Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-05-30
dancing.
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enahoATt nSbND br JDt'hs
Areporter called upon Miss Sullivan re.
Gently and succeeded in overcoming that
lady's modesty sufficiently TO obtain some
information regar ling the astonishing de-
velopment Of her little charge. Helen"
said Miss Sullivan, has known for q long
time that other people spoke. and has been
very eager to learn TO talk herself. For
instance, she had tried TO say mamma
and papa accentiDg tho first syllable.
She had tried this by placing her hand on
my throat and lips, getting the motion of
them and duplicating it. She began to
make sounds, but they were quite IN
pleasant. and did not really constitute talk.
lconcluded TO take her to Miss Sarah Fuller,
who is principal of the Horace Mann
School. Miss Fuller began immediately TO
teach her. OF course she could not under
stand Miss Fuller. and have acted Is an
interpreter.
" Her sense Of touch Ia very acute so
would spell the words ont to her on her
hands with my hands and she would fol-
low my directions. For instance. would
say to her IN that way, Miss Fuller wants
you 90 put your tongue in the roof of your
mouth and she would do 50. At her hrst
lesson Miss Fuller gave her the same
words mamma and papa which she
had been trying TO ay, teaching her to
place the accent on the last syllable, or, IN
other words, showing her the length OF the
syllables.
TIEsT STEPs N A DIFFICULT ROAD.
You see that in those two words tho
child acquired the sounds Of ", =, and 4.
and when she had got those sounds Of
course she could say great many other
words containing that combination OF let
ters. In that same lesson she was given
the words rs" and "it" which gave her
the sounds Of short ]. $, and I, and with
that combination she COuld make any
word with that combination of letters.
The more words she learned the greater
huency she acquired"
Helen. who will bo ten years old next
July, has visited Miss Fuller but eleven
times. yet she has now a command of Ian
guGge rare i'm child OF twelve. she has
not the slightest perception OF light or
sound being totally deaf and blind. But
the acuteness OF her remaining senses, and
especially that OF touch and feeling gen.
emily. has been brought to perfection by
constant exercise.
While the reporter was talking Helen
came bounding into the room. Physical
~ and mentally she IS IN no way behind
tho children of her years. she iS wonder
fully pretty and has o very intelligent face.
Notwithstanding the repidity II her physi-
cal development her frame is ftly proper
toned. her stature erect, her features sym
metrical. and her figure wonderfully
graceful. Hor tones are, 10 be sure, tribe
gutteral. and there is slight pause be-
tween each word but the tone Is not os-
pecially disagrceablc and the enunciation
IS sufficiently distinct to enable one to IN
derstand what she ~ saying.
" ! am going to learn to make my voice
sweet. 1 am goins home in June" Helen
sad to the reporter. Il shall talk TO my
dear little sister and my parents and
brothers and ALL"
These sentences seemed very pathetic.
but their pathos was relieved by the OK
preston Of delight that played over the
mobile countenance of tho Girl as she an
ticipated the great pleasure which her
requirement Of new faculty would cast
into that southern homo. Her teacher says
that the brightest thing about her s that
she judges SO quickly what a word must
sound like. She is tircless III her search
for information and Lor hunger for know
ledge Is insatiate