INTRODUCTIONHelen Keller's letters are important, not only as a supplementary story of her life, but as a demonstration of her growth in thought and expression—the growth which in itself has made her distinguished.These letters are, however, not merely remarkable as the productions of a deaf and blind girl, to be read with wonder and curiosity; they are good letters almost from the first. The best passages are those in which she talks about herself, and gives her world in terms of her experience of it. Her views on the precession of the equinoxes are not important, but most important are her accounts of what speech meant to her, of how she felt the statues, the dogs, the chickens at the poultry show, and how she stood in the aisle of St. Bartholomew's and felt the organ rumble. Those are passages of which one would ask for more. The reason they are comparatively few is that all her life she has been trying to be "like other people," and so she too often describes things not as they appear to her, but as they appear to one with eyes and ears.One cause for the excellence of her letters is the great number of them. They are the exercises which have trained her to write. She has lived at different times in different parts of the country, and so has been separated from most of her friends and relatives. Of her friends, many have been distinguished people, to whom—not often, I think, at the sacrifice of spontaneity—she has felt it necessary to write well. To them and to a few friends with whom she is in closest sympathy she writes with intimate frankness whatever she is thinking about. Her naive retelling of a child's tale she has heard, like the story of "Little Jakey," which she rehearses for Dr. Holmes and Bishop Brooks, is charming and her grave paraphrase of the day's lesson in geography or botany, her parrot-like repetition of what she has heard, and her conscious display of new words, are delightful and instructive; for they show not only what she was learning, but how, by putting it all into letters, she made the new knowledge and the new words her own.So these selections from Miss Keller's correspondence are made with two purposes—to show her development and to preserve the most entertaining and significant passages from several hundred letters. Many of those written before 1892 were published in the reports of the Perkins Institution for the Blind. All letters up to that year are printed intact, for it is legitimate to be interested in the degree of skill the child showed in writing, even to details of punctuation; so it is well to preserve a literal integrity of reproduction. From the letters after the year 1892 I have culled in the spirit of one making an anthology, choosing the passages best in style and most important from the point of view of biography. Where I have been able to collate the original letters I have preserved everything as Miss Keller wrote it, punctuation, spelling, and all. I have done nothing but select and cut.The letters are arranged in chronological order. One or two letters from Bishop Brooks, Dr. Holmes, and Whittier are put immediately after the letters to which they are replies. Except for two or three important letters of 1901, these selections cease with the year 1900. In that year Miss Keller entered college. Now that she is a grown woman, her mature letters should be judged like those of any other person, and it seems best that no more of her correspondence be published unless she should become distinguished beyond the fact that she is the only well-educated deaf and blind person in the world.LETTERS (1887-1901)Miss Sullivan began to teach Helen Keller on March 3rd, 1887.Three months and a half after the first word was spelled into herhand, she wrote in pencil this letterTO HER COUSIN ANNA, MRS. GEORGE T. TURNER[Tuscumbia, Alabama, June 17, 1887.]helen write anna george will give helen apple simpson will shootbird jack will give helen stick of candy doctor will give mildredmedicine mother will make mildred new dress[No signature]Twenty-five days later, while she was on a short visit away fromhome, she wrote to her mother. Two words are almost illegible,and the angular print slants in every direction.TO MRS. KATE ADAMS KELLER[Huntsville, Alabama, July 12, 1887.]Helen will write mother letter papa did give helen medicinemildred will sit in swing mildred did kiss helen teacher did givehelen peach george is sick in bed george arm is hurt anna didgive helen lemonade dog did stand up.conductor did punch ticket papa did give helen drink of water incarcarlotta did give helen flowers anna will buy helen pretty newhat helen will hug and kiss mother helen will come homegrandmother does love helengood-by[No signature.]By the following September Helen shows improvement in fulness ofconstruction and more extended relations of thought.TO THE BLIND GIRLS AT THE PERKINS INSTITUTION IN SOUTH BOSTON[Tuscumbia, September, 1887.]Helen will write little blind girls a letter Helen and teacherwill come to see little blind girls Helen and teacher will go insteam car to boston Helen and blind girls will have fun blindgirls can talk on fingers Helen will see Mr anagnos Mr anagnoswill love and kiss Helen Helen will go to school with blind girlsHelen can read and count and spell and write like blind girlsmildred will not go to boston Mildred does cry prince and jumbowill go to boston papa does shoot ducks with gun and ducks dofall in water and jumbo and mamie do swim in water and bringducks out in mouth to papa Helen does play with dogs Helen doesride on horseback with teacher Helen does give handee grass inhand teacher does whip handee to go fast Helen is blind Helenwill put letter in envelope for blind girls good-byHELEN KELLERA few weeks later her style is more nearly correct and freer inmovement. She improves in idiom, although she still omitsarticles and uses the "did" construction for the simple past.This is an idiom common among children.TO THE BLIND GIRLS AT THE PERKINS INSTITUTION[Tuscumbia, October 24, 1887.]dear little blind girlsI will write you a letter I thank you for pretty desk I did writeto mother in memphis on it mother and mildred came home wednesdaymother brought me a pretty new dress and hat papa did go tohuntsville he brought me apples and candy I and teacher will cometo boston and see you nancy is my doll she does cry I do rocknancy to sleep mildred is sick doctor will give her medicine tomake her well. I and teacher did go to church sunday mr. lane didread in book and talk Lady did play organ. I did give man moneyin basket. I will be good girl and teacher will curl my hairlovely. I will hug and kiss little blind girls mr. anagnos willcome to see me.good-byHELEN KELLERTO MR. MICHAEL ANAGNOS, DIRECTOR OF THE PERKINS INSTITUTION[Tuscumbia, November, 1887.]dear mr. anagnos I will write you a letter. I and teacher didhave pictures. teacher will send it to you. photographer doesmake pictures. carpenter does build new houses. gardener does digand hoe ground and plant vegetables. my doll nancy is sleeping.she is sick. mildred is well uncle frank has gone hunting deer.we will have venison for breakfast when he comes home. I did ridein wheel barrow and teacher did push it. simpson did give mepopcorn and walnuts. cousin rosa has gone to see her mother.people do go to church sunday. I did read in my book about foxand box. fox can sit in the box. I do like to read in my book.you do love me. I do love you.good-byHELEN KELLER.TO DR. ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL[Tuscumbia, November, 1887.]Dear Mr. Bell.I am glad to write you a letter, Father will send you picture. Iand Father and aunt did go to see you in Washington. I did playwith your watch. I do love you. I saw doctor in Washington. Helooked at my eyes. I can read stories in my book. I can write andspell and count. good girl. My sister can walk and run. We dohave fun with Jumbo. Prince is not good dog. He can not getbirds. Rat did kill baby pigeons. I am sorry. Rat does not knowwrong. I and mother and teacher will go to Boston in June. I willsee little blind girls. Nancy will go with me. She is a gooddoll. Father will buy me lovely new watch. Cousin Anna gave me apretty doll. Her name is Allie.Good-by,HELEN KELLER.By the beginning of the next year her idioms are firmer. Moreadjectives appear, including adjectives of colour. Although shecan have no sensuous knowledge of colour, she can use the words,as we use most of our vocabulary, intellectually, with truth, notto impression, but to fact. This letter is to a school-mate atthe Perkins Institution.TO MISS SARAH TOMLINSONTuscumbia, Ala. Jan. 2nd 1888.Dear SarahI am happy to write to you this morning. I hope Mr. Anagnos iscoming to see me soon. I will go to Boston in June and I will buyfather gloves, and James nice collar, and Simpson cuffs. I sawMiss Betty and her scholars. They had a pretty Christmas-tree,and there were many pretty presents on it for little children. Ihad a mug, and little bird and candy. I had many lovely thingsfor Christmas. Aunt gave me a trunk for Nancy and clothes. I wentto party with teacher and mother. We did dance and play and eatnuts and candy and cakes and oranges and I did have fun withlittle boys and girls. Mrs. Hopkins did send me lovely ring, I dolove her and little blind girls.Men and boys do make carpets in mills. Wool grows on sheep. Mendo cut sheep's wool off with large shears, and send it to themill. Men and women do make wool cloth in mills.Cotton grows on large stalks in fields. Men and boys and girlsand women do pick cotton. We do make thread and cotton dresses ofcotton. Cotton has pretty white and red flowers on it. Teacherdid tear her dress. Mildred does cry. I will nurse Nancy. Motherwill buy me lovely new aprons and dress to take to Boston. I wentto Knoxville with father and aunt. Bessie is weak and little.Mrs. Thompson's chickens killed Leila's chickens. Eva does sleepin my bed. I do love good girls.Good-byHELEN KELLER.The next two letters mention her visit in January to herrelatives in Memphis, Tennessee. She was taken to the cottonexchange. When she felt the maps and blackboards she asked, "Domen go to school?" She wrote on the blackboard the names of allthe gentlemen present. While at Memphis she went over one of thelarge Mississippi steamers.TO DR. EDWARD EVERETT HALETuscumbia, Alabama, February 15th 1888.Dear Mr. Hale,I am happy to write you a letter this morning. Teacher told meabout kind gentleman I shall be glad to read pretty story I doread stories in my book about tigers and lions and sheep.I am coming to Boston in June to see little blind girls and Iwill come to see you. I went to Memphis to see grandmother andAunt Nannie. Teacher bought me lovely new dress and cap andaprons. Little Natalie is a very weak and small baby. Father tookus to see steamboat. It was on a large river. Boat is like house.Mildred is a good baby. I do love to play with little sister.Nancy was not a good child when I went to Memphis. She did cryloud. I will not write more to-day. I am tired.Good-byHELEN KELLER.TO MR. MICHAEL ANAGNOSTuscumbia, Ala., Feb. 24th, 1888.My dear Mr. Anagnos,—I am glad to write you a letter in Braille.This morning Lucien Thompson sent me a beautiful bouquet ofviolets and crocuses and jonquils. Sunday Adeline Moses broughtme a lovely doll. It came from New York. Her name is AdelineKeller. She can shut her eyes and bend her arms and sit down andstand up straight. She has on a pretty red dress. She is Nancy'ssister and I am their mother. Allie is their cousin. Nancy was abad child when I went to Memphis she cried loud, I whipped herwith a stick.Mildred does feed little chickens with crumbs. I love to playwith little sister.Teacher and I went to Memphis to see aunt Nannie and grandmother.Louise is aunt Nannie's child. Teacher bought me a lovely newdress and gloves and stockings and collars and grandmother mademe warm flannels, and aunt Nannie made me aprons. Lady made me apretty cap. I went to see Robert and Mr. Graves and Mrs. Gravesand little Natalie, and Mr. Farris and Mr. Mayo and Mary andeveryone. I do love Robert and teacher. She does not want me towrite more today. I feel tired.I found box of candy in Mr. Grave's pocket. Father took us to seesteam boat it is like house. Boat was on very large river. Yatesplowed yard today to plant grass. Mule pulled plow. Mother willmake garden of vegetables. Father will plant melons and peas andbeans.Cousin Bell will come to see us Saturday. Mother will makeice-cream for dinner, we will have ice-cream and cake for dinner.Lucien Thompson is sick. I am sorry for him.Teacher and I went to walk in the yard, and I learned about howflowers and trees grow. Sun rises in the east and sets in thewest. Sheffield is north and Tuscumbia is south. We will go toBoston in June. I will have fun with little blind girls.Good byeHELEN KELLER."Uncle Morrie" of the next letter is Mr. Morrison Heady, ofNormandy, Kentucky, who lost his sight and hearing when he was aboy. He is the author of some commendable verses.TO MR. MORRISON HEADYTuscumbia, Ala., March 1st 1888.My dear uncle Morrie,—I am happy to write you a letter, I dolove you, and I will hug and kiss you when I see you.Mr. Anagnos is coming to see me Monday. I do love to run and hopand skip with Robert in bright warm sun. I do know little girl inLexington Ky. her name is Katherine Hobson.I am going to Boston in June with mother and teacher, I will havefun with little blind girls, and Mr. Hale will send me prettystory. I do read stories in my book about lions and tigers andbears.Mildred will not go to Boston, she does cry. I love to play withlittle sister, she is weak and small baby. Eva is better.Yates killed ants, ants stung Yates. Yates is digging in garden.Mr. Anagnos did see oranges, they look like golden apples.Robert will come to see me Sunday when sun shines and I will havefun with him. My cousin Frank lives in Louisville. I will come toMemphis again to see Mr. Farris and Mrs. Graves and Mr. Mayo andMr. Graves. Natalie is a good girl and does not cry, and she willbe big and Mrs. Graves is making short dresses for her. Nataliehas a little carriage. Mr. Mayo has been to Duck Hill and hebrought sweet flowers home.With much love and a kissHELEN A. KELLER.In this account of the picnic we get an illuminating glimpse ofMiss Sullivan's skill in teaching her pupil during play hours.This was a day when the child's vocabulary grew.TO MR. MICHAEL ANAGNOSTuscumbia, Ala., May 3rd 1888.Dear Mr. Anagnos.—I am glad to write to you this morning,because I love you very much. I was very happy to receive prettybook and nice candy and two letters from you. I will come to seeyou soon and will ask you many questions about countries and youwill love good child.Mother is making me pretty new dresses to wear in Boston and Iwill look lovely to see little girls and boys and you. Fridayteacher and I went to a picnic with little children. We playedgames and ate dinner under the trees, and we found ferns and wildflowers. I walked in the woods and learned names of many trees.There are poplar and cedar and pine and oak and ash and hickoryand maple trees. They make a pleasant shade and the little birdslove to swing to and fro and sing sweetly up in the trees.Rabbits hop and squirrels run and ugly snakes do crawl in thewoods. Geraniums and roses jasamines and japonicas are cultivatedflowers. I help mother and teacher water them every night beforesupper.Cousin Arthur made me a swing in the ash tree. Aunt Ev. has goneto Memphis. Uncle Frank is here. He is picking strawberries fordinner. Nancy is sick again, new teeth do make her ill. Adelineis well and she can go to Cincinnati Monday with me. Aunt Ev.will send me a boy doll, Harry will be Nancy's and Adeline'sbrother. Wee sister is a good girl. I am tired now and I do wantto go down stairs. I send many kisses and hugs with letter.Your darling childHELEN KELLER.Toward the end of May Mrs. Keller, Helen, and Miss Sullivanstarted for Boston. On the way they spent a few days inWashington, where they saw Dr. Alexander Graham Bell and calledon President Cleveland. On May 26th they arrived in Boston andwent to the Perkins Institution; here Helen met the little blindgirls with whom she had corresponded the year before.Early in July she went to Brewster, Massachusetts, and spent therest of the summer. Here occurred her first encounter with thesea, of which she has since written.TO MISS MARY C. MOORESo. Boston, Mass. Sept. 1888My dear Miss MooreAre you very glad to receive a nice letter from your darlinglittle friend? I love you very dearly because you are my friend.My precious little sister is quite well now. She likes to sit inmy little rocking-chair and put her kitty to sleep. Would youlike to see darling little Mildred? She is a very pretty baby.Her eyes are very big and blue, and her cheeks are soft and roundand rosy and her hair is very bright and golden. She is very goodand sweet when she does not cry loud. Next summer Mildred will goout in the garden with me and pick the big sweet strawberries andthen she will be very happy. I hope she will not eat too many ofthe delicious fruit for they will make her very ill.Sometime will you please come to Alabama and visit me? My uncleJames is going to buy me a very gentle pony and a pretty cart andI shall be very happy to take you and Harry to ride. I hope Harrywill not be afraid of my pony. I think my father will buy me abeautiful little brother some day. I shall be very gentle andpatient to my new little brother. When I visit many strangecountries my brother and Mildred will stay with grandmotherbecause they will be too small to see a great many people and Ithink they would cry loud on the great rough ocean.When Capt. Baker gets well he will take me in his big ship toAfrica. Then I shall see lions and tigers and monkeys. I will geta baby lion and a white monkey and a mild bear to bring home. Ihad a very pleasant time at Brewster. I went in bathing almostevery day and Carrie and Frank and little Helen and I had fun. Wesplashed and jumped and waded in the deep water. I am not afraidto float now. Can Harry float and swim? We came to Boston lastThursday, and Mr. Anagnos was delighted to see me, and he huggedand kissed me. The little girls are coming back to school nextWednesday.Will you please tell Harry to write me a very long letter soon?When you come to Tuscumbia to see me I hope my father will havemany sweet apples and juicy peaches and fine pears and deliciousgrapes and large water melons.I hope you think about me and love me because I am a good littlechild.With much love and two kissesFrom your little friendHELEN A. KELLER.In this account of a visit to some friends, Helen's thought ismuch what one would expect from an ordinary child of eight,except perhaps her naive satisfaction in the boldness of theyoung gentlemen.TO MRS. KATE ADAMS KELLERSo. Boston, Mass, Sept. 24th 1888.My dear Mother,I think you will be very glad to know all about my visit to WestNewton. Teacher and I had a lovely time with many kind friends.West Newton is not far from Boston and we went there in the steamcars very quickly.Mrs. Freeman and Carrie and Ethel and Frank and Helen came tostation to meet us in a huge carriage. I was delighted to see mydear little friends and I hugged and kissed them. Then we rodefor a long time to see all the beautiful things in West Newton.Many very handsome houses and large soft green lawns around themand trees and bright flowers and fountains. The horse's name wasPrince and he was gentle and liked to trot very fast. When wewent home we saw eight rabbits and two fat puppies, and a nicelittle white pony, and two wee kittens and a pretty curly dognamed Don. Pony's name was Mollie and I had a nice ride on herback; I was not afraid, I hope my uncle will get me a dear littlepony and a little cart very soon.Clifton did not kiss me because he does not like to kiss littlegirls. He is shy. I am very glad that Frank and Clarence andRobbie and Eddie and Charles and George were not very shy. Iplayed with many little girls and we had fun. I rode on Carrie'stricicle and picked flowers and ate fruit and hopped and skippedand danced and went to ride. Many ladies and gentlemen came tosee us. Lucy and Dora and Charles were born in China. I was bornin America, and Mr. Anagnos was born in Greece. Mr. Drew sayslittle girls in China cannot talk on their fingers but I thinkwhen I go to China I will teach them. Chinese nurse came to seeme, her name was Asu. She showed me a tiny atze that very richladies in China wear because their feet never grow large. Amahmeans a nurse. We came home in horse cars because it was Sundayand steam cars do not go often on Sunday. Conductors andengineers do get very tired and go home to rest. I saw littleWillie Swan in the car and he gave me a juicy pear. He was sixyears old. What did I do when I was six years old? Will youplease ask my father to come to train to meet teacher and me? Iam very sorry that Eva and Bessie are sick. I hope I can have anice party my birthday, and I do want Carrie and Ethel and Frankand Helen to come to Alabama to visit me. Will Mildred sleep withme when I come home.With much love and thousand kisses.From your dear little daughter.HELEN A. KELLER.Her visit to Plymouth was in July. This letter, written threemonths later, shows how well she remembered her first lesson inhistory.TO MR. MORRISON HEADYSouth Boston, Mass. October 1st, 1888.My dear uncle Morrie,—I think you will be very glad to receive aletter from your dear little friend Helen. I am very happy towrite to you because I think of you and love you. I read prettystories in the book you sent me, about Charles and his boat, andArthur and his dream, and Rosa and the sheep.I have been in a large boat. It was like a ship. Mother andteacher and Mrs. Hopkins and Mr. Anagnos and Mr. Rodocanachi andmany other friends went to Plymouth to see many old things. Iwill tell you a little story about Plymouth.Many years ago there lived in England many good people, but theking and his friends were not kind and gentle and patient withgood people, because the king did not like to have the peopledisobey him. People did not like to go to church with the king;but they did like to build very nice little churches forthemselves.The king was very angry with the people and they were sorry andthey said, we will go away to a strange country to live and leavevery dear home and friends and naughty king. So, they put alltheir things into big boxes, and said, Good-bye. I am sorry forthem because they cried much. When they went to Holland they didnot know anyone; and they could not know what the people weretalking about because they did not know Dutch. But soon theylearned some Dutch words; but they loved their own language andthey did not want little boys and girls to forget it and learn totalk funny Dutch. So they said, We must go to a new country faraway and build schools and houses and churches and make newcities. So they put all their things in boxes and said, Good-byeto their new friends and sailed away in a large boat to find anew country. Poor people were not happy for their hearts werefull of sad thoughts because they did not know much aboutAmerica. I think little children must have been afraid of a greatocean for it is very strong and it makes a large boat rock andthen the little children would fall down and hurt their heads.After they had been many weeks on the deep ocean where they couldnot see trees or flowers or grass, but just water and thebeautiful sky, for ships could not sail quickly then because mendid not know about engines and steam. One day a dear littlebaby-boy was born. His name was Peregrine White. I am very sorrythat poor little Peregrine is dead now. Every day the people wentupon deck to look out for land. One day there was a great shouton the ship for the people saw the land and they were full of joybecause they had reached a new country safely. Little girls andboys jumped and clapped their hands. They were all glad when theystepped upon a huge rock. I did see the rock in Plymouth and alittle ship like the Mayflower and the cradle that dear littlePeregrine slept in and many old things that came in theMayflower. Would you like to visit Plymouth some time and seemany old things.Now I am very tired and I will rest.With much love and many kisses, from your little friend.HELEN A. KELLER.The foreign words in these two letters, the first of which waswritten during a visit to the kindergarten for the blind, she hadbeen told months before, and had stowed them away in her memory.She assimilated words and practised with them, sometimes usingthem intelligently, sometimes repeating them in a parrot-likefashion. Even when she did not fully understand words or ideas,she liked to set them down as though she did. It was in this waythat she learned to use correctly words of sound and vision whichexpress ideas outside of her experience. "Edith" is Edith Thomas.TO MR. MICHAEL ANAGNOSRoxbury, Mass. Oct. 17th, 1888.Mon cher Monsieur Anagnos,I am sitting by the window and the beautiful sun is shining on meTeacher and I came to the kindergarten yesterday. There aretwenty seven little children here and they are all blind. I amsorry because they cannot see much. Sometime will they have verywell eyes? Poor Edith is blind and deaf and dumb. Are you verysad for Edith and me? Soon I shall go home to see my mother andmy father and my dear good and sweet little sister. I hope youwill come to Alabama to visit me and I will take you to ride inmy little cart and I think you will like to see me on my dearlittle pony's back. I shall wear my lovely cap and my new ridingdress. If the sun shines brightly I will take you to see Leilaand Eva and Bessie. When I am thirteen years old I am going totravel in many strange and beautiful countries. I shall climbvery high mountains in Norway and see much ice and snow. I hope Iwill not fall and hurt my head I shall visit little LordFauntleroy in England and he will be glad to show me his grandand very ancient castle. And we will run with the deer and feedthe rabbits and catch the squirrels. I shall not be afraid ofFauntleroy's great dog Dougal. I hope Fauntleroy take me to see avery kind queen. When I go to France I will take French. A littleFrench boy will say, Parlez-vous Francais? and I will say, Oui,Monsieur, vous avez un joli chapeau. Donnez moi un baiser. I hopeyou will go with me to Athens to see the maid of Athens. She wasvery lovely lady and I will talk Greek to her. I will say, seagapo and, pos echete and I think she will say, kalos, and then Iwill say chaere. Will you please come to see me soon and take meto the theater? When you come I will say, Kale emera, and whenyou go home I will say, Kale nykta. Now I am too tired to writemore. Je vous aime. Au revoirFrom your darling little friendHELEN A. KELLER.TO MISS EVELINA H. KELLER[So. Boston, Mass. October 29, 1888.]My dearest Aunt,—I am coming home very soon and I think you andevery one will be very glad to see my teacher and me. I am veryhappy because I have learned much about many things. I amstudying French and German and Latin and Greek. Se agapo isGreek, and it means I love thee. J'ai une bonne petite soeur isFrench, and it means I have a good little sister. Nous avons unbon pere et une bonne mere means, we have a good father and agood mother. Puer is boy in Latin, and Mutter is mother inGerman. I will teach Mildred many languages when I come home.HELEN A. KELLER.TO MRS. SOPHIA C. HOPKINSTuscumbia, Ala. Dec. 11th, 1888.My dear Mrs. Hopkins:—I have just fed my dear little pigeon. My brother Simpson gave itto me last Sunday. I named it Annie, for my teacher. My puppy hashad his supper and gone to bed. My rabbits are sleeping, too; andvery soon I shall go to bed. Teacher is writing letters to herfriends. Mother and father and their friends have gone to see ahuge furnace. The furnace is to make iron. The iron ore is foundin the ground; but it cannot be used until it has been brought tothe furnace and melted, and all the dirt taken out, and just thepure iron left. Then it is all ready to be manufactured intoengines, stoves, kettles and many other things.Coal is found in the ground, too. Many years ago, before peoplecame to live on the earth, great trees and tall grasses and hugeferns and all the beautiful flowers cover the earth. When theleaves and the trees fell, the water and the soil covered them;and then more trees grew and fell also, and were buried underwater and soil. After they had all been pressed together for manythousands of years, the wood grew very hard, like rock, and thenit was all ready for people to burn. Can you see leaves and fernsand bark on the coal? Men go down into the ground and dig out thecoal, and steam-cars take it to the large cities, and sell it topeople to burn, to make them warm and happy when it is cold outof doors.Are you very lonely and sad now? I hope you will come to see mesoon, and stay a long time.With much love from your little friendHELEN A. KELLER.TO MISS DELLA BENNETTTuscumbia, Ala., Jan. 29, 1889.My dear Miss Bennett:—I am delighted to write to you thismorning. We have just eaten our breakfast. Mildred is runningabout downstairs. I have been reading in my book aboutastronomers. Astronomer comes from the Latin word astra, whichmeans stars; and astronomers are men who study the stars, andtell us about them. When we are sleeping quietly in our beds,they are watching the beautiful sky through the telescope. Atelescope is like a very strong eye. The stars are so far awaythat people cannot tell much about them, without very excellentinstruments. Do you like to look out of your window, and seelittle stars? Teacher says she can see Venus from our window, andit is a large and beautiful star. The stars are called theearth's brothers and sisters.There are a great many instruments besides those which theastronomers use. A knife is an instrument to cut with. I thinkthe bell is an instrument, too. I will tell you what I know aboutbells.Some bells are musical and others are unmusical. Some are verytiny and some are very large. I saw a very large bell atWellesley. It came from Japan. Bells are used for many purposes.They tell us when breakfast is ready, when to go to school, whenit is time for church, and when there is a fire. They tell peoplewhen to go to work, and when to go home and rest. The engine-belltells the passengers that they are coming to a station, and ittells the people to keep out of the way. Sometimes very terribleaccidents happen, and many people are burned and drowned andinjured. The other day I broke my doll's head off; but that wasnot a dreadful accident, because dolls do not live and feel, likepeople. My little pigeons are well, and so is my little bird. Iwould like to have some clay. Teacher says it is time for me tostudy now. Good-bye.With much love, and many kisses,HELEN A. KELLER.TO DR. EDWARD EVERETT HALETuscumbia, Alabama, February 21st, 1889.My dear Mr. Hale,I am very much afraid that you are thinking in your mind thatlittle Helen has forgotten all about you and her dear cousins.But I think you will be delighted to receive this letter becausethen you will know that I of[ten] think about you and I love youdearly for you are my dear cousin. I have been at home a greatmany weeks now. It made me feel very sad to leave Boston and Imissed all of my friends greatly, but of course I was glad to getback to my lovely home once more. My darling little sister isgrowing very fast. Sometimes she tries to spell very short wordson her small [fingers] but she is too young to remember hardwords. When she is older I will teach her many things if she ispatient and obedient. My teacher says, if children learn to bepatient and gentle while they are little, that when they grow tobe young ladies and gentlemen they will not forget to be kind andloving and brave. I hope I shall be courageous always. A littlegirl in a story was not courageous. She thought she saw littleelves with tall pointed [hats] peeping from between the bushesand dancing down the long alleys, and the poor little girl wasterrified. Did you have a pleasant Christmas? I had many lovelypresents given to me. The other day I had a fine party. All of mydear little friends came to see me. We played games, and ateice-cream and cake and fruit. Then we had great fun. The sun isshining brightly to-day and I hope we shall go to ride if theroads are dry. In a few days the beautiful spring will be here. Iam very glad because I love the warm sunshine and the fragrantflowers. I think Flowers grow to make people happy and good. Ihave four dolls now. Cedric is my little boy, he is named forLord Fauntleroy. He has big brown eyes and long golden hair andpretty round cheeks. Ida is my baby. A lady brought her to mefrom Paris. She can drink milk like a real baby. Lucy is a fineyoung lady. She has on a dainty lace dress and satin slippers.Poor old Nancy is growing old and very feeble. She is almost aninvalid. I have two tame pigeons and a tiny canary bird. Jumbo isvery strong and faithful. He will not let anything harm us atnight. I go to school every day I am studying reading, writing,arithmetic, geography and language. My Mother and teacher sendyou and Mrs. Hale their kind greetings and Mildred sends you akiss.With much love and kisses, from yourAffectionate cousinHELEN A. KELLER.During the winter Miss Sullivan and her pupil were working atHelen's home in Tuscumbia, and to good purpose, for by springHelen had learned to write idiomatic English. After May, 1889, Ifind almost no inaccuracies, except some evident slips of thepencil. She uses words precisely and makes easy, fluentsentences.TO MR. MICHAEL ANAGNOSTuscumbia, Ala., May 18, 1889.My Dear Mr. Anagnos:—You cannot imagine how delighted I was toreceive a letter from you last evening. I am very sorry that youare going so far away. We shall miss you very, very much. I wouldlove to visit many beautiful cities with you. When I was inHuntsville I saw Dr. Bryson, and he told me that he had been toRome and Athens and Paris and London. He had climbed the highmountains in Switzerland and visited beautiful churches in Italyand France, and he saw a great many ancient castles. I hope youwill please write to me from all the cities you visit. When yougo to Holland please give my love to the lovely princessWilhelmina. She is a dear little girl, and when she is old enoughshe will be the queen of Holland. If you go to Roumania pleaseask the good queen Elizabeth about her little invalid brother,and tell her that I am very sorry that her darling little girldied. I should like to send a kiss to Vittorio, the little princeof Naples, but teacher says she is afraid you will not rememberso many messages. When I am thirteen years old I shall visit themall myself.I thank you very much for the beautiful story about LordFauntleroy, and so does teacher.I am so glad that Eva is coming to stay with me this summer. Wewill have fine times together. Give Howard my love, and tell himto answer my letter. Thursday we had a picnic. It was verypleasant out in the shady woods, and we all enjoyed the picnicvery much.Mildred is out in the yard playing, and mother is picking thedelicious strawberries. Father and Uncle Frank are down town.Simpson is coming home soon. Mildred and I had our pictures takenwhile we were in Huntsville. I will send you one.The roses have been beautiful. Mother has a great many fineroses. The La France and the Lamarque are the most fragrant; butthe Marechal Neil, Solfaterre, Jacqueminot, Nipheots, Etoile deLyon, Papa Gontier, Gabrielle Drevet and the Perle des Jardinesare all lovely roses.Please give the little boys and girls my love. I think of themevery day and I love them dearly in my heart. When you come homefrom Europe I hope you will be all well and very happy to gethome again. Do not forget to give my love to Miss CalliopeKehayia and Mr. Francis Demetrios Kalopothakes.Lovingly, your little friend,HELEN ADAMS KELLER.Like a good many of Helen Keller's early letters, this to herFrench teacher is her re-phrasing of a story. It shows how muchthe gift of writing is, in the early stages of its development,the gift of mimicry.TO MISS FANNIE S. MARRETTTuscumbia, Ala., May 17, 1889.My Dear Miss Marrett—I am thinking about a dear little girl, whowept very hard. She wept because her brother teased her verymuch. I will tell you what he did, and I think you will feel verysorry for the little child. She had a most beautiful doll givenher. Oh, it was a lovely and delicate doll! but the little girl'sbrother, a tall lad, had taken the doll, and set it up in a hightree in the garden, and had run away. The little girl could notreach the doll, and could not help it down, and therefore shecried. The doll cried, too, and stretched out its arms from amongthe green branches, and looked distressed. Soon the dismal nightwould come—and was the doll to sit up in the tree all night, andby herself? The little girl could not endure that thought. "Iwill stay with you," said she to the doll, although she was notat all courageous. Already she began to see quite plainly thelittle elves in their tall pointed hats, dancing down the duskyalleys, and peeping from between the bushes, and they seemed tocome nearer and nearer; and she stretched her hands up towardsthe tree in which the doll sat and they laughed, and pointedtheir fingers at her. How terrified was the little girl; but ifone has not done anything wrong, these strange little elvescannot harm one. "Have I done anything wrong? Ah, yes!" said thelittle girl. "I have laughed at the poor duck, with the red ragtied round its leg. It hobbled, and that made me laugh; but it iswrong to laugh at the poor animals!"Is it not a pitiful story? I hope the father punished the naughtylittle boy. Shall you be very glad to see my teacher nextThursday? She is going home to rest, but she will come back to menext autumn.Lovingly, your little friend,HELEN ADAMS KELLER.TO MISS MARY E. RILEYTuscumbia, Ala., May 27, 1889.My Dear Miss Riley:—I wish you were here in the warm, sunnysouth today. Little sister and I would take you out into thegarden, and pick the delicious raspberries and a few strawberriesfor you. How would you like that? The strawberries are nearly allgone. In the evening, when it is cool and pleasant, we would walkin the yard, and catch the grasshoppers and butterflies. We wouldtalk about the birds and flowers and grass and Jumbo and Pearl.If you liked, we would run and jump and hop and dance, and bevery happy. I think you would enjoy hearing the mocking-birdssing. One sits on the twig of a tree, just beneath our window,and he fills the air with his glad songs. But I am afraid youcannot come to Tuscumbia; so I will write to you, and send you asweet kiss and my love. How is Dick? Daisy is happy, but shewould be happy ever if she had a little mate. My little childrenare all well except Nancy, and she is quite feeble. Mygrandmother and aunt Corinne are here. Grandmother is going tomake me two new dresses. Give my love to all the little girls,and tell them that Helen loves them very, very much. Eva sendslove to all.With much love and many kisses, from your affectionate littlefriend,HELEN ADAMS KELLER.During the summer Miss Sullivan was away from Helen for threemonths and a half, the first separation of teacher and pupil.Only once afterward in fifteen years was their constantcompanionship broken for more than a few days at a time.TO MISS ANNE MANSFIELD SULLIVANTuscumbia, Ala., August 7, 1889.Dearest Teacher—I am very glad to write to you this evening, forI have been thinking much about you all day. I am sitting on thepiazza, and my little white pigeon is perched on the back of mychair, watching me write. Her little brown mate has flown awaywith the other birds; but Annie is not sad, for she likes to staywith me. Fauntleroy is asleep upstairs, and Nancy is putting Lucyto bed. Perhaps the mocking bird is singing them to sleep. Allthe beautiful flowers are in bloom now. The air is sweet with theperfume of jasmines, heliotropes and roses. It is getting warmhere now, so father is going to take us to the Quarry on the 20thof August. I think we shall have a beautiful time out in thecool, pleasant woods. I will write and tell you all the pleasantthings we do. I am so glad that Lester and Henry are good littleinfants. Give them many sweet kisses for me.What was the name of the little boy who fell in love with thebeautiful star? Eva has been telling me a story about a lovelylittle girl named Heidi. Will you please send it to me? I shallbe delighted to have a typewriter.Little Arthur is growing very fast. He has on short dresses now.Cousin Leila thinks he will walk in a little while. Then I willtake his soft chubby hand in mine, and go out in the brightsunshine with him. He will pull the largest roses, and chase thegayest butterflies. I will take very good care of him, and notlet him fall and hurt himself. Father and some other gentlemenwent hunting yesterday. Father killed thirty-eight birds. We hadsome of them for supper, and they were very nice. Last MondaySimpson shot a pretty crane. The crane is a large and strongbird. His wings are as long as my arm, and his bill is as long asmy foot. He eats little fishes, and other small animals. Fathersays he can fly nearly all day without stopping.Mildred is the dearest and sweetest little maiden in the world.She is very roguish, too. Sometimes, when mother does not knowit, she goes out into the vineyard, and gets her apron full ofdelicious grapes. I think she would like to put her two soft armsaround your neck and hug you.Sunday I went to church. I love to go to church, because I liketo see my friends.A gentleman gave me a beautiful card. It was a picture of a mill,near a beautiful brook. There was a boat floating on the water,and the fragrant lilies were growing all around the boat. Not farfrom the mill there was an old house, with many trees growingclose to it. There were eight pigeons on the roof of the house,and a great dog on the step. Pearl is a very proud mother-dognow. She has eight puppies, and she thinks there never were suchfine puppies as hers.I read in my books every day. I love them very, very, very much.I do want you to come back to me soon. I miss you so very, verymuch. I cannot know about many things, when my dear teacher isnot here. I send you five thousand kisses, and more love than Ican tell. I send Mrs. H. much love and a kiss.From your affectionate little pupil,HELEN A. KELLER.
Helen Keller's letters are important, not only as a supplementary story of her life, but as a demonstration of her growth in thought and expression—the growth which in itself has made her distinguished.
These letters are, however, not merely remarkable as the productions of a deaf and blind girl, to be read with wonder and curiosity; they are good letters almost from the first. The best passages are those in which she talks about herself, and gives her world in terms of her experience of it. Her views on the precession of the equinoxes are not important, but most important are her accounts of what speech meant to her, of how she felt the statues, the dogs, the chickens at the poultry show, and how she stood in the aisle of St. Bartholomew's and felt the organ rumble. Those are passages of which one would ask for more. The reason they are comparatively few is that all her life she has been trying to be "like other people," and so she too often describes things not as they appear to her, but as they appear to one with eyes and ears.
One cause for the excellence of her letters is the great number of them. They are the exercises which have trained her to write. She has lived at different times in different parts of the country, and so has been separated from most of her friends and relatives. Of her friends, many have been distinguished people, to whom—not often, I think, at the sacrifice of spontaneity—she has felt it necessary to write well. To them and to a few friends with whom she is in closest sympathy she writes with intimate frankness whatever she is thinking about. Her naive retelling of a child's tale she has heard, like the story of "Little Jakey," which she rehearses for Dr. Holmes and Bishop Brooks, is charming and her grave paraphrase of the day's lesson in geography or botany, her parrot-like repetition of what she has heard, and her conscious display of new words, are delightful and instructive; for they show not only what she was learning, but how, by putting it all into letters, she made the new knowledge and the new words her own.
So these selections from Miss Keller's correspondence are made with two purposes—to show her development and to preserve the most entertaining and significant passages from several hundred letters. Many of those written before 1892 were published in the reports of the Perkins Institution for the Blind. All letters up to that year are printed intact, for it is legitimate to be interested in the degree of skill the child showed in writing, even to details of punctuation; so it is well to preserve a literal integrity of reproduction. From the letters after the year 1892 I have culled in the spirit of one making an anthology, choosing the passages best in style and most important from the point of view of biography. Where I have been able to collate the original letters I have preserved everything as Miss Keller wrote it, punctuation, spelling, and all. I have done nothing but select and cut.
The letters are arranged in chronological order. One or two letters from Bishop Brooks, Dr. Holmes, and Whittier are put immediately after the letters to which they are replies. Except for two or three important letters of 1901, these selections cease with the year 1900. In that year Miss Keller entered college. Now that she is a grown woman, her mature letters should be judged like those of any other person, and it seems best that no more of her correspondence be published unless she should become distinguished beyond the fact that she is the only well-educated deaf and blind person in the world.
LETTERS (1887-1901)Miss Sullivan began to teach Helen Keller on March 3rd, 1887.Three months and a half after the first word was spelled into herhand, she wrote in pencil this letterTO HER COUSIN ANNA, MRS. GEORGE T. TURNER[Tuscumbia, Alabama, June 17, 1887.]helen write anna george will give helen apple simpson will shootbird jack will give helen stick of candy doctor will give mildredmedicine mother will make mildred new dress[No signature]
Twenty-five days later, while she was on a short visit away fromhome, she wrote to her mother. Two words are almost illegible,and the angular print slants in every direction.TO MRS. KATE ADAMS KELLER[Huntsville, Alabama, July 12, 1887.]Helen will write mother letter papa did give helen medicinemildred will sit in swing mildred did kiss helen teacher did givehelen peach george is sick in bed george arm is hurt anna didgive helen lemonade dog did stand up.conductor did punch ticket papa did give helen drink of water incarcarlotta did give helen flowers anna will buy helen pretty newhat helen will hug and kiss mother helen will come homegrandmother does love helengood-by[No signature.]
By the following September Helen shows improvement in fulness ofconstruction and more extended relations of thought.TO THE BLIND GIRLS AT THE PERKINS INSTITUTION IN SOUTH BOSTON[Tuscumbia, September, 1887.]Helen will write little blind girls a letter Helen and teacherwill come to see little blind girls Helen and teacher will go insteam car to boston Helen and blind girls will have fun blindgirls can talk on fingers Helen will see Mr anagnos Mr anagnoswill love and kiss Helen Helen will go to school with blind girlsHelen can read and count and spell and write like blind girlsmildred will not go to boston Mildred does cry prince and jumbowill go to boston papa does shoot ducks with gun and ducks dofall in water and jumbo and mamie do swim in water and bringducks out in mouth to papa Helen does play with dogs Helen doesride on horseback with teacher Helen does give handee grass inhand teacher does whip handee to go fast Helen is blind Helenwill put letter in envelope for blind girls good-byHELEN KELLER
A few weeks later her style is more nearly correct and freer inmovement. She improves in idiom, although she still omitsarticles and uses the "did" construction for the simple past.This is an idiom common among children.TO THE BLIND GIRLS AT THE PERKINS INSTITUTION[Tuscumbia, October 24, 1887.]dear little blind girlsI will write you a letter I thank you for pretty desk I did writeto mother in memphis on it mother and mildred came home wednesdaymother brought me a pretty new dress and hat papa did go tohuntsville he brought me apples and candy I and teacher will cometo boston and see you nancy is my doll she does cry I do rocknancy to sleep mildred is sick doctor will give her medicine tomake her well. I and teacher did go to church sunday mr. lane didread in book and talk Lady did play organ. I did give man moneyin basket. I will be good girl and teacher will curl my hairlovely. I will hug and kiss little blind girls mr. anagnos willcome to see me.good-byHELEN KELLER
TO MR. MICHAEL ANAGNOS, DIRECTOR OF THE PERKINS INSTITUTION[Tuscumbia, November, 1887.]dear mr. anagnos I will write you a letter. I and teacher didhave pictures. teacher will send it to you. photographer doesmake pictures. carpenter does build new houses. gardener does digand hoe ground and plant vegetables. my doll nancy is sleeping.she is sick. mildred is well uncle frank has gone hunting deer.we will have venison for breakfast when he comes home. I did ridein wheel barrow and teacher did push it. simpson did give mepopcorn and walnuts. cousin rosa has gone to see her mother.people do go to church sunday. I did read in my book about foxand box. fox can sit in the box. I do like to read in my book.you do love me. I do love you.good-byHELEN KELLER.
TO DR. ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL[Tuscumbia, November, 1887.]Dear Mr. Bell.I am glad to write you a letter, Father will send you picture. Iand Father and aunt did go to see you in Washington. I did playwith your watch. I do love you. I saw doctor in Washington. Helooked at my eyes. I can read stories in my book. I can write andspell and count. good girl. My sister can walk and run. We dohave fun with Jumbo. Prince is not good dog. He can not getbirds. Rat did kill baby pigeons. I am sorry. Rat does not knowwrong. I and mother and teacher will go to Boston in June. I willsee little blind girls. Nancy will go with me. She is a gooddoll. Father will buy me lovely new watch. Cousin Anna gave me apretty doll. Her name is Allie.Good-by,HELEN KELLER.
By the beginning of the next year her idioms are firmer. Moreadjectives appear, including adjectives of colour. Although shecan have no sensuous knowledge of colour, she can use the words,as we use most of our vocabulary, intellectually, with truth, notto impression, but to fact. This letter is to a school-mate atthe Perkins Institution.TO MISS SARAH TOMLINSONTuscumbia, Ala. Jan. 2nd 1888.Dear SarahI am happy to write to you this morning. I hope Mr. Anagnos iscoming to see me soon. I will go to Boston in June and I will buyfather gloves, and James nice collar, and Simpson cuffs. I sawMiss Betty and her scholars. They had a pretty Christmas-tree,and there were many pretty presents on it for little children. Ihad a mug, and little bird and candy. I had many lovely thingsfor Christmas. Aunt gave me a trunk for Nancy and clothes. I wentto party with teacher and mother. We did dance and play and eatnuts and candy and cakes and oranges and I did have fun withlittle boys and girls. Mrs. Hopkins did send me lovely ring, I dolove her and little blind girls.Men and boys do make carpets in mills. Wool grows on sheep. Mendo cut sheep's wool off with large shears, and send it to themill. Men and women do make wool cloth in mills.Cotton grows on large stalks in fields. Men and boys and girlsand women do pick cotton. We do make thread and cotton dresses ofcotton. Cotton has pretty white and red flowers on it. Teacherdid tear her dress. Mildred does cry. I will nurse Nancy. Motherwill buy me lovely new aprons and dress to take to Boston. I wentto Knoxville with father and aunt. Bessie is weak and little.Mrs. Thompson's chickens killed Leila's chickens. Eva does sleepin my bed. I do love good girls.Good-byHELEN KELLER.
The next two letters mention her visit in January to herrelatives in Memphis, Tennessee. She was taken to the cottonexchange. When she felt the maps and blackboards she asked, "Domen go to school?" She wrote on the blackboard the names of allthe gentlemen present. While at Memphis she went over one of thelarge Mississippi steamers.
TO DR. EDWARD EVERETT HALETuscumbia, Alabama, February 15th 1888.Dear Mr. Hale,I am happy to write you a letter this morning. Teacher told meabout kind gentleman I shall be glad to read pretty story I doread stories in my book about tigers and lions and sheep.I am coming to Boston in June to see little blind girls and Iwill come to see you. I went to Memphis to see grandmother andAunt Nannie. Teacher bought me lovely new dress and cap andaprons. Little Natalie is a very weak and small baby. Father tookus to see steamboat. It was on a large river. Boat is like house.Mildred is a good baby. I do love to play with little sister.Nancy was not a good child when I went to Memphis. She did cryloud. I will not write more to-day. I am tired.Good-byHELEN KELLER.
TO MR. MICHAEL ANAGNOSTuscumbia, Ala., Feb. 24th, 1888.My dear Mr. Anagnos,—I am glad to write you a letter in Braille.This morning Lucien Thompson sent me a beautiful bouquet ofviolets and crocuses and jonquils. Sunday Adeline Moses broughtme a lovely doll. It came from New York. Her name is AdelineKeller. She can shut her eyes and bend her arms and sit down andstand up straight. She has on a pretty red dress. She is Nancy'ssister and I am their mother. Allie is their cousin. Nancy was abad child when I went to Memphis she cried loud, I whipped herwith a stick.Mildred does feed little chickens with crumbs. I love to playwith little sister.Teacher and I went to Memphis to see aunt Nannie and grandmother.Louise is aunt Nannie's child. Teacher bought me a lovely newdress and gloves and stockings and collars and grandmother mademe warm flannels, and aunt Nannie made me aprons. Lady made me apretty cap. I went to see Robert and Mr. Graves and Mrs. Gravesand little Natalie, and Mr. Farris and Mr. Mayo and Mary andeveryone. I do love Robert and teacher. She does not want me towrite more today. I feel tired.I found box of candy in Mr. Grave's pocket. Father took us to seesteam boat it is like house. Boat was on very large river. Yatesplowed yard today to plant grass. Mule pulled plow. Mother willmake garden of vegetables. Father will plant melons and peas andbeans.Cousin Bell will come to see us Saturday. Mother will makeice-cream for dinner, we will have ice-cream and cake for dinner.Lucien Thompson is sick. I am sorry for him.Teacher and I went to walk in the yard, and I learned about howflowers and trees grow. Sun rises in the east and sets in thewest. Sheffield is north and Tuscumbia is south. We will go toBoston in June. I will have fun with little blind girls.Good byeHELEN KELLER.
"Uncle Morrie" of the next letter is Mr. Morrison Heady, ofNormandy, Kentucky, who lost his sight and hearing when he was aboy. He is the author of some commendable verses.TO MR. MORRISON HEADYTuscumbia, Ala., March 1st 1888.My dear uncle Morrie,—I am happy to write you a letter, I dolove you, and I will hug and kiss you when I see you.Mr. Anagnos is coming to see me Monday. I do love to run and hopand skip with Robert in bright warm sun. I do know little girl inLexington Ky. her name is Katherine Hobson.I am going to Boston in June with mother and teacher, I will havefun with little blind girls, and Mr. Hale will send me prettystory. I do read stories in my book about lions and tigers andbears.Mildred will not go to Boston, she does cry. I love to play withlittle sister, she is weak and small baby. Eva is better.Yates killed ants, ants stung Yates. Yates is digging in garden.Mr. Anagnos did see oranges, they look like golden apples.Robert will come to see me Sunday when sun shines and I will havefun with him. My cousin Frank lives in Louisville. I will come toMemphis again to see Mr. Farris and Mrs. Graves and Mr. Mayo andMr. Graves. Natalie is a good girl and does not cry, and she willbe big and Mrs. Graves is making short dresses for her. Nataliehas a little carriage. Mr. Mayo has been to Duck Hill and hebrought sweet flowers home.With much love and a kissHELEN A. KELLER.
In this account of the picnic we get an illuminating glimpse ofMiss Sullivan's skill in teaching her pupil during play hours.This was a day when the child's vocabulary grew.TO MR. MICHAEL ANAGNOSTuscumbia, Ala., May 3rd 1888.Dear Mr. Anagnos.—I am glad to write to you this morning,because I love you very much. I was very happy to receive prettybook and nice candy and two letters from you. I will come to seeyou soon and will ask you many questions about countries and youwill love good child.Mother is making me pretty new dresses to wear in Boston and Iwill look lovely to see little girls and boys and you. Fridayteacher and I went to a picnic with little children. We playedgames and ate dinner under the trees, and we found ferns and wildflowers. I walked in the woods and learned names of many trees.There are poplar and cedar and pine and oak and ash and hickoryand maple trees. They make a pleasant shade and the little birdslove to swing to and fro and sing sweetly up in the trees.Rabbits hop and squirrels run and ugly snakes do crawl in thewoods. Geraniums and roses jasamines and japonicas are cultivatedflowers. I help mother and teacher water them every night beforesupper.Cousin Arthur made me a swing in the ash tree. Aunt Ev. has goneto Memphis. Uncle Frank is here. He is picking strawberries fordinner. Nancy is sick again, new teeth do make her ill. Adelineis well and she can go to Cincinnati Monday with me. Aunt Ev.will send me a boy doll, Harry will be Nancy's and Adeline'sbrother. Wee sister is a good girl. I am tired now and I do wantto go down stairs. I send many kisses and hugs with letter.Your darling childHELEN KELLER.
Toward the end of May Mrs. Keller, Helen, and Miss Sullivanstarted for Boston. On the way they spent a few days inWashington, where they saw Dr. Alexander Graham Bell and calledon President Cleveland. On May 26th they arrived in Boston andwent to the Perkins Institution; here Helen met the little blindgirls with whom she had corresponded the year before.Early in July she went to Brewster, Massachusetts, and spent therest of the summer. Here occurred her first encounter with thesea, of which she has since written.TO MISS MARY C. MOORESo. Boston, Mass. Sept. 1888My dear Miss MooreAre you very glad to receive a nice letter from your darlinglittle friend? I love you very dearly because you are my friend.My precious little sister is quite well now. She likes to sit inmy little rocking-chair and put her kitty to sleep. Would youlike to see darling little Mildred? She is a very pretty baby.Her eyes are very big and blue, and her cheeks are soft and roundand rosy and her hair is very bright and golden. She is very goodand sweet when she does not cry loud. Next summer Mildred will goout in the garden with me and pick the big sweet strawberries andthen she will be very happy. I hope she will not eat too many ofthe delicious fruit for they will make her very ill.Sometime will you please come to Alabama and visit me? My uncleJames is going to buy me a very gentle pony and a pretty cart andI shall be very happy to take you and Harry to ride. I hope Harrywill not be afraid of my pony. I think my father will buy me abeautiful little brother some day. I shall be very gentle andpatient to my new little brother. When I visit many strangecountries my brother and Mildred will stay with grandmotherbecause they will be too small to see a great many people and Ithink they would cry loud on the great rough ocean.When Capt. Baker gets well he will take me in his big ship toAfrica. Then I shall see lions and tigers and monkeys. I will geta baby lion and a white monkey and a mild bear to bring home. Ihad a very pleasant time at Brewster. I went in bathing almostevery day and Carrie and Frank and little Helen and I had fun. Wesplashed and jumped and waded in the deep water. I am not afraidto float now. Can Harry float and swim? We came to Boston lastThursday, and Mr. Anagnos was delighted to see me, and he huggedand kissed me. The little girls are coming back to school nextWednesday.Will you please tell Harry to write me a very long letter soon?When you come to Tuscumbia to see me I hope my father will havemany sweet apples and juicy peaches and fine pears and deliciousgrapes and large water melons.I hope you think about me and love me because I am a good littlechild.With much love and two kissesFrom your little friendHELEN A. KELLER.
In this account of a visit to some friends, Helen's thought ismuch what one would expect from an ordinary child of eight,except perhaps her naive satisfaction in the boldness of theyoung gentlemen.TO MRS. KATE ADAMS KELLERSo. Boston, Mass, Sept. 24th 1888.My dear Mother,I think you will be very glad to know all about my visit to WestNewton. Teacher and I had a lovely time with many kind friends.West Newton is not far from Boston and we went there in the steamcars very quickly.Mrs. Freeman and Carrie and Ethel and Frank and Helen came tostation to meet us in a huge carriage. I was delighted to see mydear little friends and I hugged and kissed them. Then we rodefor a long time to see all the beautiful things in West Newton.Many very handsome houses and large soft green lawns around themand trees and bright flowers and fountains. The horse's name wasPrince and he was gentle and liked to trot very fast. When wewent home we saw eight rabbits and two fat puppies, and a nicelittle white pony, and two wee kittens and a pretty curly dognamed Don. Pony's name was Mollie and I had a nice ride on herback; I was not afraid, I hope my uncle will get me a dear littlepony and a little cart very soon.Clifton did not kiss me because he does not like to kiss littlegirls. He is shy. I am very glad that Frank and Clarence andRobbie and Eddie and Charles and George were not very shy. Iplayed with many little girls and we had fun. I rode on Carrie'stricicle and picked flowers and ate fruit and hopped and skippedand danced and went to ride. Many ladies and gentlemen came tosee us. Lucy and Dora and Charles were born in China. I was bornin America, and Mr. Anagnos was born in Greece. Mr. Drew sayslittle girls in China cannot talk on their fingers but I thinkwhen I go to China I will teach them. Chinese nurse came to seeme, her name was Asu. She showed me a tiny atze that very richladies in China wear because their feet never grow large. Amahmeans a nurse. We came home in horse cars because it was Sundayand steam cars do not go often on Sunday. Conductors andengineers do get very tired and go home to rest. I saw littleWillie Swan in the car and he gave me a juicy pear. He was sixyears old. What did I do when I was six years old? Will youplease ask my father to come to train to meet teacher and me? Iam very sorry that Eva and Bessie are sick. I hope I can have anice party my birthday, and I do want Carrie and Ethel and Frankand Helen to come to Alabama to visit me. Will Mildred sleep withme when I come home.With much love and thousand kisses.From your dear little daughter.HELEN A. KELLER.
Her visit to Plymouth was in July. This letter, written threemonths later, shows how well she remembered her first lesson inhistory.TO MR. MORRISON HEADYSouth Boston, Mass. October 1st, 1888.My dear uncle Morrie,—I think you will be very glad to receive aletter from your dear little friend Helen. I am very happy towrite to you because I think of you and love you. I read prettystories in the book you sent me, about Charles and his boat, andArthur and his dream, and Rosa and the sheep.I have been in a large boat. It was like a ship. Mother andteacher and Mrs. Hopkins and Mr. Anagnos and Mr. Rodocanachi andmany other friends went to Plymouth to see many old things. Iwill tell you a little story about Plymouth.Many years ago there lived in England many good people, but theking and his friends were not kind and gentle and patient withgood people, because the king did not like to have the peopledisobey him. People did not like to go to church with the king;but they did like to build very nice little churches forthemselves.The king was very angry with the people and they were sorry andthey said, we will go away to a strange country to live and leavevery dear home and friends and naughty king. So, they put alltheir things into big boxes, and said, Good-bye. I am sorry forthem because they cried much. When they went to Holland they didnot know anyone; and they could not know what the people weretalking about because they did not know Dutch. But soon theylearned some Dutch words; but they loved their own language andthey did not want little boys and girls to forget it and learn totalk funny Dutch. So they said, We must go to a new country faraway and build schools and houses and churches and make newcities. So they put all their things in boxes and said, Good-byeto their new friends and sailed away in a large boat to find anew country. Poor people were not happy for their hearts werefull of sad thoughts because they did not know much aboutAmerica. I think little children must have been afraid of a greatocean for it is very strong and it makes a large boat rock andthen the little children would fall down and hurt their heads.After they had been many weeks on the deep ocean where they couldnot see trees or flowers or grass, but just water and thebeautiful sky, for ships could not sail quickly then because mendid not know about engines and steam. One day a dear littlebaby-boy was born. His name was Peregrine White. I am very sorrythat poor little Peregrine is dead now. Every day the people wentupon deck to look out for land. One day there was a great shouton the ship for the people saw the land and they were full of joybecause they had reached a new country safely. Little girls andboys jumped and clapped their hands. They were all glad when theystepped upon a huge rock. I did see the rock in Plymouth and alittle ship like the Mayflower and the cradle that dear littlePeregrine slept in and many old things that came in theMayflower. Would you like to visit Plymouth some time and seemany old things.Now I am very tired and I will rest.With much love and many kisses, from your little friend.HELEN A. KELLER.
The foreign words in these two letters, the first of which waswritten during a visit to the kindergarten for the blind, she hadbeen told months before, and had stowed them away in her memory.She assimilated words and practised with them, sometimes usingthem intelligently, sometimes repeating them in a parrot-likefashion. Even when she did not fully understand words or ideas,she liked to set them down as though she did. It was in this waythat she learned to use correctly words of sound and vision whichexpress ideas outside of her experience. "Edith" is Edith Thomas.
TO MR. MICHAEL ANAGNOSRoxbury, Mass. Oct. 17th, 1888.Mon cher Monsieur Anagnos,I am sitting by the window and the beautiful sun is shining on meTeacher and I came to the kindergarten yesterday. There aretwenty seven little children here and they are all blind. I amsorry because they cannot see much. Sometime will they have verywell eyes? Poor Edith is blind and deaf and dumb. Are you verysad for Edith and me? Soon I shall go home to see my mother andmy father and my dear good and sweet little sister. I hope youwill come to Alabama to visit me and I will take you to ride inmy little cart and I think you will like to see me on my dearlittle pony's back. I shall wear my lovely cap and my new ridingdress. If the sun shines brightly I will take you to see Leilaand Eva and Bessie. When I am thirteen years old I am going totravel in many strange and beautiful countries. I shall climbvery high mountains in Norway and see much ice and snow. I hope Iwill not fall and hurt my head I shall visit little LordFauntleroy in England and he will be glad to show me his grandand very ancient castle. And we will run with the deer and feedthe rabbits and catch the squirrels. I shall not be afraid ofFauntleroy's great dog Dougal. I hope Fauntleroy take me to see avery kind queen. When I go to France I will take French. A littleFrench boy will say, Parlez-vous Francais? and I will say, Oui,Monsieur, vous avez un joli chapeau. Donnez moi un baiser. I hopeyou will go with me to Athens to see the maid of Athens. She wasvery lovely lady and I will talk Greek to her. I will say, seagapo and, pos echete and I think she will say, kalos, and then Iwill say chaere. Will you please come to see me soon and take meto the theater? When you come I will say, Kale emera, and whenyou go home I will say, Kale nykta. Now I am too tired to writemore. Je vous aime. Au revoirFrom your darling little friendHELEN A. KELLER.
TO MISS EVELINA H. KELLER[So. Boston, Mass. October 29, 1888.]My dearest Aunt,—I am coming home very soon and I think you andevery one will be very glad to see my teacher and me. I am veryhappy because I have learned much about many things. I amstudying French and German and Latin and Greek. Se agapo isGreek, and it means I love thee. J'ai une bonne petite soeur isFrench, and it means I have a good little sister. Nous avons unbon pere et une bonne mere means, we have a good father and agood mother. Puer is boy in Latin, and Mutter is mother inGerman. I will teach Mildred many languages when I come home.HELEN A. KELLER.
TO MRS. SOPHIA C. HOPKINSTuscumbia, Ala. Dec. 11th, 1888.My dear Mrs. Hopkins:—I have just fed my dear little pigeon. My brother Simpson gave itto me last Sunday. I named it Annie, for my teacher. My puppy hashad his supper and gone to bed. My rabbits are sleeping, too; andvery soon I shall go to bed. Teacher is writing letters to herfriends. Mother and father and their friends have gone to see ahuge furnace. The furnace is to make iron. The iron ore is foundin the ground; but it cannot be used until it has been brought tothe furnace and melted, and all the dirt taken out, and just thepure iron left. Then it is all ready to be manufactured intoengines, stoves, kettles and many other things.Coal is found in the ground, too. Many years ago, before peoplecame to live on the earth, great trees and tall grasses and hugeferns and all the beautiful flowers cover the earth. When theleaves and the trees fell, the water and the soil covered them;and then more trees grew and fell also, and were buried underwater and soil. After they had all been pressed together for manythousands of years, the wood grew very hard, like rock, and thenit was all ready for people to burn. Can you see leaves and fernsand bark on the coal? Men go down into the ground and dig out thecoal, and steam-cars take it to the large cities, and sell it topeople to burn, to make them warm and happy when it is cold outof doors.Are you very lonely and sad now? I hope you will come to see mesoon, and stay a long time.With much love from your little friendHELEN A. KELLER.
TO MISS DELLA BENNETTTuscumbia, Ala., Jan. 29, 1889.My dear Miss Bennett:—I am delighted to write to you thismorning. We have just eaten our breakfast. Mildred is runningabout downstairs. I have been reading in my book aboutastronomers. Astronomer comes from the Latin word astra, whichmeans stars; and astronomers are men who study the stars, andtell us about them. When we are sleeping quietly in our beds,they are watching the beautiful sky through the telescope. Atelescope is like a very strong eye. The stars are so far awaythat people cannot tell much about them, without very excellentinstruments. Do you like to look out of your window, and seelittle stars? Teacher says she can see Venus from our window, andit is a large and beautiful star. The stars are called theearth's brothers and sisters.There are a great many instruments besides those which theastronomers use. A knife is an instrument to cut with. I thinkthe bell is an instrument, too. I will tell you what I know aboutbells.Some bells are musical and others are unmusical. Some are verytiny and some are very large. I saw a very large bell atWellesley. It came from Japan. Bells are used for many purposes.They tell us when breakfast is ready, when to go to school, whenit is time for church, and when there is a fire. They tell peoplewhen to go to work, and when to go home and rest. The engine-belltells the passengers that they are coming to a station, and ittells the people to keep out of the way. Sometimes very terribleaccidents happen, and many people are burned and drowned andinjured. The other day I broke my doll's head off; but that wasnot a dreadful accident, because dolls do not live and feel, likepeople. My little pigeons are well, and so is my little bird. Iwould like to have some clay. Teacher says it is time for me tostudy now. Good-bye.With much love, and many kisses,HELEN A. KELLER.
TO DR. EDWARD EVERETT HALETuscumbia, Alabama, February 21st, 1889.My dear Mr. Hale,I am very much afraid that you are thinking in your mind thatlittle Helen has forgotten all about you and her dear cousins.But I think you will be delighted to receive this letter becausethen you will know that I of[ten] think about you and I love youdearly for you are my dear cousin. I have been at home a greatmany weeks now. It made me feel very sad to leave Boston and Imissed all of my friends greatly, but of course I was glad to getback to my lovely home once more. My darling little sister isgrowing very fast. Sometimes she tries to spell very short wordson her small [fingers] but she is too young to remember hardwords. When she is older I will teach her many things if she ispatient and obedient. My teacher says, if children learn to bepatient and gentle while they are little, that when they grow tobe young ladies and gentlemen they will not forget to be kind andloving and brave. I hope I shall be courageous always. A littlegirl in a story was not courageous. She thought she saw littleelves with tall pointed [hats] peeping from between the bushesand dancing down the long alleys, and the poor little girl wasterrified. Did you have a pleasant Christmas? I had many lovelypresents given to me. The other day I had a fine party. All of mydear little friends came to see me. We played games, and ateice-cream and cake and fruit. Then we had great fun. The sun isshining brightly to-day and I hope we shall go to ride if theroads are dry. In a few days the beautiful spring will be here. Iam very glad because I love the warm sunshine and the fragrantflowers. I think Flowers grow to make people happy and good. Ihave four dolls now. Cedric is my little boy, he is named forLord Fauntleroy. He has big brown eyes and long golden hair andpretty round cheeks. Ida is my baby. A lady brought her to mefrom Paris. She can drink milk like a real baby. Lucy is a fineyoung lady. She has on a dainty lace dress and satin slippers.Poor old Nancy is growing old and very feeble. She is almost aninvalid. I have two tame pigeons and a tiny canary bird. Jumbo isvery strong and faithful. He will not let anything harm us atnight. I go to school every day I am studying reading, writing,arithmetic, geography and language. My Mother and teacher sendyou and Mrs. Hale their kind greetings and Mildred sends you akiss.With much love and kisses, from yourAffectionate cousinHELEN A. KELLER.
During the winter Miss Sullivan and her pupil were working atHelen's home in Tuscumbia, and to good purpose, for by springHelen had learned to write idiomatic English. After May, 1889, Ifind almost no inaccuracies, except some evident slips of thepencil. She uses words precisely and makes easy, fluentsentences.TO MR. MICHAEL ANAGNOSTuscumbia, Ala., May 18, 1889.My Dear Mr. Anagnos:—You cannot imagine how delighted I was toreceive a letter from you last evening. I am very sorry that youare going so far away. We shall miss you very, very much. I wouldlove to visit many beautiful cities with you. When I was inHuntsville I saw Dr. Bryson, and he told me that he had been toRome and Athens and Paris and London. He had climbed the highmountains in Switzerland and visited beautiful churches in Italyand France, and he saw a great many ancient castles. I hope youwill please write to me from all the cities you visit. When yougo to Holland please give my love to the lovely princessWilhelmina. She is a dear little girl, and when she is old enoughshe will be the queen of Holland. If you go to Roumania pleaseask the good queen Elizabeth about her little invalid brother,and tell her that I am very sorry that her darling little girldied. I should like to send a kiss to Vittorio, the little princeof Naples, but teacher says she is afraid you will not rememberso many messages. When I am thirteen years old I shall visit themall myself.I thank you very much for the beautiful story about LordFauntleroy, and so does teacher.I am so glad that Eva is coming to stay with me this summer. Wewill have fine times together. Give Howard my love, and tell himto answer my letter. Thursday we had a picnic. It was verypleasant out in the shady woods, and we all enjoyed the picnicvery much.Mildred is out in the yard playing, and mother is picking thedelicious strawberries. Father and Uncle Frank are down town.Simpson is coming home soon. Mildred and I had our pictures takenwhile we were in Huntsville. I will send you one.The roses have been beautiful. Mother has a great many fineroses. The La France and the Lamarque are the most fragrant; butthe Marechal Neil, Solfaterre, Jacqueminot, Nipheots, Etoile deLyon, Papa Gontier, Gabrielle Drevet and the Perle des Jardinesare all lovely roses.Please give the little boys and girls my love. I think of themevery day and I love them dearly in my heart. When you come homefrom Europe I hope you will be all well and very happy to gethome again. Do not forget to give my love to Miss CalliopeKehayia and Mr. Francis Demetrios Kalopothakes.Lovingly, your little friend,HELEN ADAMS KELLER.
Like a good many of Helen Keller's early letters, this to herFrench teacher is her re-phrasing of a story. It shows how muchthe gift of writing is, in the early stages of its development,the gift of mimicry.TO MISS FANNIE S. MARRETTTuscumbia, Ala., May 17, 1889.My Dear Miss Marrett—I am thinking about a dear little girl, whowept very hard. She wept because her brother teased her verymuch. I will tell you what he did, and I think you will feel verysorry for the little child. She had a most beautiful doll givenher. Oh, it was a lovely and delicate doll! but the little girl'sbrother, a tall lad, had taken the doll, and set it up in a hightree in the garden, and had run away. The little girl could notreach the doll, and could not help it down, and therefore shecried. The doll cried, too, and stretched out its arms from amongthe green branches, and looked distressed. Soon the dismal nightwould come—and was the doll to sit up in the tree all night, andby herself? The little girl could not endure that thought. "Iwill stay with you," said she to the doll, although she was notat all courageous. Already she began to see quite plainly thelittle elves in their tall pointed hats, dancing down the duskyalleys, and peeping from between the bushes, and they seemed tocome nearer and nearer; and she stretched her hands up towardsthe tree in which the doll sat and they laughed, and pointedtheir fingers at her. How terrified was the little girl; but ifone has not done anything wrong, these strange little elvescannot harm one. "Have I done anything wrong? Ah, yes!" said thelittle girl. "I have laughed at the poor duck, with the red ragtied round its leg. It hobbled, and that made me laugh; but it iswrong to laugh at the poor animals!"Is it not a pitiful story? I hope the father punished the naughtylittle boy. Shall you be very glad to see my teacher nextThursday? She is going home to rest, but she will come back to menext autumn.Lovingly, your little friend,HELEN ADAMS KELLER.
TO MISS MARY E. RILEYTuscumbia, Ala., May 27, 1889.My Dear Miss Riley:—I wish you were here in the warm, sunnysouth today. Little sister and I would take you out into thegarden, and pick the delicious raspberries and a few strawberriesfor you. How would you like that? The strawberries are nearly allgone. In the evening, when it is cool and pleasant, we would walkin the yard, and catch the grasshoppers and butterflies. We wouldtalk about the birds and flowers and grass and Jumbo and Pearl.If you liked, we would run and jump and hop and dance, and bevery happy. I think you would enjoy hearing the mocking-birdssing. One sits on the twig of a tree, just beneath our window,and he fills the air with his glad songs. But I am afraid youcannot come to Tuscumbia; so I will write to you, and send you asweet kiss and my love. How is Dick? Daisy is happy, but shewould be happy ever if she had a little mate. My little childrenare all well except Nancy, and she is quite feeble. Mygrandmother and aunt Corinne are here. Grandmother is going tomake me two new dresses. Give my love to all the little girls,and tell them that Helen loves them very, very much. Eva sendslove to all.With much love and many kisses, from your affectionate littlefriend,HELEN ADAMS KELLER.
During the summer Miss Sullivan was away from Helen for threemonths and a half, the first separation of teacher and pupil.Only once afterward in fifteen years was their constantcompanionship broken for more than a few days at a time.TO MISS ANNE MANSFIELD SULLIVANTuscumbia, Ala., August 7, 1889.Dearest Teacher—I am very glad to write to you this evening, forI have been thinking much about you all day. I am sitting on thepiazza, and my little white pigeon is perched on the back of mychair, watching me write. Her little brown mate has flown awaywith the other birds; but Annie is not sad, for she likes to staywith me. Fauntleroy is asleep upstairs, and Nancy is putting Lucyto bed. Perhaps the mocking bird is singing them to sleep. Allthe beautiful flowers are in bloom now. The air is sweet with theperfume of jasmines, heliotropes and roses. It is getting warmhere now, so father is going to take us to the Quarry on the 20thof August. I think we shall have a beautiful time out in thecool, pleasant woods. I will write and tell you all the pleasantthings we do. I am so glad that Lester and Henry are good littleinfants. Give them many sweet kisses for me.What was the name of the little boy who fell in love with thebeautiful star? Eva has been telling me a story about a lovelylittle girl named Heidi. Will you please send it to me? I shallbe delighted to have a typewriter.Little Arthur is growing very fast. He has on short dresses now.Cousin Leila thinks he will walk in a little while. Then I willtake his soft chubby hand in mine, and go out in the brightsunshine with him. He will pull the largest roses, and chase thegayest butterflies. I will take very good care of him, and notlet him fall and hurt himself. Father and some other gentlemenwent hunting yesterday. Father killed thirty-eight birds. We hadsome of them for supper, and they were very nice. Last MondaySimpson shot a pretty crane. The crane is a large and strongbird. His wings are as long as my arm, and his bill is as long asmy foot. He eats little fishes, and other small animals. Fathersays he can fly nearly all day without stopping.Mildred is the dearest and sweetest little maiden in the world.She is very roguish, too. Sometimes, when mother does not knowit, she goes out into the vineyard, and gets her apron full ofdelicious grapes. I think she would like to put her two soft armsaround your neck and hug you.Sunday I went to church. I love to go to church, because I liketo see my friends.A gentleman gave me a beautiful card. It was a picture of a mill,near a beautiful brook. There was a boat floating on the water,and the fragrant lilies were growing all around the boat. Not farfrom the mill there was an old house, with many trees growingclose to it. There were eight pigeons on the roof of the house,and a great dog on the step. Pearl is a very proud mother-dognow. She has eight puppies, and she thinks there never were suchfine puppies as hers.I read in my books every day. I love them very, very, very much.I do want you to come back to me soon. I miss you so very, verymuch. I cannot know about many things, when my dear teacher isnot here. I send you five thousand kisses, and more love than Ican tell. I send Mrs. H. much love and a kiss.From your affectionate little pupil,HELEN A. KELLER.