Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-20
THE FRENCH HELEN KELLER
MARIE HUERTIN, DEAF, DUMB
AND BLIND.
Touching Story Of Nuns Devotion to
Most Pitiful Unfortunate, Whom
She Has Educated.

Translation in Boston Transcript From lie Monde
lllustre.
Every Frenchman knows the name OF
NJ. Maurice de la SiZeranne, author or
thrilling books which will have a unique
and very notable place in the history OF
French literature. NJ de la Sizeranne
gives us his own impressions, gives US
himself; his every word is personal. and
his personal impressions have a general
interest because he Is blind. Losing his
sight when child. he accepted the at
Fiction with a resignation that soon trans
formed itself into an apostolate. I speak
not only of the Association Valentin
Hauy. which he founded and still directs.
but OF that moral campaign of his in
which he has striven to make the seeing
understand the blind and to destroy the
wicked prejudice that makes people re-
gard the blind as of necessity isolated
from society, excluded from all intellect
ual life and forever deprived OF all that
makes existence pleasurable and inter
esting.
was reminded of NJ de Ia Sizeranne
and his campaign while reading the other
day the wonderful story OF girl born
blind and deaf and consequently dumb.
March 1. 1895. cooper of Vertou near
Nantes, came to the Sisters OF La Sa-
gesse at Larnay, not far from Poictiers.
bringing with him his ten-year-old dauSh-
ter Marie Huertin who had never seen
or heard or spoken. save to utter narticu-
late cries. She had a british face. a scared
look and the alarmed agitation of luna
tic The Larnay nuns opened their doors
to this miserable creature. upon whom
curse seemed to have rested from the
first.
Marie Huertin was. in fact, little ami
NAL. AS the sense of taste was The only
a
thought only Of her food. Ter appe-
tite satisfied, she would fall asleep. WAX
ing, she would grope for her spoon ana
tin plate and beat them together TIL
some one Brought her something else 20
eat. She had a sort Of instinct. One day
she contrived to find her way back to a
house where she had been given some
jam. Reaching the door. She howled.
holding out piece OF dry bread to make
plain her demands. Sometimes she would
slip down into the cellar, turn the spig-
OF of wine barrel and help herself.
Task of Sister Marguerite.
A nun named Sister Sainte- Marguerite
was given the keeping of this unfortunate
creature. and with heroic courage set
about educating her Education! What
could she learn and how. when she had
neither sight nor hearing nor power OF
speech? 1t took faith to enter upon such
guerite had faith. She believed-indeed
knew-that within that lamentabla body
dwelt soul and that her one duty was 10
awaken that soul For a wonder, she sue
ceeded In a beautiful and very touch
ing book, "Une Ame en- Prison. NJ Louis
Arnould has written the story Of Marie
Huertin and the marvels wrought by her
teacher.
The start was by no means encouraging.
At first the child was seized with fits OF
nearly two months. Her teacher had no.
ticed that the poor little girl showed q
great affection for pockethnlfe she
had brought with her from .er home. Sne
took it away. Marie moped The nun
gave back the knife. at the same time
laying the child's hands one over the
other crossWise: among deaf mutes. that
is the abridged sign for knife Having
done this, she again contiscated the knife.
Marie was angry, but when she learned
to make the sign on her own initiative
the knife was given back for good. Inc
first step had been Accomplished. The
child had understood the relation between
the sign and the thing.
Patience Of the Angels.
With angelic patience Sister Sainte-
Marguerite went on to teach Marie Iluer-
tin to ask for a fork. for an egg and for
meat Soon she knew all the signs or
The deaf-mute alphabet-or at least all
those that serve to designate material OBJ
iects Then came the teaching Of signs
for hot cold" big and little" SO
that the si,l could not only ask for a
certain variety of food. but add he word
denoting the quality she wanted-"a little
bread some cold meat" Those who
witnessed these results went wild win
delight; but the good nun was dreaming
of something far better At bottom. her
purpose was to bring her pupil to compre-
hend abstract ideas. She wanted 10 in-
culcate faith and piety, and she persever-
ed magnicently.
AS Marie's sense Of touch became moro
discriminating, her teacher made her UNI
derstand what a child was, what an olo
woman was and what death was. Mario
had a great fright one day when TOT the
first time she laid her hand on the brow
of a dead nun. in whom she had seemed
to be interested. But her JOY was un-
bounded when little children were IN
trusted to her: she would pet their mar
untirinsly; if her hand encountered a
ribbon or comb it would linger upon it
with rapturous fascination, till it seemed
that Marie was becoming coquettish-
Learning Her Alphabet.
Before long Sister Sainte- Marguerite be-
gan teaching her the Bralle alphabet OF
raised letters for. the blind. When Marie
had learned to read them she quickly
taught her to reproduce them. And from
that day the miracle was accomplished
the sleeping soul was awakened.
Today Marie Huertin has an extended
knowledge of history, literature and
science She is skilled in Autobiography:
she has even learned ordinary handwrit-
ing and is clever at It. She plays DOM
inoes She is interested in everything.
talks of everything, gets enjoyment out
of everything.
Reading naturally is her favorite pleas
ure. She has also a great relish LOT
travel because of the variety OF the SEN
sations she experiences on the water, In
railway trains and in the open country.
Motoring she adores-it is so swift ana
gentle
Marie Huertin IS happier than many
millionaire not deaf. dumb and blind. FOR
one thing she is buster than they; her
day has not an idle moment; she knows
no ennui. Her photograph shows you a
fine stout girl. with masculine features,
hair cut short, and eyes that seem TO see.
She has a slightly mischievous smile You
wonder If she doesn't sometimes look
down upon the rest OF Us mortals, to
whom so many things are Indispensable
eyes to see with ears TO hear with.
tongues to talk with-and who. with all
those devices at our command still think
ourselves unhappy. No doubt she Is o ten
tempted to indulge a compassion like that
Of the blind man who at table one even
ing in a hotel heard the other guests
loudly demanding that the gas be lighted
a. nd was moved TO saw in tones of sincere