charge of them. They do not think in spoken forms, but in finger
spelling and signs_. The powerful influence of environment in those
schools is _against_ the acquisition of the speech and lip-reading
habit.

The mother who has faithfully followed the suggestions offered in the
foregoing pages will be able to appreciate what she sees on visiting the
schools, and will gain much more from such visits than one who is
entirely inexperienced in the problem. Every mother should make it her
business to visit at least one _purely oral_ school, in order that she
may make herself thoroughly intelligent on what may be expected of a
deaf child.

Unfortunately, pure oral schools are not as plentiful as "combined"
schools, but it will well repay any parent to make a journey, even
across the continent, if necessary, in order to study the workings of
some good, purely oral, school. Do not be satisfied with a visit to the
nearest "combined" school.

_You owe it to your child_ to make yourself thoroughly intelligent as to
the _possibilities_ open to a deaf child. You will not be intelligent
till you have personally visited some good _purely oral_ school.

The number, character, location, etc., of the schools are constantly
changing. A descriptive list of all schools corrected to date will be
gladly supplied by the author to any one requesting it.