The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-07

There Is not more charming thing in
the holiday book stalls than Helen Smith
swoodruffs 1.-The Lady of the Light
house." which is really truly Christ
mas story, as much so her other new
ibook, dedicated to Mrs. Allie Bireh's
grandson, Master Dudley Lawrence, is
really Truly Nature Story
Mrs Woodruff is deeply interested in the
success of this new work of hers, THE
Lady" as the money it brings has been
promised to her pet charity, the New York
iAssociation for the Blind. It is a charity
(which has touched her heart, and she
lproves ii in this sunny narrative of how
one may bring light to even the most
hopeless of the little might children"
Those who know Mrs. Woodruff here
and in other places over Alabama-for she
was an Alabama girl and a Birmingham
belle and beauty-can picture her as 'the
lady" though she is ever SO much pret-
tier than the charming young creature
Shown to the reader in the frontispice of
the book as her ladyship. And if she were
the heroine of her own story what
double pity it would be for the little
might scouts" to be deprived of sight
of her blue eyes, her really truly" golden
hair and her flashing yet tender smile,
for she is so pretty she makes one more
Igratefully happy than ever for the privil-
lege of seeing her.
But she says in her authors note" that
there is a real lady of the lighthouse,
and the book is inspired by her, but that
the book is not a portrait Of her, nor is
its story her story; that on the otheS
hand. the account of the methods for
cheering and helping the blind are all
based ON fact, and an able worker at the
real lighthouse" has read the book and
approved it's fidelity in that regard. And
now. she states, the real Lady of the
Lighthouse reads it for the first time
1t is the story of little blind boy. one
who has been left so after scarlet fever,
and he is a rebelious little chap, and
his wealthy father is sensitive as he
himself. The small boy has no mother,
but is in charge of negro nanny
whom Mrs. Woodruff has depicted with
the faithfulness of a true southern girl.
She has brought the necessary bit of
humor into her story through this med
ium, for in the tedious months when
the bright, beautiful Miss Hope-the lady
is bringing happiness into lne Ire VI
little Victor the sunshine boy of her
story, through showing him his 10-finger
eyes, 'mammy'' is almost an ever present
source of encouragement and help.
The lighthouse is described as a place
filled with sunshine and flowers and hung
with gaily colored song birls which flood
the air with their Christmas carols, the
laughing voices of boys and men seeming
to vie with them in joyousness. Miss
Hope is the lighthouse keeper, and some
of the inmates are Boy Scouts, but all
of them are demonstrating the happiness
and the light that may come to even the
darkest nights of her blind boys.
1t is a book filed with good cheer and
hopefuness for children. Practical meth
DDS of instruction used in helping this
class of unfortunates are graphically de-
scribed, and when the owner of a fac
tory argues: 81 cannot use a blind work.
man." the lady says quickly, why not?'
There are few positions of trust even of
the highest order that have not been
filled by the blind. We have in this coun-
try a blind senator, a blind judge, in
yentors and not few instructors of the
seeing. You have a telephone service,
haven't you? He can operate that. We
have graduates filling such positions quite
as well as if they could see. Or give
him place in your stenographic depart
ment The present day shorthand ma
raised type, make it quite easy and most
pleasant work. Our lighthouse office force
is almost entirely blind, you know. He
might become a wireless telegraph oper-
ator, anything, in fact, along those lines.
We are turning out competent men and
women every day. Or If these things are
beyond him let him make the brooms,
mops, brushes that you use in the lab
oratory; and rebottom the chairs And
10 eyes and a brave heart such as my
his, too, and then you'll find him not
only useful but a treasure indeed!
And Nanny all the time is a COM
forting and sometimes complaining men,
ber of sunshiny boys household. When
smiling at her childish sullenness, she
exclaims, Indignantly; Now, Mr.. Vicky!
You just ask me what you knows as
ways a-happenin' since dat good-for-
nuthin', no-count strained nurse coined
here and taken my baby away from mel
An / tell yer right now, 1 amt gwiner
stan it much longer, neider," she went
on angrily ME, his own flesh and blood
niger nanny, ben' put out by dat po'
white trash dat amt got no mo- sense
dan what a horsepittel could strain into
her, Why, what you reckon she told me
jus now?" she exploded turning to Miss
Hope "She JUS politely open de do and
tole me to git out, dat her patient wanted
to resi- Me, who has been restin' dat
chile since befo' he was borned!"
The little book is exquisite in its ten
derness. its humor and its pathos, and
al, El,a1x,x