1807.] 
and, in due order, to qualities and things 
Ide al, as long, length, broad, breadth, 
time, space, iminortality, &c. 
Every person who has been present at 
the re; resentation of a good pantomime, 
bas had an opportunity of witnessing, that 
appropriate gestures are capable of con- 
veying almost the precise idea of the per- 
sou whd uses them, to the minds of 
others. The language of gesture is ex- 
piessive, and it is natural, its first prin- 
ciples are the same in all countries, and 
require no instruction. By it_ the stran- 
ger in a foreign country makes known his 
wants, and understands the intentions of 
those who approach him. It is the me- 
thod imparted by heaven, to open a com- 
munication among the nations separated 
since the confusion of tongues. Even 
the English, whose countenances, of all 
others, are the most placid and iminove- 
able in conversation, and are re- 
inarked for aceompanyine their discourse 
with fewer cestures than any other people, 
even the ¥ nglish make occasional use Of 
the universal gesticulations for coming, 
gomg, threatenmg, mviting, compliment- 
ng, noticing, commanding’ silence, bid- 
ding farew ell, assenting, denying, &c. 
By varrying this language to its natural 
extent; chusing new and distinct signs 
for ideas that in themselves are distinct ; 
and successively substituting the written 
word for‘ the eesticula ited sign, until the 
use of both, as signs for the thing or 
thought, becomes ‘equally farniliar; the 
deaf and dumb have been, and still are, 
most usually instructed; such an edu- 
who 
cation comprising properly the arts of 
conversing by manual signs and by writ- 
Ing, 
In‘addition to the pantomimic method 
of conversing by gestures, and that of 
corresponding by the written letters in 
use among the rest of the nation to which 
the pupil belengs, a method has been 
adopted of easier ‘acquirement than the 
former, to persons already acquainted 
with orthography, and of much conveni- 
ence where neither of the other methods 
can be practised. [allude to a literal 
language on the fingers, for which there 
are Various schemes, most of which have 
been tried with some success. The fa- 
culties of a human being ¢ gain strength 
from any kind of exercise, however tedi- 
ous; or mpertect, as these methods, com- 
pared with speech, must ever be ; ; and 
since itis certain that a deaf and deni 
person} like any other human being en- 
dued with reasoning powers, wants hata 
set of distinct signs to unravel the chaos 
= 
of the Deaf and Dumb, in Great Britain, &c. 
411 
within ‘his own mind, and pursue any 
train of thought which does not depend 
upon results too abstruse for his unas- 
sisted comprehension, it is equally certain 
that, if we communicate to hun a certain 
set of signs, however incomplete and 
slow in the execution, he will make a pro~ 
gress of some kind proportioned to the 
helps he has received. None of these 
methods, however, can possibly obviate’ 
the principal deficiency which they leave 
sull untouched, viz. that of being able 
to make a ready interchange of ue 
with apy individual of the nation: 
which the pupils are to pass their mes 
The languages of pantoiine, of letters’ 
on the fiwer 3, and of Ww riting, assist, and: 
are undoubtedly useful in a high degree : z 
a correspondence is indeed effected by 
them, and they lead to the cultivation of 
the pupil’s ming; but none of them re- 
store him toa participation in-the cheer- 
ful, easy converse, from which his want of | 
he earings has severed hin: and, without 
the power of speakme or understanding 
oral speech, he still remains ‘solitary in! 
the midst of his friends and of the world. 
There are seldom more thai one or 
two -among the whole number of any 
eaf-dumb child’s relations, that will take 
the troub! e to learn the meaning and con- 
nection of his simplest! gestures. ‘They 
guess as wellas they can at the purport 
‘of his mode of expressing himself; and 
iN SO Many nCcongruous ways as thei own! 
minds happen to be variously organised, 
do they contrive gestures to convey-to 
him their own meaning. 
The language of gesticulated signs, 
therefore, although to a certain degree i it 
may be a help i the imtiative mstruc— 
tion, falls short of the purpose ot exact= 
ness, and writing also falls short of the 
purpese of speedy communication, two 
objects which are sulticiently anewelbal 
by speech alone. he most complete 
system of gesticulation that can be taught 
the deaf and dumb, is as foreign a lan- 
guage to those with whom a person in 
that condition may have afterwards to 
live, and as difficult to comprehend, as 
the least intelligible of his ew original 
and peculiar sions. 
I have not heard of any persons who 
took the paias to attain a: compcteat 
knowledge of such a manner of express- 
ing thought, except the pi rofessors and 
pupils alone: nor is it reasonaule to pres 
sume that many others would quit. them 
ordinary. and important oceupations, for a 
study in itself infinitely coniplax* witht 
out being impelled either. by strong, ne- 
3G Q- CeSsIly 
