The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-08-12
SOCIETY AND HOME TOPICS FOR WOMEN l
To Renew CheerfulneSs Go to the Blind Says Dolly
 After Chat With Miss Md1dn Wonderful Musician
By DOLLY pALRYmpLn

NON'T you wake up some mornings with bottom s-knoclSed-out-of- - everything sort of feeling? You don't know what's the matter with you; couldn't put your finger on any
 one particular thing to save your soul;
 later in the day, perhaps, you sit down quietly in a comfortable rocking chair
 and look the thing straight in the face trying to reach some logical conclusion
 as to what has given you the dumps" or the "blues" or "grouch,' or what
 ever you want to call it, declaring to your self over and over again that fate has
 dealt you not only one good Knockout
 blow" and quit there. but tied you up
 good and hard to begin with, and what s the use of anything any way? Well, let me suggest to you prescrip- tion:
 The next time you are engulfed with
 wave of deep pessimisism and dark blue
 feeling. just put on your bonnet and make
 a bee" line for some one-well, let us
 say some acquaintance to whom sight
 has been denied, some person to whom 1t
 isn't given to see, whether the sky today
 is bright blue or a depressing gray; in other words, pay visit to the blind, and I think you will agree with me that
 there is nothing on the face of the earth
 so calculated to dispel "grouch" against
 the universe as an hour spent with such
 an one who. in spite of the beauties of the world being denied their eyes, are still patient, beautiful, gentle and happy! Such a person I met yesterday when I had the pleasure of chatting with Miss Lucille Mahan. the interesting and tall ented blind girl who Is visitor here at
 present, and whose very presence is a balm and benediction. an almost hal lowed influence in this hurrying, hustling, busy life that most of us lead. Miss Mahan is just a girl, still In her teens, and her wonderful intellect, her phenomenal memory and her unusual tall
 ent make her one of the most interesting characters I have encountered in many days.
 Miss Mahan has made music her special ty, her life work, and she says in her
 sweet gentle way:
 Tt is my life. 1t is what I love best,
 sit at the piano nearly all day long,
 scarcely ever leaving it.
 The girl is slender and fair her soft
 blonde hair falling prettily about her
 bright happy face and her beautiful
 hands so capable, so intelligent, that stand
 for sight and touch, performing double
 duty as 1t were. seem almost beyond the
 understanding of mere l-.ortals to whom
 it is not given to comprehend how the
 fingers can be so sensitive that they can
 take the place of all that the eyesight
 means.
 Those who know Miss Mahan delight
 to tell of her wonderful disposition, al-
 ways gay, always happy, always sweet
 and amiable, loving life as she does with a zest and an intellect in spite of things
 that are almost incomprehensible to those
 who grumble and complain over little things that go awry, 'rrfrIes thin as air." which make life burden instead of a pleasure.
 I've had a very wonderful summer Miss Mahan told me when we were speak ing of her vacation, for she is at home only for the summer, having another year yet at the Overbrook School for the
 Blind, Philadelphia, before completing her education. i've been reading Thackeray
 for the first time. I've already read about
 five volumes of Vanity Fair. You see the
 book comes in 10 volumes. The way 1t is
 written for the blind almost makes li-
 brary itself. doesn't it?
 "Who is your favorite author?" asked Well" she paused thoughtfully, II like Dickens very much, and I am very fond of Scott, and my favorite poet is Tenny- son."
 And about your music?" I asked in- terestdly. When did you begin to study?" You see, went to the State Institute for the Blind at Talladega," Miss Mahan told me, when I was quite young-only ' years old when I started to school, and