In person, Mr. G. was rather short and slender, but with an erectness of
carriage, and a somewhat precise observance of the usages of refined
society, which gave him an unfailing dignity of appearance. A certain
quaintness of manner and expression was an irresistible charm about him.
Sure I am, that one little girl will always remember the kind hand
stretched out to seize her own,--and the question after the manner of
Mrs. Barbauld: "Child of mortality, whither goest thou?"
His most remarkable personal characteristic was the power of expression
in his face. The quiet humor of the mouth, and the bright, quick glance
of the eye, were his by nature; but the extraordinary mobility of the
muscles was owing, probably, to his long intercourse with deaf mutes. It
was a high intellectual gratification to see him in communication with
this class of unfortunates, to whom so large a proportion of the labors
of his life was devoted. It is said that Garrick often amused his
friends by assuming some other person's countenance. We are sure Mr.
Gallaudet could have done this. We remember that he did astonish a body
of legislators, before whom there was an exhibition, by proving to them
that he could relate a narrative to his pupils by his face alone,
without gesture. This power of expression has a great attraction for
children. Like animals, they often understand the language of the face
better than that of the lips; it always furnishes them with a valuable
commentary on the words addressed to them, and the person who talks to
them with a perfectly immovable, expressionless countenance, awes and
repulses them.
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