ing, to understand their fellows, and to take part in affairs. Bulwer projected an academy for the education of the deaf and dumb, but found that even rational men with whom he conversed regarded his proposal as "paradoxicall, prodigious, and hyperbolical." In addition to his "Philocophus," he composed a work entitled "The Deaf and Dumb Academy," which does not appear to have been printed.*

More important than the works of John Bulwer, were the publications of George Dalgarno, whose memory was revived by Dugald Stewart after it had long been forgotten. He saw clearly the possibility of educating deaf-mute children. "And, as I think," he says, "the eye to be as docile as the ear, so neither see I any reason but the hand might be made as tractable an organ as the tongue, and as soon brought to form, if not fair, at least legible characters, as the tongue to imitate and echo back articulate sounds." He gave a sketch of a dictionary and grammar for deaf persons.†

To the same century belongs the phonetic inquiries of Dr. William Holder (1669) and the remarkably successful experiments of Dr. John Wallis, who taught articulation. One of his pupils was exhibited to the King in 1662. Those who are curious in such matter may read an account in the English edition of Bayle, of a somewhat fierce dispute as to priority between these distinguished men. There were several publications about this time. George Sibscota's "Deaf and Dumb Man's Discourse" (1690) is a mere translation of a dissertation by Densing, but George Dalgarno's "Didascoluphus" is really an epoch-making book. He declares himself to be, so far as he knew, the first who had treated the subject, and describes a bi-manual-alphabet which is probably the original of that now used in this country.

A learned contemporary of Wallis was Dr. Johan Conrad Amman, whose "Dissertation on Speech," first published in 1700,

*There is a notice of Bulwer in the "Retrospective Review," N.S., 11,205, but no adequate account has yet appeared of this singular man, whose fertility as an author is only equalled by the eccentric variety of the subjects with which he dealt. His works are all rare, many still remain in MS. Those referred to above were kindly lert me by Mr. G. W. Napier, of Alderley Edge, in whose very curious library there is a special place reserved for John Bulwer. There is an interesting passage in the "Prodromo" of Lana, published at Brescia in 1670, on the method of teaching deaf-mutes to articulate, "facendo insieme, che intenda con gl' occhi l'altrui parole." His attention appears to have been drawn to the object by the testimony of Kenelm Digby. No one, he says, so far as he knew, had written upon the method by which this could be accomplished. His remarks are sensible and to the point. Of course the plan he recommends is that of developing the imitative powers of the pupils. In 1667 F. van Helmont printed a tract in which Hebrew is set forth as a visible speech; its letters, according to him, being physiological diagrams of the vocal organs.

"Edinburgh Review," lxi, 407.

was translated by the late Dr. Charles Baker. Amman describes in some detail his method for teaching articulation. His pupils were made not only to watch the action of his lips but to feel the conformation of his throat, whilst he was uttering the words he wished them to imitate. In a fortnight he taught a tailor's son to read and commit to memory the Lord's Prayer. Amman has also given some particulars as to the means he used for communicating information to deaf-mutes, for it is obvious that without this education deaf-mutes might utter human sounds with no more coherence or intellectual propriety than a parrot. There is a curious bit of evidence as to the use of dactylology at the commencement of the last century. In the trial of Richard Noble for the murder of John Sayer, in 1713, it was mentioned that Sayer's jealousy was aroused by conversations incomprehensible to him, as his wife talked upon her fingers. Bruhier, writing about 1746, mentions several cases of lip-reading. One is that of a Silesian workman who became deaf and dumb through smallpox, and was able to understand those whom he knew by watching their movements in speaking. His wife was thus able to interpret to him what was said by strangers. Bruhier tells us that he knew a mute who had a good knowledge of literature and of mathematics, and who was instructing several of his comrades in misfortune.

In France the labours of the Abbé de l'Epée attracted great and deserved notice.* He was borne at Versailles in 1712, and became a priest of the Jansenist school. His attention was called to the condition of the deaf and dumb by a casual visit to a house in which two poor deaf-mute sisters were at work. They had received some instruction from Père Simon Vanin, but his death had left them without instructor. With benevolent enthusiasm De l'Epée undertook to continue their education. He had no practical acquaintance with the training of the deaf and dumb, nor does it appear that "prints" used by his predecessor were of much avail. The character and uses of these prints are not stated. In a conversation at the age of sixteen the separateness of thought and speech had been strongly impressed upon his mind. He had, however found his life work, and devoted to it all that he had of time, talent, and money. His gentle nature even delighted in ascetic self-denial for the sake of his pupils.

* De l'Epée had a predecessor in Jacob Rodriguez Pereire, who was very successful as a teacher between 1740 and 1750, but he shrouded his method in mystery. His pupil Saboureux de Fontenay made as great a sensation as Massieu. Of Vanin some particulars lately brought to light are given in the "Annals," xxiv, 80.

De l'Epée's judgment was not always sound. His gentle heart was made the victim of one of his pupils, a clever impostor, twenty years of age, who pretended to have been wrongfully defrauded of the title and estate of the ancient and wealthy family of the Comtes de Solar. The "claimant" found his way to the gallows. The affair was productive of great trouble to De l'Epée.*

The success which attended his labours as a teacher gave a great impetus to the education of deaf-mutes, and that which he had begun as a private work of charity was continued as a national institution. De l'Epée died in 1789, and was succeeded by Sicard, who possessed in a rare degree the art of showing off his pupils; one of his scholars, Massieu, became celebrated for the neatness and piquancy of some of his replies to questions proposed at the public lectures of his preceptor. He described God as the Sun of Eternity, and having defined remembrance, he added, "C'est à la memoire ce que la rivière est à la mer.” It is doubtful whether the brilliant displays of Massieu did not encourage hopes that were little likely to be realised as to the attainments of the rank and file of the deaf and dumb.

The contemporary and rival of De l'Epée was Samuel Heinicke, a Saxon, who in 1778 became director of a deaf-mute institution established at Leipzig by the Elector Augustus Frederick. Whilst De l'Epée used the finger and sign language, Heinicke, like the older authorities, based his plan upon written and spoken language. He was a vigorous and sometimes acrimonious critic.

The first scholastic institution in England was that of Thomas Braidwood, who opened an academy at Edinburgh in 1760. Dumbiedykes was visited in 1773 by Dr. Johnson, who was acquainted with what had already been done by Bonet, Wallis, and others, and therefore prepared to take an intelligent interest in what he saw. "Braidwood's pupils," he says, "not only speak, write, and understand what is written, but if he that speaks looks towards them and modifies his organs by distinct and full utterance, they know so well what is spoken that it is an expression scarcely figurative to say they hear with the eye." Johnson tried their powers in arithmetic, and gave them one of his sesquipedalia verba, the memory of which long remained in the school. In 1783 Braidwood removed to Hackney, and in 1792 the London Asylum was established under the guidance of

Bouilly founded on this incident his drama "L'Abbe de l'Epée," of which an English version by Holcroft used formerly to have occasional possession of the stage. Bouilly, of course, adopts the theory that Theodore, the claimant, was really the Comte de Solar, and Sicard expressed the same opinion when writing in 1820.

Dr. Joseph Watson, a nephew and former assistant of Braidwood. Three generations of Watsons have guided the fortunes of this institution, the present principal being the Rev. J. H. Watson, M.A., the grandson of the founder. From this germ of charity have sprung various other institutions. The census of 1871 affords the following information concerning them :-

The influence of De l'Epée was extended to America by Laurent Clerc, a pupil of Sicard's, who, in 1816, left the Old for the New World in company with Gallaudet, founder and principal of the first American Asylum. There are now two score institutions in the United States, where the education of the deaf-mute has been carried to its highest point. There were, in 1870, 3,732 pupils receiving instruction in 34 local institutions, supported by State or private beneficence. These children repre

*Deaf and dumb pupils only.

† Boarders.

Day scholars.

sent a total population of deaf-mutes, of all ages, in the United States of about 20,000. One of the most interesting of these schools is the Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, which is situated at Washington, and may be taken as the expression of the national interest on the subject. In connection with this institution a higher course of education was organised in 1864, under the title of the National Deaf-Mute College. Its object is to give to competent deaf-mutes and others, who by reason of deafness cannot be educated elsewhere, the opportunity to secure a thorough education in the studies usually pursued in American Colleges. The college thus bears to other institutions for the deaf and dumb the same relation that colleges for hearing and speaking persons bear to primary schools and academies. The course of study is as follows :-Studies of Preparatory Class: Mathematics, arithmetic and algebra, physical geography, history, natural philosophy, English, Latin. Studies of the Freshmen Class: Mathematics, algebra, geometry, English, Latin, Greek (optional). Studies of the Sophomore Class: Mathematics, conic sections, plane and spherical trigonometry and surveying, botany, chemistry, Latin, Greek (optional), history, English. Studies of the Junior Class: Mathematics, natural philosophy, astronomy, chemistry, laboratory practice, with lectures, mineralogy, geology, French, Greek (optional), history, English. Studies of the Senior Class: Geology, physiology, German, mental philosophy and logic, English, moral philosophy, and evidences of Christianity, political philosophy, æsthetics. Instruction in book-keeping and in drawing and painting is given to those who desire it. Instruction in articulation is given to those who desire it, and have aptness for it. The American Congress makes provision for the free admission of residents of the district of Columbia who have not the means of supporting themselves, and for those whose fathers are in the military or naval service of the United States. To students from the States and territories who have not the means of defraying all the expenses of the college course, the board of directors renders such assistance as circumstances seem to require, and as far as the means at its disposal for this object will allow. The corporation is authorised by an Act of Congress to confer "such degrees in the arts and sciences as are usually granted in colleges," and the degree of Bachelor of Arts is conferred on all students who have sustained examinations on the full college course of four years, and who have paid all their dues to the