Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-02-23
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HELEN KELLER.
The Manner In Which She Was Taught
TO Speak and to Read Speech.

The Manner In Which She was Taught
to Speak and to Read Speech.
Helen Keller is a household name
both in America and foreign lands.
She is blind as well as deaf. That
the walls Of silence and darkness
which shut her from the world have
been broken down, that her soul has
been set free and the seal of silence
taken from her lips, sQems miracu-
lous to those who know not how 1t
was done. The limits of this article
will permit only the briefest out
line of her story.
Rendered both deaf and blind at
10 months by severe illness, she
passed the first seven years of her
life in silence, darkness and igno
rance. Who could have suspected the
exquisite soul imprisoned in that
mute and darkened body2 A bright,
patient, loving woman came, and
the miracle began.
There was only one possible ave
nue. of approach to the beleaguercd
soul. The sense of touch remained,
and to that the teacher, Miss Anne
NJ. Sullivan, addressed her efforts.
Through finger spelling the child at
length obtained the idea of lam
guagc, and with this key otha doors
could be unlocked Having natural
ly fino mind, she learned rapidly
when once started and developed Il
phenomenal memory.
While Helen received information
only through spelling andi i'll limited
amount, she never forgot. To tell
her something was like writing it
in book. When you wished the
fact again months or even years aft
crward, you had only to ask for 1t.
But later, as she began to read books,
to meet more people and to receive
impressions through more channels
and in larger numbers, her memory
ceased to be so absolutely reliable.
Until she was II years Of age her
only means Of communication was
by finger spelling. Then, at her own
urgent request, she was given les
sons i'll speech by Miss Fuller, prin-
cipal of the Horace Mann school.
The rapidity with which she acquir-
cd the ability to speak was unprecc-
dented. She soon abandoned finger
spelling as means of expression
and has ever since used speech alone.
But others still had TO communi-
cate with her by their fingers. She
then expressed Il strong wish to
learn to read the lips by touching
them with her fingers. For the pur-
pose of attempting this difficult task
and to get special training in speech
she came to the yNright-Humason
school in New York city. During
the two years that she remained
there she succeeded in acquiring the
power of understanding people when
they spoke to her, and ut the Same
time pursued regular courses of
study in arithmetic, history, physi-
cal geography, French and German.
She has read much of the best liter
allure and is very intelligent on the
topics OF the day. Her own speech
is now excellent, and she has enter
cd girls school in Cambridge,
Mass, where She is taking II course
preparatory for Radcliffe college.
When being spoken to, she places
her index finger lightly upon the
lips, while the other fingers rest
upon tho check, tho middle one
touching the nose. Her thumb is
upon thc larynx. This position gives
her the greatest possible informa-
ton concerning the clements of
which speech is composed.-John
Dutton Wright in Century.