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Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb.

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off talking with him by signs, for that will be of more consequence to you, perhaps, as well as pleasanter, than any other way of talking can be, so I will write to you to-day a little more about it.

I hope you always remember to be as lively and pleasant as you can with him; and, as he cannot make use of his poor deaf ears, you must en courage him to make the more use of his hands, and his eyes, and let him look at things, and feel them, and observe them. If you could get some pic-. tures about different trades, I think it would be very useful to you; for, if your child is old enough, you will be able to make him understand what the different tradesmen are doing, and what tools they are using; and, when he goes by a carpenter's shop, or a shoemaker's, or a butcher's or a baker's, you can let him stop, and look at the tools, and see the way of using them; and he will make signs, as if he was at work himself, and these signs will be the same as if he said the words, carpenter, shoemaker, and so on. Sometimes you should make him compare himself with other children, and other children with one another; look which is the tallest, and which the shortest, which is fair, and which is dark. Show him how they have all two eyes, two ears, eye-brows, eye-lashes, one mouth, upper lip, under lip, many teeth, two arms, two hands, four fingers, one thumb upon each hand; shew him the joints, the nails, and so on.

Sometimes, when you take your child into the fields, make him take notice of the sheep, the cows, the grass, the corn. If you take him into a field of ripe corn, shew him by signs how the reaper will cut it down, how the thresher will thresh it, how the miller will grind it. If you should have any pictures of these things, you can shew them to him also by pictures. He will see how the flour is made into bread, how the loaves are baked in the oven, and will get signs for all these actions. In

the same way, when you shew him the sheep, you can tell him about shearing off the wool, and how some of his clothes are made of wool-and so on. I would advise you, as soon as possible, to get your child into the way of making some sign of thanks to you, and all those who do him any kindness; such as a bow, or a curtsey, or kissing his hand, as much as to say "thank you," when his food or his clothes, or any thing that he wants, or likes to have, is given him. And let him also make some civil sign, such as putting his hands together when he asks you for what he wants, as much as to say, "pray," or "if you please," for you cannot teach him too soon to be civil and thankful.

I must not forget my promise of telling you a little more about teaching your child his letters. Besides teaching him to sort together the letters of the alphabet, I advise you to make him look at your mouth, and feel your throat, while you speak the letter, and let him try to speak it too, for this is the way that many dumb people have ben taught to speak, so as to be understood. You should take care to speak the letter C hard, like a K. as it is spoken in cat, case, corn; and the letter G in the same manner as it is spoken in good, gate, grey.

When he knows his letters, and has signs for them upon his fingers, then let him learn to write the letters, in copy hand, on a slate, and let him make the sign with his fingers for every letter that

he writes.

The next thing will be to teach him little words, such as cat, dog, boy, &c. in this way.-Shew him a cat, or picture of a cat, then shew him the word cat; point at the cat, and then point at the word; and if he has got any sign for a cat, make that sign, and then shew the word again, till he has learnt that the word is another sort of sign which means cat. Then spell cat with your fingers, and shew him the cat again.

On Reading the Scriptures.

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Call some child that can read writing, and shew that child the word cat, and when that child runs to fetch you the cat, your dumb child will understand that it is the name of the cat that you have written. These are very pleasant and very easy ways of teaching, but I must not tell you more about them now, for perhaps you will think that I have made my letter too long already.

I am your true friend,

D. D.

ON READING THE SCRIPTURES. :

(Continued from page 515, Vol. 4.)

Ir is your privilege to be born in an age and in a country, in which even the lowest ranks are taught to read. I am not, therefore, recommending a praetice above your power, when I earnestly conjure you to read a portion of Scripture every day: this practice will shed peace, comfort, and serenity over your minds, and will afford the best food for your thoughts and meditations.

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It was the remark of a wise man, that "praying will make a man leave off sinning, or sinning will make a man leave off praying;" the same may said of reading the Holy Scriptures; no person who makes them a part of his daily study, will continue long in a sinful course of life; they will lay his faults open before his eyes, and will, if spiritually applied, check his progress in that broad way which leadeth to destruction, and will be his guide along the narrow path that leadeth to eternal life.

It certainly then is a duty belonging to all ranks, rich as well as poor, not to let a day pass without giving some part of it to the study of the Word of God. It ought to be the aim of every parent to see that this duty is not neglected by their children,

that they may know that they are not to live by "bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

St. Paul says to Timothy, "All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be made perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." J. W. B.

November 15, 1824.

HYMN ON REDEEMING THE TIME.

Remark, my soul, the narrow bounds

Of the revolving year;

How swift the weeks complete the round,
How short the months appear!

Much of my fleeting life is done,
Nor will return again;

And swift my passing moments run,
The few which yet remain.

So fast Eternity comes on

And that important day,

When all that mortal life has done,
God's judgment will survey.

Awake, my soul, with utmost care
Thy true condition learn;

What are thy hopes, how sure, how fair,
And what thy chief concern !

Devoutly yield thyself to God,
And on his care depend;

With zeal pursue the heavenly road,
Nor doubt a happy end.

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We are sorry that we could not find room for these Reflections at the close of the last year, and even now we have been obliged to shorten them much more than we could have wished.

"Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God hath led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or no."-Deut. viii. 3.

These are the words of Moses, addressed to the Israelites, when, after their deliverance from Egyptian bondage, and their long sojourn in the wilderness, they had reached the borders of the promised land. Here Moses bids them pause: he admonishes them to look back on all the way they had trod, for from every step of it they might draw an instructive lesson. "Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God hath led thee these forty years in the wilderness." He brings to their remembrance every circumstance that had attended their deliverance from Egypt, and their journey through the wilderness he then leads them on to observe the merciful design of the Lord in all his varied dealings. "It was (says Moses) to humble thee and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or no."-" To do thee good at thy latter end." It was to qualify them or the enjoyment of that blessedness for which they were designed, to fit them for an entrance on that land which he had promised to their forefathers, and which they were now invited to "go up and possess."

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