JAMES MITCHELL. 141 



the gratification of his wishes, by withholding an object till 

 such time as he can present his teacher with its name. This 

 last should not be attempted before there is reason to think that 

 he has acquired some patience of temper, at least not in his 

 present situation, where he is subjected to no systematic au- 

 thority ; nor should it in any case be practised till the associa- 

 tion has been repeated with sufficient frequency to entitle those 

 around him to expect that he will remember it. It is, however, 

 by the names of the most favourite objects that his interest 

 will be soonest secured, and it will always be proper to shew 

 peculiar promptitude in understanding and gratifying his wishes 

 when he is able to make them known by producing the name 

 of the object which he wants. A little experience of the ad- 

 vantage arising in this respect from language will create a de- 

 sire to make similar communications respecting objects of all 

 kinds. 



Some would, perhaps, from their opinions on the theory of 

 grammar, reckon it most correct to teach him in the first in- 

 stance substantives alone. But it will be attended with great 

 advantage to teach the adjectives almost equally soon. They 

 may be learned with the same facility ; and they will prove to 

 him interesting, as affording expressions for his more general, 

 and what have been sometimes called moveable ideas. They 

 will also assist in making him perceive in less time the inten- 

 tions of the lessons given to him. He may be made to touch 

 one vessel, and at the same time the words warm water, and 

 another vessel while he touches the words cold water ; and in the 

 same manner proceed to learn the meaning of such combina- 

 tions as warm tea, cold tea, sweet tea, weak tea, strong tea ; hea- 

 vy stone, light stone, large stone, small stone, and others of simi- 

 lar application. It would be advisable to give him a separate 

 set of shelves or pigeon-holes for containing the adjectives, or 

 to distinguish them by some peculiar mark. 



He 



