mmon use:
that is, to give her a sign for every individual thing, or to give her a
knowledge of letters, by combination of which she might express her idea
of the existence, and the mode and condition of existence, of anything.
The former would have been easy, but very ineffectual: the latter seemed
very difficult, but, if accomplished, very effectual. I determined,
therefore, to try the latter.

The first experiments were made by taking articles in common use, such
as knives, forks, spoons, keys, &c., and pasting upon them labels with
their names printed in raised letters. These she felt very carefully,
and soon, of course, distinguished that the crooked lines _spoon_
differed as much from the crooked lines _key_ as the spoon differed from
the key in form. Then small detached labels, with the same words printed
upon them, were put into her hands, and she soon observed that they were
similar to the ones pasted on the articles. She showed her perception
of this similarity by laying the label _key_ upon the key, and the label
_spoon_ upon the spoon. She was encouraged here by the natural sign of
approbation--patting on the head. The same process was then repeated
with all the articles she could handle, and she very easily learned to
place the proper labels upon them. It was evident, however, that the
only intellectual exercise was that of imitation and memory. She
recollected that the label _book_ was placed upon a book; and she
repeated the process first from imitation, next from memory, with only
the motive of love of approbation, but apparently without the
intellectual perception of any relation between the things. After a
while, instead of labels, the individual letters were given to her on
detached bits of paper: they were arranged, side by side so as to spell
_book, key_, &c.; then they were mixed up in a heap, and a sign was made
for her to arrange them herself, so as to express the words _book, key_,
&c., and she did so. Hitherto the process had been mechanical, and the
success about as great as teaching a very knowing dog a variety of
tricks. The poor child had sat in mute amazement, and patiently imitated
everything her teacher did; but now the truth began to flash upon
her--her intellect began to work. She perceived that here was a way by
which she could herself make up a sign of anything that was in her own
mind, and show it to another mind; and at once her countenance lighted
up with a human expression: it wa