Library Collections: Document: Full Text
 |
Chronological Statement Of Studies
| ||||||||||||||||
|
Page 1: | |
| 1 | WRENTHAM, MASS., September 17, 1899. | |
| 2 |
Mr. JOHN HITZ, | |
| 3 | MY DEAR MR. HITZ: It is with the greatest reluctance that I comply with your request to write an account of my education since 1892. I cannot believe that what I shall have to say on the subject will have any interest or value from an educational point of view; but, since you seem so desirous that I should make the attempt, I will do my best to please you. | |
| 4 | I cannot give a connected account of my studies between March, 1892, and October, 1893; they were constantly interrupted by travel, and by visits to Washington, Niagara Falls, and the World's Fair. But I studied more or less by myself in a desultory manner. I read the histories of Greece, Rome, and the United States, and acquired a sufficient knowledge of French to read with pleasure Fontaine's fables and passages from "Le Miser" and "Athalie." I also gave considerable time to the improvement of my speech. I would read aloud to Miss Sullivan, or recite long passages from my favorite poets, which I had committed to memory, and she would correct my pronunciation and help me to phrase and inflect properly. | |
| 5 | It was not until October, 1893, after I had recovered from the excitement and fatigue of my visit to the World's Fair, that I began to study regularly. Miss Sullivan and I were then visiting friends in Hulton, Pennsylvania. It happened that a neighbor of my friends, a Presbyterian minister, was a good Latin scholar; so it was arranged that I should study Latin with him. Mr. Irons proved to be a very good teacher. He taught me Latin grammar principally; but he often helped me in Arithmetic, which at that time I found very troublesome. He also read Tennyson's "In Memoriam" with me. I had just begun Caesar's "Commentaries" in Latin, when I returned to my home in Alabama, the latter part of February, 1894. | |
| 6 | Perhaps I had better add that Mr. Irons did not communicate with me directly. Miss Sullivan always sat beside me, and spelled into my hand whatever he wished to say. Of course, it was she that looked up words and references for me, and talked over everything with me, just as if she had been a little girl like myself. | |
| 7 |
In October, 1894, I went to the Wright-Humason School for the Deaf in New York City, to receive special instruction in lip-reading and vocal training, Miss Sullivan accompanying me, and I remained there two years. My progress in lip-reading and speech was not what my teachers and I expected and hoped it would be. It was my ambition to speak like other people, and my teachers believed that this could be accomplished; but, although we worked hard and faithfully, yet we did not quite reach Sour goal. I suppose we aimed too high, and disappointment was therefore inevitable. (1) NOTE. -- For the benefit of teachers, the editor, in further elucidation, here appends a brief article of Dr. T. A. Humason on the subject of Miss Keller's instruction, which appeared in No. co, Vol. V, of the Educator. The methods we have employed in teaching lip-reading have been too varied to give in detail. Suffice it to say that we have given almost no attention to elements, and very little to words, but have exerted our efforts mainly in giving systematic practice in reading connected language, spoken naturally. In pursuing this course we have given our chief attention where it was most needed; for, from the time Helen came to our shool -sic-, she has experienced no difficulty in grasping isolated elements, very little in dealing with isolated words, but very great difficulty in understanding connected language. Our success has been such, however, that we have been able gradually to restrict communication by means of the manual alphabet, until now all communication between Helen and the other members of our family is carried on by means of speech. It would be far too much to say that all obstacles have been surmounted, for at times communication is slow and difficult. We are, however, able to notice such improvement as leads us to believe that in time Helen's lip-reading will prove a complete success. In dealing with Helen's speech, while we have given some attention to articulation, we have especially endeavored to correct her faults of tone-formation, to render her voice pure and clear, and to give it flexibility. To this end we have made use of methods very similar to those employed by vocalists for the purpose of voice development. So much, in fact, have some of our exercises resembled those of the singer that Helen has come to speak of such lessons as "singing lessons." It must, however, be distinctly understood that these lessons have not been given for the purpose of teaching Helen to sing, but simply to enable her to discriminate differences of pitch in her own voice or in the voices of others, to give her control of her voice, and to make it pure in quality. | |
| 8 | And, right here, I should like to correct an error, which has somehow crept into print, namely, that I learned to speak the English language perfectly in ten lessons-that is, in about ten hours. I did learn the elements of speech in that time, and my teacher and Miss Fuller could understand me pretty well; but I doubt very much if persons who were not familiar with the imperfect speech of the deaf could understand one word in a hundred. Indeed, it was many months before even my nearest friends could readily understand all that I said. Let no one imagine that I found it an easy task to speak well. On the contrary, nothing that I have ever accomplished has cost me more dearly in time and effort; and whatever facility I have acquired in speech has been gained only by hard and constant practice, and by Miss Sullivan's unfailing watchfulness. Even now, not a day passes that she does not call my attention to a mispronounced or wrongly inflected word. | |
