Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-02-10
A PATHETIC CASE

TN HE nation will sympathize with
Mrs. John Albert Macy, who is
"A in danger of losing her eyesight
from cataract To all lovers of human
ity, to all philanthropists, to the med
ical fraternity, and to great portion
known by her maiden name, Anne Sui
livan. 1t is the name of a heroine
If Helen Kellar is a marvel, it was
Anne Sullivan who wrought the mir
acle.
When Helen Kellar was brought to
Miss Sullivan she was eight years old
and was in the world, but not of it.
Her poor little soul was pent in a
prison. Blind and deaf, it seemed to
be impossible to make of her con-
scious participant in the life surround
ing her.
To Miss Sullivan was entrusted the
extraordinary task of developing Helen
Kellar by overcoming physical obsta-
Giles. All the world knows the success
that attended her conscientious efforts
to give the soul of Helen an oportu-
nifty of communicating with the out
side world or one might say, to make
a human being of the unfortunate lit
tie hermit. Miss Sullivan not only took
Helen Kellar out of the house of bond
age, by placing her in conscious COM
munication with other human beings,
and giving her an intelligent and dis
eliminating knowledge of objects, but
she actually developed in her such
marked initiative that her faculties
physical and mental became relatively
stronger than those of many girls who
were born in full possession of all the
senses, and, to cap the climax of a
wonderful story. Miss Kellar was en-
abled to pursue a course of study and
to take the degree of A. B. from Rad
cliffe college.
If the results accomplished by Miss
Kellar were wonderful. much more
wonderful was the genius of the gifted
instructor who brought light out of
darkness.
And now Mrs. Macy. the Anne Sulli-
van of the old pathetic, patient days
of watching, waiting and working for
the emancipation of the poor little soul
fettered in Helen Kellars afflicted
body, must herself pass into darkness
and walk through the cleaning all the
way into the last valley of the shad-
ows.
Her case has aroused unusual scien-
tific interest, but apparently pity is all
that skill can give to the rescuer of
Helen Kellar. DR.. Enoch Henry Cur
rier, superintendent of the New York
Institute for the Deaf and Dumb, says
that Mrs. Mays affliction with blind
ness after serving SO long as a teacher
of one similarly unfortunate has no
scientific significance. 1t is not a SYM
pathetic affection, and is not trace
able III any way &c her Hfe's work
Her misfortune is merely a coinci-
dence, such as sometimes manifests it.
self in the investigation of therapeu-
tics.
Mrs. Mays triumph as a developer
of dormant or restrained or restricted
human faculties did not end with the
education of Helen Kellar. She dem
onstrated successfully a method of
teaching that would enable others af-
fiicted like Helen Kellar to come into
communication with the outside world,
to express themselves intelllgibly and
comprehend the replies to their intel
ligent expressions. In the great sue
cess of her system, Mrs. Macy has
contributed a fundamental principle to
educational science. But the irony
with which fate has dealt with her is
no less striking than is the pathos of
her case. Verify, there was foundation
for the old Greek gibe at human skill
and science which has come down to
US from the dim ages before Chris
NATURALIZATION! Physician! Heal
myself