The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-12-01

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ours. without sun. music or speech. NO
one who saw it will forget the impulslVe
futtering of her young, white hano 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 hash
of light over her face when, with her
forefnger resting on her teachers up
she read the answer TO the question she
had asked by the twinkling digital move
ments in her teachers palm. There
were those who wept when she repeated
audibly. with depth of feeling she
alone can feel:
Tell me not in mournful numbers
Life is but an empty dream.
All were invited to ask questions, yet
not many did So The occasion seemed
sacred.
"How did you teach her the first
word?" some one ventured at last.
Her first word was doll, ;" was the
answer. 81 gave her the doll, placed
her finger on my lip and spoke the word.
When she wearied of the doll, took 1t
from her, and when I returned it again
rave the movement of the lips. The
second word was mug fused 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. 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 I'M
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 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 It's
name. told her baby, and she caught
it at once. Then she stopped down and
patted the ground to know what 1T was
called. She learned many words that
day, and those words she never forgot
..How soon after she learned words
did she frame sentences!
"Were verbs harder to learn than
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?"
Il cannot tell 1t seems to be with
her, or it comes"
''Has she any distinguishing sense of
musical vibrations"
Eyes, very distinct. She likes music"
"Is her vocabulary large!'
every la3ge. She expresses herself
fiuentlv and is choice of words"
NV hat books does she like bestf'
Every now and then the white fingers
fluttered 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 = what = books
you-like-best."
Helen's face was an open book of her
mental processes. She repeated each
word after Miss Sullivan, but hesitated
n little on the words ''tell' and you"
the brightness of her face dimming for
the instant AS soon as she conpre
hended the question. which she did in adj
vance of it's completion, the fash of intel
ligence came, and when she turned to-
ward the audience, for she did not seem
at any time to lose her location, she said
.Oh, / have read so much that it is
very hard to say what like best, but
waiting moment Little Lord Faunt-
leroy'''- And then followed rapidly
the names of several works, some of
which, it would seem, could hardly be
understood by any one who cannot know
sound and color.
How do you read?"
.'By raised letters and by my teacher"
II noticed when you pronounced for
her you articulated with an exaggerated
motion of the lips" said one. is not
that necessary
Her teaching was begun III that way.
do not think it is necessary or best.
attribute the popularity of her voice to
that mechanical action which she uses.
1 think it would have been better and
Just as easy If she had been spoken to
with the usual movement"
In reply to the question Of her knowl-
edge of the abstract, General Futon re-
marked that the greatest development in
the case of Helen Keller was that of the
acknowledgements Appeal-Avalanche