She in the same way
arranged her own, but was not so successful as at first, but soon
produced the sound perfectly."
Eleven such lessons were given, at intervals of three or four
days, until she had acquired all the elements of speech, Miss
Sullivan in the meantime practicing with the child on the lessons
received. The first word spoken was arm, which was at once
associated with her arm; this gave her great delight. She soon
learned to pronounce words by herself, combining the elements she
had learned, and used them to communicate her simple wants. The
first connected language she used was a description she gave Miss
Fuller of a visit she had made to Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, in
all over 200 words. They were, all but two or three, pronounced
correctly. She now, six years afterward, converses quite fluently
with people who know nothing of the manual alphabet by placing a
couple of fingers on the speaker's lips, her countenance showing
great intentness and brightening as she catches the meaning.
Anybody can understand her answers."
In a beautiful eulogy of Helen Keller in a recent number of
Harper's Magazine, Charles Dudley Warner expresses the opinion
that she is the purest-minded girl of her age in the world.
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