Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-06-28
A Mississippi Student. Question.

From the N Y. Sun.
A remarkable question is propounded to us BY
student in Mississippi College:
'Wn you please give me the stamp and handkerchief
firtations? l mean their language By 30 doing you
will greatly obfye vast number Of young men who
read The Sun with increasing interest in the residing
room OF Mississippi College,"
We are not aware that the stamp and hand
kerchief flirtations have any perfected language.
There is language Of flowers, which is very
beautifully expressive Of sentiment, and which
has been understood for ages by the maidens of
all lands; and the deaf and dumb communicate
with each other and with those who are not
afflicted as they are by means Of signs, which
are made to convey not only simple affirma-
lions and negatiOns, but also elevated and po-
etical thoughts.
The Rev. DR.. Gallaudet, for instance, at his
church in 18th street, breaches long sermon
to the mutes by means Of signs, or translates by
signs the spoken sermon Of another, and his
silent congregation show by their faces that
they thoroughly understand him. 1t is beau
tiful and touching sight Event those who
have never studied sign language ct all, even
young children, are not in doubt as to
what the actors In pantomme mean The
beasts OF the fields and the birds of the air
undoubtedly have q language Of their own.
OF sounds and signs both. And lovers
Will often carry on conversation altogether
satisfactory to them with looks only In the
case of people of all kinds q gesture. an ex-
preston of the face, will frequently tell more
than words. Some sort Of sign language is
used more or less by everybody, and under
stood by everybody. We may give more weight
to an interlOcutOr's looks and manner than to
his spoken words, to the expression of his eve
and his mouth. If he allows us to see it. than to
what he says, in judging of the sincerity of his
utterances. We are all to some extent students
of faces.
Thieves, too. have their sign language, and so
have tramps, wild Indians, freeboOters. and nj
rates. There are impudent and insulting fellows
also who attempt to communicate with women
they do not know by means of signs. They will
thus seek to attract their attention In public
places or In public vehicles. They should be put
in the hands of the police as public nuisances
For aught we know, those shameless scounGrels
would be able to instruct the Mississippi stu
dent in the sign language In which he is so
anxious to be proficient.
Meantime he might make experiments in the
stamp and handkerchief irritation on his own ac-
count. Perhaps In the course of time he would
suffer personal violence at the hands of the male
relatives of the girls with whom he sought to
so communicate, but he would be learning the
language all the same.
Still, cannot the students Of Mississippi col
lege in these days Of atheletic sports, find some
more manly diversion? If they frt with the
oar, the bat and the football, the dumb bells and
the Indian clubs, the spur and the whip we
assure them that they viii be far more likely to
win favor In the eyes Of the Mississippi girls
than If they become the most perfect Of experts
In the waiylng of handkerchiefs and STAMPING
Of feet to attract feminine attention