VOICE IN MAN AND IN ANIMALS. 397 



England, Holland, and Germany, this art was reduced to practice 

 with more or less favorable results ; instances of success were few 

 and far between. About the year 1732, a young Israelite, who had 

 come to France from Estremadura, being touched by the unhappy lot 

 of a woman whom he loved, resolved to devote himself to the instruc- 

 tion of deaf-mutes. His name was Jacob Rodrigues Pereira. At La 

 Rochelle, a boy thirteen years of age was brought to him ; soon the 

 lad was able to speak, so as to astonish all. The result was noised 

 through the city ; one of the (/rands fermiers had a deaf-mute son, 

 whom Pereira undertook to instruct. After sixteen montlis of study, 

 he presented his pupil to the Academie des Sciences. The assembly 

 was delighted. Several of the members undertook to examine the 

 case thoroughly, and on July 9, 1749, Buffon reported that the lad 

 had answered questions " both in writing and by word of mouth." 

 At the court of Louis XV. this marvel excited general admiration. 

 The Duke de Chaulnes had a godson that was deaf, a boy of about 

 twelve years ; him he placed under the care of Pereira. This pupil, 

 Saboureux de Fontenay, who in after-times attained to some celebrity, 

 was very intelligent, and quickly improved under instruction. On 

 being exhibited at the Academie des Sciences, and there tested in va- 

 rious exercises, he occasioned no little surprise. The official report 

 concludes by stating that " M. Pereira possesses a singular gift of 

 teaching congenital mutes to speak and read." 



Pensioned by the king, and honored with marks of esteem by 

 illustrious personages, Pereira continued his labors. He gave the 

 power of speech to a large number of mutes, but he kept his method 

 of education secret. The memory of this brilliant success had been 

 wellnigh effaced, when the Abbe de 1'Epee won the favor of all classes 

 of society by giving to the deaf a sign-language. Pereira left behind 

 him pupils who justly believed that they did honor to their master by 

 making public the secret of their instruction ; some of these scattered 

 notes have been collected. It has required only a little research to 

 discover the forgotten method. 1 The teaching of deaf-mutes to 

 speak was again brought into practice, and at Geneva M. Magnat 

 was very successful in carrying out this system. He visited Paris, 

 accompanied by some of his pupils, who, though utterly deaf, con- 

 versed with wonderful ease. Some grandsons and great-grandscms 

 of Jacob Rodrigues Pereira, on witnessing the renewal of the wonders 

 performed by their ancestor, founded at Paris an institution for edu- 

 cating mutes. In this establishment, children of various ages, about 

 thirty in number, afford matter for curious observations upon the 

 phenomenon of voice and the articulation of language. 3 



1 See an interesting sketch by M. Felix Hement, entitled " Jacob Rodrigues Pereire, 

 premier instituteur des sourds-muets en France," 1875. 



2 The institution founded by the Messrs. Pereire, at 94 Avenue Villars, Paris, ia 

 directed by M. Magnat, author of the " Cours d'articulation, pour 1'enseignement de la 

 parole articulee aux sourds-muets," 1874. 



