Norwich bulletin., 1914-03-28

Dear Editor and Sisters of the So- cial Corner: I want to thank Snowball, Grace, Papa's Boy, Aunty No. 1 and other writers who have addressed me in their letters.
 This afternoon I have had a good glimpse of Helen Keller and heard her speak and answer questions Of the au- dience- Her teacher, Mrs. Macy, large, we'll developed woman, younger looking than I had expected, told us very Interestingly of her experiences in training the bright but greatly hampered mind from the age of years T years ago.
 On the first day that she arrived at Helen'S home it seemed as if the child had had a feeling all day that some thing was going to happen. and when her mother went to the station she stood all the time at the door waiting. On her arrival Helen rushed forward like a young animal with so much inn petus that she would have knocked Mrs. Macy over if her father had not been behind. Then she clung to her and felt her all over, and finding her bag, tried very hard to open it but could not, while her mother tried to show her that she must let the bag alone. Up in Mrs. Macy's room the bag was opened and Helen pointed her finger at her mouth and felt over and. smelled all the articles, but no candy was there. SDe nelpeQ 1ATS. hdCy uIl- pack her trunk and when she found box of candy she pointed at herself to denote it was hers, but surprised Mrs Macy, for instead of opening it she laid the box down by herself as If she thought it would keep and that there might be something else in the trunk interesting Mrs. Macy took out a doll which the children at the school had sent and gave it to Helen. She took her hand and spelled the word ''dolF with her own fingers and then helped Helen do it two or three times until she succeeded. Thus the work was started and Helen learned about IS words in a month, but the child learned them as people do tricks and did not connect the words with their respective articles. At last the happy day came and the veil fell. She had had some difficulty in distinguishing between the words mug, milk and drink, as they all led to the same thing At the pump in the splashing of the water Mrs. Macy spelled water" and then denOting the mug spelled mug" The girl dropped the mug and a new look of under standing came into her face, a new awakening was there, and then she asked what every article she touched was and learned more words in an hour than she had in the month. That night she crawled into Mrs. Macy's lap and kissed her of her own accord They spelled words and she pointed at Mrs Macy, who spelled teacher" The child repeated it and Mrs. Macy has been teacher ever since.
 For three years Helen conversed by the fingers. but the desire became very strong to talk like other people. She would put her fingers in and about their mouths and try to shape her lips and tongue in the same way and made strange sounds. So Mrs. Macy took her to 8 school of articulation and af- ter the eighth lesson when they were walking home Helen triumphantly an- nounced T am not dumb mo-" MT. White, 8 vocal teacher in Boston, fur ther improved her voice by the same methods he used with his other pupils and the English instructor in Radcliffe college helped her to @ greater degree of self expression.
 Her study at Radcliffe was a. tre- mendous undertaking. All the books had to be read to her by the fingers and Mrs. Macy sat beside her in reel tations lingering off what the instruc- tors said in lectures. With too little help, instead of too much, Miss Keller came through with honors, made many friends and was president of her class. The Story of My Life, written in col Iege, was an extra attempt which seemed too much with all the rest, but probably no other sophomore ever received $3,000 for an essay.
 In childhood, like other healthy chill dren, she wondered about the origin of life and asked many odd questions. One day after she had asked if Mother Nature made the roses, and too many bugs, and Old Jade. etc. and had been