than any others we could apply to those terms, even after giving a definition of them. We shall show (Art. 6.) how first, second, third, &c. are distinguished from one, two, three, &c.

The following is a sign for the term case, we twirl two fingers round each other while declining; that is, while descending from the first to the sixth.

The elevation of the right thumb, designates the singular; the motion of several fingers the plural.*

We take care to make our pupils remark that the noun singular is made plural, for the most part, by adding to it an s.

The two genders are distinguished by a movement of the hand to the place of the hat or the cap, as before described.

* A deaf and dumb child who has been taught at a prepatory school, to know the numbers, one, two, three, &c. will understand in an instant, when told, that one is singular, and any greater number is plural.

ART II.

Difference of Nouns Substantive and Adjective, and Signs corresponding to them.

In order to make the difference of these two kinds of nouns understood, we take nine cards or nine small pieces of paper. On one of these we write down the noun substantive Peter, and place it on our left; on each of the others we inscribe a noun adjective, as great, little, rich, poor, weak, learned, ignorant,* and place them on our right.

* Every one of these words can be taught a deaf and dumb child at the prepatory school, and where the reader sees the letters, P. S. in italics, it is meant to recommend the parents and teachers to teach the children such words. and explain the meaning of them, at the earliest period with the counters, by signs, and the manual alphabet, before the child can write. No preceptor will, I trust, be at a loss to explain any word, after studying the methodi

Peter enters, and we see that he is a great personage; we take the card having great upon it, and place it upon his name. He came in a carriage, and is richly appareled; therefore we take the card having rich upon it and likewise put it over the name. We do the same with the two cards having strong and learned upon them; for Peter appears to be strong, and we are told that he is learned.

Peter, which is the noun substantive, lies under these four qualities (stat sub) and such is the true notion of a noun substantive; to which we superadd the qualities that we deem appropriate. The noun adjective is that which expresses some quality added to

cal signs made use of by the Abbe, and by paying a little attention to my observations.

My object is to impress upon the minds of parents and teachers the necessity of explaining the meaning of every word to a deaf and dumb child, in such a manner, that when he goes to school to learn grammar, he well prepared as as any other Child.

be may

as

the substantive. The left hand under the right is the sign for the noun substantive, and the right under the left for the adjective.

Nouns adjective being joined equally to substantives masculine and feminine, both singular and plural, without any variation, the substantive with which they are associated determines their gender, number, and case; so that our pupil will decline without trouble whatever adjectives are given him. with their relative substantives.

ART. III.

Of Nouns Adjective terminating in able and ible, and of the Signs corresponding to them.

NOUNS adjective that terminate in able and ible, and are derived from verbs, signify a quality which ought or which may be attributed to a subject.

In the former case we add to the sign representing the quality, a sign representative of necessity; and one representative of possibility in the latter case.

When these nouns adjective are rendered in Latin by the future of the participle pas-: sive terminating in andus-a-um, endus-a-um, they signify a quality which ought to be attributed to the subject in question; and the following are the signs on this occasion. A first sign signifies the action expressed by the verb, as to love, to adore, to respect; a second sign indicates that it is an adjective; a third sign gives us to understand that this adjective must of necessity be attributed to the subject of the phrase. For example: to adore is the action of the verb; adored is the adjective of it; but adorable is a noun adjective which must necessarily be attributed to God, the subject of the phrase.

When these adjectives are turned into Latin by words terminating in bilis-is-e, they generally signify a quality which may, and