Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-12
SOCIAL
HELEN KELLER REAL INSPIRA-


Helen Keller is an inspiration and
those who did not hear her in her lee
ture on "Happiness' last evening at
the First Congregational church. Mo-
line, missed rare opportunity. With
her teacher, Mrs. Macy, she appeared
under the auspices Of the Moline Wom-
ans club and although the evening
was most disagreeable the church was
we'll filed with an audience that sat
spell-bound throughout the entire
evening Miss Keller has been called
the eighth wonder of the world and is
perhaps the most talked about woman
in America today, her achievements in
overcoming obstacles that seemed al
most insurmountable placing her in a
position held by no other person. Deaf
and blind since 10 months of age she
has learn to read, write and speak, and
so extraordinary has been her achieve
ment that whole chapters in psychOl-
ogy have necessarily had to be re-
written, since this young woman has
disproved many of the old theories
held by psychologists and scientists.
Mrs. Macy who has been the teacher
of Helen Keller since she was years
of age, preceded the lecture by Miss
Keller with a wonderfully interesting
account of her pupils education from
human and scientific point of view
and told in specific detail of the pro-
cess by which the child was brought
Miss Keller before beginning her lee
ture repeated the Twenty-third Psalm
and so beautifully did she repeat the
fitting words that there was not a dry
eye in her audience. Her song is one
Of happiness, Of the beauty of the
things she knows are about her, of the
| light in which she lives and of the
gospel Of cheer and content No one
could hear her and go away not de-
! termined to profit by her example and
/ live for those about them, to see the
/ beauty in all things and to be happy
At the close of her address she an,
swered numerous questions from
members of the audience, transmitted
| to her by her teacher. Asked if she
could tell whether her audience was
applauding she replied that she could
hear them with her feet. through vi
bration Asked if she could tel
whether the audience was in sympathy
with her she said. Yes. they Away:
are, | can tell it by the feeling in The
room, the emotions that come to me.
Again asked if talking tired her sht
replied no, did you ever know ;
woman 10 get tired talking?" Agar
asked as to her position regarding
woman's suffrage she replied that sh'
believed in suffrage for every one ant
when asked if the men could not man
age the affairs OF the nation she re
piled, They have not made a sue ces
of tt And again when questioned a
TO the party that could best put int
execution woman's suffrage she said
er she had ever learned to play a musi
cal instrument she replied NO, onl
a hand organ" In reply to othe
Questions she said she could tell whel
a door was open by the draft of win
through it, she could tell the bushes
of a city by the smell which accom-
panied big productive plants, sh
could tell when animate objects wer
near by the vibrations they pro
, duced. etc.
She speaks with a peculiar guttura
sound and at times II Is difficult to fol
low her because OF unusual infection
of the voice. SIZE communicates wit