Chapter IV: Part 4

Meckel says that in the families of tradespeople, who are constantly exposed to a damp unhealthy atmosphere or other injurious influences, deaf-mutism occurs most frequently. Moreover, Meckel has found that deaf-mutism is more frequently met with in flour-mills than elsewhere. Among 990 millers in Nassau, there were found eight deaf mutes, or one deaf mute to 123.7.

A DEAF AND DUMB BOY NOT AFRAID TO DIE.

Bernard Grimshaw, a little deaf and dumb boy, lay seriously ill in the sick ward of an Institution, and was asked, "Would you be afraid to die?" "No! because Christ has taken away the sting of death, if we believe in Him that He died for us; and we should not be afraid of death, if we believe in Him that He died for us; and we should not be afraid of death because He has promised to give eternal life to all believers."

"What do you consider the best thing you have been taught, since coming to the Deaf and Dumb Institution?" "I have learned about God and His beloved Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible. That is best."

A DEAF AND DUMB SEXTON ROBBED.

George E. Fischer, the deaf and dumb sexton of the St. Mary's Avenue Congregational Church, put out the lights and started for his boarding house at 10 o'clock at night. He had gone but a short distance from the church when he was pounced upon by unknown persons, who approached from behind and knocked him down. After striking him another blow the fellow went through his pockets, taking every cent he had. Fischer is a hard-working man, but is in poor health, and will feel the loss heavily.--_Omaha World, May 24th, 1886._

ACUTENESS OF EDUCATED DEAF MUTES.

One evening the senior class of girls and boys in a School for the deaf and dumb were invited to put any questions they wished to the Teacher; amongst others, the following (which show considerable acuteness and reflection) were proposed to him:--Who made God? Were there any angels before the world was made? Before the world was made, how was God eternal? Do you know, are there houses in the moon which people inhabit? Do you think the dwellers in the moon have got the sin as well as ourselves? Will there be a new world when this is burnt up? How do you know the scriptures to be the word of God? Do the angels know when the last day will come?

A RUSSIAN DEAF AND DUMB YOUTH'S REPLY.

A young Russian, of great talents, though deaf and dumb, who had been to a Deaf and Dumb Institution to be taught, with a view to become the master of a similar Institution in Russia, was asked the difference between intelligence and discernment? He said "Intelligence is a faculty, by which we distinguish good and evil, what is useful and what hurtful. I think discernment is the faculty of distinguishing the greater and less degrees of good and evil."

THE AGE OF DEAF MUTES.

The question is frequently asked, "Is there a greater mortality among the deaf mutes than there is among the total population?"

The statistics so far published, on the whole, show a somewhat greater mortality among the deaf and dumb than that among the total population.

It may, however, be stated that the deaf and dumb having to labour under greater difficulties, generally succumb more easily in the struggle for existence than their more favoured fellow-creatures.

In Bavaria, in 1871, there were 4,348 deaf mutes; 557 of these were between 31 and 40 years of age; 556 between 41 and 50; and 852 were 50 years and upwards. In Prussia there were 23,579; of these 3,057 were between 31 and 40 years of age; 2,540 between 41 and 50; and 3,609 were 50 years and upwards. In 1883, the North Midland Counties of England had 705 deaf and dumb: 148 of these were under 5 years of age; 83 were 15 years; 81 were 20 years; 227 were 25 years; 127 were 45 years; and 39 were 65 years and upwards.

DEAF MUTES IN THE TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Wilhelmi tried to ascertain by means of his statistics in what proportion deaf mutism occurred in towns and in the country, and found that it preponderated in the country.

--------------------------------+------------+--------------------
| Deaf Mutes.| Deaf Mutes among
| | 10,000 Inhabitants.
--------------------------------+------------+--------------------
In Magdeburgh { In the Towns | 181 | 5.2
{ In the Country | 338 | 6.7
In Erfurt { In the Towns | 81 | 5.4
{ In the Country | 186 | 8.5
In Pomerania { In the Towns | 378 | 8.3
{ In the Country | 1259 | 12.8
--------------------------------+------------+--------------------

COMPARATIVE NUMBERS OF THE SEXES OF DEAF MUTES.

In all countries where statistics have been compiled, the number of male deaf mutes exceeds that of the female. In 1871 there were in Prussia 12,736 male and 10,843 female deaf mutes. In England and Wales in 1883 there were 4,408 male and 3,280 female deaf mutes. In Staffordshire 264 males and 217 females. In Leicestershire 64 males and 50 females. In Lincolnshire 112 males and 93 females. In Nottinghamshire 96 males and 75 females; and in Derbyshire 121 males and 88 females.

PROBABLE NUMBERS OF THE DEAF & DUMB.

There is an increasing desire on the part of the various Governments of the world to give information likely to be useful to the instructors of the deaf and dumb, but it has been proved beyond doubt that the Census returns in many cases are not altogether reliable, the numbers being considerably understated. The following Table by Hartman, compiled from the various census returns, shows the per centage to the population:--

EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.
-----------------------+---------+------------+---------+-------------
| Date of | Total | No. of | Deaf Mutes
| Statis- | Population.| Deaf | among 10,000
| tics. | | Mutes. | Inhabitants.
-----------------------+---------+------------+---------+-------------
1 Germany | 1877 | 39,862,133 | 38,489 | 9.66
2 France | 1872 | 36,102,921 | 22,610 | 6.26
3 Great Britain | | | |
and Ireland | 1871 | 31,631,212 | 18,152 | 5.70
4 Italy | 1871 | 26,413,132 | 19,385 | 7.34
5 Austria | 1869 | 20,394,980 | 19,701 | 9.66
6 Hungary | 1870 | 15,417,327 | 20,699 | 13.43
7 Spain | 1860 | 15,658,531 | 10,905 | 6.96
8 Belgium | 1858 | 4,529,560 | 1,989 | 4.39
9 Netherlands | 1869 | 3,575,080 | 1,119 | 3.35
10 Sweden | 1870 | 4,168,525 | 4,266 | 10.23
11 Norway | 1865 | 1,701,756 | 1,569 | 9.22
12 Switzerland | 1870 | 2,669,147 | 6,544 | 24.52
13 Denmark | 1870 | 1,864,496 | 1,156 | 6.20
-----------------------+---------+------------+---------+-------------

NON EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.
-----------------------+---------+------------+---------+-------------
1 United States of | | | |
America | 1870 | 38,558,371 | 16,205 | 4.20
2 Argentine Republic | 1870 | 1,743,199 | 6,626 | 38.07
3 British Colonies | | | |
in N. America | 1871 | 583,535 | 470 | 8.05
4 In the West Indies | 1871 | 905,730 | 690 | 7.62
5 In Africa | 1871 | 330,460 | 529 | 16.01
6 In Australia | 1871 | 305,730 | 56 | 1.83
-----------------------+---------+------------+---------+-------------

In Prussia (1875) the Census showed a population of 24,604,351, the number of the deaf and dumb being 24,315, or 9.9 to 10,000 of the population. In India there are, it is said, over 200,000 deaf mutes. The total number in the world is supposed to be over 700,000.

KING GEORGE IV. & THE DEAF & DUMB BOY.

When King George IV. visited Ireland a deaf and dumb boy determined to send a letter to His Majesty. The following extracts taken from this characteristic letter will be interesting:

"Wednesday, 4th July, 1821.

"My dear George,--I hope I will see you when you come here to
see the deaf and dumb boys and girls; I am very sorry that you
never did come here to see them.

"I will be very glad to see you, if you will come here often to
see me. Did you ever see the deaf and dumb in London? You must
write a letter to me soon. Would you like to see me at
Claremont? I could not go to London, because there is too much
money to pay to the captain of a ship for me.

"Do you know Grammar, Geography, Bible, Arithmetic, Astronomy,
and Dictionary? I know them very little. I am very delighted
that I am improving much. Perhaps I will be an assistant of the
Deaf and Dumb School. Where were you born? Would you like to
correspond with me? I would be very fond of you. You ought to
write a long letter to me soon. What profession are you of? I
never saw you; I am very, very anxious to see you indeed, and
would like to see the King of England very much.

"Will you send us some deaf and dumb children, and give us
money to pay for educating them.

"I am, your affectionate friend,
"THOMAS COLLINS."

The answer was as follows:--

"To Thomas Collins, Deaf and Dumb Institution, Claremont,
Glasnevin, near Dublin.

"Sir Benjamin Bloomfield is commanded by the King to present to
Thomas Collins ten pounds for being a good boy."

"Phoenix Park, 3rd Sep., 1821."

With these ten pounds the boy was afterwards apprenticed to a printer.

POOR SAM TRANTER.

The lot of the _uneducated_ deaf and dumb in this world is a pitiable one, and their isolation is keenly felt. Often have we seen some of this portion of suffering humanity unable to plead for themselves, or tell their tale of woe or hardship. Such was the condition of poor Sam Tranter. Though Sam was never in a Deaf and Dumb Institution, his skill and plans for worldly prospects were extraordinary. In his boyhood he was left friendless and uncared for, but persuaded a shoemaker to give him work, at which poor Sam was fairly successful; owing, however, to the man's ill treatment he had to leave, and, to save himself from starving, went in the workhouse. After a brief stay he again went forth to try his hand as a shoeblack, and after various attempts to shift for himself, he began to master difficulties by wonderful energy and perseverance, and there is no doubt had the poor fellow been properly taught in a Deaf and Dumb Institution, he would have risen in life. After a time Sam commenced selling cockles, mussels, and oysters.

From a small beginning he increased, and in course of time he took a shop, and employed five women, at which he said he had made as much as £20 some weeks. Owing, however, to his lack of education, the poor fellow was continually robbed, and eventually got into trouble through debt, and was worried with summonses; hence his failure as a cockle and oyster merchant. He then took a stall, and afterwards a shop for the sale of gingerbread, &c.; this was also doomed to failure. He then tried street-hawking with a barrow, to keep himself from the workhouse; but this also failed, and his barrow was seized for debt.

Poor Sam was again penniless, friendless, and homeless, which compelled him once more to seek refuge in the Union, where he afterwards died after great suffering, at the age of 60 years. His remains were followed to the grave by a few deaf and dumb friends. Poor Sam might have said with David "Whilst I would do good evil is present with me."

FAITH COMETH BY HEARING.

A deaf and dumb Lady said that the first time she went to church after she was impressed with the truths of christianity, she saw over the pulpit the words "Faith cometh by hearing," which caused her great unhappiness; for, she thought, that as she had no hearing she could never have faith. Shortly after, however, she saw this text in the Bible, and observed that it was followed by "and hearing by the Word of God," which gave her so much delight, as shewing her a way in which it was possible for faith to come even to her, that she clasped the Bible to her heart.

MASSIEU.

One of the best educated and most distinguished deaf mutes was Massieu, who gave the following remarkable replies to questions put to him by various friends:--

"What is hearing?" "Hearing," said he, "is auricular sight." Another party asked him whether he made any distinction between a conqueror and a hero? "Arms and soldiers made a conqueror; courage of heart a hero. Julius Caesar was the hero of the Romans; Napoleon the hero of Europe," was the answer he wrote on the blackboard, without hesitation.

In reply to the following questions, he instantly wrote answers. "What is hope?" "Hope is the blossom of happiness." "What is happiness?" "Happiness is pleasure that ceaseth not; and misfortune is grief that endeth not." "What is the difference between hope and desire?" "Desire is a tree in leaf; hope is a tree in flower; and enjoyment is a tree in fruit." Another pupil standing by wrote, in reply to the same question, "Desire is the inclination of the heart; hope is a confidence of the mind." A stranger asked Massieu, "What difference do you think there is between God and nature?" His reply was "God is the first maker, the Creator of all things. The first beings all came out of His divine breast; He has said to the first beings, ye shall make the second; to the second ye shall make the third beings; His wills are laws; His laws are nature."

"What is time?" "A line that has two ends, a path that begins in the cradle and ends in the tomb." "What is eternity?" "A day without yesterday or to-morrow, a line that has no end." "What is God?" "The necessary being, the sun of eternity, the mechanist of nature, the eye of justice, the watch-maker of the universe, the soul of the world." The deceptive and acute question, "Does God reason?" was put to him, it is said, by Sir James Macintosh, Massieu at once wrote, "Man reasons because he doubts; he deliberates, he decides; God is omniscient; He knows all things; He never doubts; He therefore never reasons."

Lucien Buonaparte once asked Massieu, "What is laziness or idleness?" "It is a disgust from useful occupation; a disinclination to do anything; from which result indigence, want of cleanliness and misery, disease of body and the contempt of others." In writing this answer the gestures and looks of Massieu were in perfect accordance with the ideas that might be supposed to exist with him and the words he was writing. When he had finished the last word he turned round, and then his whole person, with his countenance and his eyes, exhibited one of the justest pantomimic representations of laziness which it is possible to conceive. After he had a moment dwelt upon this personification, which his fancy suggested to him, he made an expressive transition to the looks and manners of a person filled with that dread and abhorrence which the idea of laziness should ever inspire.

GRACE ANNABLE.

Grace Annable was deaf, dumb, and blind, and although her form and features were well proportioned, she was a great sufferer from constitutional weakness; yet her temper was mild and affectionate. Strange to say, Grace was a capital nurse, and was much attached to several very young children, some being mere babies; in order to ascertain whether they were crying, she would pass her hand most carefully over the mouth and eyes, and soothe their little distresses with all the care and success of a talkative nurse. Grace was fond of fruit, and would beat the pears and apples from the trees, and could select the best with as much judgment as if she had been possessed with the sense of sight.

She frequently went in a field to gather wild flowers, to which she was directed by the pleasantness of their odour. Her sense of smelling was remarkably exquisite, and appeared to be an additional guide to her fingers. Grace would feel and admire ornaments, etc., and would never break or injure the most brittle things even in a strange room.

A gentleman once made several experiments with her in order to test for himself her reported abilities, and expressed great surprise that one thus afflicted should be able to accomplish so much. Grace has, after a patient life, passed away into that land where deafness and dumbness is for ever unknown.

A DEAF AND DUMB BOY AND HIS BROTHER.

Brownlow Harrison, a bright little boy who had spent a few years in the school for the deaf and dumb, was watching with great earnestness for his father, who was to fetch him home for the summer vacation.

Brownlow had made unusual progress during the last half-year; this he himself knew, and made him intensely anxious that his younger brother, who was also deaf and dumb, should be admitted as a pupil in the Institution. Brownlow himself at once wrote to the Committee as follows:--"When I was at home I was ignorant, and I don't know about God; but I am now taught about religion, and it is wonderful; I will be taught before I leave school. My dear brother cannot read, and he cannot understand; I wish he will come to school, for he don't know about God and angels, and all things good or bad. I am afraid he will grow wicked if he is not taught. I will feel thankful to the gentlemen to send my deaf brother to school."

FRANCIS CARTER, PRINTER,
IRON GATE WORKS,
DERBY.

Transcriber's Note:

In the anecdote entitled "DEAF, DUMB, BLIND, AND LAME," the character is named once as David and once as John in the original text. This discrepancy has not been changed.

Punctuation and alternative spellings have been retained as they appear in the original text.