JAMES MITCHELL. 143 



to him new sources of agreeable knowledge, and will then 

 make voluntary exertions to instruct himself by engaging in so- 

 litary lessons, or by soliciting in particular instances information 

 from those around him. 



It is after he has, on this plan, made considerable progress, 

 that success may be expected in teaching him the useof the 

 separate letters. For this purpose, letters formed with the 

 same types may be given to him in a drawer of twenty -four di- 

 visions, in alphabetical order. By means of these, his familiar 

 words may be frequently formed for him in his presence, and 

 he may gradually learn to form them for himself. There will, 

 however, be no propriety in urging this part of instruction with 

 much earnestness. If he shows himself in any degree reluc* 

 tant to it, his teacher may be content with giving him farther 

 instructions in prosecution of the first part of the plan. In 

 addition to such instructions, it will be sufficient to give him, 

 in the first instance, an opportunity of forming words for him- 

 self when he is inclined. By being first made a complete mas- 

 ter in one department, he will be prepared to make more 

 rapid progress in another. 



Till he has made considerable proficiency in the knowledge 

 of entire words, and acquired a relish for language, any further 

 expedients are comparatively of little interest. But, anticipat- 

 ing success in this part of the undertaking, the execution of 

 which must be regarded as the most difficult, I proceed to 

 describe some subsequent expedients. These will evidently 

 admit of being greatly varied according to unforeseen circum- 

 stances. 



If it is found that, after having learned the use of entire 

 words, he cannot be easily taught to combine the letters, it will 

 be proper to increase his stock of words. Other parts of 

 speech besides substantives and adjectives may now be given 



to 



