The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-12-20
1HE INDIAN sIGNLANGUAGE ON PAPER
A Old Plan sf TeaeAlng ia
Red Aea the English Language

Ae0 Aea tno k18ASo 1soo8oo8os
Prom Lend Haad
Mr.. Lewis F. Hadley Is one Of the Oldest
stenographers Of this country. and It was while
employed by the Smithsonian Institution In
the investigation Of the Indian sign language
that he conceived the idea Of printing tho
signs indicating the ACCOMPANYING gestuEea.
this aa method method s II modern hierosiyphics. OK
the Widest Indians .resdine matter Ia :
language familiar to them. but by this road.
SfSs & &, a.. sda In T. sa
use Of the English language. as they never will
be n, wy hs
method applied in o mode Ineligible and at
s ss ens 70 % the he psrfestins Il preee
q nS "a sRsa! .ss
s sss
Southern tribes. from Mexico 70 the frozen
psss hs sna nss es
ine 900 large pages into si1ty-two small pages
II can be seen and handled: and having proved !
e Ths GS[ Be
ll6NoO 09 one OF tue DeSC anu most pI0C0lC04
factors in the problem Of reaching; civilInK,
and educating the wilder adult Indians t It III!
70 On Indian
not apply to this method as the gesture lan-
Is REGARDED o. all as %
pictures are to children. while i certainly IL .
than Indian vocal languages i'm perfectly used :,
by foreignersh whereby truly educating in;
moral nature under their present condition.
Mr. Hadey explains as follows she mst9Sd
fSdians fs sroasS tho 20 's ssn prn
the gesture sign.picture we can teach
s 1s and ST aasf f hs
alents to every sign: and. as a means to this
end to does
out words he can thaving learned the use ofthe
words pronounce them correctly. WITHOUT fear
PRINT the words Beneath the sisDsl but to j
to Webster and kill the silent letters by using
italics. thus spelling as others do. but LEAVING
iesters sdns and
ing him to take up the elementary spellsr I
corious. aud more expressive than many In \
dian tongues: and. more than this. It Is unit
tSss ali the tfSes WITH
other through its use. Where an apparent d. l
difference OF circumstances. as OF education,
or Of local SURROUNDINGS. and. so far as my OBJ !,
servation extends. these variations can all bed
Some may claim that the sign language is
asry osss
sssss Is ssSsss 8, sss1sssias ", iass sssss
".The process regarding abstract ideas In In !
dian gesture language + SntS variant from
most abstract ideas. such as law. virtue, in 4
anitpde, and importantly; are shown By MAY I
Muller to have been ins or distracted
But It is found that the Indian sign languase
may be readily adapted to the expression Of
tagonize the Indians spirit. being method Of
his own Invention: II Is an entering wedge 4
Indians heart. It reaches the very citadel Of
primitive nature. Whatever Of spiritual ca 4
h' has sBRea ths FnSsn
said OF the most degraded among them, and Of !
diam Believes ui in 'At the Great Spirit, Who
suPerintends his earthly affairs. and In ths,
svss IN rsssstiohRs iron Great
He believes In his OWL imp2rtality beyond the
HE Of Jesus. the Divine Saviour. is represent-
ed. even in our English Gospels. as 1t were IN
the form Of one great object lesson. quite e. 4
eles, conveying spiritual truths. in this picture
through sign ianguage the Significance to him
OF this life OF sacrifice it 10 to reveal II TO any
Words. On this point Mr. Hsd!sy Hnr9tss:
" Truths OF Christian belief need more COM.
pounds than more familiar subjects. that 70 all |
The writer Of this paper has seen Indians
using the sign langpa9e g, and personally knows
tive missionaries. who In their tours among 8
wilder tribe successfully apply It In pEe.eAins
guage they are Ignorant