The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-02
KELLER I'M SCHOOL.
THE BLIND AND DEAF ORE SUR
PRIsEs HER TEAUHERs.
HHer First Year OF CeIiege Preparatory work.
Haethods OF Observation-Disclosures % Un-
usual Intellectual Pewer-Erarvarh EHam-
tnntiona at witch she Has Vgon 1nonsrs.

tnnaona at which she Has Won monoFs.
An account OF tho frst years college prepare
tory work done by Miss Helen Adams Keller. as
" Little Helen Keller" the blind and deaf girl,
Is now called, has Just been given out by Arthur
Gilman, M. A., director Of tho Cambridge School
for Girls. whore Helen has lived for tho past
year.
Helen entered in September. 1896, accom-
panied by her teacher, Miss Anne Sullivan, the
plan being to have them both in every class,
Miss Sullivan being the Interpreter Of the In
struction given by the teachers. For the first
time In her lifo Helen lived in the constant So
ciety OF seeing and hearing persons, and was
taught with normal pupils by instructors inex.
perienced in teaching the deaf or the blind.
Her companionship at all times was supplied by
normal persons. Mr.. Gilman himself had had
no experience with any but seeing and hearing
pupils. and at first could converse with Helen
only by allowing her to talk with her mouth
and take his words from his lips with her fingers.
Though Helen had not been instructed in a
course preparatory to college, sho had been
taught much English and needed little instruc-
ton in that direction beyond tho critical study
Of books especially assigned by the colleges for
that purpose for 1897. She had also made good
progress in French and had had what would
amount to about n half years Latin. She was
unusually advanced In German. and 1t was
thought that a good years work would At her
for both tho elementary and the advanced OK
animation. These expectations were more than
fulfilled. 1t was thought probable that at tho
end of the year she would be able to pass the ex-
animation set by Harvard in English, history,
French, and elementary and advanced German.
While preparing for these tests, Helen was to
study arithmetic also, in.order to begin algebra
the next year.
Ono NJ tho frat oueatiopa that aroae waa WIN
shall conduct tho examinations At Harvard
the candidates are numbered and are known to
those who conduct the examinations by mum.
bers only. 1t was impossible to conceal the fact
that Helen's papers were written by her, because
she was obliged to use a typewriter and tho
others could use pen or pencil. Some one had
to serve as eyes for Helen and testify that she
was the person who actually produced tho writ
ten paper. Mss Sullivan was unwilling to act
in that capacity, and Mr.. Gilman, who. as a
member Of the corporation of Radcliffe College
for many years. was familiar with the Harvard
examinations. was chosen. He proceeded.
therefore. to learn the manual alphabet and
acquired facility in it by giving Helen a portion
of her work in English and reading to her exam
ination papers in French, German. SC. About
Christmas time he began to road Shakespeare
and other authors to Helen, she constantly COM
plimenting him upon his good progress.
All difficulties vanished as the work pro-
crossed. The teacher Of German became inter.
ested and learned to read Helen with her hand.
Others did the same. There was, however, diff.
ficulty in getting the books made promptly
enough, in spite of the willingness In London, in
Philadelphia and elsewhere to hasten all such
work. The avidity with which Helen read what
ever was placed within her range kept her al
ways ahead of the respective lessons. Helen
never studied as II it were a task. With her a
new text book was q fresh and delightful field
for investigation. The exhilaration OF overcom-
ing obstacles kept this schoolgirl as much in
terested as another might be in achieving sue
cess in a game of golf or tennis.
The actual school work during tho year
showed little difference between the treatment
of Helen and of other pupils. In the class
Miss Sullivan was always by her side interpret
ing the instruction of the teachers, and in study
hours she read to her pupil what she had to
learn. except such work as was prepared In
Braille.
Helen enjoyed the PLAYS of Shakespeare that
Mr.. Gilman read to her immensely, and also
Burke's essays. Macaulay and johnson inter
ested her less. In reading Burke, when the word
heterogeneous was encountered, Helen said:
81 have never seen that word. but it Is evil
IDENTIFY of Greek origin" although she had never
studied Greek. When Burke said that Parlia.
ment had disarmed Wales by statute and now
proposed to disarm America by IAN ~instruc-
ton" Helen quietly remarked: Rather polite.
was it not T. When Mr.. Gilman explained the
meaning of "chicane,' and showed her the trick
by which the New Englanders nul!iled an act Of
Parliament, Helen exclaimed: THAT was tho
way in which the case was decided in tho
Merchant Of Venice 1t was a legal bubble
that Bellario taught Portal From these and
other incidents Mr.. Gilman was led to believe
that the logical action Of Helen's mind is its
most pronounced trait.
The Harvard examinations were held from
Juno % to July 3. 1t had not been intended 10
have Helen examined in Latin, as she had not
studied the subject half SO long as normal pupils
are accustomed to study it. But her teacher
assured Mr.. Gilman that she was as well fitted
as any OF the candidates who had been through
the usual course.
Hclen's first examination was the most diff
cult, advanced German. She and Mr.. Gilman
took their places in a room where they could DO
uninterrupted. The papers were given out at
Harvard College at 0 o'clock and were brought
to Mr.. Gilman under seal. Helen sat at her
type writer and Mr.. Gilman took n position at
her side SO that his right hand could grasp hers.
In his own words:
1--WE had often done the snme thing before.
but no previous effort had been quito like this
one, and we were both conscious of 1t. On other
occas oDs We tried to see II we could cope with
the paper; now we were actually TO write some
thing to be submitted to Harvard examiners as
| a final test. 1t was plain to me that Helen felt
this. i read the entire paper through at fret,
then sentence by sentence. Helen repeated tho
| words with her voice as my hands made tho
signs.
THE paper was not an easy one. 1t was Ell.
| dent that Helen felt that. Her brow was knit,
her fingers seemed to want to clutch an idea;
| perspiration came, but with regularity the type.
writer spelled out the English of the German
text. Helen forged ahead. and / anxiously kept
her supplied with new sentences to translate.
BY GA she had put all Of the German from
the German books that she he'd read into Eng.
Iish. Then she took up the English to DO trans
lated into German. At IL :O5 this. too. had been
done. Next there was a passage from a book
| that Helen had never seen. This was completed
at ll:44. / then read to Helen what she had
written, and she dictated such changes as she
| thought necessary. These l intcrlined. 1t then