Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-01-26
HELEN KELLER AND MUSIC.

1ELEN KELLER AND MUSIC.
Her Wonderful Musical Memory and
Appreciation.
No one who has seen Helen Keller
will be surprised to learn that she is
an exceedingly va1ua BILE and interest
ing object of study to psychologists.
DR.. Waldstein, in The Sub Conscious
Self, tells an interesting story of how
she helped to bring light into one of
the dark places of a comparatively
new branch of science. It will be re-
membered that though Helen lost her
sight and hearing when she was 10
months old, she includes among her
astonishing accomplishments the ap-
probation of music, which she per-
ceives through its vibrations by put
ting her fingers on singers throat,
or on an instrument, and even through
the floor. Her comments on the music
she hears leave no doubt as to the
clearness of the impressions it makes
upon her. This faculty of hers con-
yInced DIR. Waldstein that she had
created a center for musical impress
sions through the sense of touch like
ours connected with the ear. Then he
wondered if it were possible to recall
to her, through this sense of touch,
impressions that had originally come
to her through her ears before she
was 10 months old. If such impress
sions could be recalled, it would, he
thought, not only prove the force of
sub-conscious impressions (being in
fantile), but would suggest the ques-
ton whether, in such cases, a connec-
ton is not established between the
centers of hearing and touch and a
new mental process created. So,
wanting to know, he went on to ex-
pertinent, as he relates:
1 wrote to Mrs. Keller, who kindly
sent me the title of two plantation
songs, which were commonly sung in
her home in Alabama when Helen was
a baby, but are not now generally
sung, and which I could procure only
in manuscript from the South. These
tunes 1 had played upon the piano
while she stood beside the instrument
with her fingers resting upon its
wooden frame. Care was taken, of
course, that she shou' know nothing
of my intentions, and that she should
be taken unawares. The effect was
striking. The young woman, now
just entering upon her 10th year, be-
came greatly excited, laughed and
c1apped her hands, after the first few
bars of "'Way down in the meadow,
a-mowing of the hay"
"Father carrying baby up and
down, swinging her on his knee.
Black crow! black crow!" she ex-
claimed, repeatedly, with manifest
emotion. Miss Sullivan and several
ladies present were greatly astonished
at the result. On hearing the second
song, "The Ten Foolish Virgins"
the same effect was produced. 1t was
evident to all those who were present
that the young lady was carried back
to her early surroundings, even into
the time of life when she was carried
about by her father; but we could not
find meaning for the words "b1ack
crow" considered it prudent not to
question her, but applied by letter to
her mother, who was kind enough to
send an early reply. Mrs. Keller
said: "What you wrote interested us
very much. The Black Crow is her
fathers standard song, which he
sings to all his children as soon as
they can sit on his knee. These are
the words: 'Gwine long down the
old turn row, something hol1ered,
Hello joe" etc. 1t was a sovereign
remedy for putting them (the chi1dren)
in a good humor, and. was sung to
Helen hundreds of times. 1t is pos
sible that she remembers it from its
being sung to the two younger chill
dren as well as to herself. The other
two, am convinced, she had no assc.
citation with, unless she can remember
them as she heard them before her ILL., |
ness. Certainly, before her illness, |
her father used to trot her on his knee |
and sing the Ten Virgins and she
would get down and shout as the me-
groes do in church. It was very
amusing. But after she lost her
sight and hearing it was a very pain
Ful association. and was not sung to
these two little ones" fthe younger
It was quite clear that the child,