Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1900-11-23
Helen Keller In College.

/
The gladdest student in Radcliffe
college this fall is Helen Keller, the
blind, deaf and dumb girl Of which w
have read so many stories since hel
wonderful education was begun. She
is young woman of twenty now. and,
without eyes for studying, without ears
for hearing questions or voice for an
swering them, she has not only taken
the Harvard examinations for entrance
to the girls college at Cambridge. but
she has passed them with great credit.
And yet. almost any child of thirteen
has had better chance to prepare for
college than Helen Keller. who had
not even learned to use her sense Of
touch before she was seven years old.
and who has gathered all the knowl-
edge she has to day within the space
OF thirteen years and in the face of the
greatest posi- BILE obstacles.
It seems that while she Was still !
little girl she set her heart upon going
some day to Radcliffe College and, for
the last five years she has been steadi-
ly working with that aim In view. Mr..
Arthur Gilman, who for years was
treasurer at Radcliffe, has been her
tutor during this time of preparation.
When Miss Sullivan, Helen's teacher.
first talked to him about the young
girls ambition, he shook bis head de-
cidedly. The idea of teaching geome-
try and astronomy to girl who had
never SO much as seen a slate pencil !
mark. nor watched the twinkling Of |
one star-a girl who could neither |
hear what he had to tell her nor ask |
him about the things she wanted to
know, seemed almost too much like q |
miracle for him to attempt. But
Helen was determined; Miss Sullivan
pleaded her case we'll; and finally, saf-
ter learning what seemingly impossi-
ble steps in the way of education had
already been taken. Mr.. Gilman con-
sented to began the work.
Geometry and algebra were natural
y little hard for girl who had only
her sense of touch to help her, but the
use of ingenius instruments settled
that difficulty. In language Helen was
thoroughly at home from the time she
began to study. As soon as--she had
to understand English by
placing her fingers on the lips of the
speaker she could Of course get the
'ound of any other language in the
anne way. For the rest-grammar.
composition and the like-the raised
etter books and her wonderful mem.
Try helped her out. In place of the
equired laboratory work, its alterna-
ives-text book physics and astronomy
were substituted. Her delicate sense
4 touch came in play in the study of
hysics. When she met the word mer-
ury, for instance, the way she ''lo0k-
d at it" was to have some poured into
be palm of her hand ia trying to pick
upshe discovered why it was "quick-
liver" then she weighed some of it
nth almost perfect success. As for
stronomy, chart ON which she could
eel the heavenly bodies made that
lain to her.
The examinations were given her in
aised letters and in answering them
he employed typewriter, in the use
t which she is an expert. She passed (
q advance Latin with credit; in Greek !
nth the "B'' that means an honor; and
esides all the rest, had finished work i
n advance French and Freshman Eng
sh, which was not required for en-
rance to the college.
So to day, a happy-faced girl may be
cen at lectures and recitations in Rad
life College accompanied always by I
fiss Sullivan who repeats the instruc-
or's words in signs that Helen under
tands. And, surprising as it may I
eem, it looks very much as if bright
iris with normal eyes and ears would t
ave to prop them wide open in order
o keep step with this new student who {
an neither hear nor see nor speak.