Page:Gallaudet and his school.djvu/16

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master the methods as soon as possible and was thus enabled to accomplish my desire in less than a year.

Woolbridge—How many pupils do you expect to have this year?

Gal.—Judging from the applications I think we will have about forty.

Cogs.—Have you room to accomodate that many?

Gal.—We will be rather cramped unless more room is provided, and we will certainly need more help in teaching. Pupils are coming from all over New England.

Cogs.—In that case you will probably have to make provision for receiving pupils from all over the country.

Woolbridge—Then the government should be asked to give assistance. It will not do to depend entirely on charity, or voluntary contributions.

Gal.—The tour we made during the first few months interested many people and obtained many contributions, but we cannot count on that as a permanent source of revenue if the school keeps on increasing as it promises to do.

Cogs.—True. Why not try to interest Congress in the matter and secure an appropriation?

Gal.—Why not? The school here will probably be large enough to meet the needs of the country for many years to come and it should be made a national school. There is no reason it should not receive the same recognition as the public schools.

Woolbridge—But how can we make Congress think so?

Gal.—By convincing them that the education of the deaf is possible and a public duty. We could

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