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* Many of those who are called deaf and dumb are only partially deaf; and with some of these, the sense of hearing may assist that of sight in distinguishing words uttered by others. In the case of the girl mentioned by Mr. Mann, who conversed in the dark by laying her finger on the breast of her companion, we must suppose, that the finger served as a conductor to make the voice of the latter more distinct. If this girl was entirely deaf, the case is as much out of the ordinary limits of possibility as that of those blind persons who are said to distinguish colors by the touch.

Mr. Mann asserts, that he has had "abundant proof," that the deaf and dumb can be taught "to speak as others speak," "and substantially in all cases." On this point we hold him to be widely in error. His assertion contrasts strikingly with the modest statement of Kruse, himself a deaf mute and teacher in the institution at Bremen, who, on this point, thus guardedly expresses himself: -- "It is in many cases possible, in the course of some years, to bring the deaf and dumb to such a degree of proficiency in this respect, that all who listen to them attentively and patiently will fully understand them; and they can, also, on their part, come to understand, in some measure, what is said to them, by the mere movements of the mouth."(*) We might quote many other authorities to show, that, though in rare instances, as in the case of Habermass, -- who, however, as his biographer informs us, was not deaf from birth, -- deaf mutes have been taught to speak as other men speak, yet, in much the greater number of cases, their articulation is imperfect, difficult, and irksome to the speaker, and disagreeable to the hearer. But it is unnecessary to go beyond the pages of Mr. Mann's own Report for evidence to disprove his inconsiderate assertion. The German teachers, from whom Mr. Mann obtains his views and arguments, admit (p. 80 of the Report), that the articulation of their pupils may be "wearisome, inexpressive, monotonous, or absolutely disagreeable"; and that some are "obliged to relinquish speaking, on account of being unintelligible." Of the proportion of cases in which the wearisome labor of teacher and pupil is either thus imperfectly rewarded, or quite thrown away, we may judge from the testimony of Mademoiselle Morel, an intelligent and accomplished instructress of the Royal Institution of Paris, who, a few years ago, visited several of the most celebrated schools for the deaf and dumb in Germany. In the institution at Gmund, in Würtemberg, which has been the model school for several others in the neighbouring states, out of thirty-three pupils, there were two or three who spoke with a surprising degree of correctness ; about the same number proved incapable of uttering a word intelligibly ; and the mass of the pupils articulated with difficulty, and often with contortions of countenance most unpleasant to the beholder, and, it is added in another place, were in general only intelligible to those who were in the daily habit of hearing them. A similar proportion of favorable and unfavorable results was found in other institutions.* It may rationally be presumed, that deaf mutes, taught to articulate thus imperfectly, when they " pass out of the circle" of those accustomed to their articulation, must become "hopeless and helpless as ever."

(*) Der Taubstumme im uncultivirten Zustande, nebst Blieken in das Leben merkwurdiger Taubstummen. Von dem Taubstummen Otto Friedrich Kruse, Lehrer an der Bremer Taubsturnmen-anstalt. Bremen: 1832. p. 3

* Quatrième Circulaire de l'Institut Royal des Sourds-Muets de Paris, pp. 54, 71. It is added, that those who cannot articulate intelligibly can still, under favorable circumstances, distinguish words on the lips.

The German language, it may be observed, is considered decidedly better adapted to the instruction of the deaf and dumb in articulation than any other in which the experiment has been made. A few years since, an attempt was made in the institution at Paris to teach articulation to all the pupils. The experiment resulted in a signal failure, and now instruction in articulation is there given only out of school hours, and to those pupils who show a remarkable facility in its acquisition. We have already mentioned the equally unsuccessful experiment made at an early day in the institution at New York; but as that was by an inexperienced teacher, it may not be considered decisive. Articulation has also been taught for many years in nearly all the institutions in the British isles. Of this fact Mr. Mann seems not to have been aware, or we might suppose, that, while visiting the public schools of England and Scotland, he would have inquired to what degree the instruction of the deaf and dumb in articulation had been found practicable in the English language. He says, that, "though speaking a foreign language, he was able to hold some slight conversation" with the pupils in the German schools. If we take his words in their obvious sense, the assertion appears rather marvellous; for none of the German teachers of the deaf and dumb attempt to teach their pupils foreign languages, at least not before they have "completed half their course of instruction"; but we suppose he only meant, that, being a foreigner, he was not perfectly master of the German language. We think, then, he would have been better able to judge of the success attained in teaching a language with which he was familiar. Concerning the success of English teachers of articulation we have some evidence. Dr. Milnor, president of the New York institution, some years ago visited several of the schools for the deaf and dumb in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and made particular inquiries as to the success attained in teaching articulation. He states, that "one of the deaf mute tutors of the institution in London seemed to understand him readily by the motions of the lips, only occasionally requiring a repetition of the words; and that the enunciation of this person was not materially unpleasant, though by no means so easy and agreeable as that of persons generally who possess their hearing." This, be it observed, was one of the most favorable instances that could be produced in an institution ordinarily containing over two hundred pupils; and we see, that, even in a pupil retained as an assistant teacher, whom we may therefore presume to have possessed more than common abilities, to have received more than an ordinary share of the attention of his master, and to have continued under instruction much beyond the usual time, -- even with all these circumstances in his favor, the articulation was neither easy nor agreeable, and his ability to read on the lips was limited. Still, if any thing approaching to this result could be, as a general rule, attained, we should be decidedly in favor of teaching articulation. But this is not the case. In a few other instances, the utterance was sufficiently intelligible; but Dr. Milnor also "witnessed the attempts at speaking of some who were incapable of uttering any tones which did not grate harshly on the ear," and was informed, that the attempt to teach articulation frequently failed altogether.*