The Manual Alphabet
I 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:—