Library Collections: Document: Full Text

He continued to articulate for some time, but with less and less distinctness, until at the end of six months he lost all power of articulation. He used then to feel of his own lips, and those of others, when talking, probably to ascertain whether he had them in the right position.

As soon as he recovered his health he recommenced the process of examining every thing about him, with which all children begin their acquaintance with the world. He first examined and became familiar with his chamber, then the rest of the rooms in the house, then ventured out into the yard, and in the course of a few years explored the way to the neighboring houses. He felt and smelt of every thing that he could lay his hands upon. His father is a ferryman, and he often took the boy with him in his boat, which greatly pleased him. He seemed to be a bold child, and would caress dogs and cats. He has been known to call fowls around him with crumbs of bread, and suddenly to grab one of them, to feel of it, smell of it, and then let it go.

He had never seen a dead person. A horse which he had known, died, and he recognized it, and seemed much agitated; for several days he made signs about it, and lost his appetite, as his mother thinks, in consequence of his agitation.

He was present at the killing of a hog, and was made to understand the operation; also that the pork was part of the animal, but he did not object to eating it.

He was fond of teasing cats, and generally inclined to fun. He could make many of his wants understood by signs.

He was, however, ungovernable and when thwarted in any way he became very violent, braying, striking and kicking furiously.

Such was the account which I gathered from his parents. I first saw the boy three years ago, but could not then persuade his parents to part with him.

They finally brought him and committed him to my charge on the 30th September last. He was then a stout, thick-set boy, rather short of stature, with light hair, fair complexion, and a most pleasant expression of countenance. He seemed perfectly docile and confiding, and his intelligent look and eager gestures proclaimed that there was intellect enough within, could one but establish the means of communication with it.

His thirst for knowledge proclaimed itself as soon as he entered the house, by his eager examination of every thing he could feel or smell in his new location. For instance, treading upon the register of a furnace, he instantly stooped down, and began to feel of it, and soon discovered the way in which the upper plate moved upon the lower one; but this was not enough for him, so laying down upon his face, he applied his tongue first to one then to the other, and seemed to discover that they were of different kinds of metal.

His signs were expressive, and the strictly natural language, laughing, crying, sighing, kissing, embracing, &c., was perfect.

Some of the analogical signs which (guided by his faculty of imitation) he had contrived, were comprehensible, such as the waving motion of his hand for the motion of a boat, the circular one for a wheel, &c.

The first object was to break up the use of these signs, and to substitute therefor the use of purely arbitrary ones. Profiting by the experience I had gained in the other cases, I omitted several steps of the process before employed, and commenced at once with the finger language. Taking therefore, several articles having short names, such as key, cup, mug, &c., and with Laura for an auxiliary, I sat down, and taking his hand, placed it upon one of them, and then with my own, made the letters k e y. He felt eagerly of my hands with both of his, and on my repeating the process, he evidently tried to imitate the motions of my fingers. In a few minutes he contrived to feel the motions of my fingers with one hand, and holding out the other he tried to imitate them, laughing most heartily when he succeeded. Laura was by, interested even to agitation, and the two presented a singular sight; her face was flushed and anxious, and her fingers twined in among ours so closely as to follow every motion, but so lightly as not to embarrass them; while Oliver stood attentive, his head a little aside, his face turned up, his left hand grasping mine, and his right held out; at every motion of my fingers his countenance betokened keen attention -- there was an expression of anxiety as he tried to imitate the motions -- then a smile came stealing out as he thought he could do so, and spread into a joyous laugh the moment he succeeded, and felt me pat his head, and Laura clap him heartily upon the back, and jump up and down in her joy.

He learned more than a half dozen letters in half an hour, and seemed delighted with his success, at least in gaining approbation. His attention then began to flag, and I commenced playing with him. It was evident that in all this he had merely been imitating the motions of my fingers, and placing his hand upon the key, cup, &c., as part of the process, without any perception of the relation between the sign and the object.