Book Description

Excerpt from American Annals of the Deaf and Dumb, 1848, Vol. 1 The school of De l'epee was conducted entirely at his own expense, and, as his fortune was not large, he was compelled to practice the most careful economy. Still, he was unwilling to receive pecuniary aid, or to admit to his instructions the deaf and dumb children of wealthy parents. It is not to the rich, he said, that I have devoted myself; it is to the poor only. Had it not been for these, I should never have attempted the education of the deaf and dumb. The fear of being charged with mercenary motives doubtless led him to refuse the aid of the wealthy, for the bare suspicion of being actuated by such motives, was exceedingly painful to his sensitive mind. One or two anecdotes, introduced at this point, will serve to show how little liable he was to be dazzled by opportunities for person al aggrandizement. In 1780, the ambassador of the Empress of Russia paid him a visit, to congratulate him upon the success which had follow ed his exertions, and to offer him valuable presents in the name of that sovereign. Mr. Ambassador, said the Abbe', I'never receive money, but have the goodness to say to her Majesty that if my labors have seemed to her worthy of any consideration, I ask as an especial favor, that she will send to me from her do minions, some ignorant deaf and dumb child, that I may instruct him. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.