it possible to exaggerate the importance of this lesson?
2. When will the pupil appreciate its practical value?
3. Where is this key given?
4. Are numbers hard to remember?
5. How do we make them hard to forget?
6. By what are the figures represented?
7. What letters have no numerical value assigned to them?
8. What do the questions at the bottom of each page constitute?

The nought and the nine digits are _represented_ by the following
_consonants_ when they are _sounded_ or _pronounced_; viz., 0 (nought)
by s, z, or c^soft as in cease, 1 by t, th, or d, 2 by n, 3 by m, 4 by
r, 5 by l, 6 by sh, j, ch, or g^soft as in the first g of George, 7
g^hard as in Gorge, k, c^hard as in _c_ane, q, or ng, 8 by f or v, and 9
by b or p.

Ample practice in translating the sounded consonants of words into
figures, or of figures into the sounded consonants of words will now be
given. If the reader can _remember_ the foregoing consonant equivalents
of figures in connection with the tabulated Figure Alphabet on the 74th
page of this lesson, he can at once pass on through the book. If not, he
must carefully study the intervening pages with painstaking--for when
once learned, no further difficulty can arise.

The tabulated Figure Alphabet on the 74th page of this lesson expresses
the consonant values of the nought and nine digits in perpendicular
columns, as under nought (0) are placed _s_, _z_, and _c_^soft; under
nine are placed _b_ and _p_; under six are placed _sh_, _j_, _ch_, and
_g_^soft, &c. Only those who possess first-rate natural memories can
learn the equivalents of the sounded consonants in figures from this
table. But when learned in this way, the pupil requires much practice in
translating words into figures and figures into words. Even this
exceptional pupil had better carefully study the ensuing examples.

The first thing to be done is to learn _which_ consonants are used to
stand for and represent the nought (0) and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.
Let the student remember that we use vowels to make words with, but we
do not give the vowels [a, e, i, o, u], or w, or y, _any number value
whatever_.

WE REPRESENT THE NOUGHT OR CYPHER [0] BY THE CONSONANTS S, Z, OR C^soft
[AS IN _CEASE_].

The figure value of "sew," therefore equals or is represented by a
cipher [0]. S = 0, and the vowel "e" and the consonant "w" have _no figure
value_. Cannot the student understand at once that {S}ay = 0,
{S}ee =