The National tribune., 1908-03-04

Miss Helen Keller occupies a unique
position among that small company of
the worlds marvels. Overwhelmingly
afflicted, not only with lack of sight,
but also of the two senses of hearing
and speech. she stands to-day as the
most notable example of the immense
advance made in. the education of these
pnfortunates, but also of what can be
accomplished In spite of what might
well be considered unsurmountable
handicaps. One stands dumb with hat
in hand, so to speak, before Miss Keller.
To those of us who can look upon tree,
flower running brook and all the beau
ties of this wonderful world, who can
listen to sweet music and the voices of
those dear to us, and express our
thoughts thru the ordinary, natural
channel of speech, life without these
faculties, and especially life full of
happiness, beauty and interest is al
most beyond comprehension. Miss kel-
Ter, aided by devoted teachers and long
years of patient study and practice. has
acquired the power of speech. and by
the same laborious methods her Won
derful mind has been brought to an
almost inconceivably high state of cul-
iivation. These results seem stupen-
dous, and one finds it very difficult to
express adequately the feeling her pa
tience determination, courage and wis
dom awaken. Miss Keller opens her
eyes to the possibility of what she
calls "her three trusty guides" touch,
smell and taste, and the wonderland
into which they have led her. Nature
has been called a cruel mother, but it
is only toward her disobedient children
that she is inexorable; toward her un-
fortunates she shows truly maternal
tenderness in endeavoring to cOmpen-
safe them in some way for that which
has been denied them In the case of
the blind or the deaf and dumb she
makes the other senses stronger, keen
er, develops them to extraordinary
power. Miss Keller says she cannot
say whether the eye or the hand is the
best medium of sight; she only knows
that the world which touch opens to
her is, ''alive, ruddy and satisfying"
Sight often gives a very inaccurate,
vague or useless idea of an object, but
touch, cultivated as it is in the case of
Miss Keller. gives unerring informa-
ton, and brings many sweet certain
ties which are closed books to one OF
ordinary sight. The sense of hearing
becomes equally wonderful in its de-
yelopment in one afflicted as she is,-and
Miss Keller obtains a world of facts
from vibrations. Thru her feet she
can hear music waves and knows when
a band is playing, and by vibrations she
can tell whether a carpenter Is saving
:or hammering; a thousand and one
little everyday occurrences are cor
rectly conveyed to her thru her feet.
The sense of smell, usually regarded as
the least important of the senses, Miss
Keller says, has something of the fallen
angel about it. She has found It a
most useful, important and dependable
handmade, who has served her with
faithful allegiance. The flood of earth
odors which her sense of smell conveys
to her tell her when a storm is ap-
preaching, and by the gradual fading
away of these she knows the storm has
passed. BY means of this greatly un-
appreciated sense she can tell the char
acter of a house she enters, whether
she is in the city or country, and a
vast amount of information concern
ing people. Smell, she says, gives her
more idea than touch or taste of how
sight and hearing discharge their func-
tions Being deprived at one time for
a short period of the senses of smell
and taste, she realized, cut off from the
myriad odors which guided, informed
and delighted her, bringing to her null
titudinous subtle joys, what dreary
waste life would be to her without 1t.
In speaking of the relative values of
the senses Miss Keller regards that of
touch as the most important, and says
that II 1a1rV DaOe me CnOoSe UelWetIl
the sense of sight and that of touch, l
would not part with the warm, endear-
ing contact of human hands or the
wealth of form, the nobility and full
ness that press into my palms"
So many stories are told of the un-
kindness and unnecessary insolence of
the Southern women toward our SOL
diers during the civil war that one like
the following comes like the fragrance
of flowers after a soft Summer rain.
Several years ago a Northern woman
found herself in the Cheat Mountains
of West Virginia. in the little village of
Huttonsville, then miles from any rail-
road Col. Hutton, who had served in
the Confederate army, was t'ae promi-
nent parsonage of the locality, and the
latchstring of his hospitable home was
always out and in warm weather the
door generally open. The ColoneIs
mother, tall, gaunt sad-looking wo-
man, who spoke with soft, drawing
voice, was treated by her son with
beautiful respect and devotion, and her
attitude toward him and everyone
showed her to be woman of strong
character and tender, womanly heart.
On one occasion, the Northern woman