 |  | ||
 | | | |
 | ||
| | |
 | ||
| | |
 | ||
| | |
 | |||||
Summary of the day's Proceedings – Friday 10th September | |||||
The sitting commenced at 8.50am. After the minutes of the proceedings of the 8th instant had been read - The President said that Abbé Balastra wished to know how many members of the Congress desired to visit his school at Como. It was proposed and approved that letters should be sent to the Mayor, Prefect, and Government, thanking them for their assistance, and to the Committee of Organisation at Paris, represented by M. Vaïsse. It was announced that a second sitting would be held today from 4 to 6 o'clock, and that the Congress would be closed tomorrow after the 12 o'clock sitting.
Signor Fornari (Milan) said that in voting yesterday it was on a point of order, for in Spain, he cordially approved of M. Franck's resolution, especially as M. Franck had been at one time opposed to the Oral Method, but now acknowledged its superiority over the sign system. E. M. Gallaudet (Washington, USA), being about to leave Milan, was permitted by favour to read a paper on the higher education of the deaf and dumb. He said he was of opinion that the deaf-mute, which requiring a higher education, was not in a pleasant position in schools for the hearing, and therefore should be received into special schools. His own college for this purpose was founded in 1849, and Government and was asked for it. The results had been excellent, and he should like to see such institutions in Europe. The President thanked him for the paper, and said that it should be printed. Dr Buxton (London) asked if papers which had been prepared on other subjects would also be printed, and the reply was in the affirmative. M. Hugentobler (Lyon) thought that there was not sufficient number of deaf-mutes to require the foundation of special institutions. Padre Marchio )(Sienna) was of opinion that considering the large number of deaf-mutes wanting even a common education , it has not yet time to think of universities. Mr. Kinsey, referring to a statement made by Dr. Gallaudet, that a number of scholars from the Washington College, having passed in classes, mathematics and sciences, had obtained positions as teachers, asked whether such teachers were not employed in teaching deaf-mutes like themselves. Dr. Gallaudet answered that was so. Mr. Kinsey further remarked that although we were all rejoiced to know that the higher branches of education were not beyond the deaf taught on any system, yet he thought it far more serviceable to the ordinary deaf pupils that he should be placed in a full command of his own language before proceeding to the study of sciences. He would hold a report of Dr. Gallaudet as follows - that "he had felt diffident about conferring a degree on a young man upon his graduating, and was not competent to construct a grammatically correct sentence in his own native language". The President asked for a resolution requesting the Governments of all civilised countries to declare obligatory the elementary education of all deaf-mutes. M. Erbohrn (Bollnas) said that in Sweden and Norway that was already the case. Dr. Treibel (Berlin) said that the time allowed for deaf-mute education was not sufficient, and asked for a vote that schedules should be founded to help and protect deaf-mutes when they leave school. Madame Rosing (Christiania, Norway) mentioned the case of five deaf-mutes educated by the Oral Method at Christiania, who had studied at an university, and afterwards occupied high positions under Government. Mr. Elliott mentioned that in London education had been provided for some of the deaf-mute poor by the School Board, but no help from Government had been given. M. L'Abbé Bourse (Soissons) would ask Government to grant means to institutions for providing adult institutions of an industrial kind. M. L'Abbé Balestra (Como) said that yesterday we called for speech; today we must call for money, money which which moves the world. M. Hugentobler (Lyon) said that deaf-mutes are born with the same faculties as hearing children. they differ from the rest of mankind only when they are taught signs. Moral development is then prevented. Writing should be considered only as a secondary form of communication. Speech must be learnt by practice, not by grammar. M. Claveau, Inspector General of Charitable Institutions in France, spoke in high praise of the work he had witnessed at Bordeaux, and expressed his opinion that women were better fitted than men to undertake the education of the deaf. A resolution was drafted at the suggestion of the President, and submitted to the Congress in the following form -
Considering that a great number of the deaf and dumb are not receiving the benefit of instruction, and that this condition is owing to the "impotence" (impotenza) of families and of institutions, Recommends - That Governments should take the necessary steps that all the deaf and dumb may be educated.
When the sitting was resumed at 5pm, M. Hugentobler (Lyon) read a letter from Dr. Matthins, Director of the Friedbery School, expressing for his absence from the Congress. M. Houdin (Paris) then submitted his resolution. Slight alternations were proposed by the Abbé Balestra, Padre Marchio, and M. Franck. Dr. Treibel (Berlin), proceeded to speak upon question no. 5, sec. 3, saying that from the nature of the German language it was found impossible to dispense with the teaching of grammatical rules in the education of the deaf-mutes. In Germany the practice of not teaching grammar had been tried, with bad results. He thought during the last two years of the course, a full and complete idea of grammar should be given to the pupils. M. Huriot, Director of the National Institution for Deaf-Mutes, Bordeaux, remarked that M. Houdin's resolution was not opposed to the spirit of Dr. Treubet's ideas: grammar should be taught by practice and as occasions present. After a lengthy discussion, in which several verbal amendments were proposed, the sitting was adjourned until the following morning at 8am, when the vote upon M. Houdin's resolution will be taken. | |||||
 | |||||
 | |||||
| |||||
 | |||||
 | |||||
| | | | | |
| ||
| | |
Home I Milan 1880 History I Milan 1880 Congress I Milan Novel I Milan's Hated Links I Speak2Me © Nick Sturley 2005. All Rights Reserved. Website Design: Nick Sturley. | ||
| | |