TOXE AND GESTURE. I I I 



fingers closed, moved forward a little and raised a little 

 several times. — ' Glad at heart.' 



"(43) Fingers of left hand and index of right hand 

 extended and placed together horizontally, pointing forward 

 height of chest. Hands separated, right pointing eastw^ard, 

 and left westward. — ' Three men and speaker parted, going 

 west and east' " 



And so on, the conversation continuing up to 116 para- 

 graphs. No doubt some of these gestures appear conventional, 

 and such is undoubtedly the case with a great many which 

 Colonel ]\Iallery gives in his Dictionary of Indian Signs. But 

 this only shows that no system of signs can be developed in 

 any high degree without becoming more or less conventional. 

 The point I desire to be noticed is, that gesture-language 

 continues as far as possible — or as long as possible — to be the 

 natural expression of the logic of recepts. As INIallery else- 

 where observes, " the result of the studies, so far as presented 

 is, that that which is called the sign- language of Indians is 

 not, properly speaking, one language ; but that it, and the 

 gesture-systems of deaf-mutes, and of all peoples, constitute 

 together one language — the gesture-speech of mankind — of 

 which each system is a dialect." As showing this, and at the 

 same time to give other instances of the perfection of gesture- 

 language, I may quote one instance of the employment of 

 such language by other nations, and one of is employment 

 by deaf-mutes. The first which I select is recorded by 

 Alexander Dumas. 



" Six weeks after this, I saw a second example of this 

 faculty of mute communication. This was at Naples. I was 

 walking with a young man of Syracuse. We passed by a 

 sentinel. The soldier and my companion exchanged two or 

 three grimaces, which at another time I should not even ha\'c 

 noticed ; but the instances I had before seen led me to give 

 attention. ' Poor fellow ! ' sighed my companion. ' What did 

 he say to you } ' I asked. ' Well,' said he, ' I thought that I 

 recognized him as a Sicilian, and I learned from him, as \\c 

 passed, from what place he came ; he said he was frcm 



