The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-09-03
A WONDER OF THE AGE.
Helen Keller's Master of Speech and Ac-
quiremont OF Knowledge.

blind girl at Mount Airy few days
ago. Her speech was the browning
event of the proceedings of the Ameri-
can Association to Promote the Teach
ing of Speech to the Deaf, now holding
it's summer meeting in the building OF
the Pennsylvania institution. Clad in
q girlish costume, with dark ringlets
falling to her shoulders and q bright
smile Illuminating her face, she took
the platform to talk on The Value of
Speech to the Deaf"
The fame of her accomplishments had
attracted many people, both scientific
and curious, all anxious to hear the af-
fiicted girl, who is declared by her
teachers to be the brightest of any OF
her age, not excepting those in possess
sion of the full five senses. She was
introduced by Miss Sara Fuller, princi-
pal of the Horace Mann school, Boston,
where she received the greater part of
her education. Without a trace of en-
barrassment she began her little speech.
To many of her hearers the articulation
was somewhat indistinct, and for the
Of the deaf and dumb DR.. Alexander
Graham Bell translated her words by
the manual alphabet. She said:
IF you knew all the joy feel N be-
ing able to speak to you to-day think
you would have some idea of the value
of speech to the deaf, and you would
understand why l want every deaf child
in all this great world TO have an OPP
portunity to learn to speak. | know
that much has been said and written
on the subject, and that there is wide
difference of opinion among teachers
Of the deaf in regard to oral instruc'
ton. 1t seems very strange to me that
there should be this difference of opin-
len; | cannot understand how anyone
interested in our education can fail to
appreciate the satisfaction we feel in
being able to express our thoughts in
living words. Why, l use speech con-
stantly, and 1 cannot begin to tell you
how much pleasure it gives me.
"Of course l know that it is not al
ways easy for strangers to understand
me, but it will be by and by; and in
the mean time l have the unspeakable
happiness of knowing that my family
and friends rejoice in my ability to
speak. My little sister and baby broth
er love to have me tell them stories in
the long summer evenings when I am
al home, and my mother and teacher
often ask me to read to them from my
e. l. ~
litical situation with my dear father,
and we decide the most perpleXing
questions quite as satisfactorily to our
selves as if l could see and hear. So
you see what blessing speech is to me.
1t brings me into closer and tenderer
relationship with those l love, and
makes it possible for me to enjoy the
sweet companionship of great many
persons from whom l should be entire
~ cut off if I could not talk
81 can remember the time before [
learned to speak, and how l used to
struggle to express my thoughts by
means of the manual alphabet-how my
thoughts used to beat against my finger
tips like the little birds striving to gain
their freedom, until one day Miss Fuller
opened wide the prison door and let
them escape. l wonder if she remem-
bers how eagerly and gladly they
spread their wings and few away. OF
course it was not easy at first to fly.
The speech wings were weak and
broken and had lost all the grace and
beauty that had been theirs; indeed
nothing was left save the impulse to
fly, but that was something.
"One can never consent to creep when
one feels an impulse to soar. But,
nevertheless, it seemed to me sometimes
that could never use my speech wings as
God intended l should use them; there
were so many difficulties in the way.
so many discouragements; but | kept
on trying, knowing that patience and
perseverance would win in the end.
And while | worked l built the most
beautiful air castles and dreamed
dreams, the pleasantest of which was
of the time when l should talk like
other people; and the thought Of the
pleasure it would give my mother to
hear my voice once more sweetened
every effort and made every failure an
incentive to try harder next time.
80 l want to say to those who are
trying to learn to speak, and those who
are teaching them: BE of good cheer
Do not think of to-day's failures, but
of the success that may come to-mor-
row. You have set yourselves difficult
task, but you will succeed if you perse-
we're, and you will find joy in overcom-
Ing obstacles-a delight in climbing
rugged paths which you would per-
haps never know if you did not some
times slip backward; if the road was
always smooth and pleasant. Rcmem-
Der, no effort that we make to attain
something beautiful is ever lost. Some
time, somewhere, somehow, we shall
find that which we seek. We shall
speak, yes, and sing, too, as God in
tended we should speak and sing"
AT the conclusion of her speech Miss
Keller conversed for a short time with
her teacher, Miss Sullivan, to show the
audience her method of reading the mo-
ton of the lips simply by resting
forefinger vertically upon them. She
is so expert in telegraphy of this kind
that she can understand every thing
Miss Sullivan says when talking at the