The Religious Life of LondonRitchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)
Religion
The Religious Life of London
Ritchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)
London (England) -- Religion; Religious thought -- England -- London
In London there are two thousand persons born deaf and dumb. To the
sweet music of speech, whether in the way of conversation or lecture,
grave or gay, or song however sacred and Divine, they are insensible. It
follows almost as a natural consequence that they are mute, that from
their lips can never come the thoughts that breathe and words that burn.
It is almost impossible for us to measure adequately the greatness of
their loss or the depth of their desolation. How in some degree to make
it up to them, to raise them in the scale of being, to teach them to
think, and feel, and learn, and to enable them to communicate to others
the results, is certainly not one of the least praiseworthy of the many
praiseworthy Christian efforts of our day. With this view two courses of
action have been followed. A Jewish school has been established at 44,
Burton Crescent, where the system of teaching by articulation and
lip-reading is pursued. For some time a similar system has been in
successful operation in Rotterdam. As to the merits of the system a warm
dispute has been for a considerable time in progress in America. Its
advocates tell us that when these results shall have been made known, and
the attention of the philanthropist and man of science shall have been
directed to them, the days of the old system of dactylology, or
communication by the aid of fingers, will be numbered. They ask,
triumphantly, What parents will be content that their children shall
continue to communicate their thoughts and wishes by the aid of signs,
when it can be proved to a demonstration that 999 deaf mutes out of every
1000 possess the faculty of speech, and that such faculty can be
successfully utilised? Mr. Isaac tells us, that at Burton Crescent,
after only eighteen months’ instruction, a deaf child who had never
previously uttered a clear sound, recited a verse of the National Anthem
in a way that brought tears into the eyes of many hearers. The questions
are put by the teacher in audible language; and the deaf mute, by aid of
lip-reading—another marvel of the system in which the eye does duty for
the ear—comprehends every question, and gives answers audibly and
distinctly. The Association in aid of the Deaf and Dumb, of which the
Rev. Samuel Smith is the able and indefatigable secretary, are, however,
doubtful of the new system—and certainly lip-reading seems liable to give
facilities for great misapprehension as to the speaker’s meaning—and
prefer to continue the system which the society was organized in 1840 to
teach, and under which it has worked more or less successfully ever
since. Under this system has sprung up a deaf and dumb church-going
public. On Sundays there are five or six places opened for such in
London; on Tuesday evenings there are two, the principal one being held
in the fine old church of St. Lawrence Jewry, near the Guildhall—one of
Sir Christopher Wren’s churches—in which are monuments to Wilkins, the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account