LAURA BRIDGMAN. 275 



knowledge of arbitrary signs, by which she could 

 interchange thoughts with others. 



''The first experiments were made by taking the 

 articles in common use, such as knives, forks, spoons, 

 keys, etc., and pasting upon them labels, with their 

 names embossed in raised letters. These she felt 

 carefully, and soon, of course, distinguished that the 

 crooked lines s-p-o-o-n differed as much from the 

 crooked lines k-e-y, as the spoon differed from the key 

 in form. Then small detached labels with the same 

 words printed upon them were put into her hands; 

 she soon observed that they were the same as those 

 pasted upon the articles. She showed her perception 

 of this similarity by laying the label k-e-y upon the 

 key, and the label s-p-o-o-n upon the spoon. 



" Hitherto, the process had been mechanical, and the 

 success about as great as that of teaching a very know- 

 ing dog a variety of tricks. 



"The poor child sat in mute amazement, and patiently 

 imitated everything Ler teacher did. But now her 

 intellect began to work, the truth flashed upon her, and 

 she perceived that there was a way by which she could 

 herself make a sign of anything that was in her own 

 mind, and show it to another mind. At once her 

 countenance lighted up with a human expression. It 

 was no longer as a mere instinctive animal ; it was an 

 immortal spirit, eagerly seizing upon a new link of 

 union with other spirits. I could almost fix upon the 

 moment when this truth dawned upon her mind, and 

 spread its beams upon her countenance ; I saw that the 

 great obstacle was overcome, and that henceforth 

 nothing but patient and persevering, but plain and 

 straightforward, efforts were necessary. 



