A concise exposition of the method of instructing the deaf and dumb [microform] : in the knowledge of a written language upon simple and rational principles

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COLUMBIA INSTITUTION

-FOR THE-

DEAF AND DUMB

THE CHARLES BAKER COLLECTION

NUMBER \i

METHOD OF INSTRUCTING

THE

DEAF AND DUMB.

A

CONCISE EXPOSITION

OF THE

METHOD OF INSTRUCTING

THE

DEAF AND DUMB

IN THE

KNOWLEDGE OF A WRITTEN LANGUAGE

UPON

SIMPLE AND RATIONAL PRINCIPLES.

BY J. R. YOUNG,

MASTER OF THE PRIVATE ESTABLISHMENT FOR THE
DEAF AND DUMB, PECKHAM.

LONDON :

PRINTED FOR J. SOUTER, SCHOOL LIBRARY,

73, st. paul's churchyard.

1826.

TO

LIEUTENANT W. B. NOBLE, R. N.,

THESE FEW PAGES

UPON A SUBJECT IK WHICH HE IS PARTICULARLY
INTERESTED

ARE INSCRIBED,

IN SINCERE, THOUGH FEEBLE TESTIMONY

OP THE HIGHEST RESPECT FOR HIS CHARACTER,

ESTIMATION TOR HIS FRIENDSHIP,

AND GRATITUDE

FOR THE MANY IMPORTANT SERVICES WHICH HE

HAS AT VARIOUS TIMES CONFERRED UPON HIS

OBEDIENT AND OBLIGED SERVANT,

THE AUTHOR.

ERRATUM.
67, line 6, for them, read that.

PRIVATE ESTABLISHMENT

FOR. THE

INSTRUCTION OF THE DEAF AND DUMB,
PECKHAM

(Removed from the Walworth Road).
CONDUCTED BY J. R. YOUNG,

NEARLY TEN YEARS TEACHER IN THE ASYLUM FOR DEAF
AND DUMB, KENT ROAD.

The limited number of twelve pupils are received into this
Establishment, and instructed in Articulation, Composition,
and the other usual branches of education. The pupils are
all parlour boarders, and enjoy every domestic comfort and
accommodation.

TERMS.

Board and Instruction 50 Guineas per annum.

Washing and Seat at Chapel 5

Drawing 5

References may be made to the following gentlemen, whose
children have been some length of time under instruction.
Lieut. Noble, Peckham,
Capt. Stewart, Woolwich,
H. Fellows, Esq. Queenhithe.

*„* Payments to be made quarterly, and each pupil to be
provided with six towels and a silver spoon.

INTRODUCTION.

The instruction of the deaf and dumb is
certainly a subject of some importance ; and
the developement of the means, however sim-
ple, by which beings, apparently shut out
from all opportunity of making the acquisi-
tion, are, nevertheless, enabled to comprehend
and apply a written language, must prove in-
teresting, both to individuals more immedi-
ately concerned in the discussion, and to the
curious inquirer in general.

It is, therefore, certainly singular, and the
fact is much to be lamented, that of all the

B

6 INTRODUCTION.

persons who have at various times, and in
different parts of Great Britain, devoted them-
selves to the occupation of instructing the
deaf and dumb, none have hitherto clearly-
developed the methods they have adopted,
nor attempted to benefit the public by a faith-
ful exposition of those principles, which, from
this unaccountable concealment, have by some
been undervalued and contemned, and by
others considered as involving mysteries too
recondite to be unfolded to common minds.

We have, it is true, several works avowedly
written in reference to this subject, and in
some of them will be found many judicious
remarks, bearing more or less upon the par-
ticular topic proposed. But as books profess-
ing to unfold to the inquiring reader the

INTRODUCTION. 7

" art" of instructing the deaf and dumb, they
have been the means, in most instances, of
misleading rather than benefiting; for al-
though they may contain much curious, and
even valuable information, yet it has been
found to be not precisely that kind of informa-
tion that was most needed and expected.

While making these observations, I have
more particularly in my eye Dr. Watson's book
on the instruction of the deaf and dumb;
a performance which, whatever may be its
peculiar merits, I am persuaded no person
ever perused, with a desire to be made ac-
quainted with the method of commencing
and carrying on the education of a deaf and
dumb child, who did not rise from that pe-
rusal with disappointment and regret.

B 2

8 INTRODUCTION.

Some writers, in delivering their opinions
on this subject, have advanced very novel as-
sertions. They have endeavoured to persuade
the public that for a child to be born deaf is
no calamity at all, and as to his education,
" let him," say they, " be sent to school as
other children are, and he will learn as they
do." This advice, however, I think very few
reflecting persons will be disposed to follow.

That a peculiar method must be employed
in the education of a deaf and dumb child
cannot, I am sure, admit of any rational
doubt ; for there is more than usual difficulty
to contend with — more than ordinary obsta-
cles to overcome, and, consequently, ordinary
means must prove insufficient.

INTRODUCTION. 9

It does not, however, from this follow, that
because there is peculiarity there must neces-
sarily be mystery ; or that because there is a
departure from the ordinary course there must
be a correspondent deviation from natural
simplicity and common sense. If, however,
these inferences have been drawn, I hope the
perusal of the following pages will tend to
show their fallacy. Of the published systems
that have appeared on the Continent, from the
celebrated teachers the abbe" de l'Ep^e and
the abbe Sicard, it is not my intention, at
present at least, to offer any opinion ; al-
though, if this attempt meet with a favourable
reception from the public, I may perhaps pre-
fix to a future edition thereof an impartial
examination, and a candid statement, of what

10 INTRODUCTION.

appears to me to be the principal merits and
defeets of those systems.

I shall at present content myself with ob-
serving, that, in the hands of their propagators,
I see no reason to dispute the good effects that
have been imputed to them on the Continent,
although denied to them, perhaps somewhat
unjustly, by English teachers.

Neither shall I here point out wherein the
course I think it expedient to adopt in in-
structing the deaf and dumb differs from that
pursued at the public institution in the Kent
Road ; suffice it to say, that, as a whole, it
differs more or less from each of these me-
thods. Indeed, they .all appear to me to have,

INTRODUCTION. 11

in a greater or less degree, one common prac-
tical fault, that of dictating to the pupil cer-
tain set questions and answers by way of les-
sons to be committed to memory, and thus
employing too* much of his time in the
drudgery of learning by rote *.

In putting a question to a deaf and dumb
pupil, I would advise, by all means, that he
be left to the exercise of his own ingenuity in

* If any person ask a boy, who has been three or four
years under instruction in the institution above alluded
to, "What is butter?" he will invariably receive for an-
swer (if the boy's memory be good), " Butter is a sub-
stance obtained from cream by agitation " The question-
ist, therefore, will not gain the object he has in view,
which isj doubtless, to ascertain the child's capability of
expressing his ideas by written language j for instead of
evidence as to his qualifications in this respect, he will
obtain merely a proof of the retentiveness of his memory-

12 INTRODUCTION.

framing a reply. If he fail, his failure may
arise either from his not having correct ideas
of the subject, or if his ideas be correct, from
his inability to embody them in language.
In either case, the assistance of his instructor
should be afforded, but assistance should not
be obtruded where it is not absolutely needed.
The pupil should be made to depend as much
as possible upon his own unassisted powers ;
and the practice of learning set questions and
answers by heart should, I think, be entirely
abolished, as affording no real advantage to
the learner.

With respect to the origin of the art of in-
structing the deaf and dumb, it may here be
briefly mentioned, that writers on this subject
generally refer the first practice of it to Spain,

INTRODUCTION. 13

where Bonnet applied himself to it with con-
siderable success, and published an account of
his method in 1620. But it is also said to
have been practised by others before this pe-
riod, and particularly by a countryman of his,
one Peter Ponce, a Benedictine monk, who,
as early as the latter end of the preceding
century, is said to have instructed a person
born deaf and dumb. In Holland, Amman,
a Swiss physician, taught a deaf and dumb
young lady with success in 1690; and he
also published an account of his system. In
England this subject was first discussed in
1 670, by the celebrated Dr. John Wallis, Sa-
vilian professor of geometry in the University
of Oxford. Several deaf and dumb persons
were at different times taught by him to com-

14 INTRODUCTION.

municate by written language; and he, as
well as the above-named foreign teachers, all
taught their pupils to articulate, and there is
every reason to suppose by one common me-
thod * ; although Dr. Wallis was not aware
that the idea had ever been conceived by any
other person, judging at least from his papers
on this subject in the Philosophical Transac-
tions for 1670 and for 1698. As might be
expected by any one at all acquainted with
Dr. Wallis's eminent abilities, his method of

* " There being no other way to direct his speech than
by teaching him how the tongue, the lips,, the palate,
aud other organs of speech are to be applied and moved
in the forming of such sounds as are required, to the
end that he may by art pronounce those sounds which
others do by custom." Dr. Wallis's Letter in the Phil.
Trans, for July, 1670.

INTRODUCTION. 15

proceeding was rational and judicious; and
from the very brief account which he has
given of it, it appears that the process, which
it is here proposed to explain, is very nearly
allied to it.

Dr. Wallis, it seems, enabled only two out
of all his pupils to speak ; but it ought not
from this circumstance to be inferred, that he
never attempted it in other instances ; for if
he had abandoned it after having succeeded
with these two persons, it is most probable
that he would have stated his reasons for so
doing, which, however, he has not done. I
therefore think it more reasonable to suppose,
that he taught all his pupils to articulate, al-
though only two of them arrived at such a
degree of perfection as to be adduced by him

16 INTRODUCTION.

as instances of his success in teaching the deaf
and dumb to speak*.

I shall now proceed to lay before the reader
what experience has induced me to consider
the simplest method of proceeding, in order
to enable a deaf and dumb child to compre-
hend a language. I do not affect to call it a
system — it has perhaps no claim to that de-
signation; it is, in short, nothing more than
that plain and natural course which any per-

* It is but fair to state, that of these two persons, one
only was born deaf and dumb, the other having lost his
hearing at about five years of age.

And with respect to the former of these, Mr. Alex-
ander Popham, Dr. Holder asserts his claim to having
taught him to speak before he was placed under Dr.
Wallis, at which time, it seems, he had quite forgotten
Dr. Holder's instructions.

INTRODUCTION. 17

son's judgment, after due reflection on the
subject, would be most likely to suggest in
reference to an undertaking of this kind:
every one, therefore, will be capable of judg-
ing of its efficiency as a means to the attain-
ment of the end proposed.

INSTRUCTION

OP THE

DEAF AND DUMB.

Since what is usually termed the faculty
of speech is in reality nothing else than an
attainment acquired by imitation, through the
means of the organ of hearing, it follows, that
when the possession of this organ is denied
from birth, or when its essential parts are
destroyed in infancy, by whatever cause, the
unfortunate subject of the calamity must ne-
cessarily remain dumb.

The natural difference then between a per-
son deaf and dumb and an ordinary individual
does not necessarily consist in more than this,

20 INSTRUCTION OF THE

that upon the one, nature has bestowed five
senses, and upon the other but four: the
one, from his superior endowment, grows up a
speaking being, the other, from his deficiency,
continues mute ; his inability to speak arising
solely from the ordinary channel through
which language is acquired being closed.

When it is beyond all hope ascertained
that a child is deaf and dumb, the attention
and inquiries of its parents and friends natu-
rally become very anxiously directed to the
most rational and available means of com-
municating to the little unfortunate, as early
as possible, the knowledge of a written lan-
guage, thereby narrowing the chasm which
nature appears to have created between him
and others, and elevating him ultimately to
the level occupied by his fellow-men.

How this very important object is to be
accomplished, it is my present endeavour

DEAF AND DUMB. 2]

briefly, but simply, and clearly, to point
out.

With respect to the period when a course
of instruction may be most advantageously
entered upon, no precise time can be fixed, as
much will, of course, depend upon the child's
natural ability, or upon the developement of
intellect which he exhibits; generally speaking,
however, at about five years of age will be a
very suitable period to commence.

By this time, the child will have had abun-
dant opportunities of observing that there
exists between himself and those around him a
very considerable difference. He will not have
failed to remark, that, among others, the will
may be communicated, and the thoughts con-
veyed, in a manner very different from that
which he himself employs for the same pur-
poses. He will have discovered, that, instead
of intercourse being carried on by signs ad-

c

22 INSTRUCTION OF THE

dressed to the eye, the motion of the lips is
employed, and the organ addressed is the ear.

How communications are thus interchanged,
he will, of course, be utterly at a loss to con-
ceive; he gradually, however, becomes fami-
liar with, and at length reconciled to the fact,
however incomprehensible to him, that inter-
course is maintained in this way with great
ease and rapidity ; that his own method of
gesture is peculiar to himself, abounding with
imperfections, intelligible only to his imme-
diate friends, and often, even to them, from
the paucity of its resources, very inadequate
to the full expression of his feelings ; but it
is the only one, alas ! of which he can avail
himself. He thus becomes practically ac-
quainted with his situation — he finds that he
is deaf.

In this state of things, let the business of
education commence by teaching the pupil, in

DEAF AND DUMB. 23

the usual way, the formation of letters. The
art of writing being entirely imitative, and
requiring only the use of the fingers and eye-
sight, may be acquired by deaf and dumb
children as readily as by others; a circum-
stance of peculiar importance to the former,
as to them it must constitute the only perfect
channel for the conveyance of information to
the mind.

It may here be proper to remark, that every
attention should at all times be paid to the
pupil's signs, even from his earliest attempts
at this imperfect but expressive mode of mak-
ing known his wants and his feelings. By
affording this attention, it will be seen that
the child constantly employs distinct signs to
denote different objects and feelings, accom-
panying his gestures by expressions of coun-
tenance naturally indicative of the existing
emotions of his mind. The parent or
teacher should use every endeavour to recollect

c 2

24 INSTRUCTION OF THE

and familiarize himself with these signs, and
in communicating with the child, to be care-
ful to apply them in a similar manner, and
under precisely the same circumstances as he
does, in order that they may thus acquire a
definite value. Endeavours should likewise
be used to establish, as far as practicable, a
system of signs; in which endeavours, the
pupil will, as it were instinctively, assist his
instructor; indeed, signs being his peculiar
language, he will generally be found to evince
great fertility in their invention.

The collection of signs thus agreed upon
and established, should, at every favourable
opportunity, be amplified and extended, so as
to approach, as nearly as possible, towards an
efficient medium of communication; for it
must, I think, appear very obvious, that in
teaching a language to the deaf and dumb,
great assistance may be derived from a copious
collection of signs, the import of which is al-

DEAF AND DUMB. 25

ready understood, and their signification fully
established.

If it were possible for us to arrive at such a
degree of perfection in the language of signs,
as to be able effectively to avail ourselves of it
for all the purposes of communication, it would
be a happy circumstance ; as then the diffi-
culty of teaching a written language to the
deaf and dumb would little exceed that com-
mon to every foreign language, attempted by
an ordinary individual ; little more would be
required than the translation of the one lan-
guage into the other ; attention being at the
same time paid to the idiom and construction
peculiar to each. This degree of perfection,
however, must not be expected*.

* It must uot be here supposed that I recommend
the establishment of any system of signs, constructed in
reference to the words or idioms of >ur own language.
All that I advise is, that we make our collection as co-
pious as possible, in order that we may communicate by

26 INSTRUCTION OF THE

While adverting to the attention which the
child should at this early period receive, I can-

their aid as much as possible ; the signs employed being
in conformity to the suggestions of nature, and not to
the construction of our language. I am not 'therefore
advocating the Abbe de l'Epee's system of methodical
signs, although I am persuaded that every teacher of
the deaf and dumb will derive advantage from a perusal
of the Abbess work on that subject.

Dr. Watson ridicules the attempt to teach signs to
the deaf and dumb. " Never," says he, " let any thing
so chimerical be thought of, as an attempt to turn mas-
ter to the deaf and dumb in the art of signing/' and,
in order to show the absurdity of such an attempt, he
adduces the following a&a parallel case.

" What should we expect from a European who
should undertake to teach his own regular, copious, and
polished language to a South Sea Islander, who was
henceforward to live among Europeans, and whose scanty
vocabulary extended only to a very few words, barely suf-
ficient to enable him to express in a rude manner, what
was required by the uniformity of his condition, and his
paucity of thoughts ? Should we suspecj that the teacher
would set about new-modelling, methodizing, and en-
larging this rude and imperfect language, as the readiest

DEAF AND DUMB. 27

not help making a few observations upon the
conduct of those parents who, from some mis-
taken view, confine their mute offspring almost
entirely within the precincts of a nursery du-
ring his earlier years, and deny to him that

method to make the islander acquainted with the Eu-
ropean tongue; especially, though this new-modelled
language were the thing practicable, which, I appre-
hend, few will contend for, could be of use but to these
two persons?" To these queries, I shall merely reply,
that, however ridiculous this project might appear, it
would be equally ridiculous to attempt to teach one
language without the aid of another — without a vehicle
nothing can be conveyed. And with respect to the lan-
guage of signs, depending, as it does, entirely upon ges-
ture and expression of countenance, it can hardly be
called conventional,— it is natural; and, therefore, to
compare it with any other language, in reference to the
practicability of its enlargement, is absurd. Every new
emotion in the mind, every new stimulus offered to the
senses, manifests itself, even in persons who hear and
speak, unless nature is subdued, by external appearances
of action or expression ; so that, in fact, nature suggests
her own signs.

28 INSTRUCTION OF THE

freedom of ingress to their presence, which
his more fortunate brothers and sisters enjoy.
Let it be recollected, that the deaf child,
though less favoured by nature, has, at least,
as much claim to these privileges as they, and
though mute, does not surely less powerfully
recommend himself to the fostering care and
attention of his parents. The deaf child,
moreover, possesses quite as much natural
sensibility, and is capable of feeling as acutely
any slight offered to him, as other children of
the same age, and the continuance of such
treatment as this toward him cannot fail at
length to engender feelings in his mind, which,
added to the consciousness he already has of
his natural deficiency, must tend to make him
deeply sensible of the forlornness of his situ-
ation. He will naturally look up to his bro-
thers and sisters as his acknowledged supe-
riors; readily yield on all occasions to their
directions, and will thus, not unfrequently,

DEAF AND DUMB. 29

become the unhappy subject, either of their
ridicule, or of their imposition.

In opposition to this too frequent practice,
I would strenuously recommend that the deaf
and dumb infant enjoy as much of his parents'
personal care and regard as the other children
of the family, ; for although naturally different
from them by an organic defect, let him have
no cause, as far as you can avoid it, to feel that
difference. Let him see that you view him
as occupying a place in the family of equal
importance with the other children and that
you strongly discountenance every attempt to
take advantage of his calamity. If you have
company, do not let his affliction induce you
to exclude him alone, merely because you ap-
prehend that his inarticulate noises may be
offensive or his gestures troublesome ; for by
thus excluding him from all opportunities for
observation, you strengthen the barrier which
nature has opposed to the expansion of his

30 INSTRUCTION OF THE

mental faculties, and effectually check that
natural inquisitiveness and disposition for in-
quiry, which it is so desirable should exist
when education is to commence*. But to
return to our pupil.

* Alluding to former times, the writer of the article
Deaf and Dumb, in the Supplement to the Encyclo-
paedia Britannica, observes, that " In France the very
birth of such children was accounted a sort of disgrace
to the family from which they sprung ; and the duties
of humanity were deemed to extend no further in their
behalf, than to the maintenance of their animal exist-
ence, while they were carefully excluded from the eyes
of the world, either within the walls of a convent, or in
some hidden asylum in the country. Abandoned thus
early to their fate, and regarded as little better than
idiots, it is not surprising that their future behaviour
should have been such as might seem to justify the
narrow views which prompted this ungenerous treat-
ment. All motive to exertion being withheld, and all
desire of improvement being repressed, the faculties soon
languished and became paralyzed for want of proper ob-
jects on which they could be exercised — and man was
sunk to the condition of the brute."

DEAF AND DUMB. 31

While occupied in tracing the forms of the
letters, the learner may at the same time be
taught to acquire their articulation, or to imi-
tate, by means of the organs of speech, which
he is here supposed to possess in as much per-
fection as others, the formation peculiar to
each letter *.

For this purpose, the position which the
external organs assume in the production of
the several sounds must be distinctly shown
to the pupil ; while he is made to feel with his
finger applied to the throat the vibration which
the sound there creates. He will immediately
endeavour to imitate what he observes, and
after a few trials will generally succeed.

The several positions of the organs neces-
sary for the production of the various articu-
late sounds in our language are here explained.

* When it happens that the organs of speech are im-
perfect, which is, however, an exceedingly rare occur-
rence, articulation will not, of course, be attempted.

32 INSTRUCTION OF THE

With respect to the vowel sounds, which are
to be taught first, the position of the organs
of speech requisite to produce them are too
simple to need any minute description of them
here.

The vowel a has four distinct sounds ; they
are observable in the words fat, fate, father,
and fall. The sound which the pupil should
be required to produce, is that heard in the
word father, this being the most open.

The teacher then is to pronounce this sound
slowly and in a strong voice, the pupil's finger
being placed on the throat to feel the vibra-
tion, and his eyes being at the same time di-
rected to the organs employed.

The teacher must now in his turn place
his own finger on the pupil's throat, and seem
to require from him a similar performance to
that which he has been witnessing, and which
he will now attempt ; if, however, he do not
produce sound, let him be made to apply his

DEAF AND DUMB. 33

own finger to his throat, and he will discover,
by feeling no vibration there, that his imitation
is imperfect, and he will further try till sound
is produced.

Having practised this sound a little, the
pupil may proceed to e ; the teacher dwelling
on the sound sufficiently long to enable the
pupil distinctly to see the formation, while he
feels the sound as before.

The sound of /, consisting of the sounds of
a and e combined, is, by their help, instantly
acquired.

O is a simple sound, the formation of which
is very easily shown.

U is composed of two sounds, the first is
that of e, and the second is produced by the
double o in pronouncing the word ooze; two
very distinct formations then are to be ex-
hibited to the pupil.

Y, at the end of a syllable, has the same
sound as i; at the beginning of a syllable, it

34 INSTRUCTION OF- THE

takes the sound of e, the former only is to be
attended to at present.

When the pupil has sufficiently practised
these sounds to be able to produce the correct
articulation of any vowel when promiscuously
pointed to, the teacher may proceed to show
him the power of b.

This power is soon learnt ; nothing more
is necessary to produce it than to close the
lips, and with a propulsion of the breath force
them apart, sounding at the same time in the
throat.

As soon as b is acquired, the pupil will be
able to produce the sounds of the following
syllables, which are to be given him.
ba, be, bi, bo, bu, by,
ab, eb, ib, ob, ub.

The power of c is not so easily shown ; it
is produced by pressing the back part of the
tongue to the roof of the mouth, and then
forcing it down by propelling the breath. The

35

pupil will ascertain this formation best, by his
finger being put into the teacher's mouth.

When this sound is produced, the pupil
will readily run over the syllables,
ca, co, cu,

ac, ec, ic, oc, uc.
Here we omit ce, ci, cy, because whenever they
occur in a word the c takes the soft sound.

The formation of d will be best shown to
the pupil by advancing the tip of the tongue
a little beyond the teeth, closing them rather
forcibly upon it, and making him feel with
the back of his hand, that, upon unclosing
them you thrust the breath through; his
other hand feeling sound in the throat.

With the help of d he will pronounce the
syllables

da, de, di, do, du, dy,
ad, ed, id, od, ud.

F is formed by bringing into contact the

36 INSTRUCTION OF THE

upper teeth and the under lip, and emitting
the breath through. From this letter the
pupil goes to the syllables

fa,fe,Jl,fo,fu,fy,
a f> <>/'> ifiof, uf.
G is formed in exactly the same way as c,
with respect to the position of the organs ; and
the difference of sound arises from this letter
being accompanied by a deep sound in the
throat very easily felt. This letter combined
with the vowels, gives

ga, ge, gi, go, gu, gy,
ag, eg, ig, og, ug.
H is nothing more than an emission of the
breath ; it is not worth the pupil's attention.
The teacher may intimate to him that the
syllables

ha, he, hi, ho, hu, hy,
are sounded as the vowels.

The letter j has two distinct sounds, that

DEAF AND DUMB. 37

of d and that of sh; it may be omitted till sh
has been learned.

K has the same formation as c; and the
syllables

ka, Ice, ki, ko, ku, ky,
ak, ek, ik, ok, uk,
have been already pronounced.

The formation of / is shown by bringing
the tip of the tongue in close contact with the
roof of the mouth and upper front ' teeth,
sounding at the same time in the throat.
This enables the pupil to go over the sylla-
bles

la, le, )i, lo, hi, ly,
a I, el, il, ol, ul.

The formation of m is very simple; its
sound is produced by closing the lips and
sounding in the throat ; the pupil feeling the
vibration both when his hand is applied to
the throat and to the lips ; this power is to
be combined with the vowels as before.

D

38 INSTRUCTION OF THE

N is formed by bringing the upper surface
of the tongue in contact with the palate, so as
to prevent the escape of the breath but through
the nose ; the mouth must be a little open,
and vibration felt both in the throat and nose.
The syllables formed by combining this letter
with the vowels are next to be pronounced.

The formation of p differs from that of b
only in this ; the lips are here to be pressed
rather more closely, and there is to be no
sound in the throat. The syllables follow
here as usual.

The letter q always occurs in conjunction
with u; the teacher, therefore, is to show the
formation of qu ; this syllable is composed of
the hard sound of c, and that produced by
pronouncing oo in the word ooze. When the
correct sound is produced, the pupil is to go
over the syllables

qua, que, qui, quo, quy,
aqu, equ, iqu, oqu.

DEAF AND DUMB. 39

To form r the tongue must be turned back
almost as far as possible, the tip of it coming
nearly in contact with the roof of the mouth ;
and the breath must be gently emitted between,
with but little sound in the throat ; by put-
ting the pupil's finger in the mouth this for-
mation will be discerned. This power is to
be combined with the vowels as in the pre-
ceding instances.

To produce the power of s, let the teeth and
lips be a little open, and the latter somewhat
distended, so that the front teeth may be vi-
sible, then the tongue is to be brought into
close contact with the under teeth and the
breath forced through.

The formation of t is similar to that of d,
but for the former there must not be sound
in the throat.

For v the formation is similar to that for/ ;
but here vibration will be felt in the throat,

D 2

40 INSTRUCTION OF THE

as also by placing the finger in contact with
the upper teeth and under lip.

W is easily shown by pronouncing clearly
the double o as heard in the word ooze; the
pupil should here be told that the sound
of the double o is exactly the same as that
of w.

X never begins a word in our language ; it
is composed of the sounds of k and s.

Z is formed in like manner to s, with the
addition of vibration in the throat, which may
be also felt by the finger when in contact with
the teeth.

The whole of the above powers and sylla-
bles should be gone carefully through by the
pupil four or five times every day, till he is
able to produce the correct sound when any
letter or syllable is promiscuously pointed to.
When he has become thus familiar with them,
he may proceed to the five following combi-

DEAF AND DUMB. 41

nations of consonants, each, with the excep-
tion of ch, having but one simple sound, ph,
sh, th, ch, and ng.

Ph has the same power a&f.

The formation of sh differs from that of s
only in this, that the lips instead of being
distended, are protruded a little, and the
tongue is not used.

If the tip of the tongue rest upon the under
lip, and the upper teeth be brought very
nearly in contact with it, the emission of the
breath between will produce the sound of th.

Ch is formed by combining t and sh.

To produce the sound due to ng the mouth
must be a little open, the back part of the
tongue raised to the roof of the mouth, and
vibration felt both in the throat and nose;
none of the breath must pass through the
mouth.

These double consonants may be combined
with the vowels, as was done with the conso-

42 INSTRUCTION OF THE

nants singly, and the pupil will easily pro-
nounce the various syllables at sight.

When all this has been gone through, the
pupil will have acquired all the elements of
articulation, and will be able to pronounce
with tolerable accuracy any word in the En-
glish language ; I must not say with perfect
accuracy, because the sound due to the same
letter, or to the same combination of letters,
undergoes different modifications in different
words, easily discernible indeed by the ear,
but not produced by any very distinctly ob-
servable alteration in the organs of speech.
These changes chiefly relate to modulation,
quantity, and accent, all more or less depend-
ing on the ear, and, therefore, strict attention
to these circumstances it is not in the power
of a deaf person to pay. The sound of the
letter y for instance, which, when a consonant,
we have considered as equivalent to that of e
long, undergoes a modification of this kind in

DEAF AND DUMB. 43

the words yield and year; although there is
no observable alteration in the organs whether
we pronounce the y in these words, or in the
words, young, and yarn, but the ear can discover
a difference in the sound ; these last words
have the sound of eang, earn *>; in the former
words the y has a sound peculiar to itself.
These distinctions, however, are so nice, and
to a deaf person so unimportant, that it is
scarcely worth while to advert to them. But
there is in connexion with this subject a much
greater difficulty : it arises out of the circum-
stance, that in our language, a great number
of words have a pronunciation composed of
sounds different from those strictly due to
the letters which form them. For example,
the words industry,. beauty, table, waistcoat,
&c, are pronounced as if they were spelt en-
dustre, bu-te, ta-bl, iva's-cot, &c. Hence when

* The sound of the a in these words being that heard
in the word father.

44 INSTltUCTION OF THE

the pupil first learns to pronounce words, the
teacher must analyze the sounds for him in
this way, and he will gradually become ac-
quainted with the nature of our language, as
far as pronunciation is concerned, by means
of these helps, and will, in a short time, be
able to pronounce any word at sight as other
people do. The various sounds of the letter
a the pupil will also gradually notice, and will
discontinue to use the broad sound in every
instance, if the teacher be careful to show him
the difference in the various words which he
will meet with in the course of his lessons,
since all the sounds of this letter depend sim-
ply upon the mouth being more or less open.
The preceding observations on the subject of
teaching articulation will, I fear, notwithstand-
ing my endeavours to be explicit, be still some-
what unsatisfactory to inexperienced persons.
Indeed, in order to convey correct and satis-
factory notions of any series of delicate me-

DEAF AND DUMB. 45

chanical operations, it is desirable that those
operations should be exhibited to the eye,
rather than depend for explanation upon
written description. It must not, therefore,
be inferred, merely because the present sub-
ject may not be susceptible of satisfactory
elucidation in this latter way, that it involves
any real difficulty, or that it offers to the deaf
pupil any thing that is not, under a competent
teacher, very easily attainable by him ; and,
in fact, it is generally found, that he goes
through it with great pleasure and rapidity,
and that in most instances, he will have ac-
complished his task before he has learnt to
form all the letters of the alphabet, so that
by the time he has arrived at the letter z in
his copy-book, he will have acquired the ele-
ments of both written and articulate language.
From this statement, it appears that the time
occupied in attending to articulation has not
been employed at the expense of any other

46 INSTRUCTION OF THE

object, inasmuch as a familiarity with the
letters of the alphabet must, of course, be
acquired previously to their combination in
the form of words being attempted.

Much objection has, however, at various
times and in different forms, been made to
the practice of teaching articulation to the
deaf and dumb, chiefly on the ground of its
asserted inutility to the learner. But, not-
withstanding all the opposition it has met
with, I cannot help still considering it as a
very desirable preliminary in facilitating the
acquisition of a language. It must be ad-
mitted, that in commencing a course of in-
struction, whatever be the subject, and who-
ever the object of it, the application of the
pupil must be influenced by the preparation
existing in his mind favourable to a correct
estimation, and cordial reception of the par-
ticular subject offered to its notice. When
there are clear views of the end contemplated,

DEAF AND DUMB. 47

and full conviction of the desirableness of ac-
complishing that end, the teacher may reason-
ably calculate, with a greater degree of proba-
bility, upon the success of his attempts, than
when these stimuli to exertion do not operate.
The truth of this remark being admitted, let
us here consider a little the actual state of the
pupil's mind, in reference to the undertaking
before him, at the very early stage of his pro-
gress in which we. now find him, nothing of
the mystery of words having as yet been un-
folded to him. Under these circumstances,
it cannot be supposed that the learner can
have the remotest idea that things and thoughts
can be expressed by written characters; for
he could not have a knowledge of the fact by
intuition, and his observation has not fur-
nished him with the means of arriving at it.
But he has repeatedly observed that, by per-
sons in general, communications are conducted
by means of those very organs which he is

48 INSTRUCTION OF THE

now attempting to employ ; he has had al-
ready numerous opportunities of remarking
that, by means of a few simple movements of
these organs, a command is obeyed, an order
executed, or an object produced. Can it then
be supposed, that, while occupied in this way,
the learner will not have some faint idea of
his teacher's views with him, or that he will
be entirely ignorant of the purpose intended ?
Certainly not. Almost every child must feel
conscious that he is placed in the road to ac-
quire that powerful, and to him, mysterious
instrument, language, so often the object of
his wonder and desire ; and with this stimulus
operating upon his mind, he will labour on
with confidence and delight, as much to his
own advantage as to his teacher's satisfaction.
If, on the contrary, it be attempted to con-
vey the ideas of objects and feelings to the
mind of a beginner by means of written cha-
racters only, there must be much increase of

DEAF AND DUMB. 49

difficulty. The subject comes before him as
a perfect mystery, inexplicable by any refer-
ence to circumstances which have ever pre-
sented themselves to his notice ; for, as before
remarked, he has. had no opportunity of be-
coming acquainted with the fact that inter-
course may be carried on by means of written
characters, as well as by means of the organs of
speech ; a much longer time, therefore, must
elapse before he can have any insight into his
teacher's views, he will, consequently, proceed
with less pleasure, and there must remain for
some time, in his mind, much uncertainty and
confusion, respecting the connexion of any
given object, and the apparently arbitrary
collection of characters denoting its name.

I do not however, by any means, intend to
say that a language may not be taught to a
deaf and dumb child without attending to
articulation, nor to deny that, in numerous
instances, a language has been so taught. I

50 INSTRUCTION OF THE

enforce its importance, viewing it merely as a
facilitating principle, and valuing it chiefly in
reference to its collateral advantages.

With respect to the objections above re-
ferred to, they have arisen, I apprehend, prin-
cipally from a notion that the teacher's object
in instructing a deaf and dumb child to arti-
culate, is to furnish him with the same means
that others possess, of cotwmunicating his
thoughts as they do, and that, when he mixes
in society, he may be enabled, in virtue of this
attainment, to avail himself of it with equal
facility and success. Viewing it in this light,
I can pnly say, that whatever others may pre-
tend to, I candidly confess that I aspire to no
such object*. But, notwithstanding this

* What has very much contributed to confirm and
encourage the opinion of the inutility of articulation, is
the very silly practice adopted at one or two public in-
stitutions for the deaf and dumb, at the periodical meet-
ings of the subscribers to which, two or three of the

DEAF AND DUMB. 51

avowal, it must not be supposed that I would
by any means discourage the pupil's attempts
to express himself in this way. So convinced
indeed am I of the advantages of keeping up
this method of communication, that, in my
own school, I use every endeavour to encou-
rage and enforce the practice of it : for to his
teacher the pupil will always be intelligible; and
he will, at all tiroes, be more gratified at being

pupils are made to recite a set of rhymes, got up for
the purpose, as an evidence of the advantages they have
derived from instruction.

In what way these absurd and meaningless exhibitions
can set forth the benefits, or further the interests of
these institutions, or how they can possibly satisfy the
minds of discerning individuals who pay for the support
of them, I am utterly at a loss to conjecture. The di-
rect advantages of articulation are certainly very unim-
portant ; it is acquired solely by an imitation of mecha-
nical operations, and, therefore, whatever displays may
be made of it, the exhibitants can be properly regarded
only as machines, and not as intelligent beings.

52 INSTRUCTION OF THE

able to make himself understood in this way,
than in any other. I must also here remark
that in some cases, where the voice is particu-
larly agreeable, and proper attention is paid,
a very considerable approach may be made to-
wards that perfection natural to others. But
to return from this digression.

The pupil having then learnt to form the
letters and to produce their powers, both
singly and in combination, he is prepared to
set about learning the names of the more
familiar objects by which he is surrounded.

At this stage of his progress, the instruc-
tions of the teacher begin to assume a different
character. Hitherto, little more has been re-
quired of the pupil than an observation and
imitation of visible and mechanical operations :
the only mental exertion that has been ex-
pected from him is to recollect the connexion
of one symbol with another— the written cha-
racter with the articulate formation ; but now

DEAF AND DUMB. 53

something more than this becomes necessary ;
he is here required, not to imitate, but to as-
sociate—to connect the symbol with the thing
signified.

Having shown the pupil the name of an
object, and having directed him to copy it on
his slate, the teacher will desire him to pro-
nounce this name, directing his attention at
the same time, to the object named ; this is
to be repeated once or twice, the teacher ex-
pressing satisfaction in his countenance at his
performances ; and the pupil will, in general,
show every indication that he fully compre-
hends what he has, for the first time in his
life, accomplished, —named an object.

With respect to the objects fittest to be at
first selected, let them be those with which
he is most familiar, or which he is in the fre-
quent habit of using. He should not be conr
fined to any particular class of substantives,
nor should they be selected in reference to

E

54 INSTRUCTION OF THE

alphabetical arrangement ; for this is not the
plan Nature adopts with children in general ;
and the end in view will be most speedily at-
tained by imitating, as much as possible, the
simplicity of her operations. Children who
hear do not learn the names of objects in clas-
sified parcels, nor in alphabetical order.

The following names are among those very
suitable to begin with.

Table

Salt

Teaspoon

Girl

Plate

Pepper

Teapot

Man

Knife

Potato

Teakettle

Woman

Fork

Pudding

Sugar

Cat

Bread

Cheese

Milk

Dog

Meat

Tea

Boy

Horse, &c.

In this business of learning the names of
objects, much assistance will be derived from
pictures of the objects to be named ; since an
idea of any visible object may. be very well
conveyed by a correctly executed represent-
ation thereof. For this purpose, the teacher

DEAF AND DUMB. 55

may use the collection of plates employed in
the Asylum in the Kent Road. Another very
amusing help will also be found in the use of
alphabetical counters.

When the pupil has acquired the names of
a few familiar objects, the practical applica-
tion of his knowledge, scanty as it is, must, at
every opportunity, be called forth. At dinner,
for instance, he is to name, as far as his at-
tainments enable him, every thing brought to
table, or to which he is helped ; this, it should
be seen, is regularly expected from him as
matter of necessity.

The names of the objects in most common
use being learned in this way, the teacher may
vary the lessons of his pupil by presenting to
him a few adjectives. Now it is here sup-
posed, that teacher and pupil have been ac-
customed to use signs in the relation of adjec-
tives already : as they must undoubtedly have
found frequent occasion to express by signs

56 INSTRUCTION OF THE

the phrases, good boy, bad boy, dirty hands,
clean hands, new hat, old coat, &c. ; the teacher
then has nothing more to do than to exhibit
the sign which they have been mutually ac-
customed to employ in any of these cases, and
to point to the written signification, which
the pupil will pronounce ; thus naming that
which before he had been in the habit of
signing. The nature of the adjective is thus
soon understood, and the teacher may extend
his list of them at pleasure ; he will, however,
often find occasion to invent new signs as he
proceeds, so that his collection will be con-
tinually augmenting.

Having arrived thus far, the pupil is en-
abled to say, of his own accord, good boy, tall
man, fat man, &c. ; and it will be very easy
here to inform him, that when he refers in
these expressions to but one object, he must in-
dicate that by prefixing a before the adjective,
or an, if it commences with a vowel ; by writing

DEAF AND DUMB. 57

down a few illustrative expressions, he will
soon see the distinction, and the teacher may
then further- intimate to him, that when more
than one object is referred to, it must be indi-
cated by adding s or es to the object's name.
The teacher will not, of course, stop here to
point out the exceptions to this, but will
merely select a few expressions as suitable il-
lustrations.

The teacher is now, by way of exercising
his pupil, and in order at the same time to
ascertain how far his efforts have succeeded,
to express by signs the sentences a good boy,
an old man, a new book, a clean slate, dirty
shoes, clean hands, &c. requiring the pupil
to translate these signs in order, as they are
exhibited to him, which if he is found able to
do, promptly and correctly, satisfactory evi-
dence will be afforded that he thoroughly
comprehends what has been taught.

The pupil may now conveniently proceed

58 INSTRUCTION OF THE

to the possessive pronouns my, your, his, her,
&c. ; the import of which, as signs, is already
well understood ; and when the pupil has been
shown their translation into words, he may be
made to apply them in expressions similar to
the following, the teacher dictating to him the
signs : my book, his hat, your pen, our slates,
their books, &c. These little phrases may be
multiplied, till, from the .promptness with
which the pupil presents the translation, the
teacher is satisfied that the lesson is properly
understood ; for great care must all along be
taken that the nature and import of the words
are correctly conveyed before another class is
proceeded to.

The possessive pronouns being dispatched,
it will be expedient to proceed to the personal
pronouns, I, you, he, she, it, &c. the import
of which may be very easily shown. For I,
the teacher will point to himself, without ex-
hibiting any particular expression of counte-

DEAF AND DUMB. 59

nance ; you, will be shown by pointing, in a
similar way, to the pupil, or to the person ad-
dressed ; he and she, by pointing, in a similar
manner, to a third individual ; it, by pointing
to any one of the surrounding objects. The
plural of these pronouns is just as easily
shown.

This being gone over a few times, and the
pupil being enabled to apply correctly the
different pronouns when promiscuously exer-
cised, it will be proper to proceed immediately
to the present tense of the indicative mood of
the verb to be, considering it, not as an aux-
iliary, but as a principal verb of the neuter
kind ; for without a verb it will be impossible
to illustrate the application of the personal
pronouns, and yet it is advisable that we do
illustrate, as far as possible, as we go on. The
teacher will, therefore, direct the pupil to
write under the preceding lesson; / am, you
are, he is, she is, it is, &c. explaining / am,

60 INSTRUCTION OF THE

by pointing to himself, as in the preceding
lesson for I, at the same time nodding his
head, expressive of acknowledgment or assent ;
he will point in a similar manner to the other
persons, and accompany the action by the
same expression of countenance. After the
pupil has been for some time exercised in this
lesson, the teacher is again to try the effect of
his instructions by eliciting from him little
sentences, in which the words and expressions
already taught must necessarily occur; and
the best way of doing this, will be for the
teacher to require him, as in the preceding
lessons, to turn into words the signs which he
proposes to him for that purpose; for the
pupil now possesses sufficient materials to say
I am well, he is idle, she is tall, it is dirty, my
slate is clean, his shoes are old, &c. or to trans-
late the signs expressive of these sentences.
A convenient opportunity now offers itself to
convey the import of the definite article,

DEAF AND DUMB. 61

which he may apply in such expressions, as
the sky is blue, the fire is hot, the fioor is
dirty, &c.

When sufficient satisfaction has been given
that so far has been well understood, the pu-
pil's lesson may be extended, by giving him
the negative form of the verb in this simple
tense. The teacher will therefore direct him
to write under the preceding lesson, / am not,
you are not, he is not, she is not, it is not, &c.
To explain I am not, the teacher will point
to himself, as in the former lessons, at the
same time shaking his head, indicative of
denial ; and he will, as before, immediately
proceed to illustrate the lesson by suitable
examples, the pupil being here required to
translate the signs for / am. not ill, he is not
idle, my slate is not dirty, your gloves are
not old, Sec. It will be necessary to exercise
the pupil in this way for some time, in order
that an indelible impression may remain of

62 INSTRUCTION OF THE

the true import of the words he has been
learning. After the negative form, it will be
proper to proceed to the interrogative, Am I?
Are you? Is he? Is she? Is it? &c. ; which
terms are to be explained by pointing to the
persons as before, accompanying the act by
an expression of inquiry in the countenance.
The teacher may then proceed to ask him in
this way, Are you good? he will, without
doubt, nod his head, and the teacher will im-
mediately show him the translation of that
nod, Yes, sir, and require the pupil to add
thereto, I am good, so that the complete sen-
tence may be exhibited, Yes, sir, I am good.
The teacher may now inquire if he is bad;
the pupil will shake his head, and the trans-
lation, No, sir, is. to be shown him, and he is
to complete the sentence as before, which will
stand, No, sir, I am not bad.

The pupil should be repeatedly exercised
in answering simple questions of this descrip-

DEAF AND "DUMB. 63

tion, as, Is he tall? Are they idle? Are my
shoes dirty? &c. the answers always being
required in the form of a complete sentence
as above ; for the teacher does not absolutely
want information of these particulars, which a
simple " yes" or " no" would suffice to convey,
but his object is to ascertain, explicitly, whe-
ther the question be correctly understood, and
at the same time to exercise the pupil in the
formation of sentences.

Should these examinations prove satisfac-
tory, the teacher may avail himself of the
knowledge which the pupil now has of the
use and application of this portion of the verb
to be, to convey the import of the demonstra-
tive pronouns, this, that, these, and those.
Thus the teacher may say, presenting the ob-
ject at the same time, This is my pen, or,
pointing to a remote object, That is your
hat, &c. immediately showing, in each case,
the written form. In a similar manner, for

64 INSTRUCTION OF THE

the plural, he may say, These are my pens,
Those are his gloves, &c. After the exhibi-
tion of a few examples of this kind, it will be
proper for the teacher to rub them out, and,
from his dictation by signs, to require the
pupil to present the written form. Supposing,
after a little practice, this to be correctly done,
the teacher may write underneath each of the
pupil's expressions, the respective equivalent
forms as below, and intimate to the pupil that
they are both equally correct.
This is my pen These are my pens

This pen is mine These pens are mine

That is your hat Those are his gloves

That hat is yours Those gloves are his

& c &c.

He may be still further exercised in all this
by means of the questions, Whose pen is this?
Whose book is that? Whose pens are these?
&c. ; the answers to these questions being de-
manded in both the above forms.

DEAF AND DUMB. 65

By thus making the most of every oppor-
tunity that occurs favourable to the extension
of the pupil's stock of words, much time and
trouble will be .spared. But it may not be
amiss to remark here, that although I have
been very brief in the directions I have hi-
therto given, yet it must not be supposed that
the pupil will be able to run over the ground
with the same dispatch ; and I would parti-
cularly caution against his progress being hur-
ried, or against more being required from him
than he has ample capability of performing.

In an analogous manner to the above, the
pupil may go through the present tense of
the indicative mood of the verb to have, it
being used as a principal verb signifying to
possess. It will be very easy to explain the
signification of this verb, and to exhibit its
application in phrases like the following, /
have one slate, I have two hats, he has one
book, &c.

66 INSTRUCTION OF THE

The pupil should be employed for several
days in the formation of little sentences of
this kind, bringing into use the substantives,
adjectives, pronouns, and verbs, which he has
already acquired, till he is quite ready in the
use of his materials. He will by this time
most probably have felt, or if not, he may
easily be made to feel, the want of expressions
adequate to convey his meaning when alluding
to any circumstance, not as at present exist-
ing, but in connexion with some distant pe-
riod of time, past or future. The teacher
then may pass from the present, to these other
tenses of the indicative mood of. the verb to
be; and as it is here supposed that the di-
stinction between past and future have already
been denoted by signs ; of course, upon the ex-
hibition of these signs, the correct ideas are pro-
duced, and nothing more will be necessary than
to point to the written forms as equivalent
translations of the signs employed. As has been

DEAF AND DUMB. 67

before observed, the teacher will have to depend
greatly upon his collection of signs ; for if a
correct idea can be conveyed by certain signs,
there can be no doubt that, by exhibiting the
written translation of those signs, the correct
idea will be annexed to them also.

As applications of the past and future tenses
of the verb to be, the pupil may be exercised
in such examples as the following, / was idle
yesterday, I will not be idle to-morrow, &c. ;
the teacher may here also inform him, that
when he refers to more than one day back, he
must employ the word last, and when to more
than one day forward, he is to use the word next.
As, / was ill last Tuesday, I was naughty
last Sunday, I will not be naughty neat Sun-
day, &c. By means of a few illustrative ex-
amples of this kind, the pupil will become
quite capable of expressing himself in this way
with correctness, and will also be able to an-
swer with readiness the questions, Are you ill

68 INSTRUCTION OF THE

to-day? Were you ill last Tuesday? Were
you naughty last Sunday? Will you be
naughty next Sunday ? &c.

When the teacher is fully satisfied thai the
pupil understands what he has done thus far,
it will be proper to direct his attention to
verbs in general.

To begin with, the teacher should select
some regular active verb, in which the implied
action is easily exhibited to him, as the verb
to walk, for instance, which, however, he must
not be required to carry at first through all
its moods and tenses ; the present, past, and
future tenses only of the indicative mood
being at first learned.

Tp make the pupil's task more easy, he
may be provided with the following skeleton.

I > I do , I am ing. you ,

you do , you are ing. he s,

he does , he is ing. she s,

she does , she is ing. it s,

DEAF AND DUMB. 69

it does , it is ing. we , we do

, we are ing. they , they do ,

they are ing.

I ed, I did , I was ing.

you ed, you did , you were ing.

he ed, he did , he was ing.

she ed, she did , she was ing.

it ed, it did , it was ing. we

ed, we did , we were ing. they

ed, they did , they were ing.

I have ed, you have ed, he has

— ed, she has ed, it has — ed, we

have ed, they have ed.

I shall , you shall , he shall —

it shall , we shall , they shall —

I will , you will , he will —

she will , it will , we will — -

they will

70 INSTRUCTION OF THE

In the above skeleton, the pluperfect and
the second future tenses are omitted, as they
are not susceptible of very clear illustration to
the pupil at present ; they must therefore be
deferred till opportunities offer favourable to
the exhibition of their application. When
the distinction between the pluperfect and the
perfect tenses is understood, there will be no
difficulty in showing that between the first and
the second future tenses ; since the distinction
between the k former tenses, in reference to past
time, is analogous to the distinction between
the latter tenses, in reference to future time.

In order to illustrate" the difference between
the expressions / do walk, and / am walking,
the teacher while performing the act will as-
sett with energy and emphasis, that he is in
the act of walking, pronouncing at the same
time in a positive manner, I do walk. To
show the meaning of / am walking, he will
put aside all stress and emphasis both in his

DEAF AND DUMB. 71

manner of walking and speaking, simply pro-
nouncing in an easy way, / am walking ; by
thus marking the difference in a distinct and
forcible manner, the pupil will be enabled,
when he himself wishes to express the act,
either as simply in performance, or as a posi-
tive assertion, to use the correct form. In a
similar manner, may the analogous forms of
the past tense be explained.

In order to ascertain whether this lesson has
been understood, the teacher may propose a
walk with his pupil in the garden, or elsewhere,
when the latter may be required to name the act
in reference to himself and his teacher, both
singly and conjointly. On the morrow he may
be required to express the past action of the
preceding day. The teacher may also further
exercise him by means of questions such as
the following, the import of the question, if
not clearly understood, being explained by
signs. Are you walking? Am I walking?

f 2

72 INSTRUCTION OF THE

Is he walking? Are toe 'walking? Have you
walked to-day? Did you walk yesterday?

Did you walk last ? Shall you walk

next ? &c. When the pupil can answer

correctly questions of this description, he may
proceed to another verb, and go through a
similar portion of it as before. The verb to
jump, being susceptible of obvious illustration,
may come next : then from this the pupil may
go to the verb to wash, &c. ; the teacher fre-
quently exercising the pupil by requiring him
to show the application of the various forms
in sentences of his own construction, and also
by putting to him questions in every suitable
variety of form.

But there are actions of mind as well as of
body, and the pupil has yet to learn that not
only visible objects, qualities, and actions are
expressible by words, but that mental ope-
rations and feelings are equally capable of
being so expressed. The pupil, therefore,

DEAF AND DUMB. 73

may be presented with some verb indicating
mental feeling, and to begin with, that which
admits of the easiest exemplification should
be chosen. The verb to want, will be very
suitable, and the pupil may write it out as far
as the skeleton form extends, but without re-
ference thereto, and the teacher must endea-
vour to convey the meaning of the verb by
some significant gesture, accompanied by the
appropriate expression of desire in the counte-
nance. There may, however, here be some
liability to ambiguity, and therefore in order
to be quite certain that the correct idea has
been affixed to this verb, before another is
proposed, the teacher must seek an opportunity
of observing when the pupil himself desires to
express this idea by his own signs, and then
seize the occasion to demand from him, or to
exhibit to him, if need be, the written form.
Indeed it should all along be the object of the
teacher, when conversing with his pupil, to
avail himself of every occasion that presents

74 INSTRUCTION OF THE

itself to ascertain how far the correct ideas
have accompanied the words which have been
learned, by requiring from him a translation
of every phrase which he employs that can
be translated by those words. Time should
everyday be set apart for familiar conversation,
with this object expressly in view; indeed,
this should be considered as a most important
part of the teacher's duty, and it will be found
of more advantage to the pupil, even than
the formal lessons of the day. It is in fact
the only way in which the good effects of the
teacher's labours can be decidedly verified,
and the pupil's mistakes discovered and cor-
rected*.

In endeavouring to convey the import of any
word or expression not capable of immediate
illustration, and when no favourable opportu-
nity presents itself for the purpose, the teacher

* It is manifestly evident from experience, that the
most advantageous way of teaching a child his first lan-
guage is that of perpetual discourse. Dr. Wallis.

DEAF AND DUMB. J5

must endeavour to create a suitable occasion,
by bringing the pupil into the desired circum-
stances. In the case before us, for instance ; the
verb to want. When dinner is brought upon
table let every person be helped, except the pu-
pil, omitting him apparently undesignedly, and
let each person go on with his dinner without
noticing him. He will very soon signify that
he has been omitted, pretend to misunderstand
him, and he will point to the meat, and intir
mate that he wants some. Let him now be
required to express himself by words ; he will
probably, at the moment, be able to say only
meat. Let his slate be brought, and show
him in his lesson / want: he will see your ob-
ject, and will immediately say, / want meat;
and there can exist no doubt as to the correct
application of the words employed to the ope-
rating feeling in his mind. In a similar
manner he may be made to ask for bread,
potatoes, Sic. of which he has till now been

76 INSTRUCTION OF THE

accustomed simply to pronounce the names.
On the morrow he will not fail to, use this
form, which being continued for a day or two
the teacher may avail himself of the oppor-
tunity afforded to convey the import of the
little word some. When the pupil says I want
meat, the teacher may pretend to help him to
the whole joint : he will immediately show dis-
approbation, and express by a sign, that he
requires only a part. Let him then be told
that the additional sign which he now employs
corresponds to the word some; so that in or-
der to be more explicit, this additional word
must be introduced into his sentence, when
the more accurate form will be / want some
meat. The pupil will thus feel satisfied of
the propriety of this addition, and will employ
it under like circumstances in future. He
may also here be made to see the meaning of
the word all, in contradistinction to some. In
this way, the teacher will very frequently find

DEAF AND DUMB. 77

it necessary to exercise his ingenuity, and
opportunities may in a similar manner be
created, that shall be favourable both to call
into exercise the words and phrases which the
pupil has already learnt, and at the same time
to convey to him the meaning of other words,
the want of which he may, as in the preceding
instance, be made to feel, and then the supply
be afforded. Most of his expressions, when first
elicited from him, will be presented in little
more than an outline or skeleton form, which
suitable occasions must be sought for, or cre-
ated, to fill up and complete, the pupil being
always brought to feel, as much as possible,
the inadequacy of the imperfect form to the
conveyance of his precise meaning, and the
necessity of the additions and alterations in-
troduced.

The pupil may, in this stage of his pro-
gress, be shown the application of the infinitive
mood. Thus instead of saying, as he would
at first do, / want walk, I want play, &c. he

78 INSTRUCTION OF THE

must be told that the verbs are to be separated
by the particle to. All this may now be illus-
trated by examples, and the pupil examined by
proposing to him the questions, Do you want
to play now? Shall you want to play to-mor-
row? Did you want to walk yesterday ? &c.

Since the pupil has by this time a very
correct idea of the verb to want, he may pro-
ceed to the verbs to love, to hate, &c. the
teacher furnishing him with suitable exempli-
fications as he goes on. It must be observed,
however, that these exercises on -the verbs are
not to occupy the whole of the pupil's time ;
he is still to devote a portion of every day to
his vocabulary of substantives and adjectives.

Having gone thus far, the pupil may now
turn back to the verb to walk, and carry it
through all its moods and tenses ; a task which
was deemed too tedious for him at first, but
which he will now be well prepared to accom-
plish. He may in a similar manner go through,
in ordei?, all those verbs which he has partially

DEAF AND DUMB. 79

conjugated, and with the meaning of which
he is already familiar: from these he may
proceed to the irregular verbs, active, passive,
and neuter; their inflexions and variations
being pointed out to him in skeleton forms of
the various conjugations. The teacher will
not now find that difficulty in explaining the
conditional, and other moods of the verb, that
he would have done had a full-length conju-
gation been given to the pupil at first, before
he was able to express the simple past and
future -tenses, of which these other are only
modifications. By the aid of a simple sign or
two, and a few well chosen examples, he will
very soon become acquainted with the value
and intent of the different variations which a
verb undergoes ; and by dictating the signs,
phrases such as the following, where the aux-
iliaries are employed, may be elicited from
him. / can write, the cat cannot write, or,
referring to the past, before his instruction

80 INSTRUCTION OF THE

commenced, i" could not write, &c. ; in a si-
milar way may be illustrated the expressions
/ may write, I must write, I ought to write,
I must not play, &c.

It may not be amiss at this stage of the
pupil's progress, to pause a little, and inquire
how far the end, which was at the outset con-
templated, has as yet been accomplished. By
reviewing the ground that has already been
gone over, it appears that the pupil has ac-
quired the knowledge of a great number of
words. From the copious collection of sub-
stantives, adjectives, and verbs which he has
possessed himself of, he is enabled to name, as
others do, the objects, qualities, and actions
which most commonly present themselves to
his notice. He is acquainted with the use of
the personal, possessive, and demonstrative pro-
nouns ; and is also familiar with many other
words which the teacher has on various occa-
sions found eligible opportunities of explaining

DEAF AND DUMB. 81

to him. The grand outline then of the plari
originally proposed has heen executed, and it
now only remains to supply the detail.

Being then in possession of materials for 1
the formation of sentences for the expression
of his wants and his feelings, let the pupil he
required from this time, to produce something
of his own composition every day. Let the
subjects be of his own choosing, either relative
to his play or to his studies, to what passes
before his eyes or to the operations of his mind.
His efforts in this way will, at first, be very
feeble and imperfect, consisting perhaps of but
a single sentence, generally with the omission
of most of the connecting particles. These
attempts at composition are to be submitted
to the teacher for his examination and correc-
tion, the errors being clearly pointed out, and
the pupil being made sensible of the propriety
of the alterations Which it is found necessary
to make. If however the pupil make himself

82 INSTRUCTION OF THE

tolerably Intelligible, his composition should
be allowed to pass with commendation, as too
much nicety must not be enforced at first, as
it is desirable that he be not made to feel dis-
satisfied with his first efforts. Not a single
day should now be allowed to pass without
the production of an exercise. These exer-
cises when corrected should be neatly regi-
stered in a book by the pupil, and be carefully
preserved. The teacher should particularly
enjoin this, that the pupil may see that value
and importance is, attached to his productions.
Every one of these exercises will afford the
teacher opportunities for the conveyance of
new words and expressions, for the furnishing
of which occasions, they will indeed be found
peculiarly well calculated ; for the success of
the teacher is always more to be depended on
when explaining by words the pupil's mean-
ing, than when aiming to convey his own.
His stock of words and familiar expressions

DEAF AND DUMB. 8$

will, by these means, be rapidly augmenting,
and his compositions will gradually assume a
more correct, and a more lengthened form.

In addition to the opportunities thus af-
forded for the introduction of new words and
forms of expression, the teacher will also de-
vote a portion of every day to the explanation
of words not yet' acquired, by showing their
application in suitable examples. In this way
the use and application of the connecting
particles with, by, and, but, from, to, he. may
be easily illustrated. Thus, / am writing with
a pencil on my slate. I am standing by you
and writing with a pencil on my slate. I am
deaf, but I am not blind. The cat can hear,
but she cannot speak. I came from my seat.
I came from my seat to you, &c. &c. There are
some words the import of which cannot in any
other manner be conveyed, inasmuch as they
are not susceptible of individual illustration,
their value being ascertained only from ob-

84 INSTRUCTION OF THE

serving in what way they tell in a sentence.
Suppose it be required to explain the meaning
of the words on and off; in order to this the
teacher may lay his penknife on the table,
directing the pupil to observe him, and then
to express by words what he has seen him do.
He will perhaps say you put your penknife
table. If the teacher removes the penknife,
he will most likely say you took your penknife
table. The opportunities for showing the
application of the words on and off are then
here produced. In a similar way, to explain
the words out of and into, the teacher may
take his penknife out of his pocket, directing
the pupil to express the action. He will pro-
bably say you took your penknife pocket, and
when the teacher returns the penknife, he will
say you put your penknife pocket. Nothing
then can be more easy than to inform him, that
in the former instance the words out ojTmust
be supplied, and in the latter, the word into,

DEAF AND DUMB. 85

showing him the difference observable in the
actions themselves. This may be farther il-
lustrated by taking a book out of the book-
case, a pen out of the desk, &c. or by put-
ting a book into the bookcase, &c. requiring
the pupil to relate that which he has been
observing. In an analogous manner, the
teacher may explain the meaning of the
words behind, before, above, below, near to,
Jar from, &c. taking care that the other com-
ponent parts of the several sentences employed
to illustrate these expressions shall need only
words with which the pupil is already familiar.
These explanations and illustrations, in com-
bination with the daily exercises, and the ad-
vantages of familiar conversation, will greatly
tend to increase the pupil's knowledge of lan-
guage, and will gradually enable him to relate
circumstances with more of detail and minute-
ness, and to express his meaning on all occa-
sions with greater clearness and precision.

G

86 INSTRUCTION OF THE

Indeed, his progress and the gratification he
will experience, will be commensurate with
his teacher's zeal and assiduity. It must still,
however, be borne in mind, that a portion of
every day is all along to be devoted to the
enlargement of his collection of substantives,
adjectives, and verbs ; the conjunctions, pre-
positions, and other parts of speech being
conveyed by means of examples, as in the
instances just adduced.

This is perfectly analogous to the method
which nature adopts in conveying a first lan-
guage to children in general. The import of
words is not taught to them by individual
illustration, nor by formal definition ; but they
are left to discover their signification by at-
tending to the effect which they constantly
produce whenever they are employed. They
thus affix a definite value to the words used as
significant expressions of thoughts and feel-
ings, and the knowledge thus obtained is ob-

DEAF AND DUMB. 87

viously derived in the most simple and natural
manner possible. There is, indeed, as before
remarked; very often no other way of arriving
at the exact import of a word but by viewing
it in connexion with other words in a sentence.
It would not be an easy matter to convey, by
definition, the true import of the word since,
for example, as every person will readily ad-
mit who reflects a little upon the signification
of this word ; and there are numerous other
words of a similar nature, the meaning of
which may, nevertheless, be very accurately
conveyed by means of a few well-chosen ex-
amples. Thus, to explain the meaning of the
word since to a deaf pupil, I would write upon
his slate the phrase, It has not rained since
last Wednesday, (supposing that it did rain
then, and that to-day is Saturday), then, un-
derneath this, I should write the following
phrases, which the pupil would, of course,
instantly comprehend :

G 2

88 INSTRUCTION OF THE

It rained last- Wednesday,

It did not rain last Thursday,

It did not rain yesterday,

It has not rained to-day.
I should then immediately inform the pupil,
that the phrase first presented to him conveys
the same import that these four phrases com-
bined convey, and that it may therefore be sub-
stituted for them. Other similar examples
wouldthenbeproposed,and be illustrated in the
same way ; such phrases as these, for instance :
It is two weeks since I saw my papa,
I have not written a copy since last Monday,
I have not been in the playground since yes-
terday morning, &c.

In a similar manner is the meaning of every
word to be conveyed that does not admit of
obvious and clear explanation in its separate
state, the illustrative phrases being multiplied
by the teacher till the correct impression is
produced, which impression can be preserved

DEAF AND DUMB. 89

or retained in the mind, only by furnishing
repeated occasions for the practical application
of the word which produced it.

When, by following the preceding direc-
tions, the pupil has arrived at such a degree
of proficiency as to be enabled to exhibit his
daily compositions with but few errors, and
can express himself with readiness and tolerable
accuracy on all ordinary occasions, it will be
proper to furnish him with some very simple
book, carefully selected in reference to his own
attainments in language. Books should not,
however, be promiscuously thrown in his way,
as he will be induced to look into them, and will
feel disappointment at being unable to com-
prehend them. For be it remembered, that
although a deaf and dumb child may be very
capable of expressing his ideas correctly upon
every occasion, he may, nevertheless, find great
difficulty in comprehending even a very easy
book; because, in order to express his own

90 INSTRUCTION OF THE

meaning, he has his own choice of words, and
if his acquaintance with language be so limited
as to supply him with but one suitable col-
lection for this purpose, it will suffice ; but to
comprehend the meaning of the language em-
ployed by another, it is requisite that he be
acquainted with every form of expression,
since this language has not been framed with
any view to its adaptation to the pupil's ca-
pabilities, or so that the words employed shall
necessarily fall within the limits of the pupil's
collection. Hence, in conversing with a deaf
and dumb child, if he be at a loss to compre-
hend any remark or question, it will be ad-
visable to vary the form of expression, as it is
very probable the impediment in his way may
arise entirely from the use of some word,
new to him, and upon which the sense of the
sentence may very materially depend. From
one book the pupil may proceed to another,
and so on as other children do.

DEAF AND DUMB. 91

At this period the teacher will employ
some portion of his time in conveying to the
pupil's mind what is more generally under-
stood by the term information. Hitherto, his
object has been principally to create and per-
fect an efficient channel through which in-
struction may be communicated, and he may
now avail himself of what has already been
accomplished for this purpose. The advan-
tages arising from frequent and familiar dis-
course with the pupil have been before adverted
to, as connected with his progress in the ac-
quirement of language. These conversations
have, in addition, supplied many opportunities
of communicating, by signs, information upon
subjects in which the pupil is more nearly
and deeply interested, although in a somewhat
vague and imperfect manner. However, his.
mind has by these means been prepared for the
reception of more accurate and detailed in-
formation upon these topics. In this way the

92 INSTRUCTION OF THE

principles of natural religion have been incul-
cated ; some idea has been conveyed of the ex-
istence of a Supreme Being, who governs and
arranges all the affairs of nature. His attention
has, with this view, often been directed to the
more grand and imposing phenomena of cre-
ation ; the sun, the moon, and the stars, the
regular succession of day and night, of summer
and winter, &c. ; all these stupendous objects
and striking occurrences have been referred to
the wisdom and power of this Supreme Being,
whose existence he will necessarily infer, and
of whom he will feel anxious to obtain farther
information, which now, by the aid of lan-
guage, his teacher will be better enabled to
communicate to him. He may proceed to
inform him of the purity of this Being, and
of his other attributes ; of his hatred of sin,
and his love of holiness, of our incessant
obligations to him as our Creator and constant
Preserver, and of the responsibility attached

DEAF AND DUMB. 93

to us as moral and accountable beings ; of a
future state of blessedness or misery, as they
stand connected with our present conduct :
these, and various other important topics, may
be pressed upon his attention, and generally
With the best effect. It will not be prudent to
attempt tooearly to unfold to him the mysteries
of salvation ; his mind must be gradually pre-
pared for this vast topic. The tendency of
his lessons should be to make him feel sensible
of the hopelessness of man's situation as a
sinful creature naturally, since God cannot,
consistently with his holy character, bless a
sinful creature, but sin is inherent in the na-
ture of every individual. He may be thus
made to feel the absolute necessity of divine
assistance, and to perceive that nothing short
of that which has been actually provided
could have fully met the exigencies of his case.
In this way religious instruction may be suc-
cessfully communicated.

94 INSTRUCTION OF THE

The teacher may in a similar manner now
introduce to the attention of his pupil any
of the usual subjects of education, such as
grammar, arithmetic, geography, &c. ; but it
will in every case, be found to be the surest
and shortest method of procedure to leave
every one of these subjects untouched, until a
considerable progress in the knowledge of
language has been made. So that, like other
children, when the pupil devotes himself to
any of these studies, he may have to contend
only with the difficulties inseparable from the
subject, and not be at the same time perplexed
and embarrassed through inability to compre-
hend the language employed.

I have thus endeavoured very briefly to
explain what appears to be the most simple
and rational course to be pursued in the in-
struction of a child born deaf and dumb ; but
notwithstanding the simplicity of the process,
it is still very obvious, that much assiduity

DEAF AND DUMB. 95

and devotedness is absolutely necessary on the
part of the teacher. That person who under-
takes the education of deaf and dumb pupils,
and who imagines that, by confining his in-^
structions within the limits of the ordinary
school-hours merely, his object will be effected,
will find himself grievously disappointed. He
must devote a considerable portion of his time,
out of school, to illustrate the practical appli-
cation of his instructions in school : for these
are valuable only as far as their practical ap-
lication is felt and understood. Language, in
itself, is nothing more than a collection of
arbitrary symbols ; it can neither benefit the
mind directly, by contributing to its gratifi-
cation, nor indirectly, by strengthening or
improving any of its faculties. As an acqui-
sition, therefore, independently of its practical
application to the specific purpose for which
it is intended, it is entirely useless. It is
hence unlike any topic of information, or any

96 INSTRUCTION OF THE

substantial attainment, for this may be studied
and valued purely for the direct gratification
which it affords the mind, independently of
any advantage derivable from its practical
employment. The deaf pupil then must be
made to regard language in its true light, that
is, as a vehicle for the communication of his
thoughts, and as such must be enjoined to
employ it, as far as he is able, as a substitute
for the less perfect language of gesticulation,
till, by degrees, the one is made entirely to
supersede the other. In order to effect this,
there must be something more than the mere
school lessons. The teacher must watch the
pupil's signs in all his communications with
him, and require him to substitute for those
signs the corresponding words, as far as his
ability to do so extends. He must put him-
self upon terms of equality with his pupil,
enter into his amusements with pleasure and
familiarity, and into his little troubles with

DEAF AND DUMB. 97

interest and concern: he must, in short, be
both his companion and his instructor. He
should possess a patient and forbearing dis-
position, must feel a fondness for his occu-
pation, and should not be wholly destitute of
ingenuity ; but as for any peculiar talent, or
extraordinary portion of ability, the under-
taking does not in the least require it. There
is no miracle to be performed, and, conse-
quently, no extraordinary powers are de-
manded. The course to be pursued is ob-
vious, simple, and natural ; and any one, who
will devote himself cheerfully and assiduously
to the task, will, under the blessing of Provi-
dence, meet with the most satisfactory success.

By way of exemplifying the beneficial re-
sults of a course of instruction conducted upon
the above principles, I here subjoin a specimen
or two of one of my eldest pupil's compositions.

98 INSTRUCTION OF THE

He is the son of Henry Fellows, esq. of Queen-
hithe, London. He was born deaf and dumb,
is now about ten years of age, and has been
under my care about two years and a quarter.
The following exercises are a very fair spe-
cimen of his present acquaintance with lan-
guage ; they have not undergone the slightest
correction or alteration, nor has any other
person assisted in any manner in their com-
position.

EXERCISES.

sir, February 10, 1826.

You took me and Miss Noble to Mr.
Noble's house lately, and we went into the par-
lour, and I saw a gentleman who was there,
and I asked him to tell me his name, and he
told me that his name was Mr. Wallis ; and
you conversed with Mr. and Mrs. Noble and
Mr. Wallis a long time, and we drank tea
with them, and after tea I showed my exercise-

DEAF A"ND DUMB. 99

book to them, and I asked you to tell me what
business Mr. Wallis was, and you told me that
he was a portrait-painter, and I asked him if
he would draw my likeness, and he said " Yes ;"
and he told me that my papa must pay him
seven guineas for it, and then he drew my
likeness in my exercise-book, and after that
we came here.

Henry Fellows.

sir, Feb. 12, 1826.

My papa sent the servant and my
sister here with my new towels last Saturday,
and they spoke to Mrs. Young, and my sister
gave me a sixpence, and I went into the
school, and I wrote on a paper, and told the
servant to ask my papa to let me go home
next Sunday, and my sister told me that
my sister Jemima has been ill, and I was
very sorry for it, and the next day you told

100 INSTRUCTION OF THE

me that I shall go home next Saturday if the
weather is fine.

Henry Fellows.

sir, March 2, 1826.

My papa and my sister came here last
Sunday, and they went into the playground,
and you spoke to them, and my papa gave
me some cakes and some oranges, and I gave
each of the children a piece of orange, and
my papa took me home, and I was very glad
to see my mamma, and my papa had a leg of
mutton for dinner, and after dinner I con-
verged with my parents, and after tea, my
mamma told me that my sister Jemima has
been ill lately, and her face was swelled, and
the next day my papa told me that I shall
have a new blue great coat next winter, and
then my papa gave me a sixpence, and you
came to my papa's house on Tuesday, and

DEAF AND DUMB. 101

you told me by signs, that I had stopt at
home for two days, and you took me back to
school in the evening.

Henry Fellows.

sib, March 3, 1826.

I remember that before I came here
my papa's servant took me and my sister Ca-
roline to the Park, and I saw many soldiers,
and I saw some cannons, and I touched a
cannon, and one of the soldiers told the ser-
vant to take me away. I think that the
king sends the soldiers to fight, and perhaps
they have killed many people, and I think
God is very angry to see them, but I think
the devil is very happy to see them murder
people. When I am a man I should not like
to be a soldier, because they will kill me, but
I should like to be a paper-maker when I leave
school.

Henry Fellows,
h

102 INSTRUCTION OF THE

sin, March 6, 1826.

I think many wicked men go into
public houses every Sunday, and I think they
drink ale, brandy, &c. and I think they never
go to chapel, and they are very wicked, and
perhaps they never pray to God, and I think
they will go to hell when they die, and they
will stop there for ever. When I am a man
I will not go to the public house on Sunday,
but I will go to chapel every Sunday, and I will
read the Bible every evening and e*ery morn-
ing, and I hope that God will love me, and
take me to heaven when I die, and I shall be
very happy to see God, and I will live with
God for ever, and perhaps I shall see Jesus
Christ, and many angels, and my sister Louisa,
and my brother William.

Henry Fellows.

These specimens may suffice to show that
when the natural abilities are good, and a

DEAF AND DUMB. 103

rational course of instruction pursued, a deaf
and dumb child, entirely ignorant of language,
may, in the short space of two or three years,
be brought to an acquaintance therewith,
amply sufficient for the communication of his
ideas in an intelligible form. The pupil here
alluded to has been thus faf- instructed upon
the most simple and natural principles. He
has no notion of grammar, he has no notion
of what a verb is, nor of an adjective, a noun,
&c. and Still he is fully acquainted with the
use and import of the various classes of words
which grammarians have so designated. The
object of his instruction at present, is simply
to raise him as nearly as possible to the level
of other children, as it respects their acquaint-
ance with language before their education
commences, in order that when this is accom-
plished, he may be as fully prepared as they
to commence the same course. He is not,
therefore, to learn grammar in order to be-

104 INSTRUCTION OF THE

come acquainted with language, but, on the
contrary, he must first become acquainted
with language in order to learn grammar;
and, in fact, when a perfect medium of com-
munication is opened, the instruction of the
deaf and dumb loses all its peculiarity of cha-
racter ; the method of proceeding must then
be the same as that adopted with other child-
ren, with this exception merely, that although
our instructions are to flow through the same
medium, this medium must be reiiered au-
dible to the one, and visible to the other.

I have not, in the course of this small
tract, said any thing in reference to the ma-
nual alphabet. It may be necessary just to
remark, that as it is very easily acquired, and
as it furnishes a ready medium of intercourse,
it should be early taught to the pupil, who
will, in his turn, be glad to teach it to his
parents and friends. One remark, however,
in reference to this subject, I must beg here

DEAF AND DUMB. 105

to press upon the attention of teachers and
parents, which is of some importance, al-
though, in general, entirely overlooked. It
is this, that in conversing with a deaf and
dumb child, writing should always be em-
ployed in preference to any other medium of
communication, particularly when the child's
acquaintance with language is but imperfect.
It is true that this is the more tedious method,
but it is, nevertheless, attended with superior
advantages to the child, and those interested
in his improvement will, of course, be influ-
enced by this consideration. Writing pos-
sesses these two striking advantages over
every other medium of communication : First,
the written communication is embodied in a
visible form, and is submitted at once perfect
and complete ; Secondly, it remains before the
eye, allowing sufficient time for its examina-
tion, and for the discovery of its true import.
Neither of these advantages attach to the

106 INSTRUCTION, &C.

manual alphabet, nor to articulate sounds, for
in each of these the communication is for-
warded piecemeal, or in successive fragments,
and is entirely destitute of that permanency
which belongs to the written form. The let-
ters of the manual alphabet vanish with their
formation, and articulate sounds vanish with
their delivery. It follows then, that to a
person but imperfectly acquainted with lan-
guage, written communications oppose to him
fewest difficulties, and are therefore most
likely to be understood.

THE END.

LATELY PUBLISHED,

BY THE SAME AtTTHOE,

Price 12s in Boards,

AN ELEMENTARY TREATISE on ALGEBRA,
Theoretical and Practical, containing Improvements
in the Solution of the Higher Equations, a new and
general Demonstration of the Binomial Theorem, a
new Method of summing Infinite Series, &c.

" A new and ingenious method of solving equations has been recently
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" For the best practical view of this new method, and its applications,
consult the Elementary Treatise on Algebra, by Mr. J. H. Young,
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Dr. Gregory's Edition of HuttorCs Mathematics, vol. 1 . p. 260.

" Irrational quantities or surds are handled at considerable length in
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Newcastle Magazine for Nov. 1825.

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New. Mag.

LONDON :

PRINTED BY THOMAS DAVISON, WHITEFKIAES.

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