Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-09-05
Sees CAME With
ItA!cHE ]: EYES
Blind Girl Is an enthusiastic
Rooter Tor New York
Giants.
|oaAAnhter Of Famous Author and
Composer inherits Love Of Sport
From Father--is Like Ray
of Sunshine.

rom = dtVeT--to LiNC nay
Of Sunshine.
M 80
New York.-Eveybody was hum
ming or whistling after the BALI 25
years ago.
Charles X. Hurts, author and com
poser of that popular song, was at that
time resident of Milwaukee and
frequent visitor to Chicago. He was
an enthusiastic baseball fan.
The Harris home Is now nj l51 West
Eighty sixth street. this city, and Miss
Mildred Harris, the niueteen-year-od
daughter OF the apthor-coinposer, has
Inherited live of baseball from her
father and, despite her total blindness.
is able to "see' the game and enjoy it
almost us keenly as If she had her
sight. For the last seven years she
has been fan.
She sits in the .grandstnnd wearing
emOked glasses and is always on hand
when the Giants are playing. She
jumps W and down and cheers the
players just like other excited spccta-
tors, Behind her unSceing eyes is Il
mind of extraordinary perception,
swift to grasp what is going on about
her. Some OF the experts say she
secs the game more intelIiEcntly
than those who have all their senses.
Sees Through Fathers Eyes.
Miss Miidred's escort is her father,
and II 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 1t
progresses by means of conversa-
tional code.
when | was twelve years old She
said, "the Giants were winning the
pennunt and my father WAS tremen-
dously excited about II. OF course l
asked him to explain, and he took Il
piece Of cardboard and drew IA dia-
mond on 1t, marking the bases. While
he told me about the game | traced
the diagram out with my fingers until
! got the thing yisualized In my mind.
Then ] went To the games with Nun
and soon learned to understand them
by means Of our code. usually ex-
pressed In monosyllahles, a word ut Il
time. Soon | 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 a ball game. She is sure that she
sees all that Is going on just about as
anyone else sees II.
Although Miss Harris was born
blind. she carries ray of sunshine
with her wherever she goes, for she Is
cheerful and optimistic. She is fonu
OF the outdoors and eycels in walking
swimming and dancing. She Is an ac-
complished pianist, speaks French flu
emily and during the war was volun-
teer worker for the Y. w. c, A.
Rooter for the Giants.
II may be added that Miss Mildred
this year is betting on the Giants but
the fact is she has always been g
"rooter" for the Giants. More thar
once, however she had lost money or
them. but is hoping that she will b'
lucky enough to get some OF 1t bacf
this wear. She feets'.it lin her homes
that nothing can head the Giants OF
this year
The ball game is the one place sh'
can 20 where she can throw aside for
mality and do just as she pleases, anC
for this reason it is her greatest recre
alton.
you see" she explains, "you don
have to be subdued and sclf-rclrcsSc'
but can boiler your head off If 70,
want to, and nobody pays any atten
ton. When the game is not going jus
right to suit everybody pandcmoniun
reigns and the whole crowd is in
state of frenzy. II certainly is srea
sport"
Miss Harris modestly says she ha
been given credit for having converted
many others into fans. She talks base
ball enthusiastically to her friends ant
acaunlntances and naturally they be
come Interested and follow the croW'
...l.,...., tl, vrnot uun,n