The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-08
HELEN KELLER'S STORY.
As Told in Her Own Way and With
Her Own Words.
The Awakening of a Tind-Her De
light Upon Learning to Spell the
Word That Described Maternity
Her Life is Full of Happiness.

light Upon Learning to Spell the
Word That Described Maternity
Her Life is Full of Happiness.
Mind, mind alone.
Is light and hope and life and power.
Some times ago the st. Nicholas Maya
line printed an account of little Helen
Keller's visit to the worlds fair Helen
be it remem bered, is deaf and blind She
is now IL years old. in the current num-
Der of Youths Companion Helen tells the
story of her life. She was born at Tus-
cumbia, Ala, and when she was baby
she could both see and hear ana was, in
fact, just like other babies. But when
she was 10 months old fever left her
without sight and without hearing. And
now let us quote Helen's own words:
My father wrote to Mr., Anagnos, the
director of the institution where Laura
Bridgman had been taught, and asked
him if he could send his little daughter
a kind teacher. Dear Mr.. Anagnos re-
piled that he could. That was in the
summer of 1885. I was then years old
TAUGHT TO SPELL DOLL
When teacher came she brought me a
beautiful doll. Oh, she was lovely and
delicate doll, with long curly hair and
eyes that opened and shut and pouting
lips. But exquisite as she was, my Gu
riosity concerning her was soon salts
fed, and she lay unnoticed in my lap.
Then teacher took my hand and slowly
made the letters doll with her fingers,
at the same time making me touch the
doll.
OF course, did not know the motions
meant letters. | did not know what let
ters were; but / was interested in the
finger play, and tried to initiate the mo-
tions, and l think ! succeeded In spelling
"doll'' in very little while. Then ran
mother, and am sure she was surprised
and pleased when / held up my little
hand and made the letters for doll.
LIGHT BREAKS IN.
That afternoon besides "doll, - LEARNED
to spell PIN and chat :" but | did not
understand that everything had a name.
had not the least idea that my finger
play was the magical key which was to
unlock my minds prison door and open
wide the windows of my soul.
Teacher had been with me nearly two
weeks, and l had learned eighteen or
twenty words before that thought flashed
into my mind, as the sun breaks upon the
sleeping worls and in that moment of
illumination the secret of language was
revealed to me, and / caught a glimpse of
the beautiful country / was about to ex-
plore.
Teacher had been trying all the morn
ing to make me understand that the mug
and the milk in the mug had different
names; but l was very dull and kept
spelling milk" for mug, and mug for
milk until teacher must have lost all hope
Of making me see my mistake. At last
she got up, gave me the mug, and led me
out of the door to the pump house. Some
one was pumping water, and as the cool,
fresh stream burst forth teacher made
me put my mug under the spout and
spelled waiter. Waterl
That word startled my soul, and it
awoke, full of the spirit Of the morning,
full of Joyous, exultant song. Until that
day my mind had been like a darkened
chamber, waiting for words to enter and
light the lamp, which is thought.
BRIGHT DAY.
/ left the pump house eager to learn
everything. We met the nurse carrying
my little cousin, and teacher spelled
"baby.p And for the first time was inn
pressed with the smallness and helpless
ness of a little baby, and mingled with
that thought there was another one OF
myself, and | was glad | was myself, and
not a baby.
learned great many words that day.
do not remember what they all were
but do know that mother" father, -
"sister" and ,tbrother" were among them.
it would have been difficult to find a hap
pier little child than | was that night as
! lay in my crib and thought over the Joy
the day had brought me, and for the first
time longed for new day to come.
FIRST DAYS OF FREEDOM.
The next morning / awoke with joy in
my heart Everything / touched seemed
to culver with life. 1t was because /
beautiful sight that had been given me.
/ was never angry after that because |
understood what my friends said to me,
and | was very busy learning many won
derful things. | was never still during
the first glad days of my freedom. was
! continually spelling and acting out the
words as / spelled them. | would run,
skip, Jump and swing, no matter where
happened to be. Everything was bud
ding and blossoming. The honeysuckle
hung in long garlands, deliciously fra
grant, and the roses had never been
so beautiful before. Teacher and
| lived out-of-doors from morning I'M
til night, and / rejoiced greatly
in the forgotten light and sunshine found
again.
did not have regular lessons then as |
about trees and flowers, how they absorb
the dew and sunshine; about animals,
their names and all their secrets
How the beavers built their lodges
Where the squirrels hid their acorns,
How the reindeer ran so swiftly.
Why the rabbit was so timid
Once ! went to a circus, and teacher
described to me the wild animals and the
countries where they live. l fed the ele-
plants and the monkeys; patted a sleep
ing lion and sat on a cancels back. ! was
very much interested in the wild animals,
and / approached them without fear, for
they seemed to me a part of the great
beautiful country was exploring.
LEARNING TO READ.
The next step in my education, which |
remember distinctly, was learning to
read AS soon as | could spell a few
words teacher gave me slips of cardboard
on which were printed words in raised
letters. / very quickly learned that the
printed words stood for things. | had a
frame in which / could arrange the
words so that they would make little SEN
fences, but before / ever arranged sem
fences in the frame / used to make them
with objects.
/ would find the slips of paper which
represented "doll is on bed,' and place
them on the objects, thus making SEN
tence. Nothing delighted me SO much as