1865.] Van Asch on Oral Instruction of so-called Deaf and Dumb. 47 



his instruction, a greater amount of language and general information 

 than anyone would anticipate, who is well acquainted with the dis- 

 advantages of the deaf. 



It would be difficult to estimate roughly the progress he has made 

 in the ordinary branches of instruction, for although limits might 

 be indicated in reading, writing, geography, and history, they could 

 only be indistinct and unsatisfactory, arising from the circumstance 

 that many new and valuable ideas are picked up by him from sources 

 wholly apart from his regular course of study. 



One of the most beneficial of these consists in the reading of the 

 daily and weekly newspapers, as will be seen by the conversation 

 which follows ; which increases his stock of words and expressions by 

 many valuable additions. The many events of the history of the day 

 are the more attractive to him, because he easily discovers that the 

 interest taken in them is not confined to himself. Conscious of that 

 fact, he freely inquires about all that passes near and far, and will im- 

 perceptibly be led to the knowledge of that chain of current events by 

 which life becomes much more enjoyable for one who is deprived of 

 such a valuable treasure as the sense of hearing. 



Of the powers of conversation and general attainments of this boy, 

 the following dialogue between him and one of the Editors of this 

 Journal will be an illustration. We three had been visiting the 

 Brown Museum and a large ironmonger's shop together the day before, 

 and the author of this paper took down the conversation, word for 

 word. Nearly all that the boy had seen was quite new to him : — 



Editor. " Tell me what you saw in the museum yesterday." 



J. M. A. " I saw a rolling machine." (Pausing and reflecting.) 

 " Not in the museum." (It was a garden roller he had seen in the 

 ironmonger's shop.) 



Ed. " I asked you, in the museum? " 



J. M. A. " I saw a large skeleton of a large whale. I saw a 

 beautiful crab ; a common crab. I saw the tortoise ; the American 

 frogs ; a balilla — large — a large monkey." (Meaning gorilla.) 



Ed. " You must tell me the proper name of that monkey." 



J. M. A. "Ape." (He had been told the day before that the 

 gorilla was an ape.) 



Ed. " That is not the proper name of the animal. Tell me the 

 name of that large ape ; not Balilla." 



J. M. A. " I cannot tell." 



Ed. " You must try." 



J. M. A. (Shaking his head after some reflection). " I cannot tell 

 you the name of the ape." 



Ed. " Do you read the newspapers ? " 



J. M. A. " Not always. Yes ; at home." 



Ed. " Do you know that a Frenchman brought many of those apes 

 from Africa ? " 



J.M.A. "Yes." 



Ed. " What is his name ? " 



J. M. A. " His name is Captain Grant." (Thinking and shaking 



