Evening star., 1942-01-27
Helen Keller Urges
Donation Of Books
For Service Men
Delivers Prepared Speech
And Answers Questions
From Audience

Helen Keller stood in a spotlight
at the Library of Congress last night
and pleaded with voice and hand for
more books for service men. ,
Stricken blind, deaf and mute at
10 months, she used all the hard
won skill of many years to address
the District Library Association
from a prepared paper and to an
swer questions from her audience.
Miss Polly Thompson, her constant
companion, stood beside Miss Keller
to repeat each of the authors state
ments to make sure the audience
grasped them and to spell questions
into her hands.
What is Miss Keller's favorite
book?" asked Mrs. Philip Smith,
chairman in the District Of the
Nation wide drive for 100000
books for soldiers.
"The Bible"
River of Light"
Miss Thompson did not need to
repeat this for the audience. After
a moment of complete silence, Miss
Keller went on.
"All through the years." she said,
'it has flowed through my silent
darkness-a river of light"
In her prepared address Miss Kel-
Ter had mentioned that she had
heard service men read few Gas-
sizes. Great weapons for the SOL
dier's spiritual armory" could be
provided by great literature, she
said. but added she considered any
book precious which gave moment
of freedom.
Presenting one of her own books,
"The World I Live In" to John
Russell Mason, president OF the as
sociation, she declared that when
she holds a book in her hand, "lim-
itations fall away from me more
than at any other time and I am
free"
From the audience came ques-
tion-if Miss Keller liked Mark
Twain as we'll as biography, philos-
ophy and social science? When the
group laughed at the query, MISS
Keller laughed. too.
Il can hear through the ears IN
nv. feet" she said.
Miss Keller learned to talk by
feeling the throat vibrations OF her
teachers.
Voice Is Soft.
Although she cannot remember
the sound of a human voice, Miss
Keller has learned to reproduce the
throat vibrations of normal speak
er. Her voice is soft with only its
lack of expression and odd dwellings,
on certain syllables to betray the
manner in which she learned to
talk.
Last night she seemed to respond
to audience enthusiasm. In reply
to questions her speech was nearly
as clear as that of her interlocutor
Someone questioned at last that
Miss Keller would be able to con-
tinue much longer standing In
long blue evening dress she had
never seen before an audience she
could not hear and answering their
questions in voice it took her years
to acquire. 49,. -.
"No, ask me another question: y
said Miss Keller, Il will be glad to
try it."
When she added, II will try any
thing once" the audience broke into
applause. When the audience finally
let Miss Keller go. she climbed the
steps of Coolidge Hall to sit between
Miss Thompson and Mrs. Smith
while films on Hawaii were shown
by John v. Hansen.
When the blues and greens and
soft pastels of the Hawaiian scenery
were flashed on the screen Miss
Keller murmured delight. Her two
companions were spelling out into
her hands the quality of the color
and tapping her fingers in time to
the accompanying guitars.
The Victory Book Campaign, Tor
which Miss Keller was making an
appeal, already has collected more
than 25,OOO books in the District, as
we'll as $50 phonograph records and
so pieces of music.