The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-12-31
HELEN KELLER.
The Little Speech she Delighted Her Classmates by Uttering-Her Flu


 Classmates by Uttering-Her Flu
 ture
 The maiden speech made by Mis-
 Helen Keller, generally known a
 deaf, dumb and blind at the lunch con of the Radcliffe college freshman class, of which she is vice-president, i a notable example of the progress sh has made in speech during the past sev en years of persistent effort. He words were heard quite clearly througl the hall. She said:
 Classmates: It is great pleasure and I esteem 1t great honor, to bt present here and speak to you. I an glad to have an opportunity to thanf the class for their kindness in electine me their vice president, and I hope tha may become acquainted with many o1 you Although cannot see you, I vii soon know you by touching youi hands"
 | Every one heard, and there was warn applause. It was the first time that Miss Keller had joined in the socia life of her college. Miss Griffin, soph- | alphabet, was by her side, and lost nc time in getting words to the speaker to | tell her about the warm reception her speech had been accorded.
 This may well be regarded as sam | pie of Miss Keller's progress in speech, after some seven years of persistent ef- fort. To some her talk is more clear than to others, but she generally gets along very we'll with her end of the converse tion, and all one has to do Is to listen closely It is by practice that Miss Keller gains in clearness. She is encouraged to talk as much as poss- ble, and to demand less and less upon using the alphabet of the hands.
 In looking forward to future work, a literary career Is suggested. Miss Kel- Ter already has a wide knowledge of English, if from no other reason than that Miss Sullivan uses exceptionally fine language. Then, too, all the read ing required in the college work Is translated to Miss Keller by Miss Sul- llvan, and her style and vocabulary are constantly being improved.
 But now about this matter of expe- rience'?" is the question that arises when literary career Is suggested.
 Those who have watched her compo- sition find much that is promising Although entirely deaf and blind, Miss Keller often shows that she appreciates sound and color. And while she may always be under the misfortune of lack ing much in human experience that oth- arc hl ch alyaes ,.ip nf what she has that her future efforts in the line of writing may bring forth many surprisesl. One who has watched her advance for several years says:
 Her writing shows much individual ity, and yet 1t is evident that her style of thought and expression Is still con- paratively undeveloped and of much the same character as often found in any other young person, especially those who have not had wide experi- ence. She draws much from her imme- that she perceives what there is about her with almost, if not nuite, the flavor that others can with all their faculties Take, for instance, some of her conver- sation. It is natural and on very much the same lines as you hear anywhere. l heard her conversng the other day with a girl about her age. The girl friend was telling about new dress that she had.
 "'What is the color?' asked Miss Kel- Ter, promptly.
 Pink returned the friend
 And Miss Keller was apparently as
  idea of pink as you or I have.
 Another instance I recall Miss Kel- Ter stood waiting for a car on a street an experience quite conl- mon to the rest of us. While waiting, one of the two persons with her re- marked upon the reflection of the lights on the surface of the street, wet with rain. Miss Keller was aware that was being said, and asked about it. And when informed, she was appreciative of what 1t looked like
 'Mis Keller recently entered a room where the family cat was at leisure in an armchair. She patted the cat and hen touched its nose. What a differ ent purr this cat has from many other sats I know!' exclaimed Miss Keller. 'I note these little things merely to indicate what a sense of appreciate she has of things which come to her I accordingly can see where she may produce remarkable work. In view of the opportunities which she is now accepting at college, I , believe those interested in her will see hat she finishes the course.
 "So, you see, she is continually get ing experience, upon which she can | ,uild. Her writing certainly does not | ack flavor, and at times might be | ,alled emotional. At times, too, it is Ilmost ornate, but what a common fea- | ure that isl"