DESTROYED— DONE— GLAD— DISCONTENT. 35 



writing, eating-, drinking, &c, and never with the negative idea of silence. 

 The special character for "child" always has the above-mentioned part of 

 the sign with reference to nourishment from the breast. An uninstructed 

 deaf-mute, as related by Mr. Denison of the Columbia Institution, invented, 

 to express " sister," first the sign for " female," made by the half-closed 

 hands with the ends of fingers touching the breasts, followed by the index 

 in the mouth. 



Destroyed, all gone, no more. 



The hands held horizontal and the palms rubbed together two or three 

 times circularly; the right hand is then carried off from the other in a short 

 horizontal curve. (Long.) " Rubbed out." This resembles the Edinburgh 

 and our deaf-mute sign for "forgive" or "clemency," the rubbing out of 

 offense. Several shades of meaning under this head are designated by 

 varying gestures "If something of little importance has been destroyed by 

 accident or design, the fact is communicated by indicating the thing spoken 

 of, and then slightly striking the palms and open fingers of the hands 

 together, as if brushing dust off of them. If something has been destroyed 

 by force the sign is as if breaking a stick in the two hands, throwing the 

 pieces away, and then dusting the hands as before. The amount of force 

 used and the completeness of the destruction are shown by greater or less 

 vigor of action and facial expression." (Dodge.) 



Done, finished. The hands placed edges up and down, parallel to each 

 other, right hand outward, which is drawn back as if cutting something. 

 (Dunbar.) An end left after cutting is suggested ; perhaps our colloquial 

 " cut short." The French and our deaf-mutes give a cutting motion down- 

 Avard, with the right hand at a right angle to the left. 



Glad, pleased, content. Wave the open hand outward from the breast 

 (Burton), to express heart at ease — "bosom's lord sits lightly on its throne." 

 Another gesture, perhaps noting a higher degree of happiness, is to raise 

 the right hand from the breast in serpentine curves to above the head. 

 (Wied.) "Heart beats high." Another: Extend both hands outward, 

 palms turned downward, and make a sign exactly similar to the way women 

 smooth a bed in making it, (Holt.) " Smooth and easj/." 



Dissatisfaction, discontent, is naturally contrasted by holding the index 



