THIS LINE of Poe's was chosen for the title of my paper because it well serves to distinguish the state of the hard of hearing from that of the deaf. I am concerned here primarily with the hard of hearing; the deaf and schools for the deaf will be mentioned only incidentally.
It is an honor to be chosen by the Otosclerosis Study Group to tell the story of the birth and growth of the work of organizations for the hard of hearing. I trust that my treatment of the subject will convey more than a tale of struggle and mounting success, rather a story of valiant endeavor by the hard of hearing in behalf of the hard of hearing, of their contributions to otology by teaching, research, understanding, and, above all, constructive thinking and example.
For a better understanding of some of the problems involved, a few words should