The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1909-12-07
DEAF AND BLIND
REMARKABLE BOY
STUDENT AT STATE DEAF. .BLIN -
PROGRESSES IN STUDIES
TYPEWRITER.


ter CoUmn.. o deaf and dumb pupil Of
tbs oklahoma school for tho blind 1t
Font Gibson oklahoma, has a s'rols
ri,ll u. Helen Keller Although t,n,
y Mird and almost totally deaf tnD
deaf to receive communication by
hearing Young Coombs is maxine
rapid progress ia all of this studio.
and is becoming very proficient IN tb.
usp Of the typewriter. using stylI-
ard machine with the same keyboard
as is used by operators who have their
full sight.
Coombs has. however. one ad an.
tare over Miss Keller. m that he IA,
the use of his eyes and ears du'W'
the first few years OF his life. lie
knows how objects look to those who
has sight. he has an idea Of form
and color. which one always bind
would not have. and he knows what
1t les for others to hear the mus's e.
Instruments and voices and birds.
lie has been deaf for eight yndrs
and his left eye has also been bliAn
for eight years. although the right eye
has been blind only five years He IL
native of oklahoma. having been
/ born at TeCumseh II years ago, AZ
/ though his father. a. VI. Coombs. now
! lives at Aanadarko. lie is now
| spending his second year in the school
/ for the blind at Fort Gibson. havIns
| entered that school as soon as 1t was
established. lie had previously been
for two years pupil in the state
school for the deaf. then located at
Guthrie and now at sulphur
Il was in the school for the deaf
that he learned the manual or hand
language. by which he now is being
taught Last year he learned to read
the American Braille, or the blind
language, as taught in the school for
the blind. His teachers instruct him
in the manual method, although is
books are In Braillc.
George W. Bruce, formerly a we'll
known Missouri educator wo is now
president of the school Tor the blind
is high In his praise of the boys dill
gcncc as a student.
He is almost entirely dependent
ON the sense OF touch for all his com
munlcation with the busy world II
which he lives" says President Bruce
yet he Is as happy as any other per
son and It is pleasing sight to OBJ
serve the expression OF his countcn
ance and his smile. when some com
forting thought passes through ms
mind He Is a good Christian boy anC
polite In his manners. Walcott Is q
duigcnt pupil and, like all other deaf
blind he is ambitious to know al
that ne can learn. lie wants to know
what is going on around him and his
schoolmates are glad to be eyes anC
ears for him by telling him"
Young Coombs is especially intc,
cstcd in the operation OF the type
writer and proud Of the degree of pro
ficicncy which he has attained in lt'
use, after only little over tive
months study
Il did not know anything about the
typewriter then" he said, 81 think
am learning It pretty fine. | have
written more letters home and other
places than | can say. II is a great
pleasure TO write letters that sight.
ed persons can read. can tell when
/ am at the end of the line because
when the keys are striking they feel
different. When | strike the wrong
key can generally correct 1t. can
tell when | strike the wrong key by
the direction from which | take my
fingers"
In spite of what would seem to
many persons TO be insurmountahle
obstacles. ne is fun OF life and ambi
, uou. anxious to carry on his educa-
tiou as far as possible, Interested in
b Nl,vll