An address delivered in the Capitol, in Washington City, February 16th, 1828, at an exhibition of three of the pupils of the Pennsylvania Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb / by Lewis Weld.

  • Weld, Lewis, 1796-1853.
Date:
1828
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An address delivered in the Capitol, in Washington City, February 16th, 1828, at an exhibition of three of the pupils of the Pennsylvania Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb / by Lewis Weld. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    receive and educate a pretty large number at a rate much less in proportion than a small one, and be quite as likely or more so, to give them the best advantages. Such an institution can readily furnish mechanical and other proper employments for ihe poor among its pupils; and thus by giving them industrious habits, and a knowledge of some proper occupation, may pre- pare them for usefulness immediately upon leaving it. It must be evident, that an institution could not exist in each state of the Union, even if one were established; for, after eight or ten years, when the annual increase, only are to be taught, it could not have pupils enough to furnish employment for a teacher. Let us suppose that six institutions were endowed, properly located and provided with instructors; and also,4hat the whole number of deaf-mutes which probably existed among the whites of the United States in the year 18£0, namely, three thousand Hine hundred and thirty-five, should in the course of ten suc- cessive years be offered to them. There would be about three hundred and ninety-four for them all, or about sixty-six for each, annually. If the course of instruction continued five years, the uhole number of pupils in each institution, would be three hundred and thirty; but all the facts we can collect, tend to* prove, that this estimate is by far two large, for deductions are to be made for disease, idiocy^ accident and death; to each of which evils, this class of people are no less liable than others. Age too, at the present time, would make another deduction, though this will eventually cease to operate, because all may be received at the proper age. On the whole it appears, that in a population of a million, afier making all due allowances, about sixteen only, will annu- ally become suitable subjects for instruction. Taking the whole population of the United States at twelve millions, we find in- cluded six thousand deaf-mutes, giving by previous estimates an annual number of two hundred for instruction. These might be divided among the six institutions supposed. The New England states all unite in patronizing one institu- tion; and it is capable of demonstration, that it is much cheaper for the state of Maine, for example, to send her pupils to Cen-