Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1897-12-01
HER WORK.
The Heroic Conduct Of Blind Helen
Keller.
She Raises . Fand 90 Educate .
Poor Boy who Like Herself
| Was blind and
Helpless.

A little child lived in black silence
There never was midnight SO dense as
the darkness that enveloped his mind.
Sight and hearing were gone utterly
and forever. The child knew absolutely
nothing, except hat sometimes from
somewhere something put God into his
mouth, and moved him about when
necessary. His world was limited by as
much of his little crib as he could feel
with his hands, and by the touch of this
something that cared for his wants.
The merest babe knows the sunlight
and it's mothers voice and face. Five
years had passed over this little boy as
he lay on his hospital cot, but he knew
less than a month-old infant-less, in
deed, than the least of the beasts of the
field. He was completely shut up in a
living tomb of flesh, with no commune
cation between himself and the great
world about him. Yet within that
prison was a healthy brain, open to all
the possibilities of life.
Since the terrible sickness that had
come to him in infancy, little Tommy
Stringer had lain thus among strangers.
His mother was dead; his father could
not help him. From his birthplace in
Washington. Pa, the helpless sufferer
had been removed to a hospital in Allie
gheny. But no institution wanted this
troublesome charge, who would require
the constant attention of a eacher. So
the almshouse seemed the only haven
for Tommy. There at least he could
find a shelter.
But it was not to be so. Light was
ahead-the glorious light of knowl-
edge. One who had been similarly shut
in by the walls of a triple affection was
to lead Tommy Stringer out into the
bright light that she herself enjoyed.
1t was during the summer of 1890 that
the news of Tommy's sad plight came to
Helen Keller. The sensitive soul of this
~ten-year-old girl was deeply affected.
She, if no one else, would save the poor
boy.
Thenceforth Tommy became the bur-
den of Helen's thought and ~conversa-
ton. She talked about him to her
friends; she wrote letter upon letter
asking aid for him. AT this time oc-
Cured a pathetic incident that was the
means of turning toward the little blind
boy the kindly interest and generous
gifts that accomplished his rescue.
The pet and playmate of Helen when
she was at home was a beautiful New
foundland dog. Through a foolish
blunder, this animal was shot by a
policeman. When the news came to
Helen, she had no word of reproach, but
simply said, with beautiful charity: II
am sure they never could have done it If
they had only known whats dear, good
dog 'Lioness' was"
The story of her love was published
widely, and from far and near-even
from across the ocean-came to Helen
offers of money or another dog. The
little girl had only one answer to all
these kind expressions; she was CRATE
full, but she did not ARE for another
dog to take the place of Lioness. Never
theless, the gift would be accepted, il
the donor * desired, on behalf of q
little deaf, dumb and blind boy, for
whom she was trying to raise money
| enough to bring him to Boston to be
educated.
In every direction Helen sent this
message, always in a specially written
| personal letter that was marked by the
sweet simplicity and remarkable ability
of the author. For a long time these
letters averaged eight a day, and a
marvelously versatile and eloquent lit
tie p]eader Helen showed herself. She
also wrote for newspapers articles adj
dressed to children, as well as general
appeals-never any two precisely alike.
Helen instituted for herself a rigorous
| course of self-denial abstinence from
| soda water and other priced luxuries),
that she might save money for her one
| great object. The result OF all this
effort was the securing of sufficient
| funds to insure Tommy at least two
years of education at the kindergarten
for the blind, Jamaica Plain, Mass
William T. Ellis, in st. Nicholas.