Mr. Gallaudet remained at the head of the institution till 1830, introducing from time to time improvements upon the system of Sicard, especially in the more thorough intellectual and moral development of his pupils,* and by his energy, tact, and skill, so elevating the character of the asylum that it was regarded by the European institutions as a model school, and in 1823 the directors of the Birmingham school, England, (one of those from which Mr. Gallaudet had been excluded in 1815,) invited Mr. William C. Woodbridge, one of Mr. Gallaudet's assistant instructors, to take charge of their school, so fully had they become convinced of its superiority to their own.

The cares, anxieties, and labors connected with the management of such an institution proved too severe for Mr. Gallaudet's health, which had always been delicate, and in 1830 he resigned his post, and was succeeded by Lewis Weld, Esq., a former assistant, but at that time the principal of the Pennsylvania Institution. He continued, however, one of the directors until his death, in 1851.

Mr. Gallaudet is justly entitled to the credit of having done more for the cause of deaf-mute instruction in this country than any other man. In the organization of the American Asylum, in the wise development and improvement of the methods of the Abbé Sicard, in the thoroughly systematic arrangements of the plan of instruction, and in the deeply religious tone of his character and teachings, he was preeminently fitted for the work to which he was called. But we have neither the space nor the ability to do justice to the character of this truly good man. Happily, that pleasing duty has been performed by a far abler pen, and in a manner which leaves little to be said.†

Most ably was Mr. Gallaudet seconded in all his efforts for the deaf mute by his faithful friend and associate, Laurent Clerc, who, after more than forty years of service in Europe and America, still, in a

Mr. Gallaudet introduced at a very early period the practice of conducting the devotional exercises in the sign language, which has since been adopted in most of the institutions in this country and England.

Tribute to Gallaudet, by Henry Barnard, LL.D. Hartford, 1852.

lief of his mute friends. To him many of the deaf mute institutions in the country are indebted for the thorough training of their superintendents. His life has been one of constant toil for the good of his fellow-men, and while his whitened locks and infirm step remind us that ere long he too, the last living link which connects the instruction of the deaf and dumb in the two hemispheres, shall pass away, that the genial countenance and the loving heart which animates it, shall be borne away to the land of forgetfulness, we cannot but feel that heaven will be the richer and earth the poorer for his departThe toils of these pioneers in the instruction of the deaf and dumb have not been expended upon ungrateful hearts.

ure.

On the 20th of September, 1850, deaf mutes from most of the Northern and several of the Southern states assembled at the American Asylum to put in execution a design conceived by one of their number, and promptly responded to by the rest; the presentation of two services of plate, the one to Mr. Gallaudet, the other to Mr. Clerc. The exercises on the occasion were deeply interesting, and must have forcibly reminded the recipients of the time thirty-three years previous, when they commenced their labors with six poor ignorant children, the first pupils of a deaf and dumb school in this country. Little did those who thus assembled think that in one year from that time the form of their beloved teacher, Gallaudet, would be laid in the grave.

But their love for him did not cease with his death. That noble monument, which adorns the grounds of the asylum, was designed and reared by the graduates of the asylum he founded.

The monument consists of a platform and plinth, both of Quincy granite, a marble base, and die of four panels, the south one containing an exquisitely sculptured bas-relief representing Mr. Gallaudet teaching the manual alphabet to a group of children; the name Gallaudet in the letters of the manual alphabet is inscribed on the north panel; the east panel has the following inscription:

THOMAS HOPKINS GALLAUDET, LL.D., Born in Philadelphia, December 10, 1787; Died in Hartford, September 10, 1851, Aged Sixty-four Years;

And the west the following:

Erected to the Memory of

REV. THOMAS HOPKINS GALLAUDET, LL.D.,
By the Deaf and Dumb of the United States,
As a Testimonial of profound grati-
tude to their earliest and best

friend and benefactor.

The die is surmounted by a cap, upon which rests the base of the column, which rises to the height of eleven feet. Upon the south side of the column, surrounded by radii, is the Syrian word, "Ephphatha." The band which connects the two blocks of the main column is encircled with a wreath of ivy, the type of immortality; and the column itself is crowned with an ornate capital, surmounted by a globe. The whole height of the monument is twenty feet and six inches. It is inclosed

with a handsome iron fence with granite posts. The completion of this monument was celebrated on the 26th of September, 1854, by appropriate exercises and addresses. The principal address was by Professor Clerc, Mr. Gallaudet's early coadjutor, and embraced a eulogy on the deceased. Three hundred and ninety deaf mutes from sixteen different states were present on the occasion.

Mr. Lewis Weld, who was unanimously elected principal of the asylum on the resignation of Mr. Gallaudet, in 1830, had been one of the earliest instructors in the institution, and for eight years previous to his election as principal of the American Asylum had presided with distinguished ability over the Pennsylvania Asylum. Fully imbued with Mr. Gallaudet's spirit and methods of teaching, and possessing a high degree of ability

and tact in the management of the institution, its career under his twenty-three years' superintendence was one of constant progress toward perfection.

Mr. Weld was a graduate of Yale College, and had chosen the clerical profession; but, being called at the close of his college course to act as an instructor of deaf mutes, he soon became convinced that a door of usefulness as wide as the ministry was offered to him in the intellectual and moral training of the deaf and dumb, and when once convinced of the path of duty, he adhered to it with that unwavering firmness which constituted a marked trait in his character.

lum, with a view of extending still further the course of instruction by the organization of the Gallaudet High Class in 1852, and the reception of younger pupils in | 1855.

After suffering for several years from enfeebled health, during which period it had required the exertion of great fortitude and a most resolute will to perform his duties, Mr. Weld resigned his office early in December, 1853, and on the 30th of the same month his sufferings were terminated by death.

On his resignation, the present principal, the Rev. W. W. Turner, who had been connected with the institution since 1821, was elected to fill his place. Mr. Turner had originated the Gallaudet High Class, intended to give to the more advanced

In 1844, in consequence of reports of great improvements made in the methods of teaching in the European schools, especially in the matter of articulation, it was deemed advisable by the directors of the American Asylum, in conjunction with the New-York Institution, to send a deputation to Europe to investigate the processes there adopted; to acquire a knowledge of any improvements they had made, and to profit by their experience. The deputation consisted of Mr. Weld and the Rev. George Day. They visited most of the European schools, and obtained a large amount of valuable information, which was embodied in the subsequent reports of their respective institutions. The result of their investigations, however, was conclusive, that, so far from the European schools being in advance of ours in the intellectual and moral improvement of their pupils, they were, in reality, very greatly behind them; and that, while a few pupils who had been able to speak before becoming deaf, had acquired a more perfect and less unpleasant articulation than pupils similarly situated here, from the greater amount of care which had been bestowed upon them; the time devoted to articulation by all the pupils in the German schools, could be much better employed in extending their knowledge of the sign language.

This visit, however, led eventually to other improvements in the American Asy

education, and was its first instructor. He possesses, in an eminent degree, the qualifications necessary for the important and responsible post which he holds, and we hope may long be spared to fill it.

We have dwelt thus at length upon the history of the American Asylum, because it is the parent of all the other deaf and dumb institutions in the country. Even at the present day, forty years after its organization, a large proportion of the principals and instructors of the other institutions in the country received their first training, either as pupils or teachers, within its walls; and its modes of teaching have been adopted without any important modification by every institution in the country. The "American Annals of the Deaf and Dumb," the recognized organ of the deaf mute institutions in this country, originated here in 1847; and though receiving contributions from all the institutions in the country, is still published here.

The "New-York Institution for the Deaf and Dumb" was incorporated in April, 1817, by the Legislature of the state; but the school was not opened till May, 1818, with a class of seven pupils, and the Rev. A. O. Stansbury, who, for a year previous, had been the steward of the institution at Hartford, was appointed principal. Mr. Stansbury attempted, but with indifferent success, instruction in articulation and reading on the lip. He resigned in 1819, and was succeeded by Mr. Horace Loofborrow, who assayed, though with an imperfect knowledge of his pro

cesses, to introduce the system of the Abbé Sicard. The state, from and after the year 1822, provided for the support of thirty-two pupils in the institution; but in 1827, so completely was the public confi- | dence lost in the methods pursued, that the Legislature directed the superintendent of common schools, the Hon. A. C. Flagg, to visit the institutions at Hartford and Philadelphia, and report what improvements were necessary to secure greater efficiency in the New-York Institution. Mr. Flagg fulfilled his mission, and made a detailed report, which resulted in the directors securing, in 1831, the permanent services of Harvey P. Peet, Esq., then one of the most experienced and able instructors in the American Asylum. About the same period the services of Mr. Leon Vaysse, an eminent teacher from the Royal Institution at Paris,* were procured. Under the superintendence of Mr., now Dr. Peet, the New-York Institution, has gone forward in a continuous and rapid course of improvement, till it may be regarded as one of the finest deaf and dumb institutions in the world. During the past summer they have completed, and now occupy, their new edifice, which in cost, extent, beauty of location, and perfection of arrangements, is unsurpassed by any similar asylum on this continent. The number of pupils in the institution is nearly three hundred; the corps of instructors is large and highly educated.

An effort has recently been made in the city of New-York, to found a church for deaf mutes, where those mute-worshipers who visit or reside in the city, may assemble and participate in religious exercises, all conducted in the sign language. The enterprise is likely to prove successful. The services are those of the Episcopal Church, and Rev. Thomas Gallaudet, a son of the lamented founder of the American Asylum, is the rector.

The Pennsylvania Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, situated at the corner of Broad and Pine streets, Philadelphia, was first originated as a private enterprise by Mr. David Seixas, a Jew of Portuguese descent; and we may be permitted to observe in passing, that in several instances the world has been indebted to the Jew

Mr. Vaysse subsequently returned to Paris, and is now, or was recently, connected with the Imperial Institution there.

for noble contributions to the relief of the deaf mute, the blind, and the insane.

Mr. Seixas gathered a few poor deaf mutes (several of whom he fed and clothed) into a school, in the city of Philadelphia, in the spring of 1820. A society, composed of some of the most eminent citizens of that city, adopted this school the same year, and it was incorporated in 1821. The Legislature supports ninety-three pupils in the institution, at an annual expense of one hundred and sixty dollars for each pupil. Pupils are also supported by the States of New-Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware.

The school was organized in 1821 by Laurent Clerc, who remained there six months, and returned to Hartford on the election of Mr. Weld as principal. When Mr. Weld was recalled to Hartford, in 1830, Mr. Abraham B. Hutton was elected principal, and still fills that position. The whole number of pupils is about one hundred and sixty.

The Kentucky Asylum, located at Danville, Mercer County, was incorporated in the winter of 1823, and opened for pupils the ensuing spring. Its first and only principal, Mr. John A. Jacobs, received his preliminary training at the American Asylum, and by his zeal and ability as a teacher, has brought the institution to a high degree of efficiency. Congress endowed this asylum, in 1826, with a township of land in Florida. Their present number of pupils is eighty-one. The Ohio Institution, though not incorporated or organized at so early a period as the Kentucky Asylum, was in part the result of a movement made as early as 1821 at Cincinnati. In that year an association of gentlemen was formed at Cincinnati, for the purpose of establishing a school for the instruction of deaf mutes in the Western country. They selected the Rev. J. Chute as principal of the institution, and sent him to Hartford to qualify himself for the position. He remained at Hartford but four months, a period altogether too short to acquire a practical knowledge of the system of instruction, or of the language of signs. The association applied the following winter for incorporation, but were unsuccessful, objection being made to their location. Under this repulse the school was given up. But the attention of the Legislature and of philanthropists had been called to the subject of deaf mute