Rhode Island American And Providence Gazette

Deaf and Dumb.—One of the most interesting exhibitions we ever witnessed took place yesterday morning before the General Assembly of this State. Mr Seth Terry, the Secretary of the Directors of the Hartford Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, appeared, at the request of the Legislature, with Mr Clerc, a deaf and dumb instructor at that institution, and two of its pupils; Brown, a young man who had been instructed five years in the institution, and for a year and a half since has followed the trade of a cabinet maker, and Miss Streeter, a modest and remarkably interesting young lady, who had been three years at the institution—both supported there by their native State, New Hampshire. An intelligent young gentleman, Mr Hall, who is now earning $112 1-2 cents in this town as a cigar maker, and who left the Asylum 3 years ago, and two young women, belonging to this town, who have been compelled to leave the Institution for lack of means to support them there, were also present. An address, written in a style of great elegance and touching simplicity, offered by Mr Clerc, was read to the Assembly. Among other beautiful remarks, he described the uneducated Deaf and Dumb, as dwelling in the world, "amid a wilderness of faces and a solitude of hearts." After the address the intellectual attainments of the pupils were tested in a most surprising manner, indicating more mental cultivation and accuracy and closeness of thought than fall to the lot of most persons, of education, in the exercise of all their faculties. The touching and intelligent countenance of Miss Streeter, her fine face, and expressive eyes, with the modesty and self possession which marked her whole demeanor, warmly interested the spectators in her behalf, and convinced us that the beautiful story which we gave in the last American, founded on what we then deemed a romantic affection between a highly accomplished young lady and an equally accomplished Deaf and Dumb youth, might be met with in real life, and was by no means an improbable fiction. We shall hereafter give a more minute account of the examination of the pupils, the object of which was to induce the Legislature to make provision for the education of the unfortunate Deaf and Dumb in this State for which purpose a committee has been appointed. We doubt not that this desirable object will soon be accomplished.