Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1901-02-06

he child anything. Her mind at that
time was entirely blank and the life to
come hopeless. Then the attention of
the parents was directed to the case of
Laura Bridgeman, who, similarly
afflicted, was taught to read, sew, play
on musical instruments and do many
other seemingly impossible things, at
the Perkins school in Boston. The KEEL
Ter girl was thereupon taken to this
school and placed in the hands Of Miss
Sullivan, one Of the teachers, who WAS
to see what she could do with the little
one. From that day to this Miss Sulli-
van has devoted her whole time to the
education Of the girl and her success
stamps her as prodigy of patience, as
that Of Miss Keller makes her marvel
in mental development. Miss Keller Is
now as highly accomplished as any
other young woman of 20, in spite OF
her early impediments.
When Miss Sullivan undertook the
task of teaching Helen, the child had
only the sense of touch. 1t took many,
first that certain signs with her teach
er's fingers meant certain things and
then that the same signs with her own
fingers meant the same thing. In time
the child could make her wants known
in an intelligent sign language, crude
and without much scope, but a start
had been made and the little mind had
begun to store up knowledge. In three
years she could talk in the sign Ian
guage very intelllgently. One day in
1890 she said to Miss Sullivan, spelling
the words out with her fingers in her
teachers hand, "Why cannot speak?
would like to learn to speak,"
Conquering Dumbness.
Miss Sullivan went to Miss Fuller. in
Newton Lower Falls, near Boston,
from whom she learned the method of
lip reading and speaking for the dumb.
Then the training of Miss Keller began.
First she was taught the entire auat-
omy of the mouth and vocal parts of
the throat. She comprehended these
things by putting her fingers in Miss
Sullivan's mouth and feeling of the
condition and position of the tongue,
teeth and lips when certain sounds
were made. The vocal organs In the
throat were carefully explained to her,
with their location and operation. Next
she was told to put her fingers in her
own mouth and note the position of her
tongue, teeth and lips when she made
certain sounds, as, for instance, ct"
ID" and co." Very strange were her
first attempts to make definite sounds
with her own vocal organs, but sur
geon had said there was no physical
reason why she could no. speak, and
again Miss Sulllvan's patience and per-
severance conquered, aided this time
by the child's own anxiety to learn.
Slowly she was taught to make definite
sounds, until she had acquired some
facility In doing SO. No attempt was
yet made to teach her to speak, for first
of all the vocal organs must be brought
into full use and control.
When Helen could make sounds re.
sembling "R," rs" and ''P" and MANY
others, Miss Sullivan started at the be-
ginning Of the English alphabet and
taught her to say her letters. Doing
this was somewhat slow, but 1t gave
her excellent practice and was a fine
thing for the vocal organs. When she
had learned her letters the rest was
easy. From saying her letters SO that
one could recognize them to saying
whole words was only step.
Learning to Listen.
But now she must learn to 'listen."
This was another hard task, depending
more on the child than her teacher.
Placing Helen's forefnger across her
Miss Sullivan's) lips. and the thumb
under the chin, the little girl learned to
interpret first simple sounds and then
whole words. by noting the movements
Of the lips and chin only. Practice made