The Washington times., 1903-07-12
A Blind Boy Who
Sees Many Things
By MORRIS WADE.

T F the boys and girls who read this
should ever go out to the Kinder
garten for the Blind. in the Jamaica
Plain district of Boston and see Tommy
Stringer they would see perhaps the
most remarkable deaf, dumb, and blind
boy in the world.
This boy is now a fine looking young
lad of seventeen years. He was born in
FreeDort- Pa, and he could see 9nd
hear like other children until he was
three years old. when severe attack
Of that terrible disease cerebro-spinal
meningitis seized him. After months of
suffering he was left deaf, dumb, aud
blind, and he must ever remain in that
condition with the exception of being
able 10 speak in a kind of a strained
and harsh way, for they now teach even
\ those born dumb to speak.
Tom was a long time in a hospital
IN Allegheny City. in Pennsylvania
Helen Keller, that wonderful deaf. dumb
and. blind girl, heard of poor little
Tommy Stringer. and ii was partly
through her appeals in his behalf that
the money was secured TO send him 10
Boston to be educated at the Kinder
garten for the Blind. where he is still,
although he is long past the kindergar-
ten age. But for several reasons Tom
my" is kept at the kindergarten in
stead OF at the institution for blind boys
of his age, in another part OF the city
Tom was nearly five years of age
when he was taken to Boston. one OF
the most pathetically helpless little fell
teiligence than some animals. He ap-
peared hopelessly feeble in mind as well
as in body. He did not know even a
little Bit as some of you boys would
have said could you have seen him at
the time.
Hopeless as the case seemed. the
teachers at the kindergarten began the
tedious task OF teaching the boy TO read
and write and to do things that other
boys do. His mother had died, and his
father was too poor 20 do anything for
the boy Appeals TO the public for the
support OF Tom were made. and such
men as Phillips Brooks. Oliver Wendell
Holmes, and Edward Everett Hale. and
such women as Julia Ward Howe. and
the wealthy Boston philanthropist, Mrs
Mary Heminway became interested in
Tommy Stringer II cost at least 500
year 10 keep Tom at the kindergar-
ten. and to provide teacher for him.
but this amount has been provided by
generous people for twelve years. A
great many boys and girls have sent
Tom money TO help him along" and
he has not lacked anything he needed for
his education
From being an utterly ignorant and
helpless. animal-like boy. Tom has
developed into one of the brightest deaf
dumb. and blind boys in the world. and
many boy who can see and hear and
think cannot equal him in mechanical
skill. He is extremely fond OF working
at the carpenters bench, and he has
been taught by one OF the best teachers
of sloyd in America-Custaf LARSON.
You should see this totally blind boy
at his carpenters bench. saving nail
ing. hammering. planning. measuring with
perfect accuracy. and converting rough
boards into all sorts OF pretty and useful
things. He has made a little toy house
that would do credit to an experienced
carpenter. There are more than a dozen
different kinds of wood in this house.
and how do you suppose that this blind
boy tells one kind of wood from another.
He puts IL TO his nose and smells OF It.
He can tell the name OF any kind Of wood
the moment he has smeiled Of IL, and he
can tell the name OF any tree II you will
let him have one Of the leaves long
enough for him to feel the shape Of It,
TON" has been to Washington, where
ne was received by President Mckinley,
but he seemed a good deal more inter
ested In the White House than in the
President. He asked all sorts OF ques-
fiong OF his teacher about the house.
and he even measured some OF the
rooms 10 see just how large they were.
Houses interest him very much and he
has great plans for the house he wants
20 build for himself some day. II viii
be a wonderful house II Tom" is ever
able 10 carry out all OF his plans in re-
gard 10 II. He is as happy a boy as you
will find in a days journey No one
ever hears him complain because OF his
triple afiiction. II was not until within
O very few years that he was told that
he was different from other boys.