Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1889-05-31
CURRENT AFFAIRS.
DEA7H or Ia URA BRTDGMAM
DEATH of this Remarkable Woman,
Blind, Deaf nnd Dumb from Her
ChildhOOd.

/ W uei blBnleeu ulOnLns Olu JnbIe was an
improvement in her health and when two
years old she is said to have been more ac
tive and intelligent than most children Of
her age. But scarlet fever, which carried
away her two older sisters, brought her
very low. She lost her eyesight and her
sense Of hearing, aud for five months she
was left in IA darkened room. Her sense of
smell was almost destroyed and her taste
was much impaired The sense 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, aud her mind became eager for
knowledge Deafness had been followed
10y dumbness, aud it was only by feeling the
motion Of her mothers hands that she could
make any progress. Sewing, knitting and
| braiding were taught her.
1t was at this time that Dr. Samuel q
| Howe, then director Of the Perkins Institu
tion for the Blind, in South Boston, went to
see her. He persuaded her parents to let
him take charge of her, and it was through
| him that the avenues Of instruction were
opened to her. Laura was eight years old
when she was taken to the institution, and
there she remained, except occasional ab-
sences, until her death. Dr. Howe, assisted
by Miss Drew, began her first lesson by
giving her the word knife, which was
printed in raised letters ON a slip Of paper.
Then knife was given to her. BY repeat
ing this process with other articles she was
| led to understand what words represented
Then she learned to spell, and at the end Of
year her first writing lesson was given to
her She was slower in learning to write
well than many of the blind children. After
she had been sixteen months under instruc-
ton, DR.. Howe in an official report, said
! 1t has been ascertained, beyond the pos
/ slbllity of doubt, that she cannot see ray
Of light, cannot hear the least sound, and
never exercises her sense of SMELL if she
has any Thus her mind dwells in dark
ness and stiffness as profound that Of
closed tomb at midnight. of beautiful
sights and sweet sounds and pleasant odors
she has no conception nevertheless, she
seems as happy and playful as a bird or
lamb: aud the employment of her intel
lectual faculties, or requirement of new
idea, gives her vivid pleasure, which is
plainly marked in her expressive features.
She never seems 10 repine but has all the
buoyancy and gayety of childhood
At this time Laura had become quite ex-
pert in talking with her fingers, and only
persons accustomed to this language could
follow her rapid motions with the eye. In
walking through passage-way, with her
hands before her, she knew all the persons
she met and gave them passing sign of
recognition, but she embraced aifectionately
her favorites, and expressed the varied
language of the emotions by the lips as
well as by the fingers. After she had been
twenty eight months under instruction she
made great progress in expressing her ideas,
aud had learned TO write letters. Addition
and subtraction in small numbers were also
familiar 10 her, and she could count and
conceive objects up to 100 in number. In
due time she acquired knowledge of alge-
bra geometry, philosophy, history and 9th
er studies that at the beginning would have
seemed impossible for her ever to compre
| hend.
The senses Of smell and taste returned To
"a degree, so that she could detect pungent
odors, and tell the difference by taste be
tween articles Of food which were dissimi
lar, though neither sense was ii source of
pleasure or much profit TO her The single
sense Of touch reached much higher lie
gree of cultivation and perceptive power
than was ever attained, probably, in anoth
er human being. BY this sense alone, used
to interpret the waves of air upon her face,
she could tell in walking ON the street
whether buildings abutted closely upon the
sidewalk, or if there was an open space in
tervening More wonderful still, she could
perceive IN the same way-and other in
mates Of the Perkins Institution have the
same power-whether fence lining the
walk was made of pickets or of solid
boards. She was able 10 perceive accu
rately, by means Of reflected heat or air
waves, whether building she was passing
was of brick or wood. With most people
the tip of the tongue is even more sens
tive in touch than the fingers. In Miss
A rare treat for her at one time was visit
to the Waltham watch factory. There she
found delicacy of workmanship which her
exquisite sense of touch could appreciate
and take delight it, She became wonder
fully enthusiastic over what was shown
her, and when a watch movement was pre-
sented to her she was quite overjoyed.
Much of her spare time after that was
spent in carefully putting together and sep
arating the delicate mechanism of wheels
and springs.
The most remarkable thing about her
case was her extraordinary mental devel-
opment in the realm of abstract ideas She
herself began this with questioning DR..
Howe on the beginning of things. Land
and sea were she existed, others existed
how did they come TO exist Dr. Howe
set forth TO her the idea of God, the origin
of all, his character of goodness and wis
dom, and she seized upon all he said with
avidity and singular intelligence. Her
religious life as from that day serious and
sure. She never felt the necessity of a
creed, and she never knew what a multi
plicity of creeds there are in the world,
Her moral character grew symmetrically,
and it was noticed that while she was ready
to accord every other person his or her
rights, she was exactiug as to her own.
On January 20, 1912, Laura was visited
by Charles Dickens who was so much inter
ested in her that he remained several hours.
His visit is described in his Notes ON
America" In order to prevent her being
made proud aud selfish by undue attention,
she was never told that people came to see
her particularly, and she always understood
that their interest was in the blind children
generally,
A remarkable faculty was her ability to
read character, and this she did literally at
her fingers ends, She was very thoughtful
Of her friends and liked to aid the poor.
At the time of the famine in Ireland she
bought, with money which she had earned
by her work, barrel of -four which was
sent TO the sufferers. In the summer Of
1852, when she twenty three years old, she
undertook to make her permanent home in
her fathers house in Hanover, but she be-
came so homesck that at last she was con
fined TO her bed, and Dr. Howe, who went
| In sea her found that she WAS almost at