The Portland daily press., 1888-06-13
WHAT the BLIND CAN DO.
commencement Exercises at the
Perkins institution. South Boston.
rBoston Post Report.


The middle platform seats were taken by
the girls of the institution, the younger ones
sitting in front. the older and larger ones be-
hind, and nearly all dressed in white. The
right hand seats were given up to the boys
and young men of the institution, the little
fellows in pinafores lining the front rows
and the rest, as in the case of the girls, occu-
,pying in succession of sizes the lows above.
A piano stood upon the stage on this side.
and not only was played, but played an i'm
iportant part In the ceremonies following. 1t
is quite impossible to give local habitation
on that platform to Mr.. Michael Anagnos,
the superintendent of the institution, and
the school, and the kindergarten-the very
''pulse Of the machine;" for he was here,
there and every where, and yet SO swiftly and
quietly that his movements no more obtruded
upon the exercises than do a thrush's flash
ing back and forth upon the flow and music
of a brook. ef
Tne programme was begun with Bach's
"Fugue In E MINOR played en- the organ by
Christopher A. Rowland, who thereby gave
convincing proof that though deprived of the
harmonies Of sight, the harmonies of sound
les caught, perchance, from very sightless-
ness. The Rev. William Elliot Griffs was
then pleasantly introduced to the audience
by DIR. Eliot, and delivered thoughtful and
interesting address.
Several little low tables were then brought
to the front of the platf0rm-which had been
built out forwards for the express purpose
OF giving the school a chance to spread itself
--and three little girls were placed at them,
each with some sheets OF paper in her hand.
Upon these, Mr.. Anagnos explained, had been
printed in the raised letters extracts from
books which the blind little pupils had never
read, and that hence their present reading of
them would be practically "at sight" Mr..
Anagnos's witicism was appreciated duly by
a scintillation of smiles from the audience,
and then the first little girl with her sensi-
tive fingers read off with fiuency almost as
great as the eye could have given, wonder
ful story of bold and brave eagle. With
even less hesitation the next, who was an
older girl, made known to herself and the
audience the contents of her selection, which
proved to be verses containing some large
words such as bards occasionally like to use
The third little girl could not give voice to
what she perused, for she was not only blind,
but also deaf and dumb. Behind her stood a
ones right hand in hers, and through this
contact-her only one with the world and
ife-the little creature continuously c0mmu-
picated to the lady things that must have
been absolutely joyous and delightful, if one
could judge from the birdlike energy of the
first this way and then that, the dancing
little feet and the whole child-frame abso-
lutely sur-charged and a-quiyer in every
part with an insuppressible and astonishing
vitality and vivacity. Every now and then
she looked up. and pulling the kind lady at
her side down TO- her ea.ght her by the neck
and kissed her In a very overflow of light
heartedness and affection. When her time
to read came, she absorbed with her left
hand the story in her book and with her
right simultaneously communicated it to the
1 right hand of her teacher, whose mouth
then delivered the tale to the audience.
Devious as was the route the words trav-
ersed, they reached utterance in an almost
unbroken current The little girls pant0-
mime was something no one. who saw it can
ever forget. She read with extraordinary
intelligence and delight. When she de-
scribed the little bird she was reading
about as soaring up, up in the sunny air, !"
she thrust her right hand up higher and
higher each time In perfect ecstacy of ap-
probation and rapture. Coming to the bot
tom of the page she turned it with breathless
eagerness and triumphant emphasis, and
when she reached the end of the marvellous
story Of the "birdie" her little body fairly
jumped in a paroxysm Of enchantment,
while at the same moment a gurgle of uncon-
tainable delight burst from her like the sud-
den overflow of waters from silver foun-
tain. Then she turned and danced around
in maze of glee, refusing to be led, ascend
Otnt sttps on Tie way Dack W ner seat as on
the wings of the exuberant life in her, and
proving almost as hard to compose into her
chair as il would be to quiet the surf on the
beach. This amazing little being, not yet
eight years old, was Helen Keller, one Of
the little jewels rescued by Mr.. Anagnos and
by her devoted teacher, Miss Sullivan, and
Of whom Mr.. Anagnos has recently written
1t no hyperbole to say that she is a phenome-
non. History presents no case like hers. In
many respects, such as intellectual alertness,
keenness OF observation, eagcrness for informa-
ment, she is unquestionably equal to Laura
Bridgman; while in quickness Of perception,
grasp of ideas, breadth of comprehension, insa-
tate thirst for solid knowledge, self-reliance and
sweetness of disposition she certainly excels her
prototype.
The little phenomenon" is native of
Tuscumbia, Ala, and is to be hailed as an
additional evidence that that State of coal
and iron is coming to the front