The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1891-04-09
A WONDERFUL CHILD.
The Astonishing Progress of Helen KEEL.
Ter, Who Is Deaf and Blind.

Much has been written in educa-
tional papers of the little girl Helen
Keller, now at the asylum for the blind
in Boston. job Williams, principal of
the American asylum in this city. says
the Hartford Cour07at, recently visited
her and has kindly furnished the fol-
lowing account of what he saw and
heard. 1t is, as the phrase goes, as
interesting as a novel, and gives an
excellent idea of the almost miracu-
lous progress of this girl of 10 years.
lit was my privilege few days ago
to call on Helen Keller, the deaf and
blind girl who has attracted so much
attention among philanthropic and
scientific people for the last three or
four years. Much has been written
of this marvellous child. much that
Judged by all ordinary standards of
attainment of deaf nutes, oH4even by
the attachments of the occasional brill
liant exceptions, seemed almost in
credible / must confess that before [
saw her for the first time little more
than year ago | could not believe
that the reports concerning her prog
ress in language were not grossly eX-
aggerated, but after seeing her and
talking to her myself through the man
ual alphabet | was prepared to believe
almost anything regarding her prog
ress in that direction. | never knew
of child deaf at SO early an age as
was Helen (sight and hearing were
both lost at the. age of 10 months
through disease) who made such rapid
progress in the knowledge of the Eng
iish language. 1t was simply phenom-
email.
But the greatest wonder was yet to
come. Soon we heard that Helen was
trying to learn to talk. That seemed
the most absurd thing in the world.
To think Of teaching speech to child
totally deaf and blind was preposter-
Gus. Yet that seemingly impossible
thing has been done. The age of mir
acles is not yet past.
Last Monday morning sat down
beside her and carried on a running
conversation concerning a great vari-
ETY. of subjects for nearly half an hour,
and during all that time her part of
the conversation, which was animated
and sprightly and full of fun, was con-
Quoted entirely by speech, and speech
so distinct that failed to understand
very little of what she said. She
seemed never at q loss for language to
express an idea nor even to hesitate in
giving it orally. 1t was an ineligible
speech in a pleasant voice and it was
wonderful. In the course of our con-
versation 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 little song with
her right hand, playing thesam part
with her left hand an octave below.
1t would hardly pass for first-cla
music, the time not being very accu-
rate, but it was music. Then at my
request she sang for me line of the
song she had just played, and the sing
ing was more accurate in time, though
less so in tune, than the playing.
Her memory is as remarkable as
her grasp of language and her power
of speech, and probably is the chief
source of her success in both these.
She grasps an idea almost before it is
given her, and once hers it seems to be
ineradicably fixed in her memory. A
few days ago a book Of poems printed
in raised letters was presented to her.
She opened it and read the first poem
over twice, reading il aloud as she
passed her finger over the lines. Then
the book was laid away, and not re-
ferred to again until the next day,
when it was found that she could re-
peat the whole poem of seven stanzas
of four lines each without missing
word.
Laura Bridgeman was brilliant
example of what may be accomplished
under great difficulties. Helen Keller
is a prodigy. There is no one, nor
ever was any one, to be compared with
her."