be much troubled about. If the conception of language has been given him
through lip-reading, and some ability to understand the necessary
language of his daily life, his future success is assured.




XIII

SOMETHING ABOUT SCHOOLS AND METHODS


Till the child is at least four years old, the proper place for him is
at home, and if he must be sent to one of the large public schools for
the deaf it should not be till he is five or even six years of age.

But during these years the mother can gain much knowledge that will help
her by visiting as many schools for the deaf as possible. There are
about a hundred and fifty such schools in the United States and eight in
Canada. They vary in size, in character, and in methods of instruction
employed. There are public boarding schools, and public day schools,
free to the resident of the state, or city, in which they are located.
There are private boarding and day schools, maintained by charity, or by
the tuition fees. Some of each class are oral schools; that is, they
employ only speech methods of instruction, without any signs or finger
spelling. Others are called "Combined" schools; that is, they permit,
and in some exercises encourage, the use of finger spelling and gestural
signs, while they also give some instruction by the speech method. There
are sectarian and non-sectarian schools, both oral and combined.