PERHAPS some of the many who are, I hope, beginning to take an interest in our little Susie may wish to know more about her school-days, and wonder what her lessons were and how she learned them.
One of the first was, I think, the use of what we may call two golden keys, keys that have opened many a rusty lock. Do you know what I mean? How to say, or rather sign-for we must not forget Susie was a deaf mute-"If you please," and "Thank you." But Louie looks surprised, and says she was taught to be polite long before she went to school, and thinks Susie must have been a very rude little girl.
“Do I agree with her?" Not quite, for we need to remember that it is not exactly the same thing to be careless and forget what we have been taught as it is not to have learned at all, and a child who is deaf and dumb has to be taught many things that those who are not learn from listening to the words of their elders and playmates. I think I can make this clear by telling you about a young girl I know who is a deaf mute.
Her name is Mary. Like many others who are afflicted like herself, she can hear loud noises, such as the firing of a gun, or the passing of a heavy cart. She went with me one afternoon to the house of a friend, whose canary, at that time in full song, had a very loud, shrill note. After standing quite near its cage for some time, Mary told us on her fingers that the bird was talking, and she could hear it. Of course we smiled at her mistake, and explained that the canary could not talk, but was singing.
A few evenings later, Mary and I were, I think, on our way to a Bible reading, when we passed a church where the bells were ringing for evening service. My companion told me she could hear something, but she did not know what the sound was. I had only time to spell one word, "bells," on my fingers, when Mary, who I expect wanted me to see how well she remembered her lesson, said, "Yes; I know now, the bells are singing.”
You and I can hardly, I expect, remember when or how we first learned to distinguish sounds and to call them by their right names, but Mary had left school some years before what I have been telling you occurred.
But it is so long since we left Susie that I almost forget what I was telling you about her. Nellie remembers and says we were talking about her lessons; so we may as well go on with our subject. Susie, who was a quick, intelligent child, was soon promoted from the lowest class, where almost all the finger-talking was done by making signs, to one in which she was required to learn how to spell words, so, of course, she had to learn all the letters of the alphabet. How was this done?
By placing an alphabet card before the class, the teacher then touched a letter with her pointer; but instead of calling it by its name, made it on her fingers. All the children holding up their hands did the same. After a few trials most of the class were able to repeat the letter at a sign from their teacher. Easy lessons in reading, of course, follow the alphabet.
By the time Susie had been about three years at the school she was able to converse with ease in the sign and manual languages used by deaf mutes; her progress in reading and writing were also good. Perhaps one of the greatest troubles of her school-days was needlework afternoons, for our little friend did not like sewing. In the first place there was some difficulty in finding a thimble small enough to fit such a tiny finger. First the stock used by the very youngest girls in the school was looked over, but in vain. Several were tried on, but Susie only shook her head, laughed, and even succeeded in getting two fingers into some of them. After a visit to three or four shops, one only a size too large was found. A fold of soft paper enabled its wearer to use it without its slipping off and rolling under the seat more than three or four times during the hour of work.
But Susie's needle gave her far more trouble than her thimble had done. Perhaps she was really a little stupid, and could not get into the right way of holding it, or she might not even have done her best to understand and remember how her teacher wished the work to be done. But without stopping to find out the cause of her objection to learning to sew, the fact remained that poor Susie, instead of looking on her needle as a very useful little servant, began to think of it as a stern and severe taskmistress, and very glad indeed she was when the lesson was ended and she was allowed to leave the school room, generally running off to her kind friend Carrie. She would take her for a walk round the garden and playground, where she soon forgot not only how sore her fingers were from the sharp pricks she had given them, but even the scolding received from her teacher.
After reading what I have just written, it may perhaps surprise you to be told that a year or two later Susie not only received a needlework prize, but visitors to the school often noticed how neatly and quickly she worked. How did she learn? I expect we all know that our motives are the reasons why we want to do certain things, so when I tell you that at last Susie found a motive for wishing to learn to sew in her love for and desire to please a dear friend, you will understand what I mean. But I must tell you how it all came about.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////// P. 25 ILLUSTRATION //////////////////////////////////////////////////
SEWING CLASS
Susie did not go to spend her holidays with her friends, though most of the children did. One bright midsummer day she was the only one left at school, and would, I think, have been very lonely if the housekeeper, who at that time had the care of her, had not treated her with great kindness and allowed her to amuse herself in various ways.
She was very fond of swinging, and as there were two or three swings fixed in different parts of the school grounds, she spent a good deal of her time in this amusement.
One evening she slipped from the swing and fell with some force to the ground. Being really a little hurt as well as a good deal frightened, she did not even try to get up, but lay crying on the gravel path till the postman, on his way to the house with letters, opened the garden gate.
I do not know if he had any little girls of his own, but he saw at a glance how matters stood. Lifting the sobbing child from the ground, he dried her tears, and, taking her up in his strong arms as if she had been a baby, gave her a ride on his shoulder. Perhaps he called her by some such household names as Grace and Mary love to hear when their own dear father returns home after a long day spent in his city warehouse, and though Susie could not hear the endearing words, I do not think they were quite wasted on her, for she could see and understand the kind look that went with them, and feel safe and rested in the arms that carried her so tenderly.
From that evening Susie and the postman were firm friends, and as she soon learned at what time he was sure to pass, even if he did not stop to deliver letters, she was almost always at the gate ready to open it for him. He did not forget his little friend, and often delighted her by the gift of an apple or a few sweets, a great treat to Susie, but one she was always ready to share with her classmates. And as their friendship grew into mutual affection, Susie began to wish very much she could do something that would give pleasure to her new found friend.
But what should the something be? She was only a poor little girl with very few possessions she might call her own, and though she would gladly have given him a string of beads she valued very much, she could not feel at all sure that he would care for what she thought so pretty. So her question remained for some time unanswered, till one day a lady, who took a great interest in the school, gave Susie a new sixpence. The child, who could not remember ever having had a silver coin of her own before, was much pleased. How bright and pretty the sixpence looked. She did not know exactly how many cakes or sweets she could buy with it; but as she did not intend buying any, it was not of much consequence. She had quite made up her mind to give the sixpence to the postman, and ran off to consult Carrie about the best way of doing so.
Much to her surprise, Carrie did not think that her treasured sixpence would be quite a suitable present; but told her that she thought a much better plan would be to buy a pocket-handkerchief, hem it very neatly, and give it to her friend. Susie looked grave at first, knowing before she could sew neatly she must overcome her dislike to needlework. But when Carrie assured her that she could really give pleasure by doing so, she looked up with a smile, and spelled I will try " on the hand of her sightless friend. I am glad to be able to tell you that Susie kept her word.
No more tears on needlework afternoons; her thimble seemed to fit better, and she did not prick her finger nearly so often.
My chapter is already a long one, but before I close I want to ask you, dear young reader, a question. Do you know anything of the deep joy of serving from love? If you know the Lord Jesus as your own precious Savior, if you can say of Him, "The Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:2020I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)), I know you really want to serve and please Him. How could it be otherwise? But do not think you need wait till you are grown up and have different work to do. Take all your home and school duties as from Him, and try to do them faithfully and well from love to Christ, and perhaps some day He will show you that even the very lessons you found so difficult were just the ones you needed to fit you for the very next bit of happy work He gave you the joy of doing for Him.