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.A few friends to whom she is accustomed, like Mrs.A.C.Pratt, and Mr.J.E.Chamberlin, can pass a wholeday with her and tell her everything without the manual alphabet.The ability to read the lips helps Miss Kellerin getting corrections of her pronunciation from Miss Sullivan and others, just as it was the means of herlearning to speak at all, but it is rather an accomplishment than a necessity.It must be remembered that speech contributed in no way to her fundamental education, though without theability to speak she could hardly have gone to higher schools and to college.But she knows better than anyone else what value speech has had for her.The following is her address at the fifth meeting of the AmericanAssociation to Promote the Teaching of Speech to the Deaf, at Mt.Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 8,1896:ADDRESS OF HELEN KELLER AT MT.AIRYCHAPTER IV.169If you knew all the joy I feel in being able to speak to you to-day, I think you would have some idea of thevalue of speech to the deaf, and you would understand why I want every little deaf child in all this great worldto have an opportunity to learn to speak.I know that much has been said and written on this subject, and thatthere is a wide difference of opinion among teachers of the deaf in regard to oral instruction.It seems verystrange to me that there should be this difference of opinion; I cannot understand how any one interested inour education can fail to appreciate the satisfaction we feel in being able to express our thoughts in livingwords.Why, I use speech constantly, and I cannot begin to tell you how much pleasure it gives me to do so.Of course I know that it is not always easy for strangers to understand me, but it will be by and by; and in themeantime I have the unspeakable happiness of knowing that my family and friends rejoice in my ability tospeak.My little sister and baby brother love to have me tell them stories in the long summer evenings when Iam at home; and my mother and teacher often ask me to read to them from my favourite books.I also discussthe political situation with my dear father, and we decide the most perplexing questions quite as satisfactorilyto ourselves as if I could see and hear.So you see what a blessing speech is to me.It brings me into closer andtenderer relationship with those I love, and makes it possible for me to enjoy the sweet companionship of agreat many persons from whom I should be entirely cut off if I could not talk.I can remember the time before I learned to speak, and how I used to struggle to express my thoughts bymeans of the manual alphabet--how my thoughts used to beat against my finger tips like little birds striving togain their freedom, until one day Miss Fuller opened wide the prison-door and let them escape.I wonder ifshe remembers how eagerly and gladly they spread their wings and flew away.Of course, it was not easy atfirst to fly.The speech-wings were weak and broken, and had lost all the grace and beauty that had once beentheirs; indeed, nothing was left save the impulse to fly, but that was something.One can never consent tocreep when one feels an impulse to soar.But, nevertheless, it seemed to me sometimes that I could never usemy speech-wings as God intended I should use them; there were so many difficulties in the way, so manydiscouragements; but I kept on trying, knowing that patience and perseverance would win in the end.Andwhile I worked, I built the most beautiful air-castles, and dreamed dreams, the pleasantest of which was of thetime when I should talk like other people, and the thought of the pleasure it would give my mother to hear myvoice once more, sweetened every effort and made every failure an incentive to try harder next time.So Iwant to say to those who are trying to learn to speak and those who are teaching them: Be of good cheer.Donot think of to-days failures, but of the success that may come to-morrow.You have set yourselves a difficulttask, but you will succeed if you persevere, and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles--a delight inclimbing rugged paths, which you would perhaps never know if you did not sometime slip backward--if theroad was always smooth and pleasant.Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is everlost.Sometime, somewhere, somehow we shall find that which we seek.We shall speak, yes, and sing, too, asGod intended we should speak and sing.CHAPTER V.170CHAPTER V.LITERARY STYLENo one can have read Miss Keller's autobiography without feeling that she writes unusually fine English.Anyteacher of composition knows that he can bring his pupils to the point of writing without errors in syntax or inthe choice of words.It is just this accuracy which Miss Keller's early education fixes as the point to which anyhealthy child can be brought, and which the analysis of that education accounts for.Those who try to makeher an exception not to be explained by any such analysis of her early education, fortify their position by anappeal to the remarkable excellence of her use of language even when she was a child [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]