The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1914-01-22
A Sketch Of Mrs. John Albert Macy
Better Known as Anne Sullivan,
Who Made the World Famed
Blind Girl What She Is

teresting characters of the nineteenth
century. I think he should have in
cluded the remarkable woman who
has made Helen Keller what she is,
said certain Philadelphia after az
tending Tuesdays lecture by this SOU
therner, who is deaf, dumb and blind
and her teacher and inseparable COM
panion for 26 years, Mrs. John Albert
Macy. best known to. the world as Miss
Anne Sullivan.
We concur In this opinion. Without
any lessening Of our wonder and ad-
miration for the part played by Miss
Keller in her own marvellous develop
ment, we feel that equal II not greater
credit belongs to the woman who has
reaped from a seemingly hopeless task
a result SO supernatural as to be re-
ally miraculous. For It is a miracle
to make the dumb speak; yet distinct
articulation is but one Of the unusual
accomplishments acquired by Helen
Keller, with the assistance OF Miss
Sullivan, Of whom the poet Whittier
once said to Miss Keller, She Is thy
spiritual liberator.
Our belief that Mark Twain erred
in not extending his superlative to in
clude this woman whose modesty has
largely stood in the way of just ap-
Proclamation of her unparalleled
achievement is based not only upon
the facts in the case as widely known,
but also upon other and little known
facts for which we have the highest
authority.
All the world knows how the un-
commonly bright 10 month old baby
girl, the JOY of rose powered home
il Tuscumbia, Alabama, was robbed
of the three major senses by an at
tack of what the doctors then called
acute congestion of the stomach and
brain; how this curly haired toddler,
who had begun to talk at 9 months
and on the day she was year old had
walked half way across her room in
pursuit Of sunbeam, was suddenly
cast into absolute darkness and still
ness by strange fever, which van
ished with the swiftness that hat
marked its attack.
1t is not generally known, however
that this mysterious storm which
wrecked her dawning day left hel
merely young animal, and even less
for young animals are aided by in
stinct. At 2'years Helen Keller was
a prowless, rudderless little hull
Gdrift on a sea OF blackness-so un
able to control even the most elemen
tary OF bodily functions that in {
household less lighted by love, sh,
might have been neglected or mis-
treated as an insufferable affliction
Her form was the only human thint
about her, was the description onc'
given us by a man intimately con
4
of his death few years ago.
No one who did not see the child
AT that time can begin to understand
what Anne Sullivan has done for Hell
en- and for humanity, continued THU
notable New Yorker. Like all those in
timately acquainted with the magni
tude of the teachers task, he ranked
her as a marvel equal, If not superior
to the transformed girl from whom
she never has been separated since
March 3, 1887 when she trembling ap
preached her new pupil only to b'
hurled back into Captain Keller'
arms by a wild and aimless charge
from the untamed child of 7.
At that time five years of tolerance
born of love and infinite patience ha'
humanized Helen. Still she WAS
restless, uncomfortable, cropping bein'
and had not her mother read Dickens
American Notes, of the famous Lanr;
! Nho, tioubh 49,
blind, was educated, it is likely sh'
would have remained sucn and tina
Miss Sullivan's great gift to humanit
would have been lost or long delayed
The young teacher, who herself ha
been almost totally blind from earl
infancy until she was grown, when sh
recovered her sight, was distressed a
the prospect. Helen's first fit OF tel
rible temper, which resulted In ba
tie royal, led her to write to friend
I suppose I shall have many such ba
ties with the little woman before sh
learns the only two essential thing
can teach her-obedlence and love
So, on Miss Sullivan's part 1t wa
not merely matter of applying ce
tain rules and precepts. Indeed, e.
cept for DR.. Samuel Howe's teachin
OF Laura Bridgman, there was no PR
| cedent, and the conditions and person