more and more marked unless special means are used to combat it. The possession of a verbal language in place of a language of gesture, particularly if that language is used in the form of articulate speech, even though artificially taught, and the ability to lip-read and the habit of looking to the face of the speaker for what is being said all tend to lessen the abnormality induced by their affliction and to render the deaf more capable of taking their part in the workshop and the environment of their home in later life, than a specialized form of instruction such as finger-spelling or signing, known only to those expert in that means of communication.
The general recognition of this fact has led during the past half- century to an almost complete change from silent to oral meth- ods in the majority of schools, both in Europe and America, though there were still in 1921 a few schools on both sides of the water where silent methods were adhered to, or where they formed the basis of ordinary means of intercourse, so that the oral work of the teachers was considerably nullified by the daily usage. A proportion, too, of deaf children in the schools is incapable of acquiring speech and a verbal language of sufficient range to be of practical use, either on account of poor intelligence, poor sight, lack of interest or general incapacity, whilst in some cases this incapability is induced by the lateness above mentioned at which the children begin their educa- tion, so that it is impossible to overcome the " signing " habit and to substitute for it an intricate verbal language. This has led to a demand for a classification of the pupils of the schools for the deaf in order to secure for them that form of the education for which they are mentally and physically best fitted.
The discussion of the Danish system of classification of schools for the deaf at the international conference in Edinburgh in 1907 gave an impetus to this question in England, and after careful considera- tion of the question by teachers in London, and at the general conferences, it has now become an accepted principle that, in order to secure an advance in the success of the oral methods, and to give each child the best educational opportunity of which it is capable, the varying types of deaf children should be segregated into separate schools and institutions and only one method employed in any one school.- A similar conclusion has been reached in American schools. At the meeting in 1920 of superintendents and principals of American schools for the deaf, Principal Jones, the head of one of the largest " combined " schools in the States, made the following statement:
" If I interpret the sentiment of the profession, and those in- terested in the deaf, correctly, it is that speech and speech-reading cannot be developed to the fullest extent of which they are capable in a congregated combined school. In a combined school there is always that lack of practice which makes it usable and effective. This, therefore, reduces to the lowest value all the efforts of the school and its hardworking teachers. The only remedy that I can see, after many years of laborious struggle to overcome it, is to separate the orally and manually taught children for as many years of their school life as is necessary to fix the speech habit."
Steps in this direction have been taken by the segregation of all backward and mentally and physically defective deaf children from the L.C.C. schools for the deaf to the residential school at Homerton (London), which in 1921 was about to be removed to new premises at Penn, Bucks., and by the establishment of Clyne House for the backward deaf at Manchester. At Homerton the combination of other defects, such as total or partial blindness, with deafness presents unique conditions for the study of psychological problems in conjunction with physiological abnormalities. The gradual re- moval of all younger pupils from the big institutions for the deaf has also been in operation, and the extension of the British Govern- ment regulations allowing children to be received from the age of " two " upwards will no doubt give an impetus to the establishment of infant and nursery schools for the deaf, where those " early begin- nings of speech which come more easily to the young child " may have full play.
Provision of this kind had already, by 1921, been made at the Manchester, Doncaster and Margate institutions, at the Fitzroy Square (London), Mpseley Road, Birmingham, and several L.C.C. day schools, to receive these younger children. The removal of partial-hearing and hard-of-hearing cases from the schools was also extended, and increased accommodation was being made for their special treatment, usually in connexion with one of the ordi- nary elementary schools. Classes have been established in Glasgow, Bristol, London and elsewhere, so that these children might not need to be brought into contact with the ordinary deaf-mute child. In these schools some amount of acoustic training is given, either by means of appliances or by the human voice alone, and the child is taught to supplement his partial hearing by " speech-reading," so that any hiatus caused by his lack of hearing may be overcome by his recognition of the spoken word on the lips. The children at- tend the ordinary school classes for such subjects as drawing, singing, etc., in which their partial deafness does not prevent their receiving the benefit of the instruction, whilst their association with the normal type of child prevents the growth of idiosyncrasies which might tend to increase their abnormality.
By a modification of the terms of Government regulations the State has now become responsible for 50% of the cost of the educa- tion of deaf children incurred by local authorities, and the remainder usually falls on the local rates, parents contributing towards the
cost of " maintenance " of the children (as apart from education; such sums as may be assessed by the local authorities, or, in the case of dispute, as may be fixed by magistrate's order. Thus the last vestige of the need of charity for the education of the deaf has been removed.
The Board of Education in England extended its regulations in 1920 to allow for the payment of grants for the training of young persons beyond the age of 16 in preparation for a trade who had pre- viously been taught in a special school for the blind or deaf. This would enable certain advanced courses of instruction in technical knowledge to receive grants, which had hitherto been entirely sup- ported by private means such as the J. E. Jones Trade School for the Deaf at Manchester. No attempt had yet been made to estab- lish a school for the higher education of the deaf, though the matter had been repeatedly endorsed as a desirable end to the educational effort for this class in Great Britain.
The organization of a course of training at the university of Man- chester for teachers of the deaf was rendered possible by the generous- benefaction of Sir James E. Jones, who endowed the Ellis Llwyd Jones lectureship in the teaching of the deaf and founded the Ellis Llwyd Jones Hostel as a hall of residence for women students. Thus for the first time in the history of the education of the deaf the work became part of the work of an ordinary university. Bursarships have been established by various schools for the deaf and education authorities, to enable students to take advantage of the training thus provided.
A liberal grant has been made by the Carnegie trustees to the university to establish a library of deaf education, and this is housed in a room in the Christie Library at the university, where the books can be consulted by students and others interested in the question on application to the library authorities.
The establishment in London in 1911 of the National Bureau for Promoting the General Welfare of the Deaf was a step of the greatest importance. The famous " Volta Bureau," established in Washing- ton, D.C., by Dr. Graham Bell, with the money he received from the " Volta "prize for the invention of the telephone, is well known, and it is confidently expected that this National Bureau, founded through the generosity of Mr. Leo Bonn, will do for Great Britain even more than its American predecessor. Full particulars of the 60 schools and institutions for the deaf, the 60 or 70 missions to the adult deaf, and the 15 or 16 large organizations, all interested in the advancement of the deaf in various ways, have been filed at the bureau, and the council consists of representatives of every organiza- tion working on behalf of this afflicted class, both in child and adult life. The main objects of the bureau are: I (centralization), to get into touch with and promote cooperation between all existing agencies; 2 (information), to collect, classify, and disseminate in- formation; 3 (investigation), to promote investigation. Statistics and particulars relating to every existing agency and institution working for the deaf in the United Kingdom have been collected and published by the bureau in a useful form, and these will be kept up to date as changes occur. When public bodies and private in- dividuals realize that complete and accurate information on all matters connected with the deaf may be obtained through the bureau, it will become a " clearing-house " for this branch of effort.
Unfortunately, the outbreak of the World War occurred just as this bureau was becoming recognized as a valuable asset, and owing to the depreciation of its resources it had not been able by 1921 to resume the activities it was so ably carrying on in its early years. Under the auspices of the bureau, Dr. J. Kerr Love gave a series of lectures in London on " The Causes and Prevention of Deafness." These lectures have been published, and contain some definite suggestions for the prevention of deafness both congenital and ac- quired by the notification and treatment of certain diseases as well as a full inquiry into the causes of hereditary deafness in Britain and America.
During the war special work for the deaf met with the same difficulties in Great Britain as beset every other branch of social effort. As a class the deaf were unable to take active part in military service, though here and there a few individuals managed to pass the medical tests and joined the Forces. Several attempts were made by bodies of deaf men in London, Liverpool and elsewhere to form volunteer units for service in some non-combatant capacity, but it was found impossible to secure recognition, probably owing to the great pressure with which the organizing officers of the army were working, and the matter languished for want of support. The fact that a number of deaf men went out with private firms and did useful work with hut building, etc., showed that there might have been useful units organized for this type of service if there had been time and inclination on the part of the officers to get them established. The great demand for labour of all kinds during the war brought about an unprecedented demand for the labour of the deaf members of the community in civil life, and for several years there was a greater appreciation of their economic value than had ever been accorded before. Unfortunately, with the general trade depression following the war there ensued a corresponding amount of unemployment, in which the deaf suffered in the same way as the hearing. The religious and social organizations working in behalf of the deaf also felt the lack of support which was being experienced by all charitable organizations up to 1921. With the exception of
