The Appeal., 1919-09-20
SEES CAME With
TEACHERS EYES
Blind Girl Is an Enthusiastic
R0oter for New York
Giants.
GETS ALL THE GOOD. POINTS
Daughter of Famous Author and
Composer inherits Love Of Sport
From Father-Is Like Ray
of Sunshine.

New YOrk.-Everybody was hum
ming or whistling "After the Ball" 25
years ago.
Charles K. Harris, author and COM
poser of that popular song, was at that
time resident of Milwaukee and a
frequent visitor to Chicago. He was
an enthusiastic baseball fan.
The Harris home is now at 151 West
Eighty-sixth street, this city, and Miss
Mildred Harris, the nineteen-year-ol
daughter Of the author-c composer, has
inherited a love of baseball from her
father and, despite her total blindness,
is able to "see" the game and enjoy it
almost as keenly as if she had her
sight. For the last seven years she
has been a fan.
She sits in the grandstand wearing
smoked glasses and is always on hand
when the Giants are playing. She
jumps up and down and cheers the
players just like other excited specta-
tors. Behind her unseeing eyes is
mind of extraordinary perception,
swift to grasp what is going on about
her. Some of the experts say she
"sees' the game more intelligently
than those who have all their senses.
Sees Through Fathers Eyes.
Miss Mildred's escort is her father,
and it is through his eyes that she, is
able to see baseball and understand all
the nice points Of the game, as she has
been doing for the last seven years.
He explains the game to her as it
progresses by means of a conversa-
tional code.
"When l was twelve years DID," she
said, "the Giants were winning the
pennant, and my father was tremen-
dOusly excited about it. OF course I
asked him to explain, and he took
piece of cardboard and drew q dia-
mond on 1t, marking the bases. While
he told me about the game I traced
the diagram out with my fingers until
got the thing visualized in my mind.
Then I went to the games with him
and soon learned to understand them
by means of our code, usually ex-
pressed in mOnosyllables, word at a
time. Soon I came to know the play
ers and, like others present to get all
wrought up over team work and bril-
liant individual performances
In this way the blind girl came to
know the stars Of the baseball world.
She can tell you all about the wonder
full feats of Christy Mathewson, Ty
Cobb and those Of more recent date,
including Benny Kauff, Ross Young
and others. She laughingly says she
has the time Of her life when she goes
to ball game. She is sure that she
sees all that is going on just about as
anyone else sees it.
Although Miss Harris was born
blind, she carries a ray of sunshine
with her wherever she goes, for she is
cheerful and optimistic. She is fond
of the outdoors and excels in walking,
swimming and dancing. She is an ac-
cOmplished pianist, speaks French flu
emily and during the war was a volun-
teer worker for the Y. w. C. A.
Rooter for the Giants.
It may be added that Miss Mildred
this year is betting on the Giants, but
the fact is she has always been a
''rOOter" for the Giants. More than
once, however she had lost money on
them, but is hoping that she will be
lucky enough to get some of it back
this year. She feels it Gin her bones"
that nothing can head the Giants of
this year.
The ball game is the one place she
can go where she can throw aside for
mality and do just as she pleases, and
for this reason it is her greatest recre-
alton.
"You see," she explains, "you don't
have to be subdued and self-repressed
but can holler your head off if you
want to, and nobody pays any atten-
tion. When the game is not going just
right to suit everybody pandemonium
reigns and the whole crowd is in a
state of frenzy. It certainly is great
sports
Miss Harris modestly says she has
been given credit for having converted
many others into fans. She talks base
ball enthusiastically to her friends and
acquaintance and naturally they be-
come interested and follow the crowd
to witness the great American game.
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