instruct the deaf and dumb. Children who can hear, have this additional advantage in being educated along with the deaf and dumb, that they not only learn their grammar by rote, but also by practical signs, made to the deaf and dumb, which will leave an indelible impression on their minds. Children who can hear, may soon be taught the manual alphabet so as to be able to hold a conversation with the deaf and dumb, and by these means mutually improve each other,—particularly in spelling.

If any person wished his child to learn French, would he not rather send him to a French school, than to an English one? There cannot be the least doubt but the child would learn more in six months at the former, than in twelve months at the latter school.

A deaf and dumb child, in like manner, will have a much better chance of improving his knowledge at a school where children are taught who can hear and speak, than at an Asylum, where none but the deaf and dumb are taught. This fact is clearly established by the contents of the following chapters.

CHAP. II.

The manner in which the instruction of the Deaf and Dumb is continued.

By the foregoing method our pupils will soon have acquired the idea of a number of nouns substantive. They see a the written before each of them. It is therefore right to give them an example of declension, and to get them to make exercises upon it.

This operation is by no means so entertaining as the two preceding. But the deaf and dumb person we are teaching, having already conceived some degree of respect and attachment for his tutor, is easily induced to undertake, and to execute, as well as he is able, whatever is offered for his instruction.

ART. I.

Concerning the Declension of Nouns.

To teach the declension of nouns, we are to make our pupil notice their different articles, cases, numbers and genders, furnishing him at the same time with signs which distinguish each of these properties that apply to nouns,

SEC1. I.

Of Articles, and the Signs corresponding to

them.

UPON this head we proceed as follows. We make our pupil observe the joints of our fingers, hands, wrist, elbow, &c. &c. and we term them articles. We then inform him,

by writing on the table* that the, of, of the, connect words as our joints do our bones (grammarians will pardon me if this definition does not accord with theirs); after this the right forefinger two or three times bent in the form of a hook becomes the systematical sign for an article.

The gender is explained by putting our hand to our hat, for the masculine, and to the ear, the part to which a female's headdress extends, for the feminine.†

The apostrophe is shewn by making an apostrophe in the air with the forefinger of the right hand.

Of, of the, are articles of the second case. Here we must add to the sign for the article, the sign for second, &c. as also the sign for singular or plural, for masculine or

* Why not with the fingers? It seems the Abbe did not begin with teaching the manual alphabet. This I would strongly recommend to be taught as early as possible.

The letter M for Masculine, and F for Feminine, is more simple and easy when shewn by the Fingers.

feminine.

We must take care to observe

that of, from, by, of the ablative are not articles, but prepositions, having each its peculiar sign according to the use for which it is employed.

SECT. II.

Of Cases, Numbers, and Genders, and the Signs corresponding to them.

IN learning declensions the pupil sees clearly the distinction of cases in both numbers. We must have recourse to our dactylology to learn him the terms nominative, genitive, dative, &c. we need not trouble ourselves at present to give him the etymology of these terms: but we give to each an appropriate sign. First, second, third degree, &c. by which we descend from the first case called nominative to the sixth called ablative, are signs much more intelligible