The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1898-07-29
Letter from Helen L. Manning.
Medfeld, Mass. July %. Is


a letter before left Ben Adhem House set
Element In Boston for my summer sojourn
In Med6eld, but failed to find the time.
Our farmhouse surroundings and accommo-
da'"ns are just as charming as they were
last year, and we are quite party of
cogenial friends. Among the number is
Mss Cora A. Manning, who for the past
t-gse years has been Director of public
school kindergarten in Utica, N. Y.
have been wanting to tell you some
thing about Tommy Stringer, little boy.
blind, deaf and dumb, who Is now in the
kindergarten department of the Perkins IN
stitute for the Blind. Helen Keler's case
is widely known, but not so many are aware
that three others, similarly afflicted are now
being educated In the wonderful institution
founded by good DR.. Howe, whose rare In
sight, wisdom and patience in instructing
Laura Bridgman, has practically served to
open the prison doors Of sense to others sim
ilarly shut in.
Tommy is now eleven years old, intelli-
gent, active and loveable, but when he was
brought to Boston nearly seven years ago,
he was not unlike puppy in his vague,
inane instincts and characteristics. Miss
COnley, his special teacher, has been untir-
ing in her patient, loving efforts in his be-
half, and the development of the boy has
been most remarkable. He is manly, truth
full wilful and selfreliant. He is also
cheerful, viyacious and full of fun. As the
dormant faculties of the boy were slowly
awakened by objective methods, he was
found to have an overmastering inclination
to mechanical occupations and this has been
seized upon to stimulate other faculties,
through things related.
For the past year Tommy has been under
Gustaf LARSON of the North Bennett street
Sloyd Training School. He has been given
four hours week of this fascinating en-
ployment, and in this time has made ten
different articles. He also kept brief
journal record of his experiences with tools,
which are of much interest and are signif-
cant of the future development. make
few copies from these notes. l will explain
In passing, that the only tool made especial
ly for him, is a measuring rule with raised
figures. and that he uses the scratch-all to
lay out his work, instead of the lead pencil
which boy with eyes would use.
Friday, October 22d. Yesterday made
footstOol. l used two saws, hammer,
nails, try-square, vice, nail-set and
rule"
monday, October Goth. am going to
make big box now. used pine wood.
1t was hard wood. sawed long piece of
wood, put 1t in vice. Then / took the
plane. The plane makes the wood smooth.
The wood Is strong. The wood comes
from the tree"
Then he goes on with record for
number of days, giving particulars of the
construction of the box, until Nov. 9th he
records that 1t is completed. Then on the
18th he says:
~ am going to make spade now to dig
with and make hole in the sand. Mr..
Larson gave me some white wood to use.
The white wood comes from the poplar
tree. l used the auger to make two holes"
Friday, Nov. Goth. Today made the
handle of my spade round with the spoke
shave. 1t was hard to make 1t round.
Then took the file and rubbed the wood.
The file made the handle smooth. l like
tools.'
Next he makes shelf, a wildwood box
for nails and also box of cherry, which
being hard wood, he finds 1t more difficult
to work with. Next, he made hat frame
and then a letter case.
There are five pieces of wood in the
letter case, the back, front, two sides and
the bottom. have used the saw, the back
saw, the plane, the block plane, the bench
hook, the awl, the file, the bit, the ham,
mer, nails, the vice and the try-square."
A coat hanger, tool rack, a bird-hOuse
complete the record of his work for the
year. He recognizes eight different kinds
of wood by the sense of smell alone. He
can drive nail straight, and will instantly
detect any imperfection in his work with
his seeing fingers"
Tommy has lessons such as are common
In our schools, of course and he reads books
prepared for the blind, and when it comes
to asking questions, he Is not to be dis
tanced by boys with the use Of eyes, ears
and tongue. One day when he had been
talking with his teacher at high rate of
speed for more than an hour, she sugges-
lively inquired, Are you not tired ?"
mo! MOI" he replied with little i'm
patience and an air of surprise, and so his
patient teacher continued to answer the
steady stream of questions which the seek
ing soul formulated.
But perhaps more surprising than any
thing else Is his climbing propensity. He
investigates various trees by climbing over
them with utter fearlessness, and he under.
takes to understand the construction of
buildings in the same manner. He uses
ladder sometimes but often prefers original