Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1841-05-19

Her sis 1tIess orbs are covered lnGeed ,
with green ribbon, but this does not put
out the light ofhercountenance for when
she is talking with her fingers. hel feat
ures are animated with liie,and her whole
face IS radiant with intellectual expression.
Then she is as full of motion and life
as bird, and as frolicsome as lamb.
Her soul seems to be as transparent as
crys.aI, for she showsn no guile, and sus-
poets none in others. while her natural
Language Of endearment proves that her {
heart is overlooking with confidence and
love toward all around her.
/ Most ofthose who visited this interest
| ing being with me, wonder that although
she was so enveloped in thick darkness
/ her footsteps were firm, and her motions
about the room and house were as tree as
their own--that though she heard no
sound, she could perceive the approach OF
i oilers by the vibrations Of the floor, or OF
1.-The air, and that she could recognize her
friends by touching one of their fingers.
j | too maryelled at these things, but much
more did | admire the Inward guide which
keeps her footsteps in the path frectitude
1.-The inward light by which she walks
Z upright. honest truthful and trustful 1.-The
inward. sense by which she knows the
true from the false, her souls friends from
!, her souls enemies.
The attention ofothers seemed fixed upr
on the physical wonders-the astonishing
acuteness of her single sense-but mar
, yelled most at the mental phenomena, and
adored the power and the wisdom of Him,
(, who out of this mental oasis could cause
to spring up such beautiful moral produc
Etions; and who filled her "darkling soui'
, fui. of the light which lighteneth every
one who comeih into the world.
But am rather indulging IN nv own
reflections than describing the object OF
: them. As have said, Laura Bridgman
: is totally and hopelessly blind; totally
Z deaf, aud so nearly smelless that hef.ofac-
: tory nerves are never affected but by pun
: gent odors; and hence of course her taste
: is much blunted. She has thus been cut
off from the million avenues which the
senses open between the mind and outer
. world, since her tenderest infancy and
I. she has no conception of sight, or sound
I or smell. She is now eleven years old,
and has been under instruction three
Of years.
oil Imagine to Yourself, if you can the sill
" uation of this being when she came be-
le fore her present teachers; a. living, breath
rs ing creature, with the figure and stature
it ola girl indeed, and which probably con
tanned human soul in embryo, but which
had no more means of expression than ar
animal; which would smile like dog
n when fed or caressed, and whine like hlT
ID when chidden; beckon to this figure, anc
o. il sees not; speak, but it hears you not
d take hold Of it, but it understands you not
" and in fine, instead Of saying as her leach
4 | er did, there is almost as much hope o
st instructing a spaniel as this creature
" would you not have said, dog with al
T. his senses is more teachable than this hu
i man figure 2"
But the result showed that the human
re soul is thing SUI generis, and that with
r. one single sense it can manifest an i'm.
" measurable superiority over brutes with
five senses sharPened to their greatest &C
cuteness.
\. This child by various devices was made
4 to comprehend the relations between signs
,e and things, for her mind from the frs
seemed intuitively 10 reach out and clasp
" the hand that was extended TO it, and her
At teachers, guided by the light philosophy
II contrived such expedients as soon enabled
them to hold communion with her mind
al By a process too long for me to detail
er here, she learned the alphabet OF the deal
le mutes, she rapidly acquired knowledge
,e of the names of things, mastered the ad
H. ieclives, The verbs, the pronouns, and al
We the parts Of speech, except the articles
as and now can hold very ineligible con
II verse about material things, and even ex
n press many of her emotions.
ST. But she has not stopped here sht
On learned to write legible hand, TO com
u. pose whole sentences, and can, and does
write legible and sensible letters to her
al mother and friends All these things
ht have seen her do myself, and have no
,y vet done wondering at it, and have now
ia letter which saw written, and which
ch runs in this wise -
my Dear Mother,
a. II want mother and Addison and Johr
be to come and see me with father | vii
n. 90 10 Halifax in vacation. am verl
RI sorry mother cannot come 10 see me be
NV cause she is very busy TO work all days
RI | STAY with Miss Jeanne.te all days.
rs am very we'll have got doll. and be-
he and chair, that Mrs. Clifford gave nj
cir them. | send love to my mother. Mis-
he Drew teaches me- Miss Swift teache
d. me 10 cipher. think mother loves NJ
~ very much"
Of l have dwelt long on this case, oecaus
l.. r