n reply to a question "What is the number of words a good hand speaker can make or say in one minute?" A deaf mute says, "Take the average number of letters per word of the English language as five; this is the number decided upon by the Postal Telegraph department. The average of the Bible is about 4-1/8."
A good hand speaker can go through the alphabet ten times in one minute. I have proved this by personally testing several deaf mutes.
The pauses between words occupy the space of one letter each, so we must deduct one sixth of the whole thus:—
| Letters in alphabet | 26 |
| Number of times spelt | 10 |
| —— | |
| Total letters per minute | 260 |
| Deduct about one sixth for pauses | 45 |
| —— | |
| Average letters per minute | 215 ÷ 5 |
| —— | |
| Result | 43 words per minute. |
PORTOBELLO SWIMMING CLUB.
n the mornings of Wednesday and Thursday the deep-diving medal of this club was competed for by five members. The depth of water varied from 13 to 18 feet. Mr. Robert Smith was very successful in recovering the plates from the bottom, bringing up six on the first and two on the second morning, with which number he secures first honours. The second place was taken by Mr. J. Wallace James. Mr. Smith, the medallist, is deaf and dumb.—Scotsman, Aug. 29th.
