The morning times., 1896-10-14
HELEN KELLER'S new FEAT
Blind and Deaf She Passes the
Harvard Examinations.
She Was Also Dumb, But Acquired
the Power of Speech-She Enters
the WOman's Annex.

Much satisfaction is felt in this city by
| the many friends OF Helen Keller, the
| deaf, dumb and blind girl, at the news
which comes from Boston, to the effect
| that she has Just passed with credit the
Harvard University examination, and will
enter Radcliffe College tHarvard aunex)
| as student.
Since The time, two years ago. when q
student at the Wright Humason School, at
No. AZ West Sixty-sixth street,
New York, her marvellous pow
ers were exhibited to number
| OF learned aud philanthropic ladies and
gentlemen, her career has been watched
| with much admiration aud interest.
NOW That sne mas, without special prepar-
| alton, passed the Harvard examinations
With hUnUrs, in such subjects rs English,
| French, German nd history, and this, too,
at the comparatively early age OF sixteen
years, and hen the examiners We're not
aware OF her identity and peculiar physical
disadvantages, and she has fully fulfilled
the hIgn estimates those iauies aud genue-
men then formed OF her Intelligence and her
phenomenal achievements.
Helen Keller " as born in Tuscumbia, Ala,
| June 27. loS0, her father being Arthur Ii.
| Keller, formerly editor of the North Ala
bainIan, an old, influential and Well known
| journal, and since United States Marshal
| for the Northern district Of Alabama. Her
mother is ii great granddaughter OF Alex
| ander Spotsw ood, the first Colonial Cover
nor of Virginia, aud second cousin of
| Gen Robert Z. Lee, though OF Northern
| antecedeDts through both father aud
| mother.
Helen was an unusually bright and active
Child. She learned TO walk at an early
| age, was perfectly healthy, and was be-
| ginning To learn TO walk wien, at the age
| of eighteen months, sheshad Il very severe
| attack OF congestion OF the stomach. Her
| life hung in the balance for some time,
and, after she had gradually recovered.
| her parents discovered that she was totally
bereft of the senses of hearing and sight.
The best specialists of the day pronounced
| her case quite hopeless. But in July, 1885,
! Capt. killcn wrote to Mr.. AnagnOs, super
intcndent OF the Massachus etts School
| for the Blind, describing HeIen's case. and
asked If lie could suggest a suitable teacher
for her. Miss Annie NJ. Sullivan, who had
| once been blind, was recommended, and
| at once became the little girls teacher.
| In describing her method,-Mi Sullivan
| has said:
! Her first word was doll gave her the
| doll, placed her finger on my lip, and spoke
| Ele word. When she wearied or the doll
| took IL from her, and when 1 returned 1t
| again gave the movement of the lips. The
| second wordwas mug used the cup from
which she drank but became convinced that
that it meant TO her also water or drink; so
1 one day took her to the pump, and as the
W ater was flowing into her cup, hal her hold
! her baudin the stream, and then putting her
| Tuger on my lip gave her the word water
| then again gave her the word mug The
| idea that everything had name, the COM
prehension of nouns, was 4 great revelation
| 70 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 patti ed the ground to know whatit was
called. She learned many words that day
| and those words she never forgot.
I'm few days she had IN astered the man.
| ual alphabet and learned upward of a hun
| dred names. AT the end OF August, that
| is in six months time, she knew 626 words.
Next verbs were taught her, beginning with
SIT, stand, open. shut, and the like As
thespeIlingof eaeh=Yord was accomplished,
| by the appropriate action, she soon caught
It's meaning. and almost Immediately used
| it in forming sentences. Propositions or
| words indicating place relations were next
| learned, then quality words. The printed
alphabet of raised characters, both capital
and small letters, was mastered by her in
one lesson.
lone month from her first lesson In
WEltlDS sue WFOte without assistance a
Ecorrectly-spelled and legible letter to her
cousin"
In the Anthropological building at the
Chicago Worlds Fair many experiments
! were made with her and 1t was then found
that she had practically overcome all the
disabilities with which she had been so
| cruelty endowed. Since that time il has
been a comparative easy matter to pro-
ceed with her education, and the peculiarly
| receptive and retentive quality OF her
mind has made her capable OF extraor-
| dinartly rapid progrss in all school studies.
She can converse rapidly and easily,
according to her own peculiar methods,
and in almost all subjects she display
| an intelligence and knowledge far above
| the average of her years.