Evening journal., 1893-10-14
WITH FINGER TIPS.
HOW HELEN KELLER WAS TAUGHT
THE NAMES OF THINGS.

Mirrors q Soul Which Knows Naught Of
the Appearance OF Sin.
The most interesting feature Of the ed
ucational congress was the appearance
of Helen Kellerunder the kind and skill
ful guidance of Miss Annie M. Sullivan,
her teacher. When a 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 kindness in
the large eyes, gave promise Of still
greater beauty, her face glistening with
q rapture that painters try 20 express in
the ecstacy Of angels, hearts seemed to
stand still. IL was q face that had never
consciously looked ON the distortions Of
passion or pain-the mirror of a soul
that could not imagine the outward APP
pearance Of sin nor remember any Of tho
discords of life.
In her presence It was hard TO appre-
ciato the fact that her world lay within
ours, without sun, music OF speech. No
one who saw twill forget the impulsivo
huttering Of her young, white hand as
IL sought her teachers face or round,
white throat; tho 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
forehnger resting on her teachers lip,
she read the answer TO the question she
had aaked by the twinkling digitalmove-
ments in her teachers palm. There
were those who wept when she repeated
audibly, with a depth Of feeling she
alono can feel:
Ten mo not IN mournfui numbers
Lilo IS but an empty dream.
All were invited to ask questions. yet
not many did so. Tho occasion seemed
sacred.
'How did you teach her tho first
wordY some one venturod ut last.
"Her first word was 'don,' ," was the
answer III gave her tho doll, placed
her finger on my lip and spoke the word.
When she wearied of tho doll, took it
. from her, and when l returned it again
gave the movement of tho lips Tho
second word was mug fused the cup
from which she drank, but became con-
vinced that she had not clear idea Of
the name, but that it meant 70 her also
water or drink. So 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 tho word mug
The idea that everything had n name,
the comprehension Of nouns, was great
revelation to her and camo then and all
at once. She was greatly excited. A
nurse, with tho baby sister in her arms,
was standing near. Helen Immediately
put her hand on it's face to know its
name. told her baby, and she caught
it nc once. Then she stopped down and
pattod tho ground TO know what it was
called. She learned many words that
day, and those words eho never forgot
Glow soon after she learned words
did she frame sentencesr
Immediately"
"Were verbs harder TO learn than
nounsy'
"Not atan. began with such words
as Sit stand and the ike that wero
easy 70 illustrate. Propositions troubled
her most"
"How does sho get an idea Of the alb
styacty"
Il cannot tell. It seems to be with
her, or it comes"
"IIas she any Distinguishing sense Of
musical vibrations"
eyes, very distinct. She likes music"
'Is her vocabulary larger
every large. She expresses herself
huently and - choice Of words"
"What bocss does she like bestg"
Every now and then the white fingers
futtered TO the teachers face for just
one delicate touch-a finger look it was
and now they rested on Miss Sulli-
vans lip;
"Tell-the people e- what - books
you-hke-bost.'
Helen's face was an open book Of her
mental processes. Sho repeated each
word after Miss Sullivan. but hesitated
little on the words "tell" and 'you,
tho brightness Of her face dimming for
tho instant. AS soon as sho compro-
hended the question. which she did inad-
vance Of its conpletion, the flash Of intel
hgence came, and when she turned to-
ward the audience, for she did not seem
at any time TO lose her location, She said
with spirit:
"Oh, have read so much that it is
very hard TO say what like best, but
waiting gamomont-'' Little Lord Taunt-
leroy And then followed rapidly
tho names of several works, some Of
which, it would seem could hardly be
understood by any one ewho cannot know
sound and color.
"How do You read"
"By raised letter5an by myteGcher."
81 noticed when you pronounced for
her you articulatcd with an exaggerated
motion of the lips" said one. rs not
that necessary
"Her teaching was begun in that way.
Go not think it is necessary or best.
attribute the pecuiarity of her voice TO
that mechanical action which she uses.
think it would have been better end
just as easy if She had been spoken to
with the usual movement"
In reply to the question Of her lsrowl-
edge of the abstract. General Futon re-