#I am a hearer who supports Sign Language

[spiritualpuzzleshipper]

Yes I think it should be an option to be taught! The deaf community world wide is only 10% and did you know only 2% of deaf people can even sign a language at all(ASL, JPSL, NZSL, FSL, etc)!! So only 2% of the entire dead community can communicate. While 98% of them are left in the dark, cold, lonely world of nothing more then drawings and guessing! Wow just wow!!

Hey can you please reblog this if you think sign language should be taught in schools

I’m trying to get my school to and i need stats (NZSL is an offial language of nz)

[pamphletstoinspire]

Gospel Reading , Commentary and Homily for Friday, January 25, 2019 - Roman Catholic - Mark 16: 15 - 18

15. And He said unto them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.”

16. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believed not shall be damned.”

17. “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;”

18. “They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Gloss: Mark, when about to finish his Gospel, relates the last appearance of our Lord to His disciples after His Resurrection, saying, “For the last time He appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat.”

Greg.: We should observe that Luke says in the Acts, “As He was eating with them [convescens] He commanded that they should not depart from Jerusalem,” [Acts 1:4] and shortly afterwards, “while they beheld He was taken up.” [Acts 1:9] For He ate, and then ascended, that by the act of eating, the truth of the flesh might be declared.

Wherefore it is also here said that “He appeared to them for the last time as they sat at meat.”

Pseudo-Jerome: But He appeared when all the eleven were together, that all might be witnesses, and relate to all men what they had seen and heard in common.

It goes on: “And upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them who had seen Him after His Resurrection.”

Augustine: But how was this done “the last time?” The last occasion on which the Apostles saw the Lord upon earth happened forty days after the Resurrection; but would He then have upbraided them for not believing those who had seen Him risen, when they themselves had so often seen Him after His Resurrection? It remains therefore that we should understand that Mark wished to say it in few words, and said “for the last time,” because it was the last time that He shewed Himself that day, as night was coming on, when the [p. 344] disciples returned from the country into Jerusalem, and found, as Luke says, [Luke 24:33] the eleven and those who were with them, speaking together concerning the Resurrection of our Lord.

But there were some there who did not believe; when these then were sitting at meat, (as Mark says,) and were still speaking, (as Luke relates,) “The Lord stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you;” [Luke 24:36] as Luke and John [John 20:19] say. The rebuke therefore which Mark here mentions must have been amongst those words, which Luke and John say, that the Lord at that time spoke to the disciples. But another question is raised, how Mark says that He appeared when the eleven sat at meat, if the time was the first part of the night on the Lord’s day, when John plainly says that Thomas was not with them, who, we believe, had gone out, before the Lord came in to them, after those two had returned from the village, and spoken with the eleven, as we find in Luke’s Gospel. But Luke in his relation leaves room for supposing that Thomas went out first, while they spoke these things, and that the Lord entered afterwards; Mark however from his saying, “for the last time He appeared to the eleven as they sat at meat,” forces us to believe that he was there, unless indeed, though one of them was absent, he chose to call them, the eleven, because the company of the Apostles was then called by this number, before Matthias was chosen into the place of Judas.

Or if this be a harsh way of understanding it, let us understand that it means that after many appearances, He shewed Himself for the last time, that is, on the fortieth day, to the Apostles, as they sat at meat, and that since He was about to ascend from them, He rather wished on that day to reprove them for not having believed those who had seen Him risen before seeing Him themselves, because after His ascension even the Gentiles on their preaching were to believe a Gospel, which they had not seen.

And so the same Mark immediately after that rebuke says, “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.” And lower down, “He that believeth not shall be condemned.” Since then they were to preach this, were not they themselves to be first rebuked, because before they saw the Lord they had not believed those to whom He had first appeared? [p. 345]

Greg.: Another reason also why our Lord rebuked His disciples, when He left them as to His bodily presence, was, that the words which He spoke on leaving them might remain more deeply impressed upon the hearts of His hearers.

Pseudo-Jerome: But He rebukes their want of faith, that faith might take its place; He rebukes the hardness of their stony heart, that the fleshy heart, full of love, might take its place.

Greg.: After rebuking the hardness of their hearts, let us hear the words of advice which He speaks. For it goes on: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature.” Every man must be understood by “every creature;” for man partakes something of every creatures; he has existence as have stones, life as trees, feeling as animals, understanding as have Angels. For the Gospel is preached to every creature, because He is taught by it, for whose sake all are created, whom all things are in some way like, and from whom therefore they are not alien.

By the name of every creature also every nation of the Gentiles may be meant. For it had been said before, “Go not into the way of the Gentiles.” [Matt 10:5] But now it is said, “Preach the Gospel to every creature,” so that the preaching of the Apostles which was thrust aside by Judaea, might be an assistance to us, since Judaea had haughtily rejected it, thus witnessing to her own damnation.

Theophylact: Or else; to every creature, that is, whether believing or unbelieving.

It goes on: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.” For it is not enough to believe, for he who believeth and is not baptized, but is a catechumen, has not yet attained to perfect salvation.

Greg.: But perhaps some one may say in himself, I have already believed, I shall be saved. He says what is true, if he keeps his faith by works; for that is a true faith, which does not contradict by its deeds what it says in words.

There follows: “But he that believeth not shall be damned.”

Bede: What shall we say here about infants, who by reason of their age cannot yet believe; for as to older persons there is no question. In the Church then of our Saviour, children believe by others, as also they drew from others the sins which are remitted to them in baptism.

It goes on: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; [p. 346] they shall take up serpents.”

Theophlyact: That is, they shall scatter before them serpents, whether intellectual or sensible, as it is said, Ye shall tread upon serpents and scorpions, [Luke 10:19] which is understood spiritually. But it may also mean sensible serpents, as when Paul received no hurt from the viper.

There follows: “And if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them.” We read of many such cases in history, for many persons have drank poison unhurt, by guarding themselves with the sign of Christ.

It goes on: “They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

Greg.: Are we then without faith because we cannot do these signs? Nay, but these things were necessary in the beginning of the Church, for the faith of believers was to be nourished by miracles, that it might increase. Thus we also, when we plant groves, strong in the earth; but when once they have firmly fixed their roots, we leave off irrigating them.

These signs and miracles have other things which we ought to consider more minutely. For Holy Church does every day in spirit what then the Apostles did in body; for when her Priests by the grace of exorcism lay their hands on believers, and forbid the evil spirits to dwell in their minds, what do they, but cast out devils?

And the faithful who have left earthly words, and whose tongues sound forth the Holy Mysteries, speak a new language; they who by their good warnings take away evil from the hearts of others, take up serpents; and when they are hearing words of pestilent persuasion, without being at all drawn aside to evil doing, they drink a deadly thing, but it will never hurt them; whenever they see their neighbours growing weak in good works, and by their good example strengthen their life, they lay their hands on the sick, that they may recover.

And all these miracles are greater in proportion as they are spiritual, and by them souls and not bodies are raised. __________

Homily:

Today, the Church commemorates the conversion of St. Paul, apostle. The short fragment of the Gospel according to St. Mark contains part of the address on the mission bestowed to the apostles by Jesus, resurrected. His exhortation to go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News includes the thesis that faith and baptism and necessary essentials for salvation: «The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; the one who refuses to believe will be condemned» (Mk 16:16). Furthermore, Christ guarantees that preachers will be given the faculty to work out miracles or prodigies which will support and confirm their missionary preaching (cf. Mk 17:18). The mission is big —«Go out to the whole world»—, but it will not be without the Lord's escort: «And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age» (Mt 28:20).

Today's collect, tells us: «O God, who, by the preaching of your apostle Paul, has caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world: grant, we beseech you, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show forth our thankfulness to you for the same by following the holy doctrine which he taught». A gospel God has allowed us to know and that so many souls would desire to have: we have the responsibility to transmit this wonderful heritage to whatever extent we are able to.

St. Paul's conversion is a great event: from persecuting Jesus' followers he converted into a servant and defender of the cause of Christ. Quite often, perhaps, we have also been “persecutors”: and, as St. Paul, we need to convert from “persecutors” into servants and defenders of Jesus Christ.

With the Virgin Mary, we should realize the Almighty has also noticed us and has chosen us to share and carry out the priestly and redeeming mission of his divine Son: Regina apostolorum, Queen of the apostles, pray for us!; give us courage to bear witness of our Christian faith in this world of ours.

[pope-francis-quotes]

25th April >> (@zenitenglish) Pope Francis’ Address at this mornings General Audience: On Baptism (Part III): Not a Magic Formula, But a Gift ‘Baptism isn’t a magical formula, but a gift of the Holy Spirit, which enables one who receives it “to fight against the spirit of evil’ This morning’s General Audience was held at 9:25 in St. Peter’s Square, where the Holy Father Francis met with groups of pilgrims and faithful from all over the world In his address in Italian, the Pope focused his meditation on Baptism: 3. The Strength to Overcome Evil. After summarizing his catechesis in several languages, the Holy Father expressed special greetings to groups of faithful present. Then he made an appeal for the Inter-Korean Summit. The General Audience ended with the singing of the Pater Noster and the Apostolic Blessing. * * * The Holy Father’s Catechesis Dear Brothers and Sisters, good morning! We continue our reflection on Baptism, ever in the light of the Word of God. It’s the Gospel that enlightens the candidates and arouses adherence to the faith: “Baptism is ‘the sacrament of faith’ in a particular way, since it is the sacramental entry into the life of faith” [Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), 1236]. And faith is the giving of oneself to the Lord Jesus, acknowledged as “spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14), “light of the world” (John 9:5), “resurrection and life” (John 11:25), as the itinerary shows, followed still today, by catechumens now close to receiving Christian initiation. Educated by listening to Jesus, by His teaching and by His works, catechumens relive the experience of the Samaritan woman thirsty for living water, of the man born blind who opens his eyes to the light, of Lazarus who comes out of the sepulcher. The Gospel has within itself the strength to transform one who accepts it with faith, tearing him away from the dominion of the Evil One, so that he learns to serve the Lord with joy and newness of life. One never goes alone to the baptismal font, but accompanied by the prayer of the whole Church, as the Litanies of the Saints recall, which precede the Prayer of Exorcism and the pre-baptismal anointing with the oil of the catechumens. They are gestures that, since antiquity, assure all those that prepare themselves to be reborn as children of God, that the prayer of the Church assists them in the struggle against evil, accompanies them on the way of goodness, helps them to subtract themselves from the power of sin to pass into the kingdom of divine grace. The prayer of the Church – the Church prays and prays for all, for all of us! We, as Church, pray for others. It’s a good thing to pray for others. How many times we don’t have an urgent need and <so> we don’t pray. We must pray, united to the Church, for others: “Lord, I pray to you for those that are in need, for those that don’t have faith . . .” Don’t forget: the prayer of the Church is always on-going. However, we must enter this prayer and pray for all the people of God and for those that are in need of prayers Therefore, the path of adult catechumens is marked by repeated exorcisms pronounced by the priest (Cf. CCC, 1237), namely, by prayers that invoke deliverance from all that separates one from Christ and impedes profound union with Him. For children also, God is asked to free them from original sin and consecrate them dwelling of the Holy Spirit (Cf. Rite of the Baptism of Children, n. 56). The children – pray for the children, for <their> spiritual and corporal health. It’s a way of protecting children with prayer. As the Gospels attests, Jesus Himself fought and expelled devils to manifest the advent of the Kingdom of God (Cf. Matthew 12:28): His victory over the power of the Evil One leaves free room to the lordship of God who makes glad and reconciles with life. Baptism isn’t a magical formula, but a gift of the Holy Spirit, which enables one who receives it “to fight against the spirit of evil,” believing that “God sent His Son into the world to destroy Satan’s power and transfer man from darkness to His Kingdom of infinite light” (Cf. Rite of the Baptism of Children, n. 56). We know from experience that Christian life is always subject to temptation, especially the temptation of separating oneself from God, from His Will, from communion with Him, to fall back into worldly seductions. And Baptism prepares us. It give us the strength for this daily struggle, also to fight against the devil who – as Saint Peter says – seeks as a lion to devour us, to destroy us. In addition to prayer, there is then the anointing of the chest with the oil of catechumens, with which “they receive vigour to renounce the devil and sin, before approaching the font and being born to a new life” (Blessing of the oil. Premesse, n. 3). Because of the property of oil to penetrate the tissues of the body bringing them benefit, ancient fighters used to sprinkle themselves with oil to tone the muscles and flee more easily from the adversary’s grip. In the light of this symbolism, the Christians of the first centuries adopted the use of anointing the body of candidates to Baptism with the oil blessed by the Bishop, in order to show, through this “sign of salvation,” that the power of Christ the Saviour strengthens to fight against evil and overcome it (Cf. Rite of the Baptism of Children, n. 105). It’s tiring to fight against evil, to flee from its deceits, to have strength again after an exhausting struggle, but we must know that the whole of Christian life is a battle. However, we must also know that we’re not alone, that Mother Church prays so that her children, regenerated in Baptism, won’t succumb to the snares of the Evil One but overcome him by the power of Christ’s Passover. Strengthened by the Risen Lord, who defeated the prince of this world (Cf. John 12:31), we can also repeat with Saint Paul’s faith: “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). All of us can overcome, overcome everything, but with the strength that comes to us from Christ. [Original text: Italian] [ZENIT’s translation by Virginia M. Forrester] In Italian A warm welcome goes to the Italian-speaking faithful. I am happy to receive the Divine Word Missionaries, the Handmaids of Mary Ministers of the Sick and the Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres. I encourage all to be faithful to Christ to have the joy of the Gospel shine. I greet the Confirmation candidates of the Diocese of Treviso, accompanied by the Archbishop, Monsignor Gianfranco Gardin; the pilgrimage of the Groups of the Gospel of the Tent of the Magnicat; the students; the Parishes; the Italian Biochemical Institute; the Bands Complex of Casalbordino; the New Society Association Sant’Antonio di Sutri and the Rogationist alumni. A special greeting goes to young people, the sick and newlyweds. Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Mark the Evangelist. May his intercession sustain you in your journey of faith so that, following his example, you can become hearers and heralds of Christ’s Gospel, witnessing it with your life. [Original text: Italian] [ZENIT’s translation by Virginia M. Forrester] The Holy Father’s Appeal Friday, April 27, an Inter-Korean Summit will be held at Panmunjom, in which the leaders of the two Koreas, Mister Moon Jae-in and Mister Kim Jong Un will take part. This meeting will be a propitious occasion to start a transparent dialogue and a concrete process of reconciliation and rediscovered fraternity, in order to guarantee peace in the Korean Peninsula and in the entire world. To the Korean people, who ardently desire peace, I assure my personal prayer and the closeness of all the Church. The Holy See accompanies, supports and encourages every useful and sincere initiative to build a better future, in the spirit of encounter and friendship among peoples. I ask those that have direct political responsibilities to have the courage to hope, making themselves “craftsmen” of peace, while I exhort them to continue with trust the path undertaken for the good of all. And, as God is Father of all and Father of peace, I invite you to pray to our Father, God, Father of all, for the Korean people, be it those that are in the South be it those that are in the North. [Recitation of the Our Father] [Original text: Italian] [ZENIT’s translation by Virginia M. Forrester] APRIL 25, 2018 12:59GENERAL AUDIENCE

[yasbxxgie]

I am afraid of white people touching my shit. Rather, I am afraid of those who do not have a comprehensive understanding of Black culture and language, adding commentary to my work; it’s like someone going to an NBA game and asking me, “So, when does Tiger Woods come out?” I have seen what white people do to Black shit — to Chappelle and Robeson and Etta. As I write this, even now, a man who is not Black will be editing this piece, and I don’t know how I should feel about it all, writing about Whitetopia, for a platform constructed by White folks, with supported dollars coming mainly from folks who do not identify as persons of color.

There was a piece, the intro to this series, that sat untouched and unedited for over a month. Yes, I lacked time — fatherhood, my professional work, sleep, spending time with loved ones, things take priority. But I knew the real struggle lay in how to best broach the topic. When does the critique of your work have more to do with the cultural differences in language and colloquial speak as opposed to what is deemed good, fair, pretty and readable, writing? They will say they are edifying your work, but it will feel like they are holding lighters to it, they are holding wicker to it, waiting for the ashen parts to show themselves. You and your almost-not-you-anymore piece of work will have new legs, better legs, whiter legs. It will not feel brave, it will feel forced, fake. Essentially, no longer you.

I sometimes think I lack the appropriate language. I wonder if me being the unconventional writer that I am is more of a hindrance than a gift. In that same breath, I wonder how much of the game will I have to play, back down, relinquish control, Black up the tone and voice, to speak to a specific kind of Black; up-talk and downplay the way that I write, me with tangents and commas misplaced but placed where I see they need to be, commas as pauses as breaths as stop signs for thoughts and phrases and sentences. Where does this come from? Whose language do I revere most — Baldwin or Hemingway? Dylan or Nasir? James Taylor or Shawn Carter? Are they equal players in the field? Where have my words gone? There is guilt in submitting your work to a publication that doesn’t speak watermelon, doesn’t fully understand the contextual meaning of jive; yes, for dictionary purposes — for definition and explanation and grammatical reference, yes. But to fully know a culture, it must have been seared into your skin before you could rewrite the history of their roots.

When do we deem a most appropriate time to begin a lie? What are the parameters? When is a good enough time to begin a story, to tell said story, and spread said story like the ashes of those burned for the story to live; spread the story so thick and dry, and spread it to ears and lands, until the story becomes parable, palpable; becomes bible, becomes gospel to the mouths and throats of the tellers and hearers, becomes truth? The truth becomes the basis in which those who live by truth base their moral compass, their value systems and ethics, their foundation on. Some anoint this truth as God, others as the Constitution, the amendments in it as secure and faithful, as sacred as Jonah in the whale, Mohamed feet pilgrimage-ing to Mecca. If you are white and reading this, this is not for you. This is for the other that sits beside you while you read this, who may wonder if you are ally or antagonist, perhaps even apparition, pale skin included; apparition as in neither here nor there, not readily available, or present but somewhere in the in between juggling finance and leisure. What I fear more than death, than the NYPD, than gentrification and high cholesterol? White editors. My art has more weight than my body, my blackness more volume than my physical being. With words, I am anyone — no one will know if I am white, Latinx, Asian, a hybrid of faux post-racial bi-racial splendor…that is, until the colloquialism of Bronx tenement rooftop hopping and abandoned building meets pissy hallway vernacular meet. David Foster Wallace’s dissection of Black English better known as ebonics, is noteworthy here: in it, Wallace dissects language, primarily the English language, the use of dictionaries and the difference in approach of liberal v conservative usage of all things American-speak centered. Wallace concludes that for the Black students in his English course, the harsh reality is that the world will expect them to write in standard English and such that would be the expectation in his classroom, and they do a disservice to themselves by not learning the rules that have been deemed the standard. To this, I can agree. Learning rules affords you the ability to break and bend them as you see fit. I worry that I at times make matters too much of a black and white thing. I often hear the too much from white commentators. What I have finally realized is it is always a black and white thing if you are black and living in America. America, Whitetopia, does not afford you the luxury of separating your blackness from oppression from whiteness; for every success and failure can almost feel inherently attributed to a white stakeholder sitting somewhere comfortably atop the food chain, licking its chops at the grave of your melanin. Earlier, I said I fear white editors. That is incorrect. My reasons for delaying revisiting my work had less to do with fear and more to do with resistance — the ideas that sit with what is deemed readable and not readable, and who is deemer of said attributes. A wider audience, a far-reaching audience, when tackling metrics such as viewership and engagement (shares, likes, reads, retweets, comments, favorites, etc.) is a big deal — eyes on your words = more sponsors/advertisers = more dollars. In this way, quantity can supersede quality, if only because bulk material increases the opportunity for more visibility to one’s work. Furthermore, unless you opted to write in a vacuum, you are writing for an audience. That audience will have demands. And those demands are to be met by publication, by author, and by the editor who edits the author. Those stars are to align to feed publishing babies, author babies, editor babies — wallets and actual babies. In this way, with this model, truth becomes fairy-tale, fairy-tale can be fable, fable can become alternative facts, those facts become Trump speeches, those speeches ignite Charlottesville…this is how fires start.

Being able to cherry-pick who edits, who oversees (for lack of a better term) your work is a rarity, and honestly, a privileged notion as a writer; to think that you can have authority over such decisions when legions of writers in history have not been afforded such a luxury. But, to that point, there were those who shared my features, who maybe also wrote, who could not choose which entrance to use for a hotel, or bathroom; could not choose which fountain to drink from, which lunch counter to sit at, which seat to take on a crowded bus, who to love. Choice has not been a luxury for my people for quite some time. Call it antiquated, call it fussy, or naïve, even silly — I can foresee the vitriol in the responses a mile away, but still… I am afraid of white people touching my shit, my work, my art, my livelihood. History has shown me what they have done to the others.

[readbookywooks]

"I lay on my straw, but I could not sleep. I thought of the occurrences of the day. What chiefly struck me was the gentle manners of these people, and I longed to join them, but dared not. I remembered too well the treatment I had suffered the night before from the barbarous villagers, and resolved, whatever course of conduct I might hereafter think it right to pursue, that for the present I would remain quietly in my hovel, watching and endeavouring to discover the motives which influenced their actions. "The cottagers arose the next morning before the sun. The young woman arranged the cottage and prepared the food, and the youth departed after the first meal. "This day was passed in the same routine as that which preceded it. The young man was constantly employed out of doors, and the girl in various laborious occupations within. The old man, whom I soon perceived to be blind, employed his leisure hours on his instrument or in contemplation. Nothing could exceed the love and respect which the younger cottagers exhibited towards their venerable companion. They performed towards him every little office of affection and duty with gentleness, and he rewarded them by his benevolent smiles. "They were not entirely happy. The young man and his companion often went apart and appeared to weep. I saw no cause for their unhappiness, but I was deeply affected by it. If such lovely creatures were miserable, it was less strange that I, an imperfect and solitary being, should be wretched. Yet why were these gentle beings unhappy? They possessed a delightful house (for such it was in my eyes) and every luxury; they had a fire to warm them when chill and delicious viands when hungry; they were dressed in excellent clothes; and, still more, they enjoyed one another's company and speech, interchanging each day looks of affection and kindness. What did their tears imply? Did they really express pain? I was at first unable to solve these questions, but perpetual attention and time explained to me many appearances which were at first enigmatic. "A considerable period elapsed before I discovered one of the causes of the uneasiness of this amiable family: it was poverty, and they suffered that evil in a very distressing degree. Their nourishment consisted entirely of the vegetables of their garden and the milk of one cow, which gave very little during the winter, when its masters could scarcely procure food to support it. They often, I believe, suffered the pangs of hunger very poignantly, especially the two younger cottagers, for several times they placed food before the old man when they reserved none for themselves. "This trait of kindness moved me sensibly. I had been accustomed, during the night, to steal a part of their store for my own consumption, but when I found that in doing this I inflicted pain on the cottagers, I abstained and satisfied myself with berries, nuts, and roots which I gathered from a neighbouring wood. "I discovered also another means through which I was enabled to assist their labours. I found that the youth spent a great part of each day in collecting wood for the family fire, and during the night I often took his tools, the use of which I quickly discovered, and brought home firing sufficient for the consumption of several days. "I remember, the first time that I did this, the young woman, when she opened the door in the morning, appeared greatly astonished on seeing a great pile of wood on the outside. She uttered some words in a loud voice, and the youth joined her, who also expressed surprise. I observed, with pleasure, that he did not go to the forest that day, but spent it in repairing the cottage and cultivating the garden. "By degrees I made a discovery of still greater moment. I found that these people possessed a method of communicating their experience and feelings to one another by articulate sounds. I perceived that the words they spoke sometimes produced pleasure or pain, smiles or sadness, in the minds and countenances of the hearers. This was indeed a godlike science, and I ardently desired to become acquainted with it. But I was baffled in every attempt I made for this purpose. Their pronunciation was quick, and the words they uttered, not having any apparent connection with visible objects, I was unable to discover any clue by which I could unravel the mystery of their reference. By great application, however, and after having remained during the space of several revolutions of the moon in my hovel, I discovered the names that were given to some of the most familiar objects of discourse; I learned and applied the words, `fire,' `milk,' `bread,' and `wood.' I learned also the names of the cottagers themselves. The youth and his companion had each of them several names, but the old man had only one, which was `father.' The girl was called `sister' or `Agatha,' and the youth `Felix,' `brother,' or `son.' I cannot describe the delight I felt when I learned the ideas appropriated to each of these sounds and was able to pronounce them. I distinguished several other words without being able as yet to understand or apply them, such as `good,' `dearest,' `unhappy.' "I spent the winter in this manner. The gentle manners and beauty of the cottagers greatly endeared them to me; when they were unhappy, I felt depressed; when they rejoiced, I sympathized in their joys. I saw few human beings besides them, and if any other happened to enter the cottage, their harsh manners and rude gait only enhanced to me the superior accomplishments of my friends. The old man, I could perceive, often endeavoured to encourage his children, as sometimes I found that he called them, to cast off their melancholy. He would talk in a cheerful accent, with an expression of goodness that bestowed pleasure even upon me. Agatha listened with respect, her eyes sometimes filled with tears, which she endeavoured to wipe away unperceived; but I generally found that her countenance and tone were more cheerful after having listened to the exhortations of her father. It was not thus with Felix. He was always the saddest of the group, and even to my unpractised senses, he appeared to have suffered more deeply than his friends. But if his countenance was more sorrowful, his voice was more cheerful than that of his sister, especially when he addressed the old man. "I could mention innumerable instances which, although slight, marked the dispositions of these amiable cottagers. In the midst of poverty and want, Felix carried with pleasure to his sister the first little white flower that peeped out from beneath the snowy ground. Early in the morning, before she had risen, he cleared away the snow that obstructed her path to the milk-house, drew water from the well, and brought the wood from the outhouse, where, to his perpetual astonishment, he found his store always replenished by an invisible hand. In the day, I believe, he worked sometimes for a neighbouring farmer, because he often went forth and did not return until dinner, yet brought no wood with him. At other times he worked in the garden, but as there was little to do in the frosty season, he read to the old man and Agatha. "This reading had puzzled me extremely at first, but by degrees I discovered that he uttered many of the same sounds when he read as when he talked. I conjectured, therefore, that he found on the paper signs for speech which he understood, and I ardently longed to comprehend these also; but how was that possible when I did not even understand the sounds for which they stood as signs? I improved, however, sensibly in this science, but not sufficiently to follow up any kind of conversation, although I applied my whole mind to the endeavour, for I easily perceived that, although I eagerly longed to discover myself to the cottagers, I ought not to make the attempt until I had first become master of their language, which knowledge might enable me to make them overlook the deformity of my figure, for with this also the contrast perpetually presented to my eyes had made me acquainted. "I had admired the perfect forms of my cottagers - their grace, beauty, and delicate complexions; but how was I terrified when I viewed myself in a transparent pool! At first I started back, unable to believe that it was indeed I who was reflected in the mirror; and when I became fully convinced that I was in reality the monster that I am, I was filled with the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification. Alas! I did not yet entirely know the fatal effects of this miserable deformity. "As the sun became warmer and the light of day longer, the snow vanished, and I beheld the bare trees and the black earth. From this time Felix was more employed, and the heart-moving indications of impending famine disappeared. Their food, as I afterwards found, was coarse, but it was wholesome; and they procured a sufficiency of it. Several new kinds of plants sprang up in the garden, which they dressed; and these signs of comfort increased daily as the season advanced. "The old man, leaning on his son, walked each day at noon, when it did not rain, as I found it was called when the heavens poured forth its waters. This frequently took place, but a high wind quickly dried the earth, and the season became far more pleasant than it had been. "My mode of life in my hovel was uniform. During the morning I attended the motions of the cottagers, and when they were dispersed in various occupations, I slept; the remainder of the day was spent in observing my friends. When they had retired to rest, if there was any moon or the night was star-light, I went into the woods and collected my own food and fuel for the cottage. When I returned, as often as it was necessary, I cleared their path from the snow and performed those offices that I had seen done by Felix. I afterwards found that these labours, performed by an invisible hand, greatly astonished them; and once or twice I heard them, on these occasions, utter the words `good spirit,' `wonderful'; but I did not then understand the signification of these terms. "My thoughts now became more active, and I longed to discover the motives and feelings of these lovely creatures; I was inquisitive to know why Felix appeared so miserable and Agatha so sad. I thought (foolish wretch!) that it might be in my power to restore happiness to these deserving people. When I slept or was absent, the forms of the venerable blind father, the gentle Agatha, and the excellent Felix flitted before me. I looked upon them as superior beings who would be the arbiters of my future destiny. I formed in my imagination a thousand pictures of presenting myself to them, and their reception of me. I imagined that they would be disgusted, until, by my gentle demeanour and conciliating words, I should first win their favour and afterwards their love. "These thoughts exhilarated me and led me to apply with fresh ardour to the acquiring the art of language. My organs were indeed harsh, but supple; and although my voice was very unlike the soft music of their tones, yet I pronounced such words as I understood with tolerable ease. It was as the ass and the lap-dog; yet surely the gentle ass whose intentions were affectionate, although his manners were rude, deserved better treatment than blows and execration. "The pleasant showers and genial warmth of spring greatly altered the aspect of the earth. Men who before this change seemed to have been hid in caves dispersed themselves and were employed in various arts of cultivation. The birds sang in more cheerful notes, and the leaves began to bud forth on the trees. Happy, happy earth! Fit habitation for gods, which, so short a time before, was bleak, damp, and unwholesome. My spirits were elevated by the enchanting appearance of nature; the past was blotted from my memory, the present was tranquil, and the future gilded by bright rays of hope and anticipations of joy."