14

School Duties Resumed

The glorious autumn days, with their fading, dying splendor—fit emblems of the autumn of human life—once more had come. The spacious rooms of the institution, which had, during the three months of vacation, been silent and deserted, were again thronged with pleasant-looking boys and girls. The long and lofty halls once more echoed to the tread of many feet. Warm and loving greetings were exchanged between reunited friends and classmates, and a pleasant welcome was extended to every stranger who, as a member of the silent band, had come to claim the educational privileges of the institution. The chapel doors were once more thrown open for silent worship, and schoolroom tasks were resumed.

During vacation two new schoolrooms had been constructed to accommodate the increasing number of pupils. Two new teachers had also been added to the corps of instructors, both of whom were in full possession of the powers of hearing and speech.

Carrie Raymond, who had returned promptly at the opening of the term, was now placed in grade number three, under the instruction of one of the new teachers who had, from previous experience in another institution, acquired a fair knowledge of the language of the deaf and dumb. The studies designed for this grade were primary lessons in written language, geography, and arithmetic, and also the simplified Scripture lessons. Some changes were made in the school hours and also in those devoted to other duties. School now began a little earlier than usual. At ten o’clock a.m. there was a recess of ten minutes; then schoolwork was resumed, and continued until one o’clock, when dinner was served. After dinner there was no school; instead of returning to the schoolrooms, some of the girls repaired to the sewing room to use the needle and become proficient in needlework. Others were sent to the ironing room to wield the flatirons, and still others, to the schoolrooms, where, through the agency of the broom, they made the dust fly and the litter disappear.

Meanwhile the boys engaged in various vocations. Some of them were set to work to clear the dead leaves and other rubbish from the sidewalks and grounds of the institution; others repaired to the cabinet shop, where they engaged in the manufacture of wardrobes, tables, benches, safes for the storage of queensware, china, etc., and other articles of furniture; others resumed their places in the shoe shop to manufacture shoes for the poorer pupils of the institution; while others went to work to make splint bottoms for chairs. Visitors to the institution, on visiting the workshops, were surprised and pleased to note the degree of efficiency some of the boys had attained in the various vocations. Some of the articles turned out in the cabinet shop compared favorably with those of many manufacturers. These articles, too, sold readily.

A few weeks after the opening of school an incident occurred which will illustrate the deplorable condition of a person with an unawakened conscience. Carrie was one day, in company with several other girls, standing in the basement hall when two boys brought in an open barrel of apples. Carrie was very fond of apples, and when she saw the barrel brought in, she hurried up to it. The boys invited her and the other girls to help themselves to the fruit, which invitation they did not hesitate to accept. Carrie took half a dozen. A moment later the supervisor came down into the hall to divide the barrel of apples equally among the girls, giving two to each one as they, learning of the treat, entered the hall to receive a share. Carrie thought she would like a few more apples, and, as she chanced to have an uncommonly large pocket, she easily slipped the half dozen apples already secured into it unobserved, and then went up to the supervisor with empty hands and received from her two more. Strange as it may seem to some, this act of deception brought no feelings of compunction to Carrie’s conscience at the time. This serves to show the insensible condition of many other minds.

Ah! The institution had a great and responsible work to perform in rousing the better natures of the unfortunate pupils and guiding their feet into the paths of peace and righteousness. The mind of a child is like a garden. We all know that if a garden is neglected, rank weeds will grow up and destroy its fruitfulness. On the other hand, if the gardener takes care to keep it in good condition and free from weeds, it will grow into a thing of beauty and utility. So the mind of a child, if it is neglected, soon becomes overrun with the poisonous weeds of sin; while, on the contrary, if by faithful, persistent effort, lessons of truth and righteousness are deeply implanted in the mind, it too will grow beautiful and useful. This seems to be emphatically true of the mind of the mute. Deprived as he is of one or, in many cases, two senses, the remaining ones seem to become all the more active; and this activity needs to be guided into right channels. The institution seemed sensible of this, and plainly, lovingly, and persistently, by word and deed, sought to impress the truths and requirements of the Gospel upon the minds of its pupils, thus to lead them slowly, it might be, but surely, into safe paths. Carrie was not yet in the safe path, as has been plainly shown; and it was well that she was under the molding influence of those who could guide her into it.