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The Commoner,
VOLUME i, NUMBER 28.
12
f-7
Miss Helen. Keller Graduates
Holon Kellor, the glftod blind and
float girl, graduated from Radcliffo col
logo at Cambridge, crowning the la
bors of. hor teacher, companion, and
riond, Miss Annie M. Sullivan.
The remarkable career of this girl
In the pursuit of education alone has
boon sufllciont to attract the attention
of tho world, but boyond this she has
written two books, has had an insti
tution for teaching tho hlind in Lon
don named for her, and -has won tho
friendship of such mon as Bishop
Broolcs, Alexander Graham Bell, Jos
eph Jefferson, Oliver Wendell Holmes
and Mark Twain. Indeed the latter,
in his warm-hearted enthusiasm, has
declared that tho two most interesting
characters of the nineteenth century
aro Napoleon and Helen Keller.
When Miss Keller appeared with
tho members of hor class to receive
hor degree there was nothing ahout
hor outwardly to distinguish her from
other girls. Sho is tall, of good figure,
orect carriage, and has a remarkably
line complexion. Her hair is Drown,
there is only a slight defect in her
eightless eyes, and hor hands, those
.xyotuterful hands that help her to see
and hear so much, are large and well
shailed.
This extraordinary girl was born In
Tuscumbia, Ala., on Juno 27, 1880.
Up to tho time sho was 18 months old
sho displayed no unusual precocity,
for tho stories she remembers hearing
of her Infancy aro only such as may
havo been said of tho first knowledge
in her book, "Tho Story of My Life."
(When sho reached that age, however,
sho was stricken with a sovero illness.
"They called It acute congestion of
tho stomach and brain,' sho writes.
But when this attack had passed it left
her deaf aud sightless, with only in
fantile memories of "glimpses cf
broad, greon fields, a luminous sky,
trees and flowers, which tho darkness
that followed could not blot out." To
all intents aud purposes she know as
little as the day sho was born.
From that time until she was
nearly 7 years old she was a passion
ate child, striving to learn something
of tho mysteries of life as best sho
could, in hor terribly limited way. In
hor autobiography sho has been per
fectly frank in settling down stories
showing her outbursts of passion, and
tolls of how sho first discovered the
use of a key by locking her mother
in a pantry and of tho glee sho ex
perienced at her mother's efforts to
break out of tho closet.
It was through a visit to a fam
ous oculist in Baltimore that Mr. Kel
ler, who had hoped the doctor could
help restoro his little daughter's sight
first was put upon the track that
Holon has since followed so success
fully. The oculist advised Mr. Keller
to consult Dr. Alexander Graham
Bell of Washington, who could give
him some information as to schools
for the deaf and blind. Dr. Bell sug
gested writing to Mr. Anagnos, di
rector of -the Perkins Institution of
Boston, tho scene of Dr. Howe's la
bors with the blind. This was in tho
summer of 18SG. In March of the fol
lowing year Miss Anne Matfsflold Sul
livan went to begin her work of teach-
Don't Scold.
Irritability is a nervous affection.
"Strengthen the nerves with Dr. Miles'
Nervine. Sleep better, eat better,
work better, feel better, and be better,
iold ou guarantee. Book on norvos for poataL
Da. Milks Mxdisal Co,, Klkbart,1nd.
i t. llfHn 111 rwl nml rlnnf trlrl In
Alabama. Through her, Miss Keller
writes, "I came up out of Egypt and
stood before S'inai, and a power di
vine touched my spirit and gave it
sight so that I beheld many wonders,"
.a phraso that shows sho knows her
Bible.
The story of Miss Sullivan's work
has been told many tlme3, but never
with such heartfelt appreciation as in
her pupil's own words.
"Havo you ever been at sea jn a
dense fog," sho writes, "when it
seemed as if a tangible white dark
ness shut you in, and the great ship,
tonso and anxious, groped its way to
ward the shore With plummet and
sounding line, and you waited with
beating heart for something to hap
pon? I was like that ship before my
education began, only I was without
compass or sounding line, and had
no way of knowing how near the har
bor was. 'Light! Give nie light!' was
the wordless cry of my soul, and the
light of love shone on my in that
hour."
It was some time before Miss Sulli
van succeeded in making her young
pupil realize the connection between
tho words spelled with her fingers' and
the actual meaning of the words, the
hrst real glimmer of understanding
coming one day at the pump in the
yard, when Helen realized that 'w-a-
xt-e-r" spelled slowly meant the cool
jioou umt poured out of tho spout.
But her progress was so rapid that in
October of tho same year, the director
of tho Perkins institute said her ad
vancement had. been "a triumphal
march from the beginning."
In 1S94 sho went to New York to
study in a school for the deaf. Al
though never fond of city life, she
was happy there, particularly when
she was allowed to walk in Central
park, and two years later she began
her Cambridge career by entering a
school to bo prepared for Radcliffe.
Through all these years of toll at the
Cambridge school Miss Sullivan at
tended all the classes with the blind
girl, spelling into her hand "with in-
unue patience all that the teachers
said'
Helen took the preliminary exami
nation for Radcliffo in June, 1807, and
passed in everything, receiving "hon
ors" in German and English.
Miss Keller's nroeross nt iMa Rnv
was partially interrupted by a dif
ference of opinion between her in
structors and Miss Sullivan over the
state of hor health, the instructors de
claring she was working too hard and
should take five years for the course
instead of the four allotted. Miss
faullivan won her point, but Miss Kel
ler withdrew from the school and
studied under a tutor.
When Helen took her final examina
tion for Radcliffe in June; 1899, an un
expected difficulty arnsR wwrtt, i.
overcame in a way that was a verit
able tour do force. Miss Sullivan was
vu I'djuuuju. to rnnri tin .!
h?'an instrtor in the T Perk
ins institute, who was a stranger to
her, was selected for tho task This
man copied the papers for her ac
cord ng to the American system of
writing for the blind. Miss Kelldr
could get along well with this in the
languages, but when it camo to geom
etry and ateebra trmiMn i?
the student only knew the English
signs and symbols for these studies
By sheer will power she figured thlm
out successfully.
One of the most extraordinary
things about the development of this
wonderful nature is the manner in
which Miss Keller can "see" with he?
hands She has been a frequent visi
tor at tho Boston museum, and to
enable her to "see" the statues a lad
der is placed in front of each scuto
turo, and. afrnr nHmw .. " :UIE
she runs hor hands over the head and
then the face and arms. Some of her
comments show clearly how she grasps
tho meaning of the marbles as quick
ly as if sho had ordinary vision. Of
Apollo, she said it was "grand be
yond description; " of another god she
remarked, "He has an exalted look,"
and of Medusa, "Her expression is
painful."
Upon being led to a bas-relief of
some dancing girls, she asked,"Whero
are the choristers?" and of another
representing five singers she ex
claimed, "One is silent!" when her
fingers touched the closed lips of one
of the group. That she ha3 a strong
Bense of humor is shown by her com
ment on Euripides: "Ho is not so
handsome as Pericles."
For several years she has spent the
summer months at Wrentham, Mass.,
always with the faithful Miss Sulli
van, her family, and her favorite dog,
a bull terrier. Chicago Tribune.
Lord Curzon and Tibet.
Discussing the British situation in
Tibet, a signed editorial In tho latest
issue of "Capital' the principal trade
publication of Calcutta to reach this
country, says: Our unfortunate and ilj
starred Tibet Mission, now interned
at Gyautse, is evidently having a bad
time of it, according to all the re
ports that are allowed to filter into
the public prints. They are engaged
in the game of massacring and he
ing massacred up to the limits of
their opportunities, until the bloody
game can be enlarged in its seppe
after the reinforcements -arrive from
Chumbi, if indeed there bo any rem
nant of a mission left at Gyantse
when these reinforcements arrive for
the purpose of crawling along throug
rocky , defiles, floods and over moun
tain passes in the teeth of fanatical
opposition, if so bo that through it
all they are able to reach Lhasa. And
all for what? That Lord Curzon may
be glorified! That, and nothing else.
Let us be under no illusions in this
matter. We had no quarrel with the
people of Tibet.- If we had any con
troversy to. settle at all, it was with
Russia in reference to what wo im-
agined might be her designs in that
region, of a knd that would bo injur
ious to tho interests of our - Indian
Empire. But even the Russian bogey
did not exist In the minds of the
home government in regard to Tibet,
as was carefuly explained by the pre
mier not long ago in the House of
Commons. Lord Curzon, and Lord
Curzon alone, is responsible for this
miserable missidn of massacre. He
stated in one of his books that the
one mystery which the nineteenth
century had left for the twentieth to
solve was the mystery of Lhasa, and
his conduct shows that it was his
consuming ambition, in the sending
of this organized hypocrisy of a peace
ful mission, to be the man who would
have the credit of lifting the veil from
the sacred city of ribet.
Some specious reasons had, of
course, to be raked together. Lord
Curzon conjured up the Russian
bogey, and infractions of trade trea
ties, and other reasons, all clothed in
rags, for urging that a mission should
bo sent to Lhasa for the purpose of
having a British resident RrnHrm,i
permanently there. The home ov-
"No" t; it: Its loot and sai
No to this first proposition. But
Lord Curzon knew what he was about
He knew perfectly well that when
once he got his hypocritical mission
inserted within the borders of Tibet
tho game was in his own hands. Cir
cumstances would be sure to happen
which have since happened. The Ti
betans would be sure to xesist what
they rightly deemod to be a hostile
invasion of their territory. Blood
WOUld be SPilt. British i, .
have to be avenged aud British pres
tige maintained. The homo ,
ment would then throw the reins of re
sponsibility on the neck of "the man
on the spot," and give him a free
hand to do as he liked. All has hap
pened exactly as Lord Curzon knew
Jt would do. Ho has got his own
way, and he bids fair to be' filled with
the fruit of his own devices.
The servants of the Crown who
constitute tho expeditionary force
now invading Tibet, from the high
est officer to the humblest mule-driver,
have nothing to do with the mo
tives of the men who sent them. The
men are simply obeying orders. Thoy
have to do, and, if need be, die. And
they may be trusted these officers and
soldiers to do all that men can do to
qarry- out. the orders they have re
ceived. Wo only wish the whole mis
erable business was over, and the
men safely back again. But the
prospects are such as are Impossible
to calculate with any degree of cer
tainty. The Tibetans .themselves are
beginning to falsify the notions which
oven Colonel Younghusband recently
cherished concerning them. They are
not so imperfectly armed as was im
agined. They are sturdy warriors,
and have the courage to face death
with unflinching front. Moreover,
they are patriots resisting to the
teeth a hostile invasion.
The upshot of it all can not be fore
seen, for even the Kitchener Is not yet
born who can gauge the destructive
work that can be accomplished when
a cyclone of religious fanaticism de
velops Into full sweep. And this is
what onr little band nas to fear in
the road to Lhasa. New York Commercial-Advertiser.
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