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The God of Nature and of Providence has kindly furnished the means of doing this. The deaf-mute has already spontaneously used, in its elementary features, before he comes to the school, that natural language of signs which, improved by the skill of teachers, and current as a medium of social intercourse among the pupils at such schools, is adequate to the exigency. As we have seen in the preceding number, he easily and quickly becomes acquainted with this improved language by his constant, familiar intercommunication with the teachers and his fellow-pupils. By means of it his government and discipline. through a kind moral influence can at once be begun; for he has a language common to him and his teacher. Every day he is improving in this language; and this medium of moral influence is rapidly enlarging. His mind becomes more and more enlightened; his conscience more and more easily addressed; his heart more and more prepared to be accessible to the simple truths and precepts of the Word of God. The affecting contents of that Word are gradually unfolded to him. He recognizes his relation to God and to his fellow men. He learns much of the divine character, and of his own obligations and duties. At length, he is made to understand, like a child indeed, but yet to understand, the way of salvation through Jesus Christ. If he has the disposition to pray, he has a simple, beautiful language of his own, in which to address his Father, in Heaven. He comes every morning and evening with his associates to be instructed from the Word of God, and to unite with this silent assembly, through the medium of natural signs, employed for both these purposes, by the teacher, in a most expressive and touching mode of worship before the throne of Grace. On the Sabbath he enjoys its sacred privileges. The moral influence of the government and discipline of the institution over the objects of its care is thus secured, and rendered permanently efficient through the medium of the language of natural signs, much, very much, sooner, and with vastly more success, than it could be obtained in any other way, if, indeed, it could be obtained at all, to any effectual purpose, without the use of this language.

Some, while reading these remarks, may hesitate and have a shade of skepticism pass over their minds, with regard to the competency of the natural language of signs thus to accomplish the various objects which have been mentioned, in the moral and religious training of the deaf-mute, and in his government and discipline. This language may seem to them so simple; so limited, in its narrow range, to the delineation and description of merely sensible things; so barren of all modes of expressing what lies, beyond the province of sense, within the human mind and heart, and in the spiritual world, as to lead them to doubt very much what the writer has said about its efficacy in these respects, and to attribute his descriptions of its genius and power to the ardor of a professional enthusiasm.

He pleads guilty, if needs be, to the charge of this enthusiasm; -- though, mellowed as it is by advancing years and the lapse of a considerable portion of time since the vigor of his manhood was devoted to the instruction of the deaf and dumb, and writing as he does with the retrospective soberness of one who retraces, in a quiet resting place, the difficulties and perplexities, as well as facilities, of a journey long ago taken, his convictions are as strong as they ever were, that the deaf and dumb are themselves the original sources of the fundamental processes, so far as language is concerned, of conducting their education, and that, in this case, as well as in all others which relate to education generally, it is the part of wisdom to find the path which nature points out, and to follow it. Experience, philosophy and art, may often do a great deal to remove some of the roughnesses of this path, to make it more smooth and straight, more easily and expeditiously to be trod, more pleasant and delightful; but it will not do to quit it, else those whom you would lead in the way of knowledge, of truth, and of duty, will follow on with irksome and reluctant steps, if, indeed, they follow at all, except as the blind do when they are led by the blind, to incur the risk every moment of some difficulty or danger.

But this natural language of signs, comprising the various modes which the God of Nature has provided for one soul to hold communion with another, through the eye and countenance, the attitudes, movements, and gestures of the body, is by no means so limited in its powers and range as it might appear to be to him who has given it only a cursory attention, and who has not watched its practical applications and results.

In what relates to the expression of passion and emotion, and of all the finer and, stronger sentiments of the heart, this language is eminently appropriate and copious. Here, without it, oral language utterly fails; while it alone, without oral language, often overwhelms us with wonder by its mysterious power. In this province its power probably will be denied by none. But the expression of the passions, emotions and sentiments constitutes no small part of that common language which, as we have seen, both the deaf-mute and his teacher must possess, in order that his moral and religious training may be properly conducted, and a wholesome government and discipline over him be secured. How can he be taught the necessity and the mode of controlling, directing, and at times subduing, the risings and movements of this sensitive part of his moral constitution, unless his attention is turned to the varieties, character, and results of its operations? How shall he be taught, for instance, that anger, within certain limits, is sometimes justifiable, while, at other times, it has no redeeming duality, but is utterly unjustifiable and wrong, unless this feeling is brought before his cognizance, and its nature and effects described? In this, as in other similar cases, the natural language of signs furnishes the only thorough and successful mode of doing this. Its necessity and value will be fully manifest, if we consider what an important part of the moral and religious training of children and youth consists in leading them to bring their passions, emotions, and sentiments under the sway of conscience, enlightened by the Word of God. In one word, the heart is the principal thing which we must aim to reach in the education of the deaf-mute, as well as of other children; and the heart claims, as its peculiar and appropriate language that of the eye and countenance, of the attitudes, movements, and gestures of the body.