70 GESTURE-LANGUAGE AKD WORD-LANGUAGE. 



deaf-and-dumb gesticulate as tliey think. Laura Bridgman's 

 fingers worked, making the initial movements for letters of the 

 finger-alphabet, not only during her waking thought, but even 

 in her di-eams. 



Spoken language, though by no means the exclusive medium 

 of thought and expression, is undoubtedly the best. In default 

 of this, it is only by means of a substitute for it, namely, 

 alphabetic winting, that we succeed in giving more than a veiy 

 low development to the minds of the deaf-and-dumb ; and they 

 of course connect the idea directly with the wi'itten word, not as 

 we do, the writing with the sound, and then the sound with the 

 idea. When they think in writing, as they often do, the image 

 of the written words which correspond to their ideas, must 

 rise up before them in the " mind's eye." The Germans, who 

 are strong advocates of the system of teaching the deaf-and- 

 dumb to articulate, believe that the power of connecting ideas 

 with actual or imaginary movements of the organs of speech, 

 gives an enormous increase of mental power, which I am how- 

 ever inclined to think is a good deal exaggerated. Heinicke 

 gives a description of the results of his teaching his pupils to 

 articulate, their delight at being able to communicate their 

 ideas in this new way, and the increased intelligence which 

 appeared in the expression of their faces. As soon, he says, 

 as the born-mute is sufficiently taught to enable him to in- 

 crease his stock of ideas by the power of naming them, he 

 begins to talk aloud in his sleep, and when this happens, it 

 shows that the power of thinking in words has taken root.^ 

 Heinicke was, however, an enthusiast for his system of teach- 

 ing, and in practice, it is I believe generally found, that arti- 

 culation does not displace gesture-signs and written language 

 as a medium of thought; and certainly, the deaf-and-dumb 

 who can speak, very much prefer the sign language for prac- 

 tical use among themselves. Instructors of the deaf-and-dumb 

 in England and America seem to have generally decided, that 

 with ordinary pupils, articulation is not worth the time and 

 trouble it costs, and they use it but little. Of course, no one 

 doubts that it is desirable that the children should be taught 



^ Heinicke, p. 103, etc. 



