AUNT HILDA’S LETTER.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 940, 9 December 1933, Page 18 (Supplement)

AUNT HILDA’S LETTER.

AN INTERESTING VISIT. “ School for the Deaf ” Starlets. J)EAR STARLETS,— This week I am going to tell you of a large crowd of happy Starlets who all live together at the School for the Deaf at Sumner. They have held their annual sport? this week, and I was a very interested visitor. There are 120 children in the school, all without their hearing, some deaf because of a defect in the family, some through sickness and some through bad falls, but a happier, healthier lot of children I have never seen. All through classrooms I went, watching the children getting their first lessons in producing sounds. Their teachers are very kind and loving and really do a wonderful work. Children enter the school at six years and stay for about ten years. Their school-life is much like yours except that they cannot have music, but they do their drill beautifully and keep time by watching their leader. The smaller children’s beds each had a lovely cuddle toy sitting on the pillow waiting for bed-time, and all the beds were neat and clothes folded ever so well. And I am sure the bigger girls and boys read the papers better than those outside the school, for I reached there early one day and they could tell me more about the news of the day than I knew! They have a big lovely garden to play in with masses of flowers and plenty of grass, and a sports ground well fitted up. They come from all parts of New Zealand to the school and go home at Christmas for a few They are all very happy and very smart at their lessons, and quite clever. Many people still think that a deaf and dumb child is a defective, but that simply is not the case. In the cruel old days people thought children w r ho possessed only four senses instead of five were not worth educating, and they were left ignorant and unhelped. That is where the idea arose that deaf children had not the same brains as others. All that is quite wrong, however, and we realise to-day that all they need is the right chance to develop. I just wished you could all have been with me and enjoyed all their fun and friendship. As we went through one class the headmaster asked the children who were Starlets. One dear little girl held up her hand, and then he said: “How do you KNOW you are a Starlet?’’ Away down inside her dress she fumbled and finally brought out an enrolment card and Aunt Hilda’s photo. So of course we KNEW then she was a Scarlet. And how her eyes danced with pleasure and happiness. We welcome these little people very specially in our work. * * * * * * Our display has been the focusing point for thousands of eyes this week, and thousands of noses of all sorts of shapes have been pressed against the glass to see your lovely work. Lots and lots of grown-ups have learnt bow to use old stockings and buttons to give pleasure to others, and we have shown that hard times can be fought through quite easily. Mr Joke-Box insists that Santa Claus is coming to visit him. Shouldn’t you l love to be there when he does? I shall tell you later what he gets, if I can possibly get a peep. Next Saturday we shall announce the circle prize-winners for the year. We are busy adding up the marks’ lists now, and still we have no idea who the winners are. Watch specially for the paper next week. Happiest thoughts to all, —