366 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



effective. Hearing need not be lacking to secure this result, for 

 one possessing an acute ear may read speech from the facial move- 

 ments. It is doubtful if there are many of the teachers of articu- 

 lation to the deaf, a work requiring sensitive hearing, who con- 

 sciously or unconsciously do not put to practical use some of their 

 knowledge of the appearance given to the features by speech. 

 This ability of the eye to take upon itself duties heretofore sup- 

 posed to belong to the ear exclusively is a priceless boon to 

 the deaf. Let others be instructed according to Francis Gouin's 

 axiom : " The organ of language ask the little child is not the 

 eye ; it is the ear." We may add, if the ear has lost its cunning, 

 the eye is a wonderful substitute. 



The signs used in educating the deaf were perfected by hear- 

 ing men and are arbitrary, learned by teacher as well as pupil, 

 and unintelligible to most persons. The first signs employed by 

 the little child, being copied from those in daily use among all 

 classes of people, are termed natural. They express the putting 

 on and taking off of the hat and coat, and thus the going out and 

 the return home ; the opening and closing of books, boxes, and 

 doors ; the acts of eating and drinking, driving, whipping, push- 

 ing, pulling, beckoning, running, and jumping. Animals are 

 watched. The shape of the cat and the dog's mouths while giv- 

 ing their peculiar cries, " meaw " and " bow-wow," is copied ; the 

 curious action of the rabbit's legs when the creature is lifted by 

 the ears is noticed and imitated ; the first and second fingers of 

 both hands raised to the head show that the movements of a horse's 

 ears are observed. Impressions being conveyed through the sense 

 of touch, the child communicates with others by describing in 

 gestures the shape of the object he has felt. His eye has seen the 

 form of a ball ; but he knows more about it than the eye can re- 

 veal, for he has put his hands around it. Touch, taste, and smell 

 come to his aid. The lack of facial movement gives place to 

 grimaces ; the nose becomes an expressive feature, and bitter and 

 sweet, like and dislike, are revealed by strong looks. Accompanj'-- 

 ing ignorance of sounds there is an unconscious play of the vocal 

 organs, forming a series of more or less unpleasant grunts and 

 screams. The child's mental food is in what he sees, pictures or 

 " images." He makes good use of all, showing an excellent ability 

 to reason, but is liable to mistakes incidental to the fact that he 

 may not have had the truth presented to him. A piece of chalk 

 has been broken. He puts the parts together, appealing in that 

 way to have it mended. His faith is large and his knowledge 

 small. Some one takes them from him, dexterously substitutes a 

 fresh crayon, and gives it to the child. He is not to blame for 

 thinking it is possible to put together the pieces so perfectly that 

 no one can see the mark of break. At another time, the honest- 



