The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-09-04
Little Helen Keller, the Blind
Deaf.

Helen Keller has a wonderful mem
DRY, and seldom forgets what she has
once learned; and she learns very
quickly. She is a wonderfully bright
child, and her teacher, instead of urg-
ing her to study, is often obliged to
coax Helen away from some example
in arithmetic, or other task, lest the
little girl should iniure her health by
working too hard at her lessons. But
her marvellous progress is not due to
her fine memory alone, but also to her
great quickness of perception, and to
her remarkable powers of thought. To
speak little more clearly, Helen I'M
derstands with singular rapidly, not
only what is said to her, but even the
feelings and the state of mind of those
about her, and she thinks more than
most children of her age. The Touch"
schoolmistress has done such wonders
for her little pupil that you would
scarcely believe how many things Helen
finds out, as with electric quickness,
through her fingers. She knows in
moment whether her companions are
sad, or frightened, or impatient-in
other words, she has learned so well
what movements people make under
the influence of different feelings that
at times she seems to read our thoughts.
Thus, when she was walking one day
with her mother, boy exploded tor
pedo which frightened Mrs. Keller.
Helen asked at once, A." What are you
afraid off" Some of you already know
that sound q. e., noise of all sorts) is
produced by the vibrations of the air
striking against our organs of hearing
that is to say, the ears; and deaf peo-
pie, even though they can hear abso-
lutely nothing, are still con scious of
these vibrations. Thus, they can
feel" loud music, probably because
it shakes the floor; and Helen's sense
of feeling is so wonderfully acute, that
she no doubt learns many things from
these vibrations of the air which to us
are imperceptible.
The following anecdote illustrates
both her quickness of touch and her
reasoning powers. The matron of the
Perkins Institution for the Blind ex-
hibited one day, to number of
friends, a glass lemon-squeezer of
new pattern. 1t had never been used,
and no one present could guess for
what purpose it was intended. Some
one handed it to Helen, who spelled
lemonade" on her fingers, and asked
for drinking glass. When the glass
was brought, she placed the squeezer
in proper position for use.
The little maid was closely ques-
toned as to how she found out secret
that had bafiled all the seeing" peo-
pie present She tapped her forehead
twice, and spelled, 81 Think"
/ can not forbear telling you one
more anecdote about her, which seems
to me very pathetic one. She is a
very good mimic, and loves to initiate
the motions and gestures of those
about her, and she can do so very clev-
erly. On certain Sunday, she went
to church with lady named Mrs. Hop
kins, having been cautioned before
hand by her teacher, that she must sit
very quiet during the church service.
1t is very hard to sit perfectly still,
however, when you can't hear one
word of what the minister is saying,
and little Helen presently began to talk
to Mrs. Hopkins, and ask what was
going on. Mrs. Hopkins told her, and
reminded her of Miss Sullivan's in
junction about keeping quiet She i'm
mediately obeyed, and turning her
head in listening attitude, she said,
" listen. "-lSt. Nicholas for lSeptenlber.