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"The sight is next cultivated; and here, as indeed in every part of this miracle of instruction, great difficulties were at first encountered. The eyes of the idiot are often perfectly formed, but he sees nothing -- they fix no object. The organ he possesses -- but it is passive and dormant. The senses of smell and taste have been developed by direct action upon them; that of touch, by putting the hand in contact with different bodies; the stagnant eye of the idiot cannot, however, be moved by the hand of another. The method employed is due to the ingenuity of Seguin. He placed the child in a chamber, which was suddenly darkened, so as to excite his attention, -- after which, a small opening in a shutter let in a single ray of light, before which various objects, agreeable to the pupil, arranged upon slides, like those of a magic lantern, were sucessively passed. The light, and its direction, having once attracted his attention, was then, by a change of the opening in the shutter, moved up and down, to the right and left, followed in most cases, by his heretofore motionless eyeballs. This is succeeded by exercises of gymnastics, which require the attention of the eye to avoid, not a dangerous bruise, but a disagreeable thump; games of balls and battledores are also used to excite this sense. Another means employed, is to place yourself before the idiot, fix his eye by a firm look, varying this look according to various sentiments; pursuing, for hours even, his moving but unimpressed orbit; chasing it constantly, until finally it stops, fixes itself and begins to see. After efforts of this kind, which require a patience and a superiority of will that few men possess, the first reward comes to the teacher means than the touch, and he catches the first beam of intelligence that radiates from the heretofore benighted countenance.

"The number of pupils in the school has varied, for some time past, from eighty to one hundred. At 5 o'clock they rise, and pass half an hour in washing, combing and dressing; the monitors, pupils more advanced, aiding those whose instruction is but recently commenced. They then pass into the hall of classes, and range themselves in a double line-no easy task for the beginners-when they sing a simple morn- ing prayer, repeated to them by the teacher. After this, they make their first breakfast of a simple slice of bread. The class for the education of the senses now begins and fills up the time till 8 1/4 A. M. In the 1st or highest division, several occupy themselves with face and landscape drawing; and others, less advanced, with geometrical drawing upon the black-board. The 3rd division, divided into sections, is of those who are exercising the senses of smell, taste, sight, and observing color and form by the method I have before described. The sense of hearing is exercised, among other means, by the pupil's learning to distinguish and name, while blindfolded, the natural sounds as produced by the cords of a bass-viol. Meanwhile, the youngest class of eighteen or twenty is going through its elementary gymnastics of the moving power.

"From 8 1/4 to 9 A. M., is taken up by the study of numeration and arithmetic. Here the whole school is divided into frequently changing groups, according to the various capacities developed. The lowest of all is ranged in line and taught to count aloud up to thirty; a series of sticks, balls, or other material objects, being given to them at the time. This helps to ameliorate their speech, and to stimulate to imitation those who have not that faculty. Another group is set to climb upon ladders, counting the number of rounds as they go up, -- and thus the muscular system and knowledge of numeration are simultaneously developed. A higher group is of those who count up to fifty with counters, and who, by means of them, get an idea of unity, plurality, subtraction, addition and equality. A higher group still has learned to count up to one hundred, and another group is learning, by means of move able figures taken from a case, the combinations of numbers. Higher still are boys working upon their slates, or going through calculations upon the black board, with a facility and precision that any pupil of Warren Colburn might envy.

"From 9 to 9 1/4. Breakfast of soup and a plate of meat. The pupils are here seated at table, and eat with fork and spoon -- the more adroit aiding those less so.

"9 1/2 to 10 1/2. Recreation in open air, -- running, playing ball, driving hoop, or cultivating a small plot of ground, the hire of which, for three months, each one may gain by a certain number of tickets of good conduct.

"10 1/2 to 11 1/4. Reading class, in which all take part, divided, however, into various groups, as before.

"11 1/4 to 12. Writing class. Here the lowest group is taught only to trace on the black board, with a ruler, these lines:

The next group is taught to make upon the board the rudimental curvilinear characters, making three in each line. After this they write on slates, and, when farther advanced, the monitor being ready to guide their hands, they write in ruled books. The highest class rules its own books, and writes alternately a page of large and fine hand.