Raleigh High School - Excelsior Yearbook (Raleigh, IN)

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W5 1. ll 4 , l lg l E l l Page sixteen loved by the people among whom he lives, adorned by children, his writings cherished by people every- where, he goes his way serenely, with a hopeful out- look on this life and the next. It remains true that he spoke for the inarticulate and put into words the hopes and dreams of his friends, their inspirations, their longings and their beliefs-that he is the poet of the people. Orville Morgan. Helen Adams Keller N the village of Tuscumbia, Alabama, on June 27, 1880, was born a little baby girl who is now a world-famous young woman, Miss Helen Keller, one of the most interesting characters of the nineteenth century. Her father, Arthur H. Kel- ler, was the editor of a paper. He owned a beauti- ful home, which was named Ivy Green, for the Eng- lish ivy covered the house, trees and the fences. Climbing roses hung in long festoons from the porch, and in the garden grew lilies, roses and trailing clematis. As a baby, Helen was a strong, healthy child, quick and imitative in learning to speak. But when nineteen months old Cin 18823 she was taken seri- ously ill with congestion of the brain, and upon her recovery it was discovered that the extreme illness had left her totally deaf, dumb and blind. This little girl in her world of silence and dark- ness, was constantly trying to make known her wants, which was of intense sorrow to her parents and at the age of six she was taken to Dr. Chisholm, of Baltimore. While on her journey, parents, rela- tives, and friends contributed to make her happy. But Dr, Chisholm gave no hopes, and from there she was taken to an electrician, Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, whose inventions also failed to bring to her light or sound, and by his advice Miss Anne Sulli- man was recommended as a teacher. At the age of fourteen, almost blind, she entered the Perkins institution, where she partially re- gained her sight and graduated in 1886. Now ar' rangements were made for her special training. Miss Sullivan, who sincerely loved her pupil, taught her self-control and obedience. She pursued the plan of spelling into her hand everything they did, until Helen had absorbed the hand language as an ordinary child learns the spoken language. Now, as communication was possible with the outer world, Helen's intellectual improvement was rapid. She manifested eagerness and delight in acquiring information and a vocabulary. After three months' Work she knew about three hundred words. There was also evidence of her power in description, as in her description of a snowy land- scape. The trees stood motionless and white like figures in a marble frieze. There was no odor of pine needles. The rays of the sun fell upon the trees so that the twigs sparkled like diamonds and dropped in showers when we touched them. In 1890 Helen Keller was told of a deaf and blind girl in Norway who had been taught to speak. She now determined to learn. She took eleven les-

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of Europe in a battlefield. The poem expresses in a wonderful way, both by its thought and form, the swift speeding of the murderous missile: lt whizzed and whistled along the blurred And red-blent ranks, and it nicked the star Of an epaulet, as it snarled the word- War! On it sped--and the lifted wrist I Of the ensign-bearer stung, and straight E Dropped at his side as the word was hissed- I Hate! On went the missle-smoothed the blue Of a jaunty cap and the curls thereof, Cooing, soft as a dove might do- Love! ' Sang on!-sang on!-sang hate-sang war- Sung love, in sooth, till it needs must cease ' Hushed in the heart it was questing for,- . Peace! i l Mr. Riley made many contributions to the Journal before he mustered courage to ask for remuneration or before it occurred to the editor that he was en- titled to it by reason of the merit of his oierings. Finally, illumination came to the editorial mind and today there exists a list of poems for which a lump sum was paid to the author. The list includes some of his most familiar and most famous verses, but what was paid for them is the author 's own secret. Then it was proposed that Mr. Riley join the l Journal editorial staff at a fixed salary, which he did. 13 His duties were not well defined, but it was then li that he wrote the Benjamin F. Johnson series, The E Old Swimmin' Hole and 'Leven More Poems, one appearing each week in company with a letter pur- porting to be written by Johnson, an illiterate but intelligent old farmer with a strong vein of senti- ment. Meanwhile, Mr. Riley 's personal acquaintance extended rapidly among appreciative people. Some of the men of his group were John C. New, Rev. Myron W. Reed, William Pickney Fishback, Elijah W. Halford, and General Harrison, afterward Presi- dent. His recognition in the Eastern states came more slowly than elsewhere, but when finally given it was generous and enthusiastic. He became a favorite at Boston and always drew large audiences from the most exclusive intellectual circles. His first appearance in New York City was at an author's reading given for some special cause. Many distinguished writers, including William Dean Howells, Thomas Baily Aldrich, and Richard Watson Gilder were on the program. An author 's reading is usually a dull affair, writers seldom being good speakers, and the great audience grew restless and weary. Riley was last on the program, he was un' known and people were indifferent and impatient to be gone. But he proved to be the star of the occas- ion. Quickly it was seen that here was something new and original, that here was an artist. Wave upon wave of applause followed his recitation of a dialect poem-a character sketch in verse-and late as it was encores were demanded. Newspapers next morning gave him much praise and his fame was firmly established in the literary and artistic world. His life to the onlooker seems an ideal one for a literary man, with full honors and recognition be- stowed upon him while yet living, respected and ll ill! gl ill' ll, ll l 1 1 l l Page fifteen

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sons of Miss Fuller, principal of the Horace Mann school. The method of teaching her was to allow her to feel the position of the tongue and lips of someone speaking. In the autumn, after she had learned to speak, she walked among the falling leaves with her teach- er, who described to her the various colors and of Jack Frost and his magic power. And as it seems three years before, a friend had read by the deaf and dumb symbols the story called the Frost Fairies. On her return home, Miss Sullivan read to her Little Lord Fauntleroyf' and after the de- scriptions of the autumn leaves and the frost, she sat down and wrote an imaginative little story which was named The Frost King. As the teacher and parents recognized her descriptive pow- er, sent the story to Mr. Anagnos, at the Perkins Institution, who published it in one of the institu- tion reports, and it was now discovered that she had obtained her material from the Frost Fair- ies, and it had faintly lain in the mind of the child until the realization of autumn and frost had come to her. This explanation is now accepted, but at that time Helen and her teacher were both made to suffer the suspicion of those who questioned and thought that they were deceiving the officers of the institution. They were brought before the court of investigation of otiicers and questioned and cross- questioned separately as to the authorship. This incident proved an unfortunate one for teacher and pupil, as they were for a time in constant fear that all of Helen 's writings would be thus criticised. It was also about this time that Helen Keller's parents decided that the development of her char- acter demanded the teachings of God. Bishop Brooks came to the Alabama home and disclosed the power of her Creator. By the aid of her teach- er, the world's beauty, of nature, mountains. the sky and sea were told to her, and her answer was I have known him all the time, but I never knew his name. Helen now undertook the study of foreign lan- guages and history. In 1896, she entered Cam- bridge school for young ladies, in preparation for the entrance of Radcliife College. In the summer of 1897, she passed the examinations, receiving honors in German and English. After being placed in a separate room from other students, she used her typewriter. The questions were read to her by the means of the manual alphabet. In June, 1899, she passed the final examinations. The ques- tions had been copied in braille, that is, in raised printed letters. No one of acquaintance was al' lowed in the room. As there was no one to read to her the answers as she had written them. the examination was very diiiicult, but as she said, They didn 't realize how difficult they were making my examinations, nor did they understand the peculiar difficulties I had to surmount. But if they unintentionally placed obsta.cles in my way I have the consolation of knowing that I overcame them all. Although her college days were full of trials and discouragements, they were very happy. Her com- ment on college life is the lack of time and multi- plicity of tasks. Also, One goes to college to learn, it seems, not to think, and she praises the instructor who brings the literature to class, allow- ing the students to enjoy its power and beauty with- out interpretation or exposition. ' Page seventeen