second person, and having delivered him the quarto volume, I make signs for him to perform what he has just seen me perform: he laughs, takes the volume, and executes his commission extremely well. The third person singular is next to be explained; I lay my left forefinger upon the word he, and with my right, point to some one beside me or behind me, making it noticed that I do not look at him (bcause I speak of him but not to him.) I give him also, or cause to be given him, without looking at him, the quarto volume he carries. it in the several ways already described, and lays it down again on the table. I then draw an horizontal line under the three persons of the singular, because the explication of them is finished. We proceed to those of the plural. I place my left forefinger on the word we, and I carry my right, first to myself, then to all who are round the table, and lastly, a second time to myself, by way of manifesting that I omit no one; upon which we all take hold of the table, and carry it. The second person plural follows. Laying my left forefinger on the word you, with my right I point to the person who is next me on my left hand, and to all round the table in succession, including him next me on my right; but instead of shewing myself, I retire a few paces; they then carry the table, and I cause it to be noticed, that I am at my ease, without any burthen. We are now come to the third person plural, Having returned to the table, I lay my left forefinger upon the word they, and with my right I point to all round the table, beginning with him at my left hand, and stopping at him on the right of my pupil, whom I then take aside; we remain at our ease while the others hold and carry the table. It is unnecessary to say how much our new student is delighted with this operation. Nevertheless we have to obviate a small 313439B difficulty. I set him to go through all he has seen me do with regard to the persons of the singular and plural. He begins; and falls into an error at the outset, although he cannot be said to be in fault. Having his left forefinger upon I, he carries his right to my breast, thinking that my name was I, as he had seen me several times designate myself by that word. To correct this mistake, I immediately desire five or six of those who just now made parts of the we, the you, and the they to join us; each of these, as soon as he is opposite the table, points first to himself, having a finger upon I, next to one whom he looks at, and to whom he turns, having a finger upon thou, and lastly to a third, whom he does not look at, and to whom he does not turn, having a finger upon he: our student forthwith learns to denominate himself I, as other people do; and no further difficulty remains. Thus, in order that our pupil may lose no time, we hold a language with him that signifies something at the very beginning. He must of necessity comprehend us, if not as destitute of intellect as a horse or a mule; and he will henceforward understand what he writes when upon the model of the verb to carry he is made to conjugate I draw, thou drawest, &c. I drag, thou draggest, &c. In short, he will understand, in a day or two, every phrase composed of only one of the six persons of the present of a verb transitive with its objective noun, such as these: I draw the table, thou draggest the chair; he offers an arm-chair; you push the door; they shut the window; because all these words express actions, of which the signs are caught in an instant, and because the eyes of the spectators testify that these operations are present. It is yet too early to enter into a detailed explanation of verbs. What we have shewn with the present of the indicative of only a sort of anticipation, extremely useful carry is indeed, because it furnishes better means of developing the faculties of deaf and dumb persons than the customary mode of beginning with the declension of nouns substantive and adjective, and pronouns; and it is besides more amusing to them, on account of the number of little phrases they acquire by it, which is a consideration of no small weight in the tuition of persons in their condition, who must be allured to study by the pleasure arising to them in their application. Although Although we confine ourselves to this prelude, our pupils, partly by the help of the masters and mistresses, with whom they board, partly by their amusements when together, transmit to memory, by little and little, other tenses of this first verb, and thus, without knowing it, lay a valuable foundation which we shall shortly build upon. * * It is evident, from the foregoing chapter, that the master and mistress of any school, where children who can hear and speak are educated, are better qualified to |