the congenitally deaf and blind came near being included.
_Annals_, xl., 1895, p. 310.

[59] Census Reports, 1880. Report on Defective, Dependent and Delinquent
Classes of the Population of the United States, 1888, p. 402ff.; Census
Reports, 1890. Report on Insane, Feeble-minded, Deaf and Dumb and Blind,
1895, pp. 108ff., 684; Special Reports, 1906, p. 122. The ages of the
deaf were reported less fully in 1880 than in 1890, and less fully in
1890 than in 1900; and if we take the numbers of those whose ages were
reported in these three censuses, we have the following table, showing
the proportion of the congenitally deaf.

THE CONGENITALLY DEAF ACCORDING TO NUMBERS IN WHICH AGE WAS REPORTED

NUMBER
WHOSE AGE CONGENITALLY PER
WAS REPORTED DEAF CENT

1880 22,473 12,155 54.7
1890 37,204 16,866 45.8
1900 35,479 12,609 35.3

If we assume that the proportion of the congenitally deaf to all the
deaf in each census was the same that it was among the cases in which
the age of the occurrence of deafness was reported, we have this table
to show the number of the congenitally deaf and the ratio of the deaf
among the population.

THE CONGENITALLY DEAF ACCORDING TO NUMBERS ASSUMED

ASSUMED
NUMBER OF RATIO PER
CONGENITALLY MILLION OF
DEAF POPULATION

1880 18,531 369
1890 18,375 293
1900 13,286 175

These tables are taken from _Annals_, li., 1906, p. 487.

[60] In the three schools where an increase in congenital deafness
appears to be found, namely, those of Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio, a
partial explanation probably lies in the fact that in these states a
number of day schools have been created of late years, which are not
likely to draw congenitally deaf pupils to the extent that the
institutions do, thus leaving a larger proportion for the latter. See
also E. A. Fay, _op. cit._, p. 125.

CHAPTER III

TREATMENT OF THE DEAF BY THE STATE

GENERAL ATTITUDE OF THE LAW TOWARDS THE DEAF

After examination of the question of how long the deaf are to be an
element of the population, our discussion turns to their position at
present as an actual part of society. The first relation to be
considered is that of