[Footnote 1:  This article was written before Professor Bell had made his interesting experiments with his “parents’ class” of a touch alphabet, to be used upon the pupil’s shoulder in connection with the oral teaching.—­E.A.F.]

Not taking into account the large percentage of myopes among the deaf, we believe there are other cogent reasons why, if found practicable, the use of the sense of touch may become an important element in our eclectic system of teaching.  We should reckon it of considerable importance if it were ascertained that a portion of the same work now performed by the eye could be accomplished equally as well through feeling, thereby relieving the eye of some of its onerous duties.

We see no good reason why such accomplishment may not be wrought.  If, perchance, it were discovered that a certain portion could be performed in a more efficient manner, its value would thus be further enhanced.

In theory and practice, the teacher of language to the deaf, by whatever method, endeavors to present to the eye of the child as many completed sentences as are nominally addressed to the ear—­having them “caught” by the eye and reproduced with as frequent recurrence as is ordinarily done by the child of normal faculties.

In our hasty review of the methods now in use we noted the inability to approximate this desirable process as a common difficulty.  The facility now ordinarily attained in the manipulation of the type writer, and the speed said to have been reached by Professor Bell and a private pupil of his by the Dalgarno touch alphabet, when we consider the possibility of a less complex mechanism in the one case and a more systematic grouping of the alphabet in the other, would lead us to expect a more rapid means of communication than is ordinarily acquired by dactylology, speech (by the deaf), or writing.  Then the ability to receive the communication rapidly by the sense of feeling will be far greater.  No part of the body except the point of the tongue is as sensible to touch as the tips of the fingers and the palm of the hand.  Tactile discrimination is so acute as to be able to interpret to the brain significant impressions produced in very rapid succession.  Added to this advantage is the greater one of the absence of any more serious attendant physical or nervous strain than is present when the utterances of speech fall upon the tympanum of the ear.  To sum up, then, the advantages of the device we find—­

First.  A more rapid means of communication with the deaf by syntactic language, admitting of a greater amount of practice similar to that received through the ear by normal children.

Second.  Ability to receive this rapid communication for a longer duration and without ocular strain.

Third.  Perfect freedom of the eye to watch the expression on the countenance of the sender.

Fourth.  In articulation and speech-reading instruction, the power to assist a class without distracting the attention of the eye from the vocal organs of the teacher.