1884.10.31 English

[1] CB: This writing ball letter was an illustration to my lengthy article about Rasmus Malling-Hansen in the magazine “Døves Jul” (Christmas of the Deaf) 1993.  I don’t know the origin of the letter – possibly it is from the collection and archive of education for the deaf-mute? It is undated, but judging from the content we can figure out that it was written in 1884 – the year when the professor Keller referred to died and when his son, Chr. Keller, took over the position of his father. Hence I have estimated the date of being October 31, 1884. It is evident that the letter was several pages long, however I know only this one.

[2] CB: Johan Keller (1830-84) was, just like RMH, a progressive and recognized teacher of the deaf-mutes and of the mentally retarded, and in countless areas a colleague and a kindred spirit of RMH. As from 1856 (a mere 26 years old!) he was appointed principal of the institute for the deaf-mute established by Dahlerup, at which the speech-method was applied (CB: Meaning that the ambition was to teach the deaf-mutes to speak, whereas at the institute for the deaf-mutes run by RMH they were taught sign language. It seems there was a certain distribution of responsibility between them, such that the most talented pupils were sent to Keller and the others to RMH). In 1865 Keller established a school for mentally retarded, already in 1867 turned into an independent institution, and this led to the subsequent establishment of several other institutions for various types of mentally deficient and retarded. (CB: They were named: The Keller Institutions – I think mentioned several times in RMH’s correspondence).  Keller also published several textbooks for this type of schools.
SA: By initiative from RMH in 1867 an arrangement was established, known as “the Danish division”: Children who were classified as lightly deaf-mutes, as well as deaf-mutes with mental deficiency, were to be taught at the Keller institutions in accordance with the speech- and the sign method, respectively, whereas the fully deaf-mute children were to be brought to the Institute for the Deaf-mutes in Copenhagen and be taught according to the sign method. The purpose was to avoid that the schools were competing for the same pupils – and, in addition, this was a way to establish an arrangement whereby the pupils were taught in accordance with the method best suited to their mental capacity and their hearing ability. In spite of this agreement, the two institutes were often in competition with each other, and RMH reproached Keller for summoning pupils to his school that really belonged at the Copenhagen Institute – at least in RMH’s opinion. He suspected Keller for having financial motives since the Keller institutes received government support in proportion to the number of pupils. When a new director of the Copenhagen Institute was to be appointed following Mr Trap’s death, RMH was very much afraid that Keller would be appointed. However, as it turned out, Keller died before before a successor could be appointed.

[3] CB: I havn’t found any information about Emil Keller, but concerning Christian Keller I found the following: Lived from 1858 until 1934; medical doctor; in 1884 he was appointed (CB: in other words immediately after the death of his father and at the age of 26 years, just like his father) principal of the Keller Institutes for the Mentally Retarded, which his father had established, and continued to manage them until 1932 (CB: In other words for 48 years!). In 1900 the institutes moved from Copenhagen to Brejning (CB: A place to the east of Vejle in Jutland. The school was very big and, incidentally, it was shut down only a few years ago and has now re-opened in the shape of a 5-star hotel). Keller was a skilful educationalist and an outstanding organizer and he managed to expand the institutes to a great extent.