New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-25
DEATH OF LAURA D. BRIDGMAa.
THE FAMOUS BLIND DEAE-MuTE RAssEs
AWAY.
pEAF, DUMB AND BLIND AFTER HER sEcoSp
YEAR-HER WONDERFUL PROGRESS UNDEa
DIR. HowE's TRAINING.

DIR. HowE's TRAINING.
Boston, May 24.-L2urs Dewey BridgmaD died to-
day at the South Boston Asylum where she had long
dweIt.
Miss Bridgman was born at Hanover. n. H.; Gu
December o. 1929 She was born possessed Of all her
faculties but durin. her infancy she subject to
severe fts. When eighteen months old there was an
Improvement in her health. and when two years old
abe is said 10 have been active and Intelligent
than most children OF her age. But scarlet fever!
which carried away her two Older sisters brought hs,
very low She lost her eyesght and her sense Of hearing
and for Eve months she was left In darksned
room Her sense of smell was almost destroyed and
ber taste was much impaired. The Of touch was
the only means with which she could communicate
with others She could not walk without support for
a year. and It was two years before she could sit Up
all day. Her health returned when she was five
years old and her slnd became eager for knowledge.
Deafness had been followed by dumbncss, and It was
only by feeling the motion Of her mothers hands
that she could MAKE any progress Sewing, Knitting
and bradIng were taught her.
1t was at this time that DR.. Samuel q. Howe then
director OF the Perkins Institution for the Bind in
South Boston, went TO her. He persuaded her
parents to let him take charge Of her, and II was
through him that the avenues of instruction Wers
opened TO her.
Laura was eight years old when she tahen to
the Institution, and there she remained until her
death. Dr. Howe, assisted by Miss Drew, began hsr
first lesson by giving her the word knife, which
printed in raised letters on q slip Of paper. Then
knife was given to her. BY repeating this process
with other articles she led 10 understand What
words represented Then she learned 10 SPELL and a
the end Of year her first writing lesson was given
her. She slower IN learning 20 write well thsa
many of the blind children. After she had been SIX
teen months under instruction, Dr. Howe, in an OicL
report, said:
OF doubt, that she cannot see ray Of light cannot
hear the least sound, and exercises her
o. smell she t has any , Thus her min mind Sws u
tomb at midnight OF beautiful sights and sweet
sounds and pleasant odors she has 10 sCnSspaon
bird lamb and the employment OF her intellectual
vivid pleasure, which Is plainly marked in her sx.
pressivo features. She seems 30 repine, aus
has all the buOyancy and gayety Of childhood
At this time Laura had become quite expert in
talking with her fingers, and only persons accustomed
to this language could follow her rapid motions With
tho eye. In walking through a psssage-wsy, WITH
her hands before her, she knew all the persons uhc
met, and gave them a passing sign OF recognition,
but she embraced afectionately her favontes, and
expressed the varied language of the emotions by rho
lips well as by the fingers. After she hsd been
twenty eight months under Instruction she made goat
progress IN expressing her IDEAS and had learned to
write letters. Addition and subtraction in small
numbers also familiar to her, and she could
count and conceive objects up TO 100 in NUMBER
On January 20, 1912, Laura visited by Chares
Dickens, who much interested In her that hs
remained several hours His visit IL described IN lis
Notes on America" In order prevent her being
made proud and selfish BY undue attention, she VA
never told that people TO her particularly,
and she always understood thai thoir interest 10
the bind children generally.
A remarkable faculty OF Laura Bridgman was her
eblnty 20 read character, and this she did literally
at her hngers' ends. she very thoughtful %
her friends, and liked 10 aid the poor A. the tine
OF the famine IN Ireland she bought with mOns'
which she hsd earned by her work. barrel OF sogi,
which sent 10 the sufferers. In the 'ImU-r
OF 1889, when she was twenty-three years old, no
undertook 10 make her permanent homo In her fab Is
house IN Hanover, but she became hOmcsiek thst
al last she was confined 10 her bed. and Or. Hove,
who went TO see her, found that she was almost a
deaths door He had her brought back 10 the 10
stitution where in time she fully recovered her heaA
During subsequent visit to Hanover in 1853 shs
Baptized and admitted 70 membership In Tie
baptist Church, with which her parents Wsr
neeted In 1878 she lost the great teacher who bad
opened 60 her the avenues OF conan unfostfon WIN
tho outer worh her health suffered severely from tho
blow and when she went q visit 70 her mother
the following summer was thought doubtful " sto
ltctd 20 return Soon afterwsrd she was called 70
mourn the death of boE devoted trend and teacher,
Miss Rogers. Yet, despite these trials, she lived
sidertng her hail physical system.
On becotnbeF 81, 1857, the hhieth anniversary Of
her Admission 10 the institution was eonmenorated,
Nrs Jnlia Ward Howe, DR.. Howo's widow, presiding
A. the recapcon. DR.. Howe, In his Will, eit Misc
Bridgman the interest on - 900 annually.