Rocky Ford enterprise., 1897-01-14
HELEN KELLER.
Tho Manner In which She Was Taught
to Speak and to Read Speech.

Tho Manner In which She Was Taught
to speak and to Read Speech.
Helen Keller Is household name
both In America and foreign lands.
She is blind as well rs 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 seems miraculous to
those who know not how 1t was done.
The limits Of this article will pemit
only the briefest outline Of her story.
Rendered both deaf and blind at
nineteen months by severe Illness, she
passed the first seven years of her life
In silence, darkness and ignorance.
Who could have suspected the exIuis-
lite soul imprisoned In that mute and
darkened body? A bright. patient, low
ing woman came, and the miracle be-
gan.
There was only one possible avenue
of approach to the beleaguered soul.
The sense of touch remained, and to
that the teacher, Miss Annie NJ. Sulli-
van, addressed her efforts. Through
finger spelling the child at length OBJ
tanned the idea of language, and with
this key other doors could be unlocked.
Having naturally n fine mind, she
learned rapidly when once started,
and developed n phenomenal memory.
While Helen received information
only through manual spelling and
in limited amount. she never forgot.
To tell her something was like writ
ing it in book. When you wished
the fact again months or even years
afterward, you had only to ask for it.
But later, as she began to read books,
to meet more people and to receive i'm
pressiOns through more- channels and
in larger numbers, her memory ceased
to be so absolutely reliable.
Until she was eleven years of age
her only means of communication was
by finger spelling. Then, at her own
urgent request, she was given lessons
in speech by Miss Fuller, principal of
the Horace Mann school. The rapid
ity with which she acquired the abil-
ity to speak was unprecedented. She
soon abandoned finger spelling and
has ever since used speech alone.
But others still had to communicate
with her by their fingers. She then
expressed strong wish to learn to
cead the lips by touching them with
her fingers. For the purpose of at
tempting this difficult task and to get
special training in speech she came to
the Wright-Humason school in New
York City. During the two years she
remained there she succeeded in ac-
quiring the power of understanding
people when they spoke to her, and at
the same time pursued the regular
courses in the study of arithmetic,
history, physical geography, French
and German. She has read very much
Of the best literature and is very in
telligent on the topics of the day. Her
own speech is now excellent, and she
has entered the girls school at Cam
bridge, Massachusetts. where she is
taking course preparatory for Rad
cliffe College.
When being spoken to she places her
index finger lightly upon the lips,
while the other fingers rest urap the
cheek, the middle one touching the
nose. Her thumb is upon the larynx
This position gives her the greatest
possible information concerning the
elements of which speech is com
posed.-"Speech and Speech-Reading
for the Deaf" by John Dutton Wright
in the January Century.