404 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XIII. No. 329 



Now, the books that are best fitted for this end are not those 

 which are most commonly found in school libraries intended for 

 the use of deaf children. We may be guided in our choice by the 

 age of the child. We should place in the hands of the child such 

 books as are of absorbing interest to hearing children of his age. 

 If we wish the child to learn language, quantity of reading is more 

 important than quality. For little children, such stories as " Jack 

 the Giant-Killer," " The Three Bears," " Cinderella," and all the 

 host of fairy-stories that so fascinated us when we were children, 

 will be the best. For boys of twelve and thirteen I am afraid that 

 the so-called " blood and thunder " novels would teach more 

 -language than " Stanley's Travels in Central Africa," or the best 

 text-books of history. It is not necessary, however, to place in the 

 hands of deaf children books of doubtful character, in order to 

 give them reading of absorbing interest, while the press of this 

 ■country continues to furnish such fascinating, entertaining, and at 

 the same time elevating and improving literature for the young 

 -as has been prepared for them by such writers as Louisa Alcott, 

 Elijah Kellogg, Margaret Sangster, and the scores of other authors 

 of juvenile books of our time. A plentiful supply of interesting 

 tales should be provided, sufficiently short to be read through at a 

 single sitting, and of a character that could be illustrated by pic- 

 tures and natural pantomime. Of course, suitable selection must 

 be made of subjects ; but I cannot too strongly impress upon you 

 my conviction, that,/or language-teaching, mere quantity of read- 

 i'ng is more importattt than quality. For advanced pupils, the 

 society novels and plays that are usually banished from the libraries 

 ■of our institutions are what are wanted, especially those society 

 novels that are written in conversational style, and abound in 

 ■questions and answers. Ordinary books of history and travel are 

 too often written in what may be called " book language," and not 

 in the language of the people. But in novels and plays will be 

 found the language of conversation, and these also are the books 

 that will stimulate the pupil to read. 



As your pupils become familiar with the printed page, they will 

 take in words by the eye with greater and greater rapidity, until 

 ultimately a speed of reading will be obtained of from three hun- 

 dred to four hundred words a minute. Think what this means if 

 the child reads for only an hour a day during the whole period of 

 his school course ! Think, too, of what value the habit of persist- 

 ent reading will be to your pupils in adult life ! 



I believe, that, in the acquisition of language by the deaf, reading 

 will perform the function that hearing does for the ordinary child. 

 I do not think that any more important habit can be formed by the 

 pupil than the habit of reading ; for, after all, the utmost that you 

 •can do for his education in his school life is to introduce him to the 

 wider literature of the world. 



EXPLORATIONS OF CAPT. BINGER. 



More than two years have passed since a marine officer set sail 

 'from Bordeaux (Feb. 20, 1887), destined to become renowned as a 

 -great explorer. After having for sometime conscientiously studied 

 the customs and the language of the people living about the Sene- 

 gal, Capt. Binger returned to France, harboring the plan which he 

 is about to execute 



His numerous studies and careful researches culminated in the 

 'following plan : to fill the large blank space which on our charts is 

 situated in the bend of the Niger ; and to connect the investiga- 

 tions and surveys made on the right bank of the river by French 

 ■officers, and previously by the French explorer Rene Caille, with 

 those of Earth and with the surveys of the lower course of the 

 Niger. 



His first objective point was to be the city of Kong, the situation 

 ■of which is approximately given on all our maps. According to 

 one authority, it was said to be a great market-place, a place of 

 meeting for caravans, and a centre of trade ; while, according to 

 other authorities, its existence was a matter of doubt, as this name 

 ■of " Kong" (" mountain ") was said to denote merely the watershed 

 between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea. The plan 

 once conceived, Capt. Binger, on account of his indomitable energy 

 •and his perfect health, was the right man to carry it through, in 

 >the face of serious dangers. It required a march into unknown 



regions. He was to be the first white man seen by the natives of 

 that region ; and his knowledge of the native tongue, spoken on the 

 banks of the Senegal and the upper Niger, was of no use to him 

 when once he had entered the unknown territory, as the language 

 in the region to be traversed differs from that spoken throughout 

 the French possessions. 



On the isth of May, Capt. Binger passed the post at Kayes on 

 his way to Bammako, whence he was to start. From this point, 

 in the beginning of June, he addressed a letter to the alinaniy 

 (" chief ") Samory, — the same who, by the treaty of March 23, 

 1887, had placed his states under French protection, — informing 

 him of his intention to march into his country. The alinaniy 

 pleaded that the war with King Tiebe, his powerful neighbor to the 

 east, and the unfortunate condition of his country, would not per- 

 mit him to receive the traveller, and refused to receive him. After 

 a short time, however, he changed his mind ; and, hoping to turn 

 the chances of war in his favor, he wrote to Col. Gallieni, governor 

 of Senegambia, asking him to send a re-enforcement of thirty sol- 

 diers from the colony. This request decided Capt. Binger to march 

 on. He only wanted a pretext for doing so, and hoped he would 

 be able to study the position of King Samory, and report to the 

 commander of the French Sudan. 



In the war mentioned above, Capt. Binger had tried to act as 

 mediator. He settled upon the 30th of September as the date of 

 his departure, but Samory interfered. First, his son, Karamoko, 

 warned Capt. Binger that the roads leading to Kong and Tegrera 

 were not safe, that it would be preferable to wait, and adduced 

 many other reasons to induce him to give up his plans. 



When Capt. Binger insisted upon his departure, Samory declared 

 that he would not let him depart until he had taken Sikasso and 

 several other cities in the neighborhood of Kong. This answer 

 did not satisfy Capt. Binger ; and therefore he demanded a final 

 answer from Samory as to whether or not he would give him per- 

 mission to traverse his country ; but again no definite answer, and 

 pretexts without end were the only result. Tired of these per- 

 formances, Capt. Binger decided to move on as soon as practicable, 

 and run the risk of Samory's hostility ; but his energy and his 

 firmness had been effective. He soon after received a confidential 

 visit from the king and his son, begging him not to forget them, 

 and to bring them some cartridges on his return. 



The return to Benokubugula was effected by way of Saniena 

 and Komina. Here, again, Capt. Binger found traces of the rav- 

 ages of war. Komina, which some years before consisted of sev- 

 enteen villages, — a much-frequented centre of almost four thou- 

 sand inhabitants, — was nothing but a ruin. A few lemon-trees 

 bore fruit as an emblem of former prosperity. " Since the almamy 

 has come here," said a native to the captain, " the land is lost ; the 

 soil was good ; one mule cost ba wiioro (' fifteen francs ') ; now 

 we can barely find enough to eat." 



On the 7th of October, Capt. Binger re-entered Benokubugula, 

 tired out, but still in good spirits. With the exception of the in- 

 formation gained as to the position of the almamy, his journey had 

 been void of results. 



After resting for several days, Capt. Binger resumed his march 

 on the 1 6th of October, but not without having to overcome the 

 same obstacles he had met with at Wolosebugu and Sikasso, — that 

 of being unnecessarily detained. Near Tengrera, threatened by the 

 inhabitants with the loss of his head if he proceeded farther, he 

 was deserted by his escort, and at Furu — the boundary of the 

 lands of Samory — he had to pay heavily for the permission to 

 cross. At last he entered the dominions of Tiebe, accompanied by 

 a guide and two men from Niele, captives of Pegue, chief of this 

 part of FoUona. 



The captain first crossed Pomporo, where he was not disturbed, 

 although he had not been officially received by the dignitaries of 

 the village. At Dionmantene several men joined his small cara- 

 van. 



After he had arrived within five miles of Niele, he was taken sick 

 with bilious-fever, and during this time was well treated by Pegue, 

 who daily sent him eggs, chicken, and honey. 



During his rapid convalescence he tried his best to persuade 

 Pegue to admit him to his capital, but in vain. Pegue refused, as 

 he was influenced by his kenielala (" magicians "), who associated 



