The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1876-02-12
L-1TR.f BRDGEM1N.
Dr.. Uo'~c's Ferry S"ccesJF Efforts to E'
Hcrt, Her.

Dr.. Ho~c.s Ferry Smcces5M Efforts to Ed
ncutc Her.
In Il village of the mountains of New
Hampshire the late DIR. Samuel G.. Howe
found the subject of this sketch, then
six years old, blind, deaf, dumb, and
nearly destitute of the sense of taste,
scarlet fever having deprived her of these
gifts. She was excluded from the beau
ties of God in nature, and seemed little
better than piece of marble chiseled in
human form, and that form containing
Il Pickering spark of on immortal soul.
Her father was well-to-do farmer, and
her mother a woman of much intelli-
eence, 10 gladly consented to place her
little daughter in care of DIR. Howe. Ac-
cordingly she was brought to Boston, and
a process of instruction Immediately
commenced. She was first taught to use
her hands and to acquire command OF
,her muscles and limbs, and afterwards,
bt means of a pen and pin, to distinguish
two articles by arbitrary signs. Then
from monosyllables she learned all the
letters of the alphabet, and how to ar
range them to represent objects. She
soon acquired knowledge of numerals,
punctuation, and etc and then she gain
ed the power Of expressing thought, the
names of things, etc The next process
taught her was to recognize the same
signs in embossed types. She worked
with great eagerness, thus rewarding the
watchful care of her devoted teacher.
Miss Bridgeman is now in her forty
sixth year, and between her home and
the Perkins institution she has passed her
time thus far. She is tall, slight, grace
full in form and motion, wears green bands
across her eyes, is very demonstrative,
and her face at times radiates with emo
ton. She dresses with great care-more
to please her friends than herself-and
takes pride in showing her gold watch
and other feminine ornaments. She Is
quite an expert in crochcting and plain
ncedle-work, and takes much delight in
assisting one of the teachers i'll the sew
ing department. A few days ago she
was at work with perhaps Il dozen of the
pupils, turning the hens of napkins, and
threading needles with her fingers and
teeth. She exhibited some of her hem
ming with is much pride as a soldier
bearing il trophy from the battle field.
A lady, Oh the occasion referred to, made
purchase from her of Il crochet mat,
and with clear articulation Miss Bridge
man repeated the word money twice.
She can utter intelligibly the name of a
teacher, and such words as baby, enc.
She forms words with lead pencil, by
the aid of French writing-board. This
latter article has grooved lines about an
eighth of an inch deep, an inch orso apart
running transversely across the paste
board. She takes her paper and presses
it into the grooves, thus making depres-
point, and when slightly pressed leaves Il
letter mark. In furnishing her auto
graph she writes above her name Scrip
ture text On her being asked if she re-
allied the meaning of the quotation,
L" The Lord is my Shepherd, " she replied,
''fully" On learning that her question
er had been a Sabbath-schoOl teacher fol
eighteen years, she clasped her hand with
delight, and made an attempt, in rapt-
urous manner, to speak, giving forth a
lurid-like sound Miss Bridgeman, after
the death of her father, was selishly de-
prived of the little property he left fol
herself and her mother, and she con-
tinues to earn little money by the use
of her needle. She, however, possesses
the interest of bequest of $4,000 from
the Loring: fund. Recently this lady
was feeling acutely the death of the no.
BILE man who brought out her imprisoned
spirit from chaos. She is living monu-
ment of his devotion, patience, hope,
waiting, watching, and giving Of eyes to
the blind and language to the dumb
lips. The emperor of Prussia sent DIR.
Howe Il gold medal for his marvellous
achievement in educating Laura Bridge
man. The attention of the European
world was first drawn to Miss Bridge
mans most extraordinary case through
Chas. Dickens Notes, in which a very
full account was given, and Il deserved
eulogium passed upon DR.. Howe.