Hints to Gardeners. But now its ancient glories gone, Thy vineyard is the wild boar's lair. Yet let thy beams of grace and mercy shine, 325 Turn thou our hearts, O God! and make us wholly thine. I M. T. LINES ADDRESSED TO AN INFANT BY ITS FATHER. In early life, dear babe, may grace. And aid thy tender feet to tread The path thy Saviour trod ! Soon may thy lisping tongue express When future cares begin to rise, Preparing for its home! By the atoning blood of Christ, Releas'd from Satan's pow'r, May'st thou enjoy sweet peace and hope, HINTS TO GARDENERS. I suppose our readers have by this time given their summer pruning to their wall fruit-trees, that they have cut off the foreright shoots, and taken out all the large unprofitable shoots, and such as grow awkwardly; and that they have nailed in the other shoots, or laid them to the wall with little pieces of stick stuck between the branches of the tree. If they have not done this, it is high time to do it better late than never. The great quantity of young wood and leaves, hinders the fruit from getting sun and air, and also is, in this way, injurious to the wood, which is to bear next year, hindering it from ripening, &c. The hint, however, that I wish to give, is, that in nailing trees against a wall, great care should be taken to have the shreds large enough, to give the shoot room to grow and thicken. I have to-day witnessed the injury arising from a neglect of this, on a tree which I have just been looking over. In some parts, the wood in its growth has burst the shred, and thus found its liberty in others, the tree appears diseased, wherever the confinement has been too tight. AIRING ROOMS. To the Editor of the Cottager's Monthly Visitor. MR EDITOR, THIS is generally a hot time of the year, Sir; pray, therefore, give your readers another hint about keeping their rooms well aired. What you have said already, on this point, has done a great deal of good in our village; but some of my friends may not have read your former advice, and therefore a word more may be in season. I still go into some houses where the rooms are very hot and close, and must be very unwholesome; it is, indeed, always unwholesome to breathe the same air over and over again. Some of my neighbours open their doors and windows, and throw back the bed clothes, as Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb. 327 soon as ever they leave their beds, and so get the benefit of fresh wholesome, air. I wish they all did it! I do it constantly myself. Whether a house is large or small, health requires this: but, in small houses it is particularly necessary. I am, Sir, yours, INSTRUCTION OF THE DEAF AND DUMB. LETTER THE SEVENTH. MY GOOD Friend, It is now half a year since I began writing to you, and I hope by this time you see some little improvement in your dumb child. I wish to put you in mind that, all this time, whilst you are trying to teach him to write and understand words, you must go on carefully learning from him the meaning of all his signs-and then you will be able, when you have leisure on Sundays, or the evening of working days, to give him many good and useful notions before he can read or write much. I will try to tell you a little more about the way of talking to him by signs; but first I will put down a few words, which I think he will easily learn to read and write, and explain by signs. Butcher-baker-miller-brewer-carpentersawyer-mason-bricklayer-mower-reaper-gar dener-weaver-tailor-shoemaker-blacksmith glazier-carter-grocer-cooper-wheelwright surgeon-physician-apothecary-nurse-cook dairy-maid-coachman-footman-house-maid— mantua-maker-millener-linen-draper-bookseller Pictures of people employed in these different trades and occupations, will be very usefub to you, if you can get them. If you cannot get these, you must take every opportunity of pointing out to your child, different tradesmen or shopkeepers engaged in their business; and, whether he sees the pictures or the people themselves, he will, of his own accord, imitate their attitudes and actions :-for instance, the sign for carpenter will be the usual sign for man adding the action of planing wood-for a mason, add to the sign for man an action as if you were laying stones one upon another, and building up a wall. The same sign he will make for bricklayer, probably touching his lips to shew you that the bricks are red. If he has seen any body bled, for the word surgeon add to the sign for man the action of pricking a vein, and describe the blood spouting out. The sign for physician will be feeting the pulse, &c. But all these signs he will invent himself so naturally, that all I need tell you, is to use him to give the sign for the word man, as well as the sign describing his employment, when you talk by signs of tradesmen, Shew him, as often as you have an opportunity, the tools which different tradesmen use, and the materials they work upon; and when he gives you a sign for these, or for any thing else that he observes, do you give him the name for it in writing; and, besides writing the name, speak it, and let him look at your mouth and feel your throat, and try to speak the word also; and in this way he will get into the method of speaking many easy words, which will be useful to him when he is with people who do not write or speak with their fingers. The pictures used in the infant schools, to be bought at Darton and Harvey's, Gracechurch-street, would be a very valuable present to make to the parents of deaf and dumb children. Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb. 329 When you are talking by signs about different trades, and shewing your child, perhaps, that the tailor made his coat, the shoemaker made his shoes, and so on, some day, when you see him earnest and attentive, ask him, by signs, if you can, who made the sun, or the moon, or the stars; ask if he thinks the carpenter made the trees grow, or if the baker or miller made the corn. Ask him who made him and you. If he seems to understand your signs, and to be earnest and anxious that you should tell him, do you kneel down and pray to God to bless your child, and let him see you kneeling down, with your hands joined together, and looking up to heaven; and afterwards you may write the word GOD in large distinct letters, shewing bim by your looks, and by signs, it is a name you must honour and keep holy try to express to him that you fear, and love, and honour God; that he made you and all men; that he created the heaven and the earth, the sun, and moon, and stars, and every thing in heaven and earth; and shew him, by signs if you can, that you feel very thankful to God for giving you life, and clothes, and food. If you find your child does not understand you, and that you cannot make him sensible of your meaning by your signs, do not distress yourself, but be sure that, if you go on quietly and patiently teaching him what he can understand, you will be able in time to teach him to join with you in praying to his heavenly Father, and thanking him for all his blessings; and never be in a hurry to teach him what seems difficult or puzzling to him. The surest way of teaching all your children to be good and religious, is to be so yourself. Children catch very quickly the thoughts, and feelings, and dispositions, whether good or bad, of those they live with; and, though your deaf child cannot hear what you say, he will know by your look and |
