The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-01-21
LAURA BRIDGMAN'S LIFE.

An interesting article was published in
the Boston Herald on the recent fifty
eighth birthday of Laura Bridgman, as
follows:
1t is fifty-eight years ago to-day, that
Laura Dewey Bridgman was born in Han
over, N. Ii. Both of her parents were
of nervous temperament, but this was
especially marked in her mother, whose
brain, though not large, was considera-
bly, greater than that of her father and
quite active. Lsura's physical organiza-
ton was extremely delicate, and during
her infancy she was subject to severe
fits. At the age OF eighteen months
there was an improvement in her health,
and when two years old she is said to
have been more active and intelligent
| than ordinary children. But she soon
became sick again. scarlet fever which
caused the death of her two older sisters
bringing her very low. She lost both
her eyes and her sense of hearing, and
| for five months she had to be kept in a
| darkened room. Her sense OF smell was
almost entirely destroyed, and her taste
was much impaired. The sense of touch
WAS the only means she had of communi-
eating with the world about her. She
could not walk without support for q
year after, and she was not strong
enough to sit up all day for another
year. When she was five years of age
her health was restored and her mind
became eager for knowledge. But she
had forgotten the little she formerly
knew, deafness had been followed by
dumbness, and it was only by feeling
the motion of her mothers hands while
engaged in household duties, that she
developed the desire for imitation which
was the means Of her future progress
Sewing, knitting and braiding were
taught her, but she could only under
stand the simplest signs; if it was desir-
ed to have her go to certain place, a
push was necessary, and to come toward
person a pull; pat on the head sig
nlded appreciation; on the back dis
|
tionate, she gradually developed a good
deal of self will, and her father was
the only person capable of controlling
her. 1t was at this time that DIR. Howe,
then director Of the Institution for the
Blind in this city went to see her. He had
recently bscome interested in the some
what similar case of Julia Brace, the only
one of the kind known in this country,
and he persuaded the parents of Laura to
let him take charge of her.
When she arrived at the institution
she was eight years old. DIR. Howe as
sisted by Miss Drew, began her first lesson
by giving her the word "knife," which
was printed in raised letters on slip of
paper and n1oTing her fingers over it as
the blind do in reading. Then she was
given the knife so that she could feel the
label on it, and the sign indicating like
ness, which was made by placing side
by side the torefngers of each hand, was
conveyed to her. BY repeating this proc
ess with other articles she was led to
understand that the words represented
the objects to which they were affixed,
and she showed great pleasure at mas
tering her first lesson. Then the opera
ton was reversed, and the labels having
been given to her, she would search for
the article and deaignate it by this means.
To form words from letters she was sup
piled with sets of metal types, and in
less than three days she learned the Or
der OF all the letters of the alphabet. In