154 ON THE EDUCATION OF 



This figure represents a slip of pasteboard, which has two 

 narrow slips stitched to it, the one along its superior, and the 

 other along its inferior margin, so as to admit the letters to be 

 introduced under their edges, and held in their places. The 

 hole at the beginning of the word serves for fastening a loop 

 by which it may be suspended ; it also serves as a mark for 

 the beginning of the word, and thus directs the pupil in the me- 

 thod of holding it correctly. A page of pasteboard, consisting 

 of a succession of lines formed in this manner, will be a con- 

 venient surface for containing tangible sentences, instead of 

 the surface of wax formerly mentioned*. The letters are here 

 placed at a considerable distance, which will be proper in the 

 first instance, that their forms may be separately traced. It 

 will afterwards be easy to cut off the superfluous paper from 

 each, to bring them nearer together, and thus save space f. 



It is one great advantage of the preceding plan that it may 

 be executed at very little expence. If it succeeds in his pre- 

 sent situation, the expence will be a mere trifle. If not, a si- 

 tuation in the country will still be the best adapted to him. 

 Any intelligent person possessed of sufficient leisure, (a coun- 

 try clergyman for example,) might, by having him for a cer- 

 tain time an inmate of his house, execute the whole with 

 little difficulty. All the expence would consist in a suitable 

 board for twelve, or perhaps only for six months. For pro- 

 viding this, there certainly will be no necessity for having re- 

 course to any steps which the manners and feelings of our 



country 



* Page 145. 



•f- This plan is evidently adapted to the use of the blind in general ; and experi- 

 ments may be made with great facility on that class of persons, whose claims 

 on the attentions of society are fully recognised, though they are highly pri- 

 vileged when compared with the subject of these observations. Such experi- 

 ments, it is to be hoped, will be speedily attempted, if they have not hitherto 

 been made. 



