Stránka:roll 1916.djvu/181

Things to Know and Do 157 It makes conversation easy in places when you must not speak aloud, as in school, during music, or by the bedside of the sick. It is a means of far-signalling much quicker than semaphore or other spelling codes, for this gives one or more words in one sim. It wul enable you to talk when there is too mudi iwrfae to be heard, as across the noisy streets. It makes it possible to talk to a deaf person. It is a wonderful developer of observation. It is a simple means of talking to an Indian or a Woodcrafter of another nationality whose language you do not understand. This indeed is its great merit. It nuitiversal. It deals not with words but with idea? that fire ronmdn to all mankind. It is therefore a kind of Esperanto ulreu*^/ established. So much for its advantages; what are its weaknesses? Let us frankly face them : It is useless in the uark ; It win not serve on the te'ephcmc; It can scarcely he written; In its pure form it will not give new proper names. To meet the last two we have expedients, as will be seen, but the first two are insurmountable difficulties. Rem. nber then you are to learn the Sign Language because it is siletU, far-reaching, and the one universal language. Since it deals fundamentally with ideas, we avoid words and letters, but for proper names it is ^'ery necessary to know the one- hand manual ali^bet. Here are some of the better known. Each girt will probably find thai she has known anrl used them all her schooldays: 'I'oM (pointing at the person); ^Me (tapping one's c'lcst) ; 1 ^ lu My, mine, yours, -posses' i'm, ck. Hold out the closed iwt, thumb up, and swing it down a Utile thumb jwints forward. Yes (nod). When far off, make your riaht hand, with aU fingers closed exceot i ndex and t'mmb whidi are straq^t and touching at top, advnrce, l)iiui (ow.-^ rd the left side as though bowing, then returned and straight again. ^iVtf (head shake). ^Vhen toe* far for that to be seen, hold (he closed right hand in fm ; ot the bo^' , then sweep "t, out- ward and downward, at the .^me time turn the palm up as though throwing something away. Eat (throw tfie flat hami several times pa&t the mouth in a curve); ^Drmk (hold the right hand as though holdmg a cup near the mouth aiKi it up);