Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-25

II animal. subject TO fits
OF ungovernable rage,
deaf, blind, dumb, appar-
emily without a soul, de-
demonstrably without gateway
to the soul, If soul there was-a
brilliant and charming woman,
gifted beyond her fellows, mis-
tress of many languages. heiress
BY divine right of the worlds
culture, her great heart beating
with sympathy for the afflicted,
the disinherited, and the poor!
These two are one, and the one Is
called Helen Keller. 1t is a mir
acle, a miracle of love and
science. The world swings back
upon its axis, Tertullian is right
after all: Certum est quia impos-
sibile est. 1t is certain because
It i impossible,
Helen Keller was 10 months old
when she was attacked by mys-
terious illness which was dag
nosed as acute congestion of the
stomach and brain. The physi-
clan, like the preacher, can some
times ride off on the back of a
phrase. The fever passed, leaN-
ing the child blind and deaf. She
had not. of course, learned to
talk; and for years there was no
way Of teaching her. We learn TO
talk bv hearing others talk. She
was stone deaf During more
than five years It was uncertain
whethe~ she could form an idea.
Did you ever try to think with
out words? Try it. You will find
that YOU can not. Little Helen
had no words; did not know that
such things as words have an ex-
istence: a tangible white dark
ness shut her in and she drifted,
like a rudderless ship, without
steam or sail, through the en-
shrouding fog. Her sense OF
touch remained But if she felt
a doll or a table she could not
think doll" or table" We know
now that she had brain and an
extremely powerful brain. But it
was machinery inert because no
living energy could get at it TO
start it working.
Charles Dickens wrote his
American Notes" The Ameri
can people have long since for
given him for Martin Chuzzle-
Wit" and kindred ofenses. The
world has reason to be grateful
to him for american Notes" In
that book he tells the story Of
Laura Bridgman, deaf and blind
vet educated by the genius of DR.,
Howe. Helen's mother read the
story, sighed as she remembered
that DR. Howe had been dead
many years, yet took heart of
hope even as she sighed And
DR.. Howe, being dead, yet speak
eth. The Perkins Institution in
Boston, the scene Of Dr. Howe's
great labors, undertook to furnish
Mansfield Sullivan entered upon
her life work.
or Miss Sullivan (now Mrs.
Macy it is impossible to speak
in terms Of ordinary praise and
gratitude. The strongest words
are weak and poor Her achieve
ments outrun the language Of
hyperbole. 1t may be that this
good world Of ours holds many
women whose conservation is as
splendid as hers.
Helen Keller is a miracle, and
the miracle worker is Miss Sui
livan. Science could not have ac-
complished this without love;
love would have been baffied
without science. The minds Of
some women have ranged through
space with star-eyed science;
the hearts Of many women have
famed with a love that many wa
tiers can not quench Mind and
heart according well in the per
son Of Miss Sullivan have made
a music vaster than that OF
which the English poet dreamed.
She is a fulhllment Of prophecy
Then the eyes Of the blind shall
be opened and the ears OF the
deaf shall he unstopped Then
shall the lame leap as a hart. and
the tongue OF the dumb shall
sing"
Miss Sullivan had herself been
blind Her sight had been
so recently restored that her
training for the work she under
took seemed coutemptlhly made
auate But she has a mind Of
extremely swift and strong grasp.
Love did the rest
And Miss sullivan given a girl