseph's School for boys is under the care of Christian Brothers, and the St. Mary's School for girls is in charge of Dominican nuns. It was established in the year 1846 by Archbishop Murray of Dublin. The patrons of the institution are the archbishops and bishops of Ireland, the president of the management being the Archbishop of Dublin. Without govern- ment grant, the school has attained a foremost rank among educational institutions for the deaf. Accord- ing to the report for May, 1900, there were 518 pupils under instruction, — 260 boys and 258 girls. Indus- trial training suited to the age and capacity of the children, and so necessary for the deaf, forms an im- portant part in the educational system of the school.
The institutions for the deaf in the United States, during the last decade, show a marked increase in the number of day-schools. This is due to the strong in- fluence of the defenders of the oral method, who, for their purpose, consider such schools superior to board- ing-schools. The conscientious duty of Catholic par- ents to withdraw their afflicted children from State boarding-schools that have proved so dangerous to faith, has also influenced the establishment of day- schools. Until boarding-schools are provided, the day-school, notwithstanding its many inconveniences, is preferable for the Catholic deaf-mute child, so that it may not be deprived of religious home influence. Until 1870, the schools for the deaf established in the United States were almost entirely boarding-schools.
Deaf-Blind. — There are some individuals who are not only deaf but also blind, and not a few who are deaf, mute, and blind. Wonderful results have been produced in the education of this afflicted class during the last half-century, as is evidenced in the case of Laura Bridgeman, taught by Dr. Howe; Helen A. Keller, educated by Miss Annie Sullivan; Clarence Selby, poet and author, taught by Sister Dosithea of the Le Couteulx, St. Mary's Institution, Buffalo, New York, and Lottie Sullivan, educated by Mrs. G. W. Veditz of the Colorado School, and instructed for her first Holy Communion by the Sisters of St. Joseph in St. Louis. About forty more remarkable cases are known in the ITnited States and Canada (see " Ameri- can Annals of the Deaf", June, 1900). It is evident that a teacher of this class must be strong in the power of inventing means for the attaining of results, and of utilizing the unimpaired faculties as indirect ways of communication between the imprisoned soul and the outer world. Usually they are taught the manual alphabet, and made to understand that objects have names, and that by these names, recognized in raised print or by spelling on the fingers, objects can be des- ignated. So delicate is their sense of touch that, like Helen Keller, they can, by feeling the movements of the vocal organs in the production of speech, be taught to speak and even to read the speech of others.
