sidering the early efforts in this
direction, the founding of the first schools, and the spread of the work
over the land; and noting how it was first taken up by private
initiative, in time to be seconded or taken over by the state, and how
far the state has seen and performed its duty in this respect. Public
institutions have been created in nearly all the states, and we shall
examine the organizations of these institutions and the general
arrangements in the different states. The development of the work also
includes a system of day schools, a certain number of private schools
and a national college, all of which we shall consider, devoting
especial attention to the day schools and their significance. Following
this, we shall consider how each state individually has been found to
provide for the instruction of the deaf, observing also the extent to
which the states have made provision in their constitutions, and the
extent to which the schools are regarded as purely educational. Next, we
shall proceed to inquire into the terms of admission of pupils into the
schools; and we shall particularly concern ourselves with the
investigation of the question of how far the means provided for
education by the state are actually availed of by the deaf. The great
technical problems involved in the education of the deaf will be outside
the province of this work, but we shall indicate, so far as public
action may be concerned, the present methods of instruction. This done,
we shall mark what is the cost to the state of all this activity for the
education of its deaf children, noting also how far the state has been
assisted in the work by private benevolence. In the final chapter of our
study we shall set down the conclusions which we have found in respect
to the work for the deaf on the whole in the United States.

PART I

POSITION OF THE DEAF IN SOCIETY

CHAPTER I

THE DEAF IN THE UNITED STATES

MEANING OF TERM "DEAF" IN THE PRESENT STUDY

By the "deaf" in the present study is meant that element of the
population in which the sense of hearing is either wholly absent or is
so slight as to be of no practical value; or in which there is inability
to hear and understand spoken language; or in which there exists no real
sound perception. In other words, those persons are meant who may be
regarded as either totally deaf or practically totally deaf.[1] With
such deafness there is not infrequently associated an inabil