The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-02-10
Evening Chat

Few,peopis now,aitye hayesbeenl theI
sub1ect OF more printed matter than
has been WRIT about Helen Keller.
TIE deaf and blind young woman who
ii.iecturel ct the Grand Opera house
wednesday, o. next week under the;
auspices of the Business Mems Bible
class ofi the First Presby tertan church.
Standing out prominently from this
great mass Of matter is an article
witch was printed in the Christian
Herald Gof June .16 last year while
miss keller was visiting the San
Ffanciscoi exposition. The article is
sassfollows:
Helen Keller. the deaf girl who is;
blind, was spending the day at the the
san Francisco Exposition with her
teacher. and life companion. Mrs. John
Macy. She was blind, deaf and dumb.
she has learned to speak but cannot
hearAa Sound, nor see anything. But
eteStook in the exposition more intel-
liFentlyis and probably than most Of
fEiosefWlloi have eyes and ears. Breath
fifg4fhe fragrance OF the eucalyptus ana
fiie roses, she said: "Do you think
sit Will smell like this when we reach
the pearly gates Of paradise? And
the yiolet s-they arc q song In me
an. I learned to know the wild yell
violet the year l learned to speak
my first word. Icould not see the
colors u and yet, since came tosthe
deposition, i can tell how color fee!s.
When I walked through the Palace OF
Fine Arts, my heart ached and then
danced as ]. put my hands on those
n stafuaa there. / saw the incubator,
the babies. held them in my arms
and Rugged them, and they tried to
& hug me-. How wonderful are the lights
at the fart am always dreaming OF
the stars. and sometimes dream Of
4 the moon; now shall dream of these
wonderful lights"
Il IT isf the brain that sees. The eyes
\ OF dead people are mechanically cont
plete, but they have no vision. SAbou'.
I; all the great things OF the great expo
sftion were first seen 4 by the mind,
then traced and shadowed in plans
y and expressed in material forms OF
delicate color, the cutting OF, the
skilled chisel and the slow piling up
OF the solid masonry. And yet there
was scarcely anything at the fair SO
wonderful as Miss Keller herselt-the
miracle of dumb person, determined
4 to speak and speaking; the mastery
of the truths and beauties OF the uni.
sSVerse without eyes or ears. at the
Sexposition she saw the many renee
lions OF absolute beauty which Is God,
and here her soul saw beyond them
toIinfnite love, her Saviour, who said:
8.Blessed are the pure in heart; for
i they shall see Cod Matt. 5:S.)
Helen Keller said, Although the
world Is full OF suffering, it Is full OF
the overcoming Of It." What a re-
hike are such words, coming from
! deaf. dumb and blind girl, to those
who has all their senses intact! This
girl, handicapped as she is, always
keeps her avenues Of Joy open, always,
IN season and out Of season, breaches
the gospel OF happiness!
" .gg.tBe Of good cheer!" How many
times this was repeated in the Sa-
yfour's saying! Even when his heart
with anguish, he urged$his
disciples to ..'be OF good cheer ana
further he said: "And your heart
isahal1 Fsre1oicei and your JOY no man
sha1l take from YOU"
IS. q. Musgrave, the sage of Monon;
gala, says: Our farmers are study.
ing seed catalogues, discussing ground
hogs o1rs and looking for robins. Anyway,
ne, We may a as well accept John Ruskin'si
PHILOSOPHY: Sunshine is delicious
vain is refreshing, wind braces up,
snow Is exhilarating; there is really.
mo- such thing as bad weather-only|
different kinds OF good weather.
buy WI ~ Ht53rtsl Mat rs
The records of the State Mining Blu:
reau Of California show a production
ofg coal in California as early as 1861.
At3that ,time,it was one OF the 10 coal
producing states and relatively, OIL
some some Importance as a coal producer.
During the. latter part of that decade
and throughout the Following decade,
the coal production exceeded 100000
tons annually and reached a maximum
OF 236,950 tons in 1880. Since 1881 the
production has been irregular, having
been influenced chiey, UP to the begin
ningyof the present century, by the I'M
ports Of Australian and British Colum-
Sbtana coal; the receipts of Australian
coal depending principally upon the
wheat production and shipments from
theSPaciflc coast. Since 1900, however,
according to the United States Geolo5
EicaI Survey with the great increase.
EinSthe .productio and use of petrol uml
which began In that year. coal produc-
ton In California has fallen on.
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