Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-28
A WONDERFUL CHILD.
Astonishing Progress of Deaf and Blind
Helen Keller.


From the Hartford Courant.
Much has been written in educational papers
of the little girl, Helen Keller, now at the Asy-
lum for the Blind in Boston. Mr.. Job Williams,
principal of the American Asylum in this city.
recently visited her and has kindly furnished
the following account of what he saw and heard.
1t is. as the phrase goes, as interesting as
novel. and gives an excellent idea of the almost
miraculous progress of this girl Of ten years:
1t was my privilege few days ago to call on
Helen Keller, the deaf and blind girl who has
attracted so much attention among philan-
thropic and scientific people for the past three
or four years. Much has been written of this
marvellous ckild-much that, judged by all or
binary standards Of attainment of deaf mutes. or
even by the attainments of the occasional bril-
liant exceptions. seemed almost incredible.
must confess that before saw her for the first
time. n little more than q year ago. l could NOT
believe that the reports concerning her
progress IN language were not grossly exaRger-
ated. but, after seeing her and talking to her
myself through the manual alphabet was pre-
pared to believe almost anything regarding her
progress in that direction. never knew of a
child deaf at so early an age was Helen (sipht
and hearing were both lost at the age of nine
teen months through disease who made such
rapid progress in the knowledge of the English
language. If was simply phenomenal
But the greatest wonder was vet to come
Soon We heard that Helen WAS irving to learn
to talk. That seemed the most absurd thing in
the world. To think of teaching speech to a
child totally deaf and blind was preposterous.
Yet that soemingly impossible thing has been
one. The age of miracles is not yet past
last Monday morning l sat down beside her
AMI caTsi'"i on a running conversation con-
.-iH- 5. eat variety of subjects for nearly
ltsf AZ nd L.
- he conversation. which was animated and
slriShtiI and full of fun, was conducted en-
ta.ci. by speech, and speech so distinct that [
faxed to understand very little of what she
said She seemed never at a loss for language
To express an ilea nor even to hesitate in Civ
ing 1t orally. Ii was an Ineligible speech in
pleasant voice, and II was wonderful. In the
course OF our conversation Helen informed me
that she could play on the piano, and when /
asked her to play for me she sat down and
played the air of a little song with her right
hand, playing the same part with her left hand
an octave below. Ii would hardly pass for
tirst-class music. the time not being very ac-
curate, but 1t was music. Then ut nv request
she sang for Inc a line Of the song she had lust
played and the singing was more accurate in
time, though less SO in tune, than the playing
Her memory is as remarkable as her CRASH OF
language and her power OF speech, and prob
abb Is the chief source of her success in both
these. She grasps an idea almost before il is
given her, and once hers it seems to be in
eradicably fixed in her memory. A few days
ago book of poems printed In raised letters
was presented 10 her. She opened it and read
the tirst poem over twice. reading il aloud as
she passed her finger over the lines Then the
book was laid away and not referred to again
until the next day. when it was found that she
could repeat the whole poem of seven stanzas
of four lines each without missing word.
Laura Bridgman u brilliant example of
what may be accomplished under great diihcul-
ties Helen Keller is a prodigy. There Is no
one, nor ever was any one, to Be compared with
her.