Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1893-10-17
WITH FINGER TIPS.
HOW HELEN KELLER WAS TAUGHT
The NAMES OF THINGS.

Her Tireioss Instructress-A Face That |
the Appearance of Sin.
The most interesting feature of the ed |
ucational congress was the appearance
of Helen Keller under the kind and skill
full guidance of Miss Annie NJ. Sullivan,
her teacher. When babe, Helen Keller
became blind, deaf and dumb. When
Miss Sullivan, young woman of unus-
ual beauty of form and feature, stood
before the audience beside girl who,
except for the sad sign of blindness in
the large eyes, gave promise of still
greater beauty, her face glistening with
rapture that painters try to express in
the ecstacy of angels, hearts seemed to
stand still. 1t was face that had never
consciously looked on the distortions of
passion or pain-the mirror of soul
that could not imagine the outward ap-
pearance of sin nor remember any of the
discords of life
In her presence it was hard to appre
ciate the fact that her world lay within
ours, without sun, music or speech. No
one who saw it will forget the impulsive
f1uttering Of her young, white hand as
it sought her teachers face or round,
white throat; the satisfaction when the
contact Of her delicate white finger tips
gave her what sight gives us; the flash
of light over her face when, with her
forefinger resting on her teachers lip,
she read tAe answer to the question She
had asked by the twinkling digital move
ments in her teachers palm. There
were those who wopt when she repeated
audibly, with Il depth of feeling she
alone can feel:
Tell me not in mCurnful numbers
Life Is udt an empty dream.
All We're i&vi,lJ to ask questions, yet
not many did so. The occasion seemed
sacred.
How did you teach her the first
word:" some one vontured at last.
Her first word was doll. :" was the
answer. Il gave her the doll, placed
her finger on my lip and spoke the word.
| When she wearied Of the doll, l took it
from her, and when l returned it again
| gave the movement OF the lips. The
| second word was mug used the cup
| from which she drank. but became con-
| WINGED that she had not clear idea of
| the name, but that it meant to her also
! water or drink. Sol one day took her
| to the pump, and as the water was flow
| ing into her cup had her hold her hand
in the stream. and then putting her fin
| ger on my lip gave her the word water.
| Then | again gave her the word mug
| The idea that everything had name,
the comprehension of nouns. was a great
| revelation to her and came then and all
at once. She was greatly excited. A
| nurse, with the baby sister in her arms,
was standing near. Helen Immediately
| put her hand on its face to know its
name. told her baby. and she caught
it at once. Then she stopped down and
patted the ground to know what it W as
called. She learned many words that
day, and those words she never forgot.
How soon after she learned words
did she frame sentences
Immediately
"Were verbs harder to learn thaa
nouns
Not at all. began with such words
as sit stand and the like that were
easy to illustrate. Propositions troubled
her most
How does she get an idea Of the alb,
stract:"
I cannot tell. It seems to be with
her, or it comes"
Has she any distinguishing sense OF
musical vibrations?'
Yes, very distinct. She likes music
rs her vocabulary large?'
very large. She expresses herself
fuently and is choice of words"
What books does she like best?''
Every now and then the white finger:
futtered to the teachers face for just
one delicate touch-a finger look it wa.
and now they rested on Miss Sulli
vans lip:
''Tell-the - people what - books
you-like-best."
Helen face was an open book of hel
mental processes. She repeated eaci
word after Miss Sullivan, but hesitatet
a little on the words tell and You,
the brightness of her face dimming fo1
the instant. As soon as she compre
hended the question. which she did in ad
vance of its completion, the flash of intel
hgence came, and when she turned to
ward the audience, for she did not seen
at any time to lose her location, she sait
with spirit:
''Oh, 1 have read so much that it il
very hard TO say what like best, but
waiting moment" Little Lord Faunt
leroy And then followed rapid,
the names of several works, some O
which, it would seem, could hardly b
understood by any one who cannot know
sound and color.
''How do you readT'
"By raised letters and by my teacher.
81 noticed when you pronounced fo
her you articulated with an exaggerated
motion of the lips" said one. us no
that necessary"
Her teaching was begun in that way
l do not think it is necessary or best.
attribute the popularity of her voice t.
/ fhot r,nanhonioo1 81, Oh