Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-10-28
BLIND GIRL SMELLS
COLOR, FEELSSOUND
WlIetta huggins, ~. SightIess
and Deaf Convsrses Through
Sense Of Touch.

Almost as wonderful as were the
early demonstrations OF Helen Keller
over her physical defects are those
OF Willctta Higgins aged II. n Wis
consin girl who is blind and deaf. ac-
cordng to DIR. Thomas j. Williams.
of Chicago. who writes of tests sub
mi,,cd TO the student" in n medical
journal
wflletta, n student at the Wisconsin
school FOR the Blind. hears" over the
telephone by resting. her fingers In
the receiver. She distinguishes speech
through vibrations
Willetta heard" DR.. Williams talk
ny resting her fingertips on his larynx.
his head or his chest. She learned to
distinguish the vibrations OF speech
through intervening objects such as a
billiard cue resting on the speakers
head or chest She caught the vibra-
,ions In the air by holding n sheet OF
paper between her hands and letting
the speaker talk against II. She
learned to talk by holding her fingers
~ her own larynH.
Her sense Of smell. DR.. Williams
saws. has been developed 10 degree
hitherto unheard o; This was dis
covered in her sewing class when she
hogan 10 tell different colored threads
hN smelling them She was able 70
tell not only which student had made
q particular dress. hut which teacher
had supervised It's making She easily
distinguished the colors ~ flowers and
even could determine by smell how
Ia.
room with her.
AT one of my examinations" DIR
Williams writes. II handed her a
sweater the body of which was orchid
color with deep hcm "f purple. the
weave being identical She smcllcd
4, and said 4, was lavender in the
body hut there was deep purple
color theFe too. | asked her To find
tho line Of demarcation between thu
two colors. which she did as accurately
.as if she were able to 500.
Il took some yarns. handed dif
fcrent color to each Of eight persons
present, told them To remember the
color given them. and after turning
cut the light each OF us rrupingly
found our way before her with our
yarns. which she placed in turn tc
her nose and. correctly named tn,
Cclcrs and tints whether light or dark
~ each.
I gave her n string of Colored beads
and set ~ different colored glas.
lenses hut with those she was lost
she said she could not smell these
because they keep their smell inside ot
hrf al Il,
from them or from any glazed surfac,
as for instance. pottery. though sh,
can distinguish unglazrd I-'ttcry fair
!, we'll she SAYS all glass smell,
green" So she cannot detect othe,
colors IN glass
Helen Keller was willetta's inspira
uon. tntil two years aso she wa
l'stless and apethe,ic DR. William
saws. Physically her condition wa
good and OF normal development for
girl OF fifteen. but the total loss o
sight and hearing. which she ha,
POSSESSED in small degree 10 the az
oi twelve. caused her TO develop
peculiar. morbid. unintcrested. moros
attitude toward everything"
In 1920 teacher or the deaf n
Eau Claire. Wis, told the girl. Of Mis-
keller's method Of communica tior
W'lletta was interested and gradual,
began to show mental development.
she has learned To carry on a con
Nersation by touch and attends con
terts and lectures which she hears
lay touching her fingers 10 an audi
rhone DIR. Williams attended a,
Easter service with willetta and sh
old him each number on the pro
gram as Il was sung He continues
Her fine sense of touch does no
stop here. She can actually read b
running her finger tips over news
paper headings 80 half inch or eve
smaller type. and she can readily An
rapidly distinguish the denominatio
ot paper money by feeling the i'm
print of the numbers and the direrenc
~ he designs