4 MB 14th Feb 2013 Edition 21 - Winter 2004

 tl1rrt@ryj
No.
21
DEAF HISTORY INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER
WINTER 2004
Laura Redden Searing:
A Review
Laura Redden Searing, Sweet Bells Jangled: Laura
Missouri Volunteers. Unsurprisingly, Searing is one of only
Redden Searing, A Deaf Poet Restored, ed. Judy Yaeger
a few deaf notables included in The Dictionary of
Jones and Jane E. Vallier (Washington,DC: Gallaudet
American Biography. Therefore, no Deaf Studies or "The
University Press, 2003). xii + 212 pp. $29.95.
Deaf in Literature" course is complete without some mention of Searing's accomplishments.
Unfortunately, various collections of Searing's
Many Deaf notables of the 19th-century were latedeafened journalists and poets. Laura Redden Searing,
poetry and other writings have long been out of print. With
born in 1839 and stricken with (most likely) spinal menin-
Sweet Bells Jangled: Laura Redden Searing, A Deaf Poet
gitis at age 13, is a standout in this noteworthy assembly.
Arguably the premiere deaf poet of the 19th century and
Restored, Judy Yaeger Jones and Jane E. Valliers have
therefore done students of Deaf American Literature, Deaf
the first half of the 20th century, Searing became national-
Studies, and poetry in general a valuable service in making
ly known as a result of her patriotic Civil War poems, col-
Searing's poetry more accessible. The lovely soft-cover edi-
lected in the 1860s into Idyls of Battle and Poems of the
tion includes some 70 poems, including Searing's longest
Rebellion. Counted among her famous and infamous sub-
work, the epic poem "Sweet Bells Jangled," which are pref-
scribers and acquaintances were Abraham Lincoln, John
aced by a biographical sketch and a critical essay and fol-
Greenleaf Whittier, and John Wilkes Booth. Searing also
lowed by a Searing prose piece, "The Realm of Singing."
I
made a living as a journalist, serving for several years as a
The editors have not only made Searing more
war correspondent for the St. Louis Republican and free-
accessible but have also placed the poet and journalist
lancing for other publications such as The New York
within her cultural milieu, or, to be more precise, at odds
Times. Further renown came as the result of a popular
poem, "Belle Missouri" which became the song of the
CONTINUED ON PAGES
2
AND 3
AN ASSOCIATION FOR ALL INTERESTED IN THE STUDY/
PRESERVATION/ AND DISSEMINATION OF DEAF PEOPLE5
HISTORY.
DRI NEWSLETTER,
2
Laura Redden Searing: ..
No. 21 (WINTER 2004)
CONT,NUED
with it. In the biographical sketch and the critical essay,
that allows the traveler to bring home tales of conquest
Jones and Valliers have drawn attention to Searing's rejection of the traditional role of women in the 19th century.
and defeat that lead her to a changed definition of self."
Vallier goes on to say that "Sweet Bells Jangled" possesses
Despite an offer of marriage upon graduation from the
a "unique form" and that its themes of love and marriage
Missouri School for the Deaf - she had already published
are "two of the epic themes of women's poetry" (25). The
in Harper's by then - Searing chose instead to pursue a
poem has seventy sections that are varied in form; that is,
writing career. She became a professional writer at a time
it incorporates a number of verse pieces intermixed with a
when society frowned upon
.-----. number of verse/narrative pieces,
women working and frowned
but it all tells the story of a girl in
even more upon their venturing
love with a man who goes off to
into the public arena. That
Europe with a cousin of the same
Searing succeeded, at a time
name for one year. When her
when even male writers were
beloved's letters stop and the rumor
struggling, is an outstanding
reaches her that "Clarence" has
Like many
women writers of the 19th centu-
married a Spanish girl, she dismayingly assumes it is her Clarence
ry, Searing adopted a male pseu-
rather than the cousin. In despair
donym, "Howard Glyndon," but
and responding to her straitened
it was done half-heartedly
financial circumstances and moth-
because more often than not, her
er's entreaties, she marries another
writings appeared under both her
man. But, soon afterwards, her
__IIIiIII_'" Clarence - unmarried and pining
pseudonym and her real name.
In general, Searing, through her
LAURA REDDEN SEARING
writings, social connections, and
for her - returns, too late. Perhaps
one year later, when the heroine
travels, attained an education and knowledge of the world
finally confesses to her husband that she doesn't love him,
equal to that of the more prominent men of her day.
tragedy ensues. Searing's poem, with its heterogeneous
Finally, when her marriage to Edward Searing did not
work out, she simply packed up and left, taking bags and
form that is characteristic of the fragmented, easily disrupted, and pressured lives of 19th century women and its
daughter Elsa clear across the country to California.
epic theme of love lost, should prove a bonanza to those in
Note that this volume focuses on Searing's poetry,
not her journalism, and editorial discussion centers on her
"'Iic poem, "Sweet Bells Jangled." Vallier writes, "the con-
the field of feminist studies and women's writing.
Searing apparently moved easily between the signing deaf community, the oral deaf community - she
sciousness in the poem is situated in the unnamed narra-
received oral training from A.G. Bell himself! - the writing
tor, an everywoman who struggles against all the obstacles
community, and mainstream society at large. According to
life can bring her ... The poem tells the story of a journey
the editors, Searing was not at all ideological, but took
I
DBI NEWS LEITER,
No. 21 (WINTER 2004)
3
advantage of both manualism and oralism as needed.
father was murdered when she was a young girl.
There is a passage in the biographical sketch that, howev-
Additionally, we learn that the Missouri School for the
er, makes it clear that Searing would not have succeeded
Deaf is located in Calloway County, often called "the king-
without the advantages of a manual deaf school education
dom of Calloway" because when Missouri did not secede
and its largely signing deaf staff. But it is a puzzle how
from the Union prior to the Civil War, Calloway County
Searing managed to move about so easily within main-
seceded from both the Union and the state! On the other
stream society as her speech was somewhat unintelligible
hand, a significant omission seems to be that the much-
and her lipreading almost non-existent. She not only
touted "Belle Missouri" penned by Searing for the Missouri
moved easily in mainstream society but she also managed
Volunteers is not included. Judy Yeager Jones informative-
to pick up enough information to function as a war corre-
ly points out that, like "0 Maryland, My Maryland," it sets
spondent for a major city paper and to learn several for-
new lyrics to the tune of "0 Tannenbaum" ("0 Christmas
eign languages during her sojourn in Europe although it
Tree"), but the poem itself is not included. Grammatical
could be assumed that what she learned was the written
oversights sometimes cause confusion, for example in the
forms of these languages.
statement that Searing's mother "remarried Henry
The biographical piece and the critical essay are
Ashbrook" when what is probably meant is that she
quite informative and insightful, and would have been
"remarried, her second husband being Henry Ashbrook."
more so if they were less "packed" in places and "cropped"
The phrase "signed the Sunday sermons into Laura's hand"
in others. Including slightly fewer poems and expanding
erroneously suggests that she was blind!
the biographical sketch and the commentary might have
Yet, Sweet Bells Jangled: Laura Redden Searing,
led to more clarity and coherence: two things the two edi-
A Deaf Poet Restored is a valuable resource in making
tors and perhaps their GUP copy editor would like to con-
Searing more accessible to aficionados of Deaf Studies,
sider for a future edition. Simply expanding the biography
Deaf American literature, and women's writing.
and the commentary by ten to fifteen pages each and
allowing the two editors to fully explain a point - especially various feminist points - paragraph by paragraph with
the necessary transitive expressions would most likely
- Cynthia Peters is Professor of English at
result in a clearer and more valuable resource. For
Gallaudet University and the author of Deaf American
instance, the conclusion to the critical essay touches upon
Literature: From Carnival to Canon.
a comparison between Searing and, appearing out of the
blue, Emily Dickinson. It is very brief and barely understandable. Such a valuable comparison in itself merits five
to ten pages to fully make its points.
There are some golden nuggets of information,
some omissions, and some errors in this otherwise valuable resource. Among the surprises are that Searing,
famous for being a Midwesterner, was born in eastern
Maryland, and that one reason for the family's early
impoverishment and later move westward is that Searing's
Photo Courtesy of Clerc Center's
World Around You
4
DHI NEWSLETIER, No. 21 (WINTER 2004)
-,----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
c. . . rom
tJ
esk
the E d ito r ' s
LOIS BRAGG
Dear Friends of Deaf History,
correlation between speech production and the oral
In this issue you will find Tom Harrington's
method. In the interests of full disclosure, I must say here
always-interesting book column and a review of a new
that I am a member of the editorial board of this journal.
biography of Laura Redden Searing. Searing was a nine-
DHI members who would like to see a copy or correspond
teenth-century deaf poet, a 'deaf poet' being a thing so
with the editors may write to Scottish Workshop
rare, according to a joke by the twentieth-century deaf poet
Publications, Room 52, Donaldson's College, Edinburgh,
David Wright, as to be found less often than a blind
EH12 5JJ, Scotland. A caveat: readers should be aware
painter! The kind of poetry Searing wrote - long verse
that the Deaf History Review is intended for Scottish read-
I1flrrative - is no longer popular, but her story as a suc-
ers, and that both the style of its English and the many ref-
cessful deaf poet and journalist is still of great interest.
erences to Scottish history and jokes about things Scottish
We are happy to report here on a new journal, the
(such as whisky!) may make reading a bit challenging for
Deaf History Review, published by Scottish Workshop
the non-Scottish. But I do highly recommend this publica-
Publications. The first issue, which is 80 pages long, is
tion for serious students of Deaf history.
handsomely produced with a color cover and includes
(
many black and white drawings and photos. I especially
.Joyed the articles on the 18th -century deaf scholar, Lord
Monboddo, and on the 19th-century deaf artist, Walter
Geikie. Many of Geikie's sketches are reproduced here,
along with some interesting discussion ofthe 'deaf eye.'
There is also an academic study investigating the alleged
President's Greetings:
ODD-INGE SCHRODER
GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT OF DEAF HISTORY INTERNATIONAL
As readers know, the 6th DHI Conference will be in Berlin in 2006. The last news I got from the coordinator there, Mark
Zaurov, is that the conference will take place at the famous Humboldt University, that the place of the gala evening is
found, and that some hotels near the university are soon to be booked. The web-site of this conference will soon be ready
for us to surf. The preparation is well in progress.
I encourage DHI members and their friends and acquaintances to come to Berlin 2006. We need papers, posters,
and stands to present books, magazines, organizations, and the facts of the lives of the bygone deaf persons.
Recently I read a book that had nothing to do with deaf history: De visione Dei ("The vision of God") by Nicholas
of Cusa, who lived from 1401-1464, the late Middle Ages. And look what I found. Cusa was explaining how to see, to look,
to study, and then to understand other people with following examples: "I have seen a deaf woman, by looking at the
movements of the lips of her daughter, understand everything just as if she had heard it .... and for a long time, deaf and
""lute and cloistered people have been accustomed to speak with each other through signs .. ." (Chapter 22, 96).
(
Lipreading and signing mentioned already in 1453! A bit here and a bit there enrich our knowledge about the history of deaf people. Time's flying, and we must now prepare ourselves for 6th Conference. See you in Berlin!
Odd-Inge Schroder
1
DHI NEWSLETTER,
No. 21 (WINTER 2004)
5
r: New and Noteworthy Works on
Deaf History
By THOMAS R. HARRINGTON
Gallaudet University Library
Boggaard, Virginia C. (2001). Celebrating a Rich
Heritage, 1901-2001. Springfield, Illinois: National
Fraternal Society of the Deaf
c
A 60-page profusely-illustrated glossy history of
the National Fraternal Society of the Deaf, which began as
a cooperative organization of Deaf persons to provide life
insurance to Deaf members when "hearing" insurance
companies refused to insure Deaf persons, or would sell
insurance only with very high rates. The NFSD, popularly
called the "Frat," stepped into this gap and soon became a
major force in the American Deaf community, perhaps second only to the National Association of the Deaf in its
influence. Though life insurance was its main reason for
being, the Frat was also a major fraternal and social Deaf
organization. It expanded into Canada in 1924 and in the
U.S., it ultimately had a total of 168 "divisions" or chapters
all across the country. Increasing acceptance of Deaf persons by regular life insurance companies led to the slow
decline of the Frat's life insurance business. In mid-2004,
three years after publication of this book, it was announced
that the Frat's remaining life-insurance policies were being
transferred to another (hearing-operated) insurance company, but that the Frat's social activities would continue
their century-old tradition.
Mitchell, Joseph (1993). Up In the Old Hotel, and Other
Stories. New York: Random House. ISBN 0679746315.
1
Clubs for the Deaf are still very active in Europe
and elsewhere, but in the United States, they have been in
decline for many years, and most American Deaf people
today have no personal knowledge of the Deaf club experience. Hearing journalist and writer Mitchell's book is
mostly a collection of short stories having nothing to do
with deafness, but it does include one 14-page non-fiction
essay, "The Deaf-Mute's Club." This is about the Union
League of the Deaf, a club that still exists today in New
York City. The essay chronicles Mitchell's 1941 visit to the
club, with a Deaf escort, during its heyday when it could
boast of 400 members. Mitchell's observations and interviews with club members give us a fascinating view of the
major role Deaf clubs used to have in the American Deaf
community.
Ramos, Angel (2003). Triumph of the Spirit: The DPN
Chronicle. Twin Falls, Idaho: R & R Publishers. ISBN
0974143014 (hardbound), 0974143006 (paperbound).
The author was a Deaf student in Gallaudet
University's doctoral studies program when the "Deaf
President Now" revolution happened in 1988. His history
of DPN adds more details to the story already given by
John B. Christiansen and Sharon N. Barnartt in Deaf
President Now!: The 1988 Revolution at Gallaudet
University (Gallaudet University Press, 1995). As a fellow
Deaf student caught up in the demonstrations, Ramos had
a perspective not available to Christiansen and Barnartt;
he also took advantage of access to the DPN student leaders and to the shadowy group of adult Deaf instigators
known as the "Ducks" to bring another perspective to the
story. He wraps up with "Reflections" that address some of
the questions still unanswered about DPN, and even offers
"The Six Keys to a Successful Protest," presumably for the
benefit of other Deaf persons who want to stage their own
local protests.
Smith, Robert J. (2001). The City Silent: A History of Deaf
Connections. Coleford, Gloucestershire, UK: Douglas
McLean. ISBN 0946252521.
Founded in 1822 as the Scottish Association for
the Deaf and Dumb, Glasgow Branch, and passing through
many changes of name, location and focuses, Deaf
Connections is one of the oldest surviving organizations for
adult Deaf persons in the world, possibly the oldest. Smith
has done a thoroughly researched and detailed history of
the "Society" through the years, illustrated with many contemporary document reproductions, drawings, engravings,
and photographs.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
6
DRI NEWSLETIER,
No. 21 (WINTER 2004)
New and Noteworthy Works .. J
CONTINUED
Walker, Lou Ann (1994). Hand, Heart, & Mind: The Story
of the Education ofAmerica's Deaf People. New York:
Dial Books. ISBN 0803712251.
A short (136 pages) history of Deaf education in
America, written on a level that is accessible to school children from about ages 12 and up. Walker mainly covers
ground familiar to most DHI members, but does add a few
details that were new to me, such as the revelation that
,Samuel Heinicke used various flavored liquids on the deaf
pupil's tongue to teach vowels, a different version of the
story of Abbe de l'Epee and the orphaned boy claimed to
be the lost Count of Solar, and identification of the first
appearance of what we now call "mainstreaming" (in
Germany during the first part of the 19th century). She
also gives major space to the oralism versus sign language
controversy and their two main American champions,
Alexander Graham Bell and Edward Miner Gallaudet. The
book ends with the Gallaudet Revolution of 1988, its effect
on Deaf events during the next few years, and a roster of
significant Deaf Americans of today. Along the way,
Walker introduces readers to the various communication
systems for the Deaf, a history of hearing aids, an introduction to Deaf culture, and more. This book won't satisfY
the serious scholar of Deaf studies, but is excellent as an
introduction for school children and for other people with
a casual interest in Deaf people and Deaf culture.
Woodford, Doreen E. (2002). Arthur Henry Bather, 1829Feltham, Middlesex, UK: British Deaf History
Society Publications. ISBN 1902427122.
1892.
The British Deaf History Society extends its
"Notable Deaf Persons" series with number IV, which is a
31-page booklet about a man who became deaf from scarlet
fever about age five, attended the Manchester Institution
for the Deaf and Dumb, then transferred to the new Rugby
College for the Deaf and Dumb until leaving school at age
16. After an aborted study of law, he became a clerk in the
offices of the Accountant-General of the Royal Navy, eventually being entrusted with the handling of huge sums of
money. Almost alone, he expertly handled the accounts for
the Crimean War, a feat that attracted the attention of
Parliament. Bather was also very active in the British Deaf
community, being an early member of what became the
Royal Association in Aid of the Deaf and Dumb and the
moving figure behind the fundraising and construction of
St. Saviour's Church for the Deaf and Dumb on Oxford
Street in London. He enjoyed retirement for only 2 years
before dying of a heart attack while rowing a boat. A
memorial tablet stands in Meole Brace Church near
Shrewsbury, where Bather was born and retired to.
Wright, Mary Herring (1999). Sounds Like Home:
Growing Up Black and Deaf in the South. Washington,
DC: Gallaudet University Press.
This is one of the small, but slowly growing, number of books on the Black Deaf experience in America.
Wright's autobiography covers her life from her birth in
rural North Carolina in 1924 up to early in World War II.
She attended the segregated North Carolina school for
Black deaf children at Raleigh. She eventually became a
student-teacher at her school, and gives us many details of
the Black Deaf school curriculum of that time as well as
many anecdotes of how the school and its staff and stu(
dents operated and changed over the years. She graduated
the Raleigh school in 1942, and the book ends with her
moving to Washington, D.C. Wright does not mention this
in her book, but she wanted to attend Gallaudet College,
and could not since Gallaudet at that time did not admit
Black students. As a result, she could not get a college
degree then, and when Gallaudet began admitting Black
students a decade later, she could no longer spare the time
to go back to school. Much later, she wrote these memoirs,
and in 2004, she finally got her college degree when
Gallaudet University gave her an honorary diploma.