derness. It is consoling, however, to reflect, that the heathen of our day are as easily brought over to the knowledge of the truth, as the heathen of the apostolic age. Having the command of God for Missionary efforts, we may certainly calculate upon success. then that appears necessary for the Church to perform, is to say that these efforts shall be made. All We cannot close this Report without making another appeal to the Christian youth of our country. What cause of congratulation would it be, if God at this very time should pour out upon them a Missionary spirit! The cause of Missions in our land is at this moment pining for the want of suitable Missionaries. Our American youth have in other concerns shown themselves equal to the most arduous undertakings. The brows of many are entwined with laurels, the reward of intrepidity and talents in the tented field, or upon the mountain wave. And are there none who are ambitious of the Missionary crown? Shall our youth be for ever dazzled with the splendour of this world, and lose sight of the kingdom of God? Although our Eastern Churches have done something in the Missionary cause to Redeem the American character, yet nothing has hitherto been attempted in our country that is either proportioned to its population or its means. The glory of this work, we fear, is not sufficiently appreciated. What great and good men think of it is well expressed in a letter written by the Archbishop of Canterbury, at the commencement of the last century, to the Christian Missionaries at Tanjore. "Your province, brethren," said he, "your office, I place before all dignities in the Church. Let others be pontiffs, patriarchs, and popes; let them glitter in purple, in scarlet, or in gold: let them seek the admiration of the wondering multitude, and receive obeisance on the bended knee: ye have acquired a better name than they, and a more sacred fame; and when that day shall arrive, when the Chief Shepherd shall give to every man according to his work, a greater reward shall be adjudged to you. Admitted into the glorious society of the prophets, evangelists, and apostles, ye, with them, shall shine like the sun among the lesser stars in the kingdom of your Father for ever. O happy men, who, standing before the tribunal of Christ, shall exhibit so many nations converted to his faith by your preaching! Happy men, to whom it shall be given to say before the assembly of the whole human race, 'Behold us, O Lord, and the children whom thou hast given us.' Happy men, who, being justified by the Savio ur, shall receive in that day the reward of your labours, and also shall hear that glad encomium, 'Well done good and faithful servants, enter ye into the joy of your Lord'. The Board of Managers offer to the Almighty God their fervent prayer, that many such stars may arise and shine in the firmament of the Church, and of the world. They are encouraged the more to hope for such an event, when they consider how many schools of the prophets have recently been reared in the midst of us, and how many of our youth are at this moment preparing for the service of their Redeemer. May the angel flying through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, soon reach the utmost limits of his destination; and may our ears soon be saluted with the joyful sound from every region under heaven, of "Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ;"-"The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever. By order of the Board of Managers, PH. MILLEDOLER, Cor. Secretary. Board of Managers Elected 13th May, 1818. Stephen Van Rensselaer, Esq., President; Robert Lenox, Esq., Peter Wilson, L. L. D., Rev. Ashbel Green, D. D., Rev. John H. Livingston, D. D., Rev. Alexander Proudfit, D. D., Vice Presidents. Rev. Philip Milledoler, D.D., Cor. Secretary; Zechariah Lewis, Recording Secretary; Divie Bethune, Treasurer. Other Managers. Rev. Edw'd. D. Griffin, D.D., Rev. James Richards, D.D., Rev. John B. Romeyn, D.D., Rev. Gardiner Spring, Rev. Stephen N. Rowan, Rev. R. B. E. McLeod, and Messrs. Rensselaer Havens, John E. Caldwell, Guysbert B. Vroom, Isaac Heyer, Henry Rankin, and John Borland. By the Treasurer's account it appears, that the amount received by him during the past year for the Society, for subscriptions, donations, and congregational collections, is And that the amount expended is $2,732 34 154 08 2,578 26 DEAF AND DUMB ASYLUM AT HARTFORD. On Thursday the 28th of May the preceptors of this interesting Institution made a public exhibition of the attainments of their pupils. It was held in the Brick Meeting-house in that city, in the presence of the Governor and both houses of the General Assembly, and a large collection of people of both sexes, from that and the neighbouring towns. Under the care of the Directors, who have ever watched over the interests of the Asylum with paternal solicitude and diligence, a stage was prepared for the pupils, with the necessary accommodations for writing, on which they were arranged with their respective preceptors. The two houses of the Legislature adjourned at 4 o'clock, and attended at the meeting-house. The exercises were opened with prayer by the Rev. Mr. Flint. Mr. Laurent Clerc, one of the Instructors, himself deaf and dumb, then presented to the audience a manuscript, which, by gestures perfectly intelligible, he signified was an address which he wished to make them, and then handed it to Mr. Gallaudet, the Principal Preceptor, to read. The following is a copy of that paper, which is entirely the original production of Mr. Clerc, who was born deaf, and has never heard a sound or uttered the simplest phrase of speech. He was eight years a pupil of the celebrated Abbe Sicard, who now presides over the Royal Institution for the Deaf and Dumb in Paris, in which Mr. Clerc has been eight years a teacher. The Connecticut Asylum for the relief of these children of misfortune, held a public examination of the pupils on the 28th of May, and at the request of the Directors, Mr. Clerc prepared this address, which was delivered by Mr. Gallaudet, who takes this mode of informing those who may peruse it, that a very few alterations have been made in some idiomatic expressions, but nothing which can affect the originality of its thought, language, or style. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, Hartford, June 1st, 1818.. The kind concern which you were pleased to take in our public exhibition of last year, and the wish which you have had the goodness to express, to see it renewed, have induced me to comply with the request of the Directors of the Asylum, to deliver this address. I at first intended to write two or three pages, that I might not fatigue the attention of our auditors; but my thoughts have led me farther, and I flatter myself that you will attend to and keep the memory of these particulars, as a small token of our gratitude for all the favours which you have vouchsafed to confer both upon us and our pupils. The origin of the discovery of the art of teaching the Deaf and Dumb is so little known in this country, that I think necessary to repeat it. Afterwards I will give you a hasty sketch of our system of instruction; then let you judge whether the opinion of some persons among you is correct, who believe that the sight of the Deaf and Dumb, or conversation about them increase their number, and at length make you appreciate the importance of educating these unfortunate beings. A lady, whose name I do not recollect, lived in Paris, and had among her children two daughters, both Deaf and Dumb. The Father Famin, one of the Members of the society of Christian doctrine, was acquainted with the family, and attempted, without method, to supply in those unfortunate persons the want of hearing and speech, but was surprised by a premature death, before he could attain any degree of success. The two sisters as, well as their mo ther, were inconsolable at that loss, when by divine providence, a happy event restored every thing. The Abbé de L'Épée, formerly belonging the above mentioned society, had an opportunity of calling at their house. The mother was abroad, and while he was waiting for her, he wished to enter into conversation with the young ladies; but their eyes remained fixed on their needle, and they gave no answer. In vain did he renew his questions, in vain did he redouble the sound of his voice, they were still silent, and durst hardly raise their heads to look at him. He did not know that those whom he thus addressed were doomed by nature never to hear or speak. He already began to think them impolite and uncivil, and rose to go out. Under these circumstances, the mother returned, and every thing was explained. The good Abbé sympathized with her on the affliction and withdrew, full of the thought of taking the place of Father Famin. The first conception of a great man is usually a fruitful germ. Well acquainted with the French grammar, he knew that every language was a collection of signs, as a series of drawings is a collection of figures, the representation of a multitude of objects, and that the deaf and dumb can describe every thing by gestures, as you paint every thing with colours, or express every thing by words: he knew that every object had a form, that every form was capable of being imitated, that actions struck your sight, and that you were able to describe them by imitative gestures: he knew that words were conventional signs, and that gestures might be the same, and that there could therefore be a language formed of gestures, as there was a language of words. We can state as a probable fact, that there was a time in which man had only gestures to express the emotions and affections of his soul. He loved, wished, hoped, imagined, and reflected, and the words to express those operations still failed him. He could express the actions relative to his organs; but the dictionary of acts, purely spiritual, was not begun as yet. Full of these fundamental ideas, the Abbé de L'Epée was not long without visiting the unfortunate family again; and with what pleasure was he not received! He reflected, he imitated, he delineated, he wrote, believing he had but a language to teach, while in fact he had two minds to cultivate! How painful, how difficult -were the first essays of the inventer! Deprived of all assistance, in a career full of thorns and obstacles, he was a little embarrassed, but was not discouraged. He armed himself with patience, and succeeded, in time, to restore his pupils to Society and Religion. Many years after, and before his method could have attained the highest degree of perfection of which it was susceptible, death -came and removed that excellent father from his grateful children. Affliction was in all hearts-Fortunately the Abbé Sicard, who was chosen for his successor, caused their tears to cease. He was a man of profound knowledge, and of a mind very enterprising. Every invention or discovery, however laudable and ingenious it may be, is never quite right in its beginning. Time only makes it perfect. The clothes, shoes, hats, watches, houses, and every thing of our ancestors, were not as elegant and refined as those of the present - century. In like manner was the method of the Abbé de L'Epée. Mr. Sicard reviewed it and made perfect what had been left to be devised, and had the good fortune of going beyond all the disciples of his predecessor. His present pupils are now worthy of him, and I do not believe them any longer unhappy. Many are married, and have children endowed with the faculties of all their senses, and who will be the comforters and protectors of their parents in their old age. (The United States is the first country where I have seen one or two deaf and dumb fathers, some of whose children are deaf and dumb like themselves. Will this prove that the Americans are worse than Europeans? By no means. Y It is the result of natural causes, which I shall explain hereafter.) Many others of the deaf and dumb are the instructors of their companions of misfortune. Many others are employed in the offices of government and other public administrations. Many others are good painters, sculptors, engravers, workers in Mosaic; while others exercise mechanical arts; and some others are merchants, and transact their own business perfectly well: and it is education which has thus enabled them to pursue these different professions. An uneducated deaf and dumb would never be able to do this. Let us now speak of instruction, and say what Mr. Sicard did while teaching me. By reading or hearing this, you may pretty well judge how we teach the American deaf and dumb. The sight of all the objects of nature which could be placed before the eyes of the deaf and dumb, the representation of those objects, either by drawing, by painting, by sculpture, or by the natural signs, which the deaf and dumb employ or invent themselves, or understand with an equal facility: the expression of the will and passions, by the mere movement of the features, combined with the attitude and gestures of the body; writing traced, or printed, or expressed by conventional signs for each letter, or even simply figured in the air, offered to Mr. Sicard many means of instructing those unfortunate beings to whom he had resolved to devote his life. He afterwards discovered, by his own experience, that it was possible to make the deaf and dumb speak by the imitation of the movement of the organs of speech, a movement which the eye alone enabled them to conceive and transmit to their understanding. He saw that they could thus comprehend and express the accents of words which they did not understand. But this artificial speech not being susceptible among the deaf and dumb-of complete improvement, nor of modification and regulation, by the sense of hearing, is almost always very painful, harsh and discordant, and comparatively useless. It has neither the rapidity nor the expressiveness of signs, nor the precision of writing. This artificial part of instruction of the deaf and dumb, therefore, appeared to him very limited, and of little advantage. Nevertheless, he saw with great interest, when in England with myself, the degree of perfection with which this mechanical movement had been able to imitate speech, according to the method of Mr. Braidwood, and by the talent and care of Dr. Watson, in London. He heard several of their pupils, in whose voice there was not any thing very disagreeable. Dr. Watson observed to Mr. Sicard, that this artificial speech was a medium which was found peculiarly useful for the deaf and dumb among the poor, because the children of this description are placed in manufactories, and are thus enabled to communicate more easily with their masters. This motive of convenience appeared to Mr. Sicard to deserve the greatest attention; but if the question regards the opening of the understanding of the deaf and dumb, as to the important end of giving them in society the same rank they would have if they were not deprived |