Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-28
HELEN KELLER'S PLEA
FAMOUS BLIND GIRL SPEAKS FOB
OTHERS AFFLICTED.
Asks That Those Stricken Be Given an
Opportunity to Earn Their
Own Living.

Helen Keller, undoubtedly the most re-
| markablc modern example of the possibili-
ties of education. who almost from birth
has been blind and deaf yet who has pass-
ed with the highest honors nearly through
Radcliffe College, has entered the lists to
appeal for help for the blind family of
which she Is a member. She does not ask
for them aims, but that they be taught self
supporting trades professions. so that
instead of being a burden on the commun-
lily and a sorrow to themselves, they may
be happy in their ability to earn their own
hvings and content in the knowledge that
they are useful members of the social
scheme. In a recent address ON the subject
Miss Keller said:
Convincing Arguments.
The question of helping the blind to sup
port themselves has been near to my heart
for many years. All have learned on the
subject in the books i have read / have
stored up in my mind against the day
when should be able to turn 1t to the use
OF my blind fellows That day has come.
1t is true 1 am still an Undergraduate
ana have not had time to study the prob
ieins OF the blind so deeply 1 will some
oiiy. nave, however, thought about these
propiems, and / know that the time is ripe
nay has long been ripe, to provide for the
adult blind the means OF self-support.
ne bind are in three classes: first blind
chiiaren, who need common school educa-
uoh; second the aged and infirm blind who
need to be tenderly cared for; third the
able bodied blind who ought to work
FOR the third class, healthy adult blind,
nothing adequate has been done They do
not want to go to school and read books
They do not want to be fed and clothed
and housed by other people. They want to
work and support themselves. We ask that
the adult blind be given opportunity to
earn their osn living. We do not approve
any system to pauperize them We are not
asking for them degrading pension or the
abstract slories of higher education. We
want them apprenticed TO trades, and we
, want some organized method of helping
them to positions after they have learned
these trades.
Consider the condition of the adult blind
from the point of view of their fellow
citizens. and from their own point of view.
What sort of citizens are they now? They
are public or private burden, bad
debt an object of plying charity, an eco
nomic loss. What we ask for them i'm the
name of Christian philanthropy. ask
equally on the ground of economic good
sense. At present the adult blind form a
large class who are unremuneratiye and un-
profitable.
Few self-supporting.
Mr.. William b. Wait of the New York
institution for the blind says less than eight
per cent of the entire blind population of
the United States even those who have
been TO schooas Tor the plnd are selI-sup-
porting. Nothing OF consequence mas peen
done Tor the adult bhnd since Dr Howes
ia. ~ was ne wlio -. go i,e WI
naction with the perkins ynstifuIion and
that remains much as he left it,
1.-THE bishop of Ripon said recently at the
institution for the blind in Bradford Eng
land. Speaking OF a time thirty years ago,
he said: The workhouse and the charity of
the passerby were the only hope for the
blind. All that has been changed. The blind
have been taught useful occupations. he
says. and have been enabled i'm many cases
TO earn sufficient to maintain. themselves in
comfort so that 1t has come to be a re-
proaeh that blind man or woman should
beg in the streets This is the change in
England in thirty years
''There are two things to do which work
together and become one First, let the
state establish by an adequate appropria-
ton an agency for the employment of the
blind AT the head of IL should be a COM
petent man whose sole duty should be to
stu6y all oecupafjons in which the blind
can engage to exhibit the work of the blind.
to advise and encourage them and to bring
ennIoyers and blind EMPLOYEES together
withnut expense to- either. RMS bureau