Show THE SIGN LANGUAGE Motions Used by Indiana of Old Now Taught in IleaC Hate Schools It is a fact worth noting that the signs used by the Indians of North America are identical in many instances with those employed em-ployed by the deaf mutes of today A short time ago a friend of a writer in bcnbner who had spent considerable time among the Indians but who had never talked to a deaf mute before conversed with some pupils of the New York institution institu-tion by means of signs which he had learned among the red men Where are you going It and I am going away on horseback were the same when given by the deaf mutes and by the visitor Another instance showing the sign language to be a universal one was when the mother of the writer herself a deaf person while attending attend-ing a convention of instructors of the deaf of France conversed on various topics with a mute friend by means of signs The French lady had no knovvledgeof the English Eng-lish language while the American knew I hardly a word of French It Is evident that with the aid of a means of communication having the scope of this sign language and learned without effort by simple intercommunication of deaf mutes general knowledge may be rapidly instilled into the minds of those who aro deprived of hearing They improve remarkably re-markably fast but this system is not without its drawbacks for if the sign language is depended upon too greatly the pupil does not make that progress in tho English language that is essential to his communication with hearing and speaking people nor for his improvement by the reading of both text books and current literature lit-erature |