The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-12
A Blind Boy Who
 "SeeS" Many Things.
BY MORRIS WADE.

If the boys and girls who read this should ever go out to the Kindergarten for the Blind, in the Jamaica Plain district of Bos- ton and see Tommy Stringer they would see perhaps the most remarkable deaf, dumb and blind boy in the world.
 This boy is now fine looking young lad of IT years He was born in Freeport, Pa and he could see and hear like other chill dren until he was three years old, when severe attack of that terrible disease cere- bro-spinal meningitis seized him. After months of suffering he was left deaf. dumb and bllnd and he must ever remain in that condition with the exception of being able to speak in a kind of strained and harsh way, for they now teach even those born dumb to speak
 Tom was a long time in q hospital in Allegheny City, in Pennsylvania. Helen Keller, that wonderful deaf, dumb and blind girl, heard of poor little Tommy" Stringer, and it was partly through her appeals in his behalf that the money wns secured to send him to Boston to be educated nt the Kin dergarten for the Blind, where he Is still, although he Is long past the kindergarten aRe But for several reasons Tommy is kept at the kindergarten instead Of at the institution for blind boys of his age In another part of the city.
 From" was nearly five years of age when he was taken to Boston, one of the most pa- thetically helpless little fellows that ever lived. He had less intelligence than some nuimals He appeared hopelessly feeble in mind as we'll as in body. He did not know "even little bit" as some of you boys would have snid could you have seen him at this time
 HoDeIess as +he case seemed, the teachers nt the kindergarten began the tedious task of teaching the boy to read and write and 10 do things .-at other boys do. His mother had died, and his father was too poor to do anything for the boy. Appeals to the public for the support of 'aPom" were made and sucs, 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 Hemin- way became Interested in Tommy Stringer- It cost at least $700 year to keep rom" at the Kindergarten and to provide teacher for him, but this amount has been provided by generous people for 12 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 help less, animal-llke boy, '~Tom" has developed Into one of the brightest deaf dumb and blind boys In the world, and many a boy who can see and hear and think cannot equal J 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 sioyd In America-Mr. Gustaf Larsson.
 You should see this totally blind boy at his carpenters bench, saving, mailing. hammer Ing. blaming, measuring with perfect accu- racy. and converting rough boards Into all sorts Of pretty and useful things. He has made little toy house that would do credit TO an experienced carpenter. There are more man dozen different kinds of wood in this house, and how do you suppose that this blind boy tells one kind of wood from an- otnerF He puts fl 10 his nose and smells of F. He can tell tho nnmp of any kind of wood the moment he has smelled of it. and ne can ten the name of any tree if you will nm nm nave one of the leaves long enough Tor nm to feel tho shape of 1t.
 lie Is 50 familiar with the kinderyn r4en Tor tne blind that he runs up md down stairS and in Hud ont Of rooms nlmost as freely as boy who can see. He even Tides bicycle around the school grounds. and he and tho other blind boys have good times coastmg Inside the grounds when there is plenty of snow.
 Tom knows ns much about grammar. rith- metic, geography, physiology, history and botany as any other boy of his years, He goes to the public school, but his teacher Mss Conley, must go with him. and she sits by his side and tells him in the sign lan- guage all that the regular teacher tells the other boys.
 Tom" has been to Washington, where he was received by President Mckinley, but he seemed good deal more Interested in the White House than In the President. He asked all sorts of questions of his teacher about the house, and he even measured some of the rooms to see just how large they were. Houses interest him very much, and he has great plans for the house he wants to build for himself some day. It will be won derfui house If Tom Is ever able to carry out all of his plans in regard to it. He is as happy a boy as you will find in a days journey. No one ever hears him compl lain because of his triple affiiction. It was not until within a very few years that he was told that he was different from other boys.