Her Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb. 395 tentive yourself to what you are doing, and to have your mind wholly fixed upon it; for, if you grow careless, your class will presently become careless too. But you must not be harsh, nor cross; you know that, in National schools, threats, and blows, and sticks are to be laid aside; all should be done by emulation; that is, by a desire to excel. There should be a wish in every boy or girl to do the best in the class; but, if they are once frightened and terrified, there is presently an end of this emulation, and of all fondness for their studies. You will find that teaching is very trying to the temper; you must therefore seek to keep a guard over yourself, that nothing hasty or passionate may appear in your words or behaviour, for this will be teaching your class harm instead of good. The milder you are, the more your class will like their lessons, and the more they will improve, and the pleasanter, as well as the more creditable, it will be to you. Attend to the rules for teaching, which belong to National schools. If you break these, you will lose the chief benefit of this plan of education, and your class will make much less progress than it ought to do. From Rivington's National School Magazine. ON THE INSTRUCTION OF THE DEAF AND MY GOOD FRIend, I WISH, if I can, to put you more and more in the way of speaking to your child by signs: but I find it not a very easy matter to put down in writing the little I know about that pleasant manner of talking to dumb people. I will try to go on thinking and learning more about it, and to tell you what comes into my head about it, and then you must think over and over the things I say to you, and when you are trying to follow my directions, and to catch the meaning of your child's own signs, some more things of the same kind will come into your head, which perhaps I have not hit upon or thought about. The right sort of signs, and the best way of signing all your thoughts to your child will come upon you by little and little, without your knowing how. And what you find very difficult to tell him this year, will seem quite plain and easy to you next year, and you will wonder how it was that it did not come all at once into your mind. But thus, you see, it is in all things. God does not let us know any thing, or do any thing, all at once. For He sees it good for us, that we should always be obliged to go on thinking and thinking over the same subject day after day, and doing a little and a little at the same things day after day, before he lets us be able to get any right knowledge about a matter, or do any thing as it ought to be done. And so do not let us be disheartened if we find we go on but slowly. I am sure you feel very happy if by trying what I directed you in my last letter, you have been able to make your child sensible that there is a great and good God, who created all things by his word,-who gave him life and all things and you will find it very delightful if you can make him admire some of the wonderful works of God, and talk by signs with you of God's goodness and mercy, in supplying all his wants. When you walk out with him, you can shew him the sky and the sun, and make him sensible by your signs, that you feel very thankful to God for light and for warmth. When you look at the grass and the corn with him, you can make him understand, by signs, that God has provided these for food for men and for beasts, and shew him by your actions, that you return thanks to God for the bread and for the meat which nourishes you and makes you feel well and strong. Let him see you and his brothers and Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb. 397 sisters thank God every day for your daily bread, and he will soon learn to join with them in thanking God also, and though he cannot do it by words, he may do it by signs. He is able by signs to thank his parents when they give him any thing; and, when he once knows that he has a Father in Heaven, who is above all, made all, and takes care of all, he will be able to thank his Heavenly Father by signs, as easily as he can his earthly parents. You may I think make him understand that though neither he, nor you, nor any body can see God, yet, that God sees him and every body all over the world. I will just tell you, how I suppose you will set about this. Point at yourself, and himself, and others in the room, then make the sign for seeing by pointing at your eyes; the sign for God, by joining your hands as in prayer, and looking up to Heaven with reverence, then shake your head as if saying no, and I think he will understand your meaning as if you had said we see God,-no. Then begin by making the sign for God, then the sign for seeing, then point at him, and all in the room, and then nod your head for yes,--he will understand you as if you had said, God sees you and me and all of us,-yes. Then spread out your hands as if describing the world, above and below, and every where, and again give the signs for God seeing all. Make the sign for thinking and make the sign for God seeing your thinking. You may perhaps, then help him to understand you, by writing on the slate, "God sees your thinking." If once you can fix on his mind that God sees all things at all times, and observes even the thoughts of men, you have taken a good step towards his future religious instruction. It will be easy afterwards when he is naughty, or disobedient, or passionate, to put him in mind that God sees him, and is dis gentle, and affectionate, and obedient, and diligent, you can make him understand that God loves and approves of him. I do not wish you to try to write down upon the slate about all these things yet, but you ought always to be able to talk by signs about things before he can learn to write about them; and if you and I can but go on making out this way of talking with him by signs, I will go on by degrees, helping you to the way of teaching him to put these signs into words. Signs alone will not do, because he will often be with people who do not know how to talk by signs. And, besides, you must wish very much that he may be able to read the words of our Saviour in the Bible, and to put his signs to these words, so as to take the meaning of them into his mind. And now I must give you a few more words to teach him. He does not yet know the names of the days of the week; but perhaps he has counted the days between Sunday and Sunday, and you will easily make him understand the day for going to Church is called Sunday. Copy out on a board or slate or large paper (which you can paste against the wall) the names of the days of the week, just in the manner you read them here. Let the sign for the seven days, or week, be, joining, at the ends or tips, the thumb and four fingers of the right hand and the thumb and first finger of the left hand, thus you will have the two Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb. 399 thumbs and five fingers for the seven days, which when spoken of together are called a week. Every morning, point out to your child the name of the day on your board, let him spell it on his fingers or on the slate, and let him write-to day is Sunday, or to day is Monday, or Tuesday or whatever day it may happen to be: then shew him the name on your board of the day before and write yesterday* was Monday, or Tuesday, &c. Point out the name of the day following, and write→→ to-morrow will be Tuesday, or to-morrow will be Wednesday, always making the signs for to-day, to-morrow, and yesterday. The signs for the different days of the week, may be the first letter of the name shewn on the finger, or when you are talking of a day of the week, you may join the fingers together for the sign of the word week, and then just lift up the thumb of the right hand for Sunday, the first finger for Monday, the middle finger for Tuesday, and so on, the thumb of the left hand will be raised for Friday, and the first finger of the left hand for Saturday. Remember that whenever you are talking of the present time, the sign of the palms of the hands opened before you, will be the sign; when you are talking of past time, you will throw your hand over your shoulder as if throwing something behind you; and when you speak of future time, you will point out straight before you. I will now give you a list of little sentences, which speak about things as having happened at a time which is past, or of things which will happen in a future time, as well as about things which are happening in the present time, and when you teach your child these and such like sentences, use the signs I have described. The signs for yesterday, to-day, and to-morrow, have |