The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1916-01-16
HELEN KELLER IS
HAPPY, SHE SAYS
Her Philosophy Of Llfe Is Given in
lecture at Christian Church
on Friday
Evening.
AUDIENCE IS CHARMED
Wonderful Blind Girl and Her Teach
or Tell Of Obstacles Which
Have Been Con-
quered.
AUDIENCE IS CHARMED

speak Friday evening at the First
christian church, when she said: TT
always has, been the ambition of my
life to make my deafness and blind
ness bloom, and you know If you want
flowers you must take care OF the
garden Happiness is like the flowers
of the garden"
1t seemed most unusual to hear one
who has been handicapped not only
with blindness but also with deafness
and the want OF speech for years,
speak of happiness. And yet to see
1 her standing there on the platform
lone could almost read happiness writ
ten on the beautiful face which light
| ed up so easily, and which bore none
of the usual marks of blindness. It
was truly, as Mrs. Anne Sullivan
Macy, her teacher, said, a miracle Of
the twentieth century.
| Beautiful Is perhaps the best word
| to use in describing Miss Keller. AS
she stood, her hand in her teachers.
dressed in simple white frock. there
was perceptible thrill through the
audience. She has 1 beautiful face
and figure, and one would know her in
stantly from her pictures. One would
never suppose her to be blind, there
is nothing about her except the in
evitable feeling of her way In a
strange place, to give one an idea that
since she was nineteen months old
this young woman has looked out on
the world with eyes which are sight
less.
Some Were Crying.
! 81 Il, al, vr-nc
on everyone's lips as they left the
auditorium after the lecture. But
how pitiful, was usually added. And
in fact, there were people in the aud
fence who were crying, and there were
many who had strange catchy feel
ing in their throat, as Miss Keller left
the platform.
And. still, what an Inspiration she
gives one. 1t makes one ashamed to
think OF how his talents have been
wasted. when he stops to think thai
this young woman went through
Radcliffe college for four years and
obtained an A. B. degree, and through
all of her course every word had tc
be read to her through the palm of heI
hand by her teacher. That this young
woman has conquered her blindness
and her deafness and her dumbness
until she can talk about happiness
and can fairly radiate happiness, must
surely be an inspiration to those OF
JUS possessed of all our faculties, and
with every advantage.
Miss Keller Appears.
When teacher" as Mrs. Macy is
known to Miss Keller, finished heI
preliminary talk, Miss Keller, led by
her secretary. Miss Mollie Thompson
came forward. She tucked her hano
into Mrs. Macy's arm and stepped tc
the front of the rostrum, and bowed
There was ripple OF applause an6
Miss Keller smiled. Her teacher
asked her II she could feel the ap
plause and she said that she had ears
in her feet Another brilliant smile
lighted up the girls face.
After an exhibition of lip readins
and also of the hand reading, Miss
Keller began her lecture on "Happi
ness" She was not hard to under
stand, except in one or two cases
she talked something like foreigner
learning our peculiar Engiisf adaoms
And vet with it all she was so earn
est so wistful, making such big en-
deavor to bring home to her audience
the simple little truths which she was
uttering, that her audience sat s1len
except for a murmur Of applause here
and there.
Life Is Beautiful, She Says.
.I find life beautiful and good t
live" said Miss Keller, chow niue.
more should 1t be to you who have al
of YOUR faculties and can enjoy life
what was done for me can be done
for others SO afflicted. Love ha:
wrought all of this l am not lonely
II found myself when l found my pa
rents. my teacher and my Fellow man
sHappiness and sorrow are things IA