Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1910-12-09
WORK OF BLIND GIRL
Fancy and Useful Articles Made
by Miss Abbie A. Griffin

Became Acquainted with Miss Helen kel.
lar in Perkins Institute-Works Rapidly
and Accurately.
While the praises of many Brattleboro
persons have been sounded because of
their success in various walks of life lit
tie has been said of the accomplishments
of blind girl of this town whose attain
ments in the necessarily limited field
which is open to her are in every way as
notable as are theirs. Miss Abbie A.
Griffin of Vernon street, who has been
deprived from birth Of that faculty which
enables others to look into the faces of
their friends and to comprehend physical
beauties of Nature, earns her own sus-
tenanCe and through the combination of
def fingers and a keen intellect she has
made, and is making continually. articles
of surprising beauty which cause those
who know the circumstances to marvel
From morning until night on each
working day Miss Griffin may be found
seated in the hairdressing parlor of her
sister, Miss Mary a. Griffin, on the second
floor of Hooker building, industriously
fashioning some handsome piece of fancy
work or perhaps some plain article OF
comfort or usefulness. Constant appli-
cation has enabled her to see through her
fingers, as it were, and so quietly does
she work, combining her muscular move
ments to her hands. that at first glance
one scarcely would realize that she was
engaged at all. She is an Interesting
person, congenial and capable and it rs
interesting to note that in the school
which she attended she became a person
al acquaintance of Miss Helen Keller. the
most famous deaf dumb and blind girl
the world has ever known She also be-
came acquainted with the famous Laura
d. Bridgeman
Miss Griffin is busy a large part of the
time filling orders with her needle and
crochet hook, but she finds time to make
articles of her own choosing for sale to
whoever wishes to buy. For a few years
she has had a Christmas sale in her sis
ters workroom, and she is having another
sale there this season. She works rapidly
as may be seen from the fact that one
day since the present month began she
made an automobile toque from directions
read by her sister without ever having
made one before. She makes Shawls
jackets. afghans, sandals, slippers ana
other crochet articles, does sewing and
knitting of various kinds and makes
beautiful articles of bead work which
hardly could be surpassed by persons in
full possession Of the faculty of sight
She is quick to detect a mistake and at
once makes the correction and when she
has finished an article every stitch Is
perfect.
Although she does not know the differ
ent colors except by name Miss Griffin
has formed her own ideas about Them
and she can tell daylight from darkness
She knows from the directions what the
shape of an article will be when complet-
ed and she has a good idea a to whether
a finished article will be pretty. Her
sister reads to her the directions for doing
a piece of work, whether it be sewing
knitting or Crocheting, and after one
two readings she is able to go ahead
without further help She gives the credit
for her skill to her teachers in school,
who We're thorough in their work. 1T is
great pleasure to me to do this work.
said Miss Griffin to a representative of
The Phoenix who called on her, land II
is a pleasure to know that l can do it,"
Miss Griffin expressed the wish that
typewriting had been taught in institu-
tons for the blind when she was a stu
dent, as it is now.
Abbie A. Griffin was born in Brattle-
borO, and her home always has been here
Her father and mother, Michael and Mary
Griffin, have died within the past 10
years She attended st. MichaeTs paro-
chial school and in 1881 became a student
in the Perkins Institute for the Blind in
East Boston, where she remained nine
years. There were 16 pupils in the class
but only six graduated and received di-
plumaS, Miss Griffin being one OF them
The course is now IL years in length
Since her graduation she has done work
of the nature indicated herein, being at
her home on Vernon street until her sis
ter opened a hairdressing parlor. The
two women and a brother, John Griffin
who is employed in the shipping depart
ment at the Estey organ plant, keep
house together. There is one other broth
or, Thomas Griffin of Somerville, Mass,
a travelling man.
Miss Griffin reads regularly the Matilda
Zeigler Magazine for the Blind, braille
edition. 1t is thicker and larger than
ordinary magazines and the letters are
formed of raised dots over which Miss
Griffin passes her fingers The dots are
not arranged in the form of letters but
a certain number of dots in a certain
position represent a letter, just as dots
and dashes constitute the telegraph al
phabet The magazine contains stories
and articles. some advertising, but no
pictures, and it is made largely by blind
persons. Miss Griffin reads with both
forefingers at once, but many blind per-
sons use only one finger There Is no
means by which she can read ordinary
printing, but her sister reads the local ana
general news to her. She can write
however both with the braile system
and with a pencil, using a pencil in what
is known as square hand writing, which
can be read by anybody Miss Griffin is
very fond of music and IS a constant at
tendant of st. Mchael's Roman Catholic
church.