Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1922-02-01
World Prodigies
Meet Each Other

/ (FrOm the manson state JOulHdlJ
Madison Two Of the most wonder
ful women in the world met here Fri
day. Miss Helen Keller. superwoman
Who blind, deaf and dumb from the
time she was l9 months old, learned
to talk, and Miss Willetta Higgins,
wonder girl at the state school for the
blind at GAINESVILLE, who hears" by
means of vibrations and who "sees"
in a measure, by smelling, met for the
first time, amazed a select audience
including several state officials and
maryeled at the ability displayed by
each other.
Standing hand in hand, they car
ried on an exciting conversation for
more than half an hour-Willetta
with her hand on Miss Keller's bosom
to catch the vocal vibrations and Miss
Keller understanding the converse
ton by placing her finger tips on
the other girls lips.
Miss Higgins, who is 16 years old,
lost her sight and hearing two years
ago Never having been dumb, she
speaks as a normal person, while Miss
Keller talks in a slow, queerly IN
flected voice, expressive though auto
nation like.
Miss Keller several times clasped
the Younger girl to her breast lmpui-
sively and kissed her Repeatedly she
gave little EXPLANATIONS of wonder.
AS Willette informed her that she
was able to talk over telephone,
getting the vibrations from the in
strument, and had even heard a ser
mon last Sunday, aided by the acous-
ticon, Miss Keller cried in voice vi
brant with feeling:
Dear, God is great and moves IN
wonderful way to perform his
works You are wonderful; you do
not know how happy | am.
AS the two were first introduced
! they began conyersing in the sign
| language of tie blind, talking by the
movements of clasped hands. MISS
Higgins, not as adept as her famous
sister, was unable to follow the eXclt
ed signals, and j. S. Hooper, supt. OF
/ the school for the blind, and Miss
Polly Thompson, secretary for Miss
/ Keller, instructed their charges to use
their voices in talking.
Miss Keller expressed amaZement
as the other girl, cropping with sight
less eyes for Helen's dress, Sound IT
and, bending to smell it, told her that
| it was of dark-blue color and that her
hat was a grayish-green. She could
not understand why Willetta can
smell colors, but there was not the
slightest skepticism in her inquiries
/ Glow did you learn colors?" she
asked
81 learned it in sewing class was
! the reply. 81 could tell the colors of
L, I rrync
course and at first I had the teacher
| tell me the colors as she gave me ma
terial. I smelled them each time and
finally I could tell what color they
were. it took me about two months to
| learn"
81 have never tried but l do not
think I could learn it," said Miss
Keller "And-you can tell the colors
of flowers?"
There was in her voice the longing
of the sightless.
ooh, yes," excitedly, 81 can tell the
color of flowers: the only color l
Ecannot distinguish are in beads and
glazed pottery"
Then followed discussion OF her
school work by Willetta and recital
of her days duties in vaudeville by
Miss Keller The GAINESVILLE girl shy
Nv admitted that, though she loved
her other studies, she did not like
geography so we'll"
"S-h-h-h," confessed Miss Keller,
sI do not like arithmetic"
Willetta told of being inspired by
Miss -Keller's example, as detailed by
a teacher in the day school for the
deaf at Eau Claire.
81 read lips with my finger tips at
first as you do" said Miss Higgins.
"Then l tried to hear by vibrations
from the chest and other parts OF the
body-and it worked all right. Cant
YOU tell by vibrations, too?
sYes, / also get vibrations. but not
enough to distinguish words" was the
reply