ibraw 
 
 OF THE 
 
Heliotype Printing Co- 
 
 Boston. 
 
 LAURA DEWEY BRIDGMAN, 1878. 
 
LIFE AND EDUCATION 
 
 OP 
 
 LAURA DEWEY BRIDGMAN, 
 
 THE DEAE, DUMB, AND BLIND GIRL. 
 
 By MARY SWIFT LAMSON. 
 
 BOSTON: 
 
 HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY, 
 
 ©be Etberst&e Press, Cambrige. 
 
 1884. 
 
OOPTKIGHT, 
 
 37 NEW ENGLAND PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
 A. D, 1878. 
 
ct C I ' 
 
 1> *52 t 
 
 HTTEODU CTION . 
 
 ■J 
 
 d 
 
 4 
 
 Sk 
 
 'X 
 
 The author and editor of the present volume was a 
 teacher for five years in the “ Perkins Institution and 
 Massachusetts Asylum for the Blind.” She was for three 
 years the special instructor of Laura Bridgman, and had 
 the honor of giving the first lesson to Oliver Caswell 
 another blind and deaf mute at the Asylum. She differed 
 from Dr. Samuel G. Howe, the director of the Asylum, 
 in regard to the time of commencing the religious educa- 
 tion of Laura ; but she held him in high esteem as an 
 enterprising, skilful, and persevering instuctor. He 
 characterized her in words like Ibe following : She is *a 
 lady of great intelligence who is devotedly attached to 
 [Laura] ; “ an able and excellent teacher,” who “ ful- 
 filled her duty with ability and conscientiousness ; has 
 been faithful and industrious ; and in the intellectual in- 
 struction she has shown great tact and ability u indeed 
 to Miss Swift [now Mrs. Lamson] and Miss Wight [now 
 Mrs Bond] belong, far more than to any other persons, 
 the pure satisfaction of having been instrumental in the 
 beautiful development of Laura’s character.” * 
 
 One noteworthy advantage has been enjoyed by the 
 editor of this volume. She has retained an intimate 
 acquaintance with Laura Bridgman for thirty seven years. 
 
 * Annual Reports of the Trustees of the Perkins Institution and 
 Massachusetts Asylum for the Blind, XI, p. 37 ; XIII, pp. 23, 24 ; 
 XIV, p. 30, etc., etc. These documents will be hereafter alluded 
 to simply as Annual Reports. 
 
 d 
 
 847813 
 
IV 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 The blind deaf-mute was only in tt e thirteenth year of 
 her age, and in the third year of her residence at the 
 Asylum, when she was put under the particular and 
 almost exclusive charge of Mrs. Lamson, and from that 
 day to this has been accustomed to communicate her 
 thoughts freely to the teacher who instructed her in 
 1840. The editor of the volume has thus been able to 
 compare the later with the earlier development of Laura. 
 Laura herself is liable to forget those earlier develop- 
 ments, to mistake her more recently acquired knowledge 
 for that which she had acquired at a remoter period. 
 The ideas, however, which she expressed in the initial 
 stages of her education were recorded day by day , and the 
 testimony of a written journal is far more trustworthy 
 than that of the memory. 
 
 This volume has a special value in the fact that it pre- 
 serves the style of the original diary ; it records the prog- 
 ress of Laura in detail, just as the progress was, without 
 any attempt to embellish the history; without any attempt 
 to magnify the excellences or to conceal the foibles of the 
 blind deaf-mute; without any other generalizations than 
 those which were forced upon the notice of an instructor 
 writing for her own private use; without any theory to 
 defend or to impugn; without any foresight of any use 
 which might afterward be made of her honest record. It 
 would have been easy to write a sensational narrative of 
 so unique a person as Laura Bridgman, and to cluster 
 splendid panegyrics around a few salient points of her 
 character. To many readers such a rhapsodical style 
 would have been more interesting than the record of the 
 daily routine of her childish questions and tardy acquisi- 
 tions. This homely record, however, of blunders and slow 
 progress is more readily credited, is more valuable to the 
 philosopher, and more practically useful to the common 
 mind, than would have been the most brilliant descrip- 
 tions of isolated facts in Laura’s life. The wheat including 
 
INTRODUCTION . 
 
 V 
 
 the alcohol is m Dre wholesome than the alcohol distilled 
 from the wheat. 
 
 The narratives of Jean Massieu leave us in an incredu- 
 lous slate of mind, in consequence of the fact that his 
 marvellous exploits are recorded without a sufficiently 
 copious detail of the processes which fitted him to perform 
 them. Six children of his parents, three hoys and three 
 girls, were, like himself, congenital deaf-mutes. lie was 
 born in 1772 and died in 1846. At the age of thirteen 
 years and nine months, without having exhibited any sign 
 of eminent talents, he became a pupil of the Abb6 Sicard. 
 He doubtless acquired a great power of mind; but we are 
 apt to overrate his genius and to receive on the whole a 
 false impression, when we read of his bright sayings, and 
 do not read of the dull performances intermingled with 
 them. It seems improbable that any deaf-mute could 
 habitually, and without distinctive preparation, give such 
 answers as Massieu is reported to have given in some of 
 his school exercises. We suspect that some of his answers 
 were (like the brilliant remarks of many a modern deaf- 
 mute) the remembered utterances of his instructors. If 
 original, they were exceptional. 
 
 The following is one specimen of them: “What is a 
 revolution? ” [a question asked in the time of the French 
 Reign of Terror.] “It is a tree whose roots have taken 
 the place of its trunk.” — “ What is gratitude ? ” “ Grati- 
 tude is the memory of the heart.” — u What is hope ? ” 
 “ Hope is the blossom of happiness.” — What is the dif- 
 ference between hope and desire ? ” “ Desire is a tree in 
 leaf ; hope is a tree in flower ; and enjoyment is a tree in 
 fruit.” — “ What is eternity ? ” “A day without yester- 
 day or to-morrow; a line that has no ends.” — “ What 
 is time ? ” “ A line that has two ends ; a path which be- 
 gins in the cradle and ends in the tomb.” — “What is 
 God ? ” u The necessary being, the sun of eternity, the 
 mechanist of nature, the eye of justice, the watchmaker 
 
VI 
 
 INTRODUCTION . 
 
 of the universe, the soul of the world.” — “Does God 
 reason ? ” [a question proposed to Massieu by Sir James 
 Mackintosh.] “ Man reasons because he doubts ; he de- 
 liberates, he decides. God is omniscient ; he knows all 
 things ; he never doubts ; he therefore never reasons.” 
 
 We do not claim that Laura Bridgman has a genius equal 
 to that of Massieu ; but we do not deem it impossible to cull 
 out from her conversation, as recorded in the present vol- 
 ume, such remarks as would keep the reader in a state of 
 constant surprise at her sagacity. These isolated remarks 
 would attract more admiration but would yield less in- 
 struction than they do now. A few specimens of fruits, 
 at a horticultural fair, may make an entirely erroneous 
 impression in regard to the substantial produce of the 
 garden. 
 
 The earliest notice which I have seen of Laura Bridg- 
 man is from the pen of that excellent and eminent man, 
 Dr. Reuben Dimond Mussey, Professor of Anatomy and 
 Surgery at Dartmouth College. His letter is important 
 because it was written six months before the blind deaf- 
 mute entered the asylum at Boston, and because it gives 
 suggestive information in regard to her natural capabilities 
 and her early moral developments. As the first home of 
 Laura was at Hanover, N. H., the seat of Dartmouth 
 College, the character of herself and family could be 
 easily learned by Prof. Mussey, and so careful an ob- 
 server as he would not have placed undue reliance on 
 their testimony. The letter * was written in reply to one / 
 received from a distinguished instructor of the deaf and 
 dumb, and is as follows: — 
 
 Hanover, N. H., April 14, 1837. 
 
 Dear Sir: The blind and deaf child, referred to in your 
 letter received this morning, is, I presume, the same who 
 
 * It was published in the Twenty-first Report of the American 
 Asylum, at Hartford, etc., pp. 41, 42. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 vn 
 
 lives within this township, seven miles from our village. 
 I have ridden out to-day and passed an hour at her father’s, 
 and have obtained from her parents the following particu- 
 lars : — 
 
 Her name is Laura D. Bridgman; seven years old; a 
 girl of middling stature for her age, and of a pretty uni- 
 form health. When about two years old she lost her 
 hearing altogether, and all distinctness of vision, by scarlet 
 fever. She has never [since] given evidence of hearing any 
 sort of sound, but she can perceive light enough to enable 
 her to tell where the windows are during the day, and is 
 attracted by a lighted taper at evening. A white cloth or 
 a sheet of white paper, placed near to her right eye so as 
 to reflect a strong light, engages her attention; so does 
 the hand, waved from side to side between her eye and 
 the window. The left eye is wholly destroyed. A scarlet 
 colored cloth put into her hand seemed to make a slight 
 impression, as if she received the feeblest notion of color 
 from it. After she was somewhat fatigued, however, I 
 placed a sheet of white paper before her eye and moved 
 it from side to side several times, evidently without her 
 being conscious of it. She has, probably, no reminiscence 
 of sounds or of visual objects from impressions received 
 before the attack of scarlet fever. She was considered by 
 her parents as unusually intelligent before her sickness, 
 and is still so regarded by them. Specimens of her knit- 
 ting and sewing were shown me which looked very well. 
 Much of her time is employed in knitting; indeed, she is 
 uneasy when out of employment, and if allowed would 
 attempt to do most kinds of work in the house which she 
 finds others doing. She sets the dinner-table, laying the 
 plates and knives and forks in their places and in number 
 corresponding with the number of the family. The par- 
 ticular plate and knife and fork used by her little brother 
 she is sure to put in the right place. 
 
 Her fondness for dress is as remarkable as that of an^ 
 
viij 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 child that can see. New clothes give her great pleasure. 
 She knows every article of dress belonging to her mother, 
 and is gratified when her mother puts on her best dresses. 
 She is as fond of society as of dress, and is most untiring 
 in her exercises with her playmates. 
 
 A silver pencil-case, for the first time, was handed her 
 to-day, while I was present. She very soon learned to 
 unscrew and replace the head-piece, and the part contain- 
 ing the lead. This was a new thing, which clearly gave 
 her great pleasure, as she occasionally smiled, and had her 
 whole attention absorbed with it for some time. 
 
 She is kind and affectionate in her disposition ; with her 
 two brothers younger than she, the only children of the 
 family besides herself, she is always ready to divide fruit 
 or any other pleasant eatable which is presented to her. 
 Her resentments are keen, but transitory, and her parents 
 can easily persuade her by patting her head to submit to 
 their direction. Her mother says that in this way the 
 child can be induced to take the most disgusting medi- 
 cines, as rhubarb, tincture of aloes, etc. 
 
 Her sense of smell is thought by her mother to be less 
 acute than that of other children, as she very seldom 
 applies an odorous substance to her nose ; it is not im- 
 probable that this sense may have been impaired by the 
 fever. The senses of taste and of touch, which last is 
 very acute, appear to be the only inlets of knowledge, 
 with the exception of the extremely dim vision before 
 mentioned, which is too imperfect to enable her to avoid 
 objects even in a strong light. 
 
 Very sincerely yours, 
 
 E. D. Mussey. 
 
 This letter of Professor Mussey is more significant than 
 it may appear to be at first sight. When he speaks of the 
 sense of touch (which was, in fact, Laura’s main organ 
 for communication with the material world), he doubtless 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ix 
 
 includes not merely the “ touch proper,” but also the 
 capacity for the “ acute ” sensations, pleasant or painful ; 
 also for the sensations of pressure and weight, of tempera- 
 ture ; also for the “muscular sensations,” those of the 
 rough, smooth, slippery, adhesive, elastic, non-elastic, 
 etc. ; all those sensations which are commonly assigned 
 to the touch in its general and loose meaning. From the 
 Professor’s suggestive letter it appears that Laura Bridg- 
 man retained her power of vision, hearing, taste, and smell 
 until she was “ about [in actual fact she was a little 
 more than] two years old”; that she retained a power of 
 indistinct vision until she was over seven years old; that 
 her parents had noticed her deficiency in the sense of 
 smell, but had not noticed her deficiency in the sense of 
 taste, after she had become a deaf-mute. She was easily 
 persuaded to take “ the most disgusting medicines.” Dr. 
 Mussey does not appear to have suspected the cause. 
 When she came, to the Boston Asylum she was unable, at 
 least occasionally, to distinguish rhubarb from tea by the 
 taste. Still, the power of this sense, as that of smell, 
 seems to have been somewhat variable. In her fifteenth 
 year she could, at certain times, distinguish certain 
 articles of food by smelling them. At particular periods 
 she detected the fragrance of a flower. When we read, 
 as we sometimes do, that “ from her tenderest infancy she 
 could neither smell, taste, hear, nor see,” we must qualify 
 the remark ; it is convenient but not strictly accurate ; it 
 must be explained to mean that soon after she entered on 
 her third year she lost entirely her sense of hearing 
 (therefore her power of speaking^, and in large measure 
 her sense of taste and that of smell ; that after the be- 
 ginning of her eighth year she lost entirely her sense 
 of sight, and this had been so indistinct as to be compara- 
 tively useless after the beginning of her third year. 
 
 In several particulars, then, her case is unique. It is 
 not very uncommon for deaf-mutes to have an impaired 
 
X 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 sense of taste and also of smell. Both of these senses arc 
 so connected with the sense of hearing that the same 
 cause which disorders the latter may disorder also the two 
 former. Often the Swiss cretin is not only unable to 
 speak and to hear, but is also unable to taste and to smell 
 as accurately or as keenly as other persons. The cretin, 
 however, is deficient in intellect, as Laura Bridgman is 
 not. 
 
 The loss of vision alone is not generally attended with 
 an impaired sense of taste, and is often attended with an 
 unusual keenness in the sense of smell. Perhaps there 
 has never been another instance than this of Laura Bridg- 
 man in which the loss of sight has been combined with 
 the entire loss of hearing and also with a loss of two other 
 senses. Probably there have been more instances than 
 are recorded in which the loss of sight has been combined 
 with deafness and dumbness. Perhaps the great majority 
 of blind deaf-mutes have been destroyed by the neglect 
 or the violence of their relatives. In ancient legal treat- 
 ises they are recognized as idiots. Dr. Howe quotes* 
 from Blackstone's Commentaries the following passage : 
 U A man is not an idiot, if he hath any glimmerings of 
 reason so that he can tell his parents, his age, or the like 
 matters. But a man who is born deaf, dumb, and blind is 
 looked upon by the law as in the same state with an idiot ; 
 he being supposed incapable of any understanding, as 
 wanting all those senses which furnish the human mind 
 with ideas.” 
 
 Modern history has given us a more or less particular 
 account of at least fifteen persons who have lived deaf, 
 dumb, and blind. It is rather remarkable that the cele- 
 brated Abbe de l’Epee had never heard of one such per- 
 son. Still, supposing it possible that individuals should 
 be born unable either to see or to hear, he contrived a 
 
 * In Annual Beport, IX, pp. 31, 35. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 XI 
 
 process of educating them. The process, although de- 
 scribed more than a hundred years ago, reminds us of the 
 method in which Laura Bridgman was instructed. The 
 blind deaf-mute was to have an alphabet of polished steel • 
 the letters composing the name of some sensible object 
 were to be felt by the fingers of one hand, while the object 
 itself was to be felt by the fingers of the other. The il- 
 lustrious M. Sicard, who was the successor of the Abbe de 
 l’Epee in the office of instructing the deaf and dumb, pro- 
 posed that if the blind deaf-mute were desirous of obtain- 
 ing any particular article, it should be withheld from him 
 until he had spelled the name of it. He should not taste 
 the peach or the plum until he had arranged the letters 
 composing those words. The blind deaf-mutes in the 
 Boston Asylum were occasionally stimulated by the same 
 appeals to their appetite. In this way Laura Bridgman 
 would sometimes attempt to instruct some other pupil 
 who could neither see nor hear Ihe name of the desired 
 edible. She demanded the letters of the word cake be- 
 fore she would give the cake to the blind and deaf learner. 
 It is substantially an old custom, pursued by parents with 
 their children and by children with each other. Indeed, 
 there have been “ select schools,” where the scholars were 
 taught their letters by the use of a gingerbread alphabet, 
 which was to be devoured as soon as its literary signifi- 
 cance had been thoroughly digested. We strangely forget 
 that the deaf-mutes and the blind deaf-mutes are human 
 beings and are to be treated as other human beings; they 
 are influenced by the same motives which affect the race 
 in general, and are to be educated on the same principles 
 which regulate the education of ordinary scholars. The 
 special difficulty is in opening an avenue to their minds. 
 When we have once penetrated the wall which has sepa- 
 rated them from us, there is no more real mystery in teach- 
 ing them than in teaching other persons. There is a mys- 
 tery in the mental progress of every child : in the menta. 
 
xii 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 progress of the blind deaf-mute the mystery is greater in 
 degree and is longer continued ; but in hind it is the same 
 mystery. To succeed in the first step is the peculiar diffi- 
 culty. “ Principium dimidium facti.” 
 
 The narrative of Laura Bridgman reminds us that all 
 art, as well as all science, has been progressive. Aristotle 
 borrowed much from his now forgotten predecessors. 
 Kepler opened the door for Newton. No art springs com- 
 plete from the brain of any man. The present methods 
 of instructing the blind were not first suggested by the 
 Abbe Haiiy in the last century, but the principle which 
 regulates them had long before his day been familiar to 
 the mind of educators. Narratives almost fabulous had 
 been given of blind men feeling and thus reading the 
 words of a book or manuscript. So the present methods 
 of instructing the deaf and dumb were not invented be- 
 tween 1712 and 1789, by the Abbe de l’Epee, without any 
 hint from a previous writer. They were suggested to him 
 by a Spanish treatise which was written in 1590, and was 
 thrown in his way by accident. Indeed, as early as 1485, 
 Kodolphus Agricola, describing ‘‘the immense and almost 
 incredible power of the human mind,” instances as little 
 less than miraculous what he himself had witnessed, — a 
 person deaf from infancy, and consequently dumb, who 
 had learned to understand writing, and, as if possessed of 
 speech, was able to write down his whole thoughts. The 
 first art of instructing the blind in letters, and the second 
 art of instructing the deaf-mute, are compounded with 
 each other in the art of instructing those who are both 
 blind and also deaf and dumb. The principle regulating 
 this combination was ingeniously stated by George Dal- 
 garno (sometimes written Dalgarus), a Scotchman, who 
 wrote in 1680 on the education of deaf-mutes, and from 
 whom more than one renowned scholar has borrowed 
 more than he has acknowledged. His suggestive words 
 are, ‘The soul can exert her powers by the ministry of 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 X1U 
 
 any of the senses; and, therefore, when she is deprived 
 of her principal secretaries, the eye and the ear, then she 
 must be contented with the service of her lackeys and 
 scullions, the other senses, which are no less true and 
 faithful to their mistress than the eye and the ear, but 
 not so quick for despatch. . . . And as I think the eye 
 to be as docile as the ear, so neither see I any reason 
 but the hand might be made as tractable an organ as 
 the tongue, and as soon brought to form, if not fair, at 
 least legible characters, as the tongue to imitate and echo 
 back articulate sounds.”* Notwithstanding his expressed 
 confidence, it would have surprised this learned Scotchman 
 to be told that two centuries after he penned the sentences 
 above quoted, there would be living in the New World a 
 woman who had lost four “ secretaries ” of the mind, and 
 yet, mainly by means of the tips of her fingers, her only 
 remaining “ lackeys ” and u scullions,” she could express 
 ideas as rapidly as an ordinary penman could record 
 them. 
 
 Prof. Mussey, in his letter respecting Laura Bridgman, 
 speaks of the practical skill which she had acquired before 
 she was educated at the Asylum. Other instances of like 
 skill are readily suggested to us. In D.ugald Stewart’s 
 account of the so-called blind deaf-mute, James Mitchell, 
 we read, “He had received a severe wound in his foot, 
 and during its cure he usually sat by the fireside with his 
 foot resting on a small footstool. More than a year after- 
 wards, a servant boy, with whom he used to play, was 
 obliged to confine himself to a chair from a similar cause. 
 Young Mitchell, perceiving that his companion remained 
 longer in one situation than he used to do, examined him 
 attentively, and seemed quickly to discover, by the baud' 
 
 * Works of Dugald Stewart, Yol. Ill, p. 325, Ed. 1829; Edin- 
 purgh Review, Yol. LXI, pp. 407, 417. 
 
xiv 
 
 INTRODUCTION . 
 
 ages on his foot, the reason of his confinement. He im- 
 mediately walked up stairs to a garret, sought out, amidst 
 several other pieces of furniture, the little footstool which 
 had formerly supported his own wounded limb, and gently 
 placed the servant-boy’s foot upon it.” * James Mitchell 
 had been educated by the use of natural signs to perform 
 such exploits. 
 
 Thomas Whipple, M.D., a physician in Wentworth, Hew 
 Hampshire, in a letter dated Feb. 28, 1834, has given the 
 following account of Samuel Elbridge Eames, who became 
 deaf, dumb, and blind when he was about two years old, 
 and died when he was sixteen years six months and 
 twenty-three days old : u His father missed an axe, and 
 had [missed it] for some time; not being able to find it, he 
 suspected the boy had hidden it. His mother made him 
 feel another axe, and patted him, and made some motions 
 with him ; he went into an unfinished part of the house, 
 took up a loose floor-board, and brought forward the axe. 
 He went into his father’s gig-wagon on a certain time and 
 took all the ruffis from the screws which held the parts of 
 the wagon together ; on being discovered he began and 
 replaced them, not misplacing a single one. He has taken 
 a bunch of keys consisting of six, and opened his father’s 
 desk, and would do it as readily as any one of the family. . . 
 I visited his father, who was sick. He detected my manner 
 of opening and shutting the door by the jar which he felt; 
 he met me, felt me over from head to foot, smelt my clothes 
 and saddle-bags, followed me into the sick-room, took my 
 saddle-bags on my putting them down, opened them, raised 
 the vial-case, opened it, took out one of the vials, uncorked 
 it, smelt of its contents, shook his head, and would not 
 taste ; then replaced the vial and returned everything to 
 its first state. After this trial, though nothing was done 
 to deter him, he would not on my visiting at the house 
 
 * Works of Dugald Stewart, Yol. Ill, p. 309, Amer. Ed. 1829. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 2£V 
 
 opea the saddle-bags, but would, on smelling them, leave 
 them.” * 
 
 It would have been impossible for a blind deaf-mute to 
 perform works like these had he not been previously edu- 
 cated by means of natural signs.' We are thus reminded 
 of the fact that all processes of instruction depend ulti- 
 mately on natural language. This is the basis on which 
 arbitrary language is founded. Men must have some 
 means of communication before they learn the use of 
 spoken or written words. They have an instinctive ten- 
 dency to perform outward actions, and to express their 
 thoughts and feelings by smiles, frowns, or other move- 
 ments of the body. They detect the resemblance between 
 their own expressions and the expressions of other per- 
 sons. So they learn the thoughts and feelings of other 
 persons. Some of these expressions are probably under- 
 stood by intuition and without a reasoning process. Mr. 
 Coleridge says, “ There is in the heart of all men a work- 
 ing principle, call it ambition, or vanity, or desire of 
 distinction, the inseparable adjunct of our individuality 
 and personal nature, and flowing from the same source as 
 language, the instinct and necessity in each man of de- 
 claring his particular existence, and thus of singularizing 
 himself.” If he cannot do this by conventional words he 
 will do it by instinctive signs. We must not suppose, how- 
 ever, that the use of conventional words is less really the 
 ordinance of God than is the use of instinctive signs. 
 He has made us not only with the power, but also with 
 the decisive tendencies to use articulate speech. We are 
 inclined by a law of nature (and this in the last resort is 
 God) to express thought by words as its symbols. What 
 we call natural language is his direct gift ; what we call 
 artificial language is his indirect gift. As a man is im- 
 
 * Twenty-first Report of the Directors of the American Asylum 
 *,t Hartford, pp. 35, 36. 
 
XVI 
 
 INTRODUCTIL N. 
 
 pelled to put forth a choice of this or that, but he has a 
 power of putting forth a choice of either rather than the 
 other, in a similar way man is impelled to use this or that 
 artificial sign of his ideas, but he may use one or a differ- 
 ent one as it pleases him. The Book of Genesis was not 
 designed to teach philology; but the nineteenth verse of 
 the second chapter intimates that Adam had an impulse 
 to name the animals around him, and the particular des- 
 ignation of each animal was left to his free choice. 
 Although a person be unable to speak, or to hear a word 
 if he should speak it, or to see a movement of the vocal 
 organs of other men, yet he has an impulse, whenever he 
 is excited, to use his own vocal organs; not only to use 
 them for the sake of relieving a pressure on the lungs, or 
 giving to the larynx such an exercise as its health or com- 
 fort requires, but for the sake of marking the distinction 
 between one object and another. He has an impulse to 
 emit vocal sounds distinct from the unintelligible screams, 
 groans, yells, of many deaf-mutes. “ Natural language 
 is the servant of the heart ; [arbitrary] speech is the 
 handmaid of the intellect.” The history of Laura Bridg- 
 man illustrates these principles. “ So strong seems the 
 tendency to utter vocal sounds that Laura uses them for 
 different persons of her acquaintance whom she meets, 
 having a distinct sound for each one. When after a 
 short absence she goes into the sitting-rcom where there 
 are a dozen blind girls, she embraces them by turn, 
 uttering rapidly and in a high key the peculiar sound 
 which designates each one ; and so different are they (the 
 sounds uttered by her) that any of the blind girls can tell 
 whom she is with.”* Hr. Lieber says, “Laura has 
 near sixty sounds for persons. When her teacher asked 
 her, at my suggestion, how many sounds she recollected, 
 she produced at once twenty-seven. Three of her 
 
 * Tenth Annual Report, p. 32. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 XVII 
 
 teachers, Dr. Howe included, stated to me that she had 
 certainly from fifty to sixty.” * The impulse to utter a 
 Bound as the distinctive name of her friend seemed to 
 come first ; the translation of it into her finger language 
 came second. After having employed one sound 
 (“ noise ”) for the lady when unmarried, she saw the 
 propriety of employing a different sound (“ noise ”) for 
 the same lady when married. She was not encouraged 
 at the Asylum to use what is called the natural nor 
 the analogical language ; her thoughts, which might 
 have flowed out in some kind of pantomime, were di- 
 rected by her teachers into the channel of the arbitrary 
 language of the fingers ; and through this channel they 
 flowed easily and rapidly. “ She often talks with herself, 
 sometimes holding long conversations , sneaking with one 
 hand and replying with the other .” f After all, the im- 
 pulse to utter audible words could not be repressed. ISTot 
 only the comfort of the mind, but the health of the body 
 is promoted by yielding to this impulse. The instincts of 
 man correspond with his power of thought and with his 
 animal structure ; and all are the contrivance of the Mind 
 which intended that man should be an articulately speak- 
 ing; as well as an articulately thinking, animal. 
 
 The history of Laura Bridgman casts some light on the 
 doctrine of intuitions. We must here confine ourselves 
 to the inquiry whether, before her instruction at the Asy- 
 lum, she had an idea of and a belief in the infinite God 
 and her own immortality. Throughout his Reports, Dr. 
 Howe has expressed the confident opinion that she had 
 no idea of the Infinite Being, of course no belief in him. 
 This opinion seems to be correct. Fifteen years ago I 
 
 * A Paper on the Vocal Sounds of Laura Bridgman, p. 26. By 
 Francis Lieber. Smithsonian Contributions, etc. 
 
 t A Paper on the Vocal Sounds of Laura Bridgman, p. 30, 
 By Francis Lieber. Smithsonian Cortributions, etc. 
 
XV111 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 had two interviews (one of them much prolonged) with 
 her in regard to her notions of the Supreme Being. It ap- 
 peared evident, first, that before she entered the Asylum 
 she had no belief in the existence of an infinite and per- 
 fect Deity, and no idea of him ; secondly, that her habit 
 (an uncommonly obvious one) of reasoning from effect to 
 cause, and from the phenomena of her own moral nature, 
 led her to believe, occasionally, in some mysterious being 
 or beings by whom her interests were affected ; thirdly, 
 that her idea of this being or these beings was far inferior 
 to an idea of the infinite God, and was just as lofty or just 
 as low, as her observation of phenomena had been exact 
 and extensive or loose and limited ; fourthly, that as her 
 belief depended upon and resulted from her observation 
 of phenomena, it would have risen to a belief in the infi- 
 nite One if she had taken a comprehensive and an accurate 
 view of these phenomena. Whatever faith she had was 
 not intuitive in the ordinary, sense of that word, but came 
 from reasoning ; this faith fell below a belief in the true 
 God, because the data for reasoning had been imperfectly 
 examined. Still, in the above-mentioned interviews, it 
 was apparent that her sensibilities had been unsatisfied 
 in consequence of her want of religious knowledge, and 
 that as soon as this want was supplied at the Asylum the 
 demands of her constitution were happily met. In this 
 particular there was an instructive difference between 
 Laura Bridgman and Julia Brace, the blind deaf-mute of 
 the Hartford Asylum. “ The following experiment has 
 lately been tried [on Julia Brace, when she was about 
 twenty years of age] : Her attention was called to a great 
 variety of artificial objects, and she was told that Miss C. 
 made this, Mr. S. that ; a man one, a woman another, 
 and so on. The idea of making is familiar, for she makes 
 some things herself. Then, a number of natural objects 
 were presented her, such as minerals, fruits, flowers, plants, 
 vegetables, and she was told that neither this friend nor 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 xix 
 
 that acquaintance made any of them; that neither men 
 nor women made them. The hope was entertained that 
 her curiosity would be excited, and that a way might be 
 discovered to convey to her mind the great idea of the 
 Almighty Creator. The attempt was not successful, and 
 though several times repeated, has not as yet resulted in 
 exciting her mind, fixing her attention, or giving us any 
 encouraging indications.”* Even at this late day, when 
 Julia Brace is more than seventy years old, it is difficult to 
 determine how far her mind has advanced in apprehend- 
 ing the true character of God. If she had been as ready 
 as Laura to infer an ordinary cause from an ordinary 
 event, she [jmight have been as ready as Laura to appre- 
 ciate what was told her in regard to the infinite and ulti- 
 mate Cause of all events. 
 
 As Miss Bridgman had no intuitive idea of the Supreme 
 Being, so she had none of the soul’s immortality. In the 
 interviews referred to above, I could not find that, before 
 her instruction at the Asylum, she had any proper idea of 
 death. She described, with almost frantic gestures, the 
 horror which she felt when, before she was seven years 
 old, she touched a corpse ; but the horror arose not from 
 a just notion of the corpse, but from her new sensations of 
 the^ coldness and unbending stiffness of the body. As 
 she did not think of death, so she did not think of exist- 
 ence after death. Without an idea of mortality, she was 
 without any proper idea of immortality. As she had never 
 thought of an infinite mind, so she had never thought of 
 an eternal duration. Of course she expected to exist 
 from day to day, as she expected that the earth would 
 continue from day to day. If we regard her expectation 
 of living in the future as an expectation of immortal life, 
 then we must regard her expectation of the earth’s contin- 
 
 * Twenty-first Report of the Directors of the Hartford Asylum, 
 1827, p. 28. 
 
XX 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 uance in the future as au expectation of its continuance 
 forever. We have, moreover, as much right to say that 
 she had an intuitive belief in the continued existence of 
 her parents’ farm-house as to say that she had an intuitive 
 belief in the continued existence of her own soul. Indeed, 
 I could not learn that, before she was instructed at the 
 Asylum, she had formed any idea of the soul as distinct 
 from the body. Even at the Asylum her first apprehen- 
 sion of the spirit, as different from bone and muscle, ap- 
 peared to be an apprehension of the breath which, at the 
 mortal hour, was taken by the great Spirit from the body. 
 
 The history of Laura Bridgman illustrates the impor- 
 tance of a symmetrical development of the human powers 
 and sensibilities. It is not uncommon to hear men say 
 that John Milton was indebted to his blindness for his 
 fame ; that Sanderson, Moyes, and Huber would have 
 accomplished less than they have, if they had not been 
 deprived of vision. It is said of the noted Puritan, Dr. 
 John Guyse, that he “ lost his eyesight in the pulpit while 
 he was at prayer before the sermon, but nevertheless 
 managed to preach as usual.” He was told by one of 
 his hearers, “ God be praised that your sight is gone 1 I 
 never heard [you] preach so powerful a [sermon] in my 
 life. I wish for my own part that the £ord had taken 
 away your sight twenty years ago ; for your ministry 
 would have been more useful by twenty degrees.” “ Male- 
 branche, when he wished to think intensely, used to close 
 his windows-shutters in the daytime, excluding every ray 
 of light ; and for a like reason Democritus is said to have 
 put out his eyes, in order that he might philosophize the 
 better, — which latter story, however, it should be observed, 
 though told by several ancient writers, is doubted by Cicero 
 and discredited by Plutarch.” * 
 
 * Edinburgh Review, Yol. XCIX, p. 62. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 XXI 
 
 It is doubtless true that the deprivation of sight and hear- 
 ing will occasionally stimulate the mind to augmented 
 exertion in order to overcome the disadvantage. This fact 
 proves that the deprivation is a disadvantage. It is also true 
 that blindness and deafness free the soul from many dis- 
 tractions; but the evil of these distractions is incomparably 
 less than the evil of exclusion from the exhilarating in- 
 fluence of sight and sound. Destitute of the spiritualizing, 
 refining influences exerted by the eye and ear, the blind 
 deaf-mute is tempted to an excessive indulgence of his 
 lower animal nature. He is apt to be embittered by a 
 sense of his privations, for his endowments are as far in- 
 ferior to those #f the mere deaf-mute as the endowments 
 of the deaf-mute are inferior to those of the hearer and 
 speaker. He is also prone to be irritated by the toil which 
 he must undergo in learning what others learn with ease. 
 If we try the experiment of attempting to find our way 
 around the walls of a room completely dark, when we did 
 not know exactly from what part of the room we started, 
 we are surprised at our inability to learn our bearings, to 
 judge of the relations between the walls, chairs, and doors, 
 with which one glance of the eye would make us perfectly 
 familiar. The blind deaf-mute is subjected to the same 
 kind, but a greater degree of irritation in attempting to 
 orienteer himself in any department of knowledge. Then 
 the monotony of his labors is annoying If Laura Bridg- 
 man had been able to see and hear, to smell and taste, as 
 others do, she might have been often diverted from her 
 studies by processions of soldiers, by the music of birds, by 
 the fragrance of flowers, and the flavor of fruits. Free 
 from these distractions, her mind could be almost as intent 
 on her arithmetic by night as by day, in her walks as at 
 her fireside, in a conservatory of roses and at a luxurious 
 dinner-table as in her school. The whole world was to her 
 a continuous school. But this monotony of mental action 
 brought multiplied annoyances. Equal annoyances came 
 
XXII 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 from tne necessity of her dependence upon herself. Many 
 of her shades of doubt could not be indicated by her, and 
 many shades of the wisdom, gathered in the books, could not 
 be expressed to her. Her mind was like a child led without a 
 lantern by a tenuous thread through the catacombs, the 
 thread often broken, the leader often lost. We are apt to fail 
 of appreciating the emphasis of such words as were often 
 impressed by her fingers on the fingers of her teacher. 
 These words were a real wail for clearer thoughts ; they were 
 loud cries for the removal ,of her mental perplexities. Sir 
 James Mackintosh speaks of the pain which James 
 Mitchell was liable to suffer “ from the occasional violences 
 of a temper irritated by a fruitless struggle to give utter- 
 ance to his thoughts and wishes, disturbed still further by 
 the vehemence of those gestures which he employs to 
 supply the deficiency of his signs, and released from that 
 restraint on anger which we experience when we see and 
 hear its excesses disapproved by our fellow-creatures.” 515 
 Similar remarks are applicable to Laura Bridgman, who 
 has been doomed to ever-recurring disappointments. 
 
 Some may suppose that her deficiency in the senses of 
 smell and taste was no disadvantage to her intellect; but 
 the want of any physical sense is such a disadvantage, 
 other things being equal. The mind is delicately poised 
 among a variety of physical powers, and any disarrange- 
 ment of any one of these powers disturbs the mental ac- 
 tivity. Many a fresh train of thought has been started by 
 the odors of a garden, by the taste of its fruit. The mind 
 and heart have been quickened by the incense at a Catholic 
 altar, and by the flavor of the viands at a religious festival. 
 14 1 am mortified,” said an eminent scholar , il when I re- 
 flect on the influence of one peach in refreshing my mind 
 for study. Some of the most significant words relating to 
 the human mind (the word sagacity, for instance) are 
 
 * Works oi Dugald Stewart, Vol. Ill, Ed. 1829, p. 315. 
 
INTRODUCTION . 
 
 XX111 
 
 borrowed from this very sense [of smell], and the conspic- 
 uous place which its sensations occupy in the poetical 
 language of all nations shows how easily and naturally 
 they ally themselves with the refined operations of the 
 fancy and the moral emotions of the heart. The infinite 
 variety of modifications, besides, of which they are suscep- 
 tible, might furnish useful resources, in the way of asso- 
 ciation for prompting the memory, where it stood in need 
 of assistance. One of the best schools for the education 
 of such a pupil (a blind deaf-mute) would probably be a 
 well-arranged botanic garden.” * 
 
 It is obvious that in certain particulars Laura Bridg- 
 man suffered many disadvantages in comparison with 
 those which have fallen to the lot of other blind deaf- 
 mutes. Thus James Mitchell was not entirely blind nor 
 entirely deaf, and his two kindred senses of smell and taste 
 were remarkably acute. Once, when his sister’s shoes were 
 wet, he first perceived the fact by his sense of smell, then 
 felt them, and insisted on her changing them. When any 
 new object was put into his hands he first examined it 
 with the tips of his fingers, and then insinuated “ his 
 tongue into all its inequalities, thus using it [the tongue] 
 an an organ of touch as well as taste.” f 
 
 It is common to compare Laura Bridgman with J ulia 
 Brace. This woman was born June 13, 1807; was ad- 
 mitted to the Hartford Asylum when she was eighteen 
 years of age. She became entirely deaf and blind at the 
 age of four years and about five months. At that time 
 she could read and spell words of two syllables. Her 
 sense of smell, like that of many other blind persons, is 
 wonderfully acute. She has been frequently known to 
 select her own clothes f*om a mass of dresses belong- 
 ing to a hundred and thirty or forty persons. u Her 
 
 * Dugald Stewart’s Works, Vol. Ill, p. 315, Ed. 1829. 
 t Dugald Stewart’s Works, Yol. Ill, p. 337, Ed. 1829. 
 
XXIV 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 manner is to examine each article by feeling; but to de- 
 cide upon it by the sense of smell, and in regard to her 
 own things she never errs.” * She has been frequently 
 known to discriminate, merely by smelling them, the 
 recently washed stockings of the boys from those of the 
 girls at the Asylum. Among a hundred and twenty or 
 thirty teaspoons used at the Asylum she could distin- 
 guish those of the steward from those of the pupils, 
 “ though a casual observer would hardly notice the differ- 
 ence.! ^ has been stated that by putting the eye of a 
 cambric needle upon the tip of her tongue, she could feel 
 the thread as it entered the eye and pressed upon her 
 tongue, and she would thus thread the needle. These in- 
 stances prove that her sense of touch was at least equal, 
 while that of smell was far superior, to those of Laura 
 Bridgman. It must not be forgotten, however, that in 
 certain particulars Laura Bridgman enjoyed advantages 
 superior to these of some other blind deaf-mutes. During 
 the first two years of her life her physical senses and powers 
 were equal to those of other children; in her eighth year 
 she would detect a very bright color. Although James 
 Mitchell had through life a faint sensation of sight and 
 also of hearing, yet he' was born almost blind and deaf; 
 others have been bom entirely so. A person who has once 
 had the sensations of flavor and fragrance, light and sound, 
 is not exactly the same person .he would have been without 
 these sensations. They must have given some impulse to 
 his mind; they must have started him in his progress of 
 \hought. Laura Bridgman was born in lowly life, but 
 was early surrounded with better influences than those 
 which were exerted on some whose avenues of knowdedge 
 were blocked up like hers. More than seven years of her 
 
 * Twenty-first Report of the Directors of the Hartford Asylum, 
 p. 24:. 
 
 \ Twenty-first Report of the Hartford Asylum, p. 23. 
 
INTRODUCTION . 
 
 XXV 
 
 early childhood were spent in the vicinity of Dartmouth 
 College. She probably received no direct influence from 
 the college, still the atmosphere of a New England town, 
 in which a literary institution like Dartmouth has existed 
 for a century, is more healthful to the soul than the 
 atmosphere of the almshouses in which several of the 
 blibrf deaf-mutes have been condemned to live. Before 
 S>ue was eight years old she was placed under the 
 general superintendence of Dr. Samuel G. Howe, and 
 during twelve subsequent years she was under the care of 
 some accomplished instructor, specially and almost ex- 
 clusively devoted to this one pupil. She had a particular 
 trait distinguishing her above the great majority of all 
 those with whom it can be of any use to compare her. 
 This trait was an uncommon love of knowledge. Inquisi- 
 tiveness makes the scholar. A difference in the degree of 
 curiosity causes an incalculable difference in the degree 
 of mental improvement, between one pupil and another. 
 
 If her curiosity had been earlier gratified in receiving a 
 knowledge of God, her mind would have been more 
 rapidly as well as more symmetrically developed. If the 
 sense of smell or taste has an intellectual use, much more 
 has the principle of religiosity. 
 
 The history of Laura Bridgman suggests a lesson on 
 the importance of early education. We have read of a 
 student who inquired, “ Is it of any use to know Latin? ” 
 The answer was, “It is of great use to have forgotten 
 Latin.” It is very evident that Laura Bridgman forgot a 
 large part of the education which she received before she 
 went to the Asylum. What lasting benefit could she have 
 derived from her first two years, when she saw, heard, 
 smeller tasted, as well as other children; from her first 
 seven years, when she had some faint sensation of color, as 
 well as of flavor and fragrance? Much advantage. An 
 education, even if afterward forgotten, is a singular boon. 
 
xxvi 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 At first the infant sees everything double, everything 
 upside down, everything in close contact with his eye. It 
 is by a process of comparing the sensations of touch with 
 those of sight that he learns the real position and distance 
 and number of the objects which he sees. He listens to 
 the song of a bird, and at length judges of its direction and 
 remoteness from him by comparing his first sensatie^vdU 
 touch and sight with those of hearing. He beconf&S 
 familiar with these various processes of judgment and 
 reasoning long before he is capable of analyzing them, cr 
 of retaining them for any length of time in definite ve- 
 membrance. During the first two or three years of his 
 life, he acquires a larger number of ideas, in regard to space, 
 time, form, substance, quality, matter, mind, language, 
 than he will acquire during any two or three years subse- 
 quent. If the child could make known his mental pro- 
 cesses as they are performed day by day during the first 
 five years of his life, he would be the instructor of the 
 wisest psychologist ; he would settle the questions of the 
 schools in regard to our original ideas, intuitions, processes 
 of abstracting, generalizing, etc We have read of persons 
 solving intricate mathematical problems or explaining 
 obscure metaphysical theories at the age of four years. 
 We are astonished at their precocity: we should be more 
 astonished if we should know all the moral reflections of 
 children who are not precocious, and wlio are not old 
 enough to express their thoughts in worthy language 
 The profoundest meditations of a man, much more of a 
 small boy, are often concealed because they do not suggest 
 adequate words. As the scientific discoveries of little 
 children, so have their moral reflections a life-long influ 
 ence. In regard to moral truths, “ What is learned in the 
 cradle lasts to the grave.” Hence, Virgil says, u Adeo 
 inteneris consuescere multum est .” In one of his papers 
 contributed to + he Society for the Diffusion of Useful 
 Knowledge, Lord Brougham pronounces his opinion that 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 xxvii 
 
 a cliild before his fifth year has already formed that 
 character which it is difficult, if not morally impossible, 
 to change. If a child’s character be confirmed thus 
 early, his education must begin earlier still. It must 
 begin before he can understand the influences which 
 are exerted upon him. As he cannot remember the 
 hour when he began to distinguish a superficies from a 
 solid, so he cannot remember the hour when he began to 
 approve the right and to disapprove the wrong. But at 
 that early hour he was beginning to form a habit which, 
 like every other habit, has a tendency to be permanent. 
 Hence the great multitude of the proverbs in various lan- 
 guages: “ Bend the willow while it is young”; “ As the 
 twig, so the tree,” etc., etc. “ Education,” says a writer 
 in “ Fraser’s Magazine,” “ does not commence with the 
 alphabet; it begins with a mother’s look, with a father’s 
 smile of approbation or sign of reproof, with a sister’s 
 gentle pressure of the hand or a brother’s noble act of 
 forbearance, with birds’ nests admired and not touched, 
 with creeping ants and almost impossible emmets, with 
 humming bees and great bee-hives, with pleasant walks 
 and shady lanes, and with thoughts directed in swe et and 
 kindly tones and words to mature acts of benevolence, to 
 deeds of virtue, and to the source of all good, — to God 
 himself.” 
 
 The history of Laura Bridgman gives us new suggestions 
 on the worth of human nature. The more clearly we see 
 the power of the soul, so much the more keenly do we feel 
 the need of educating it. The results which have come 
 from the training of this disabled woman foreshadow the 
 results which might ensue if equal labor were expended 
 in the training of persons who are free from her disabili- 
 ties. The success of her teachers is a stimulus and en- 
 couragement to all who find obstacles in imparting knowl- 
 edge to others. Dr. Howe defined obstacles as “ things to 
 be overcome.” 
 
xxviii 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 In order to estimate properly the greatness of Nature’s 
 work, it is advisable now and then to reduce the scale of 
 them in our imagination. We cannot easily appreciate 
 the magnitude of our earth, with its diameter of seven 
 thousand nine hundred and twenty-five miles; of Uranus, 
 With its diameter of thirty-five thousand miles ; of Saturn, 
 with its diameter of seventy-six thousand and sixty-eight 
 miles; of Jupiter, with its diameter of eighty-seven thou- 
 sand miles. We must humble our views in order to exalt 
 them. We can form a more vivid idea of the solar sys- 
 tem, if we ever and anon imagine the earth to be but one 
 mile in diameter, and the other planets to be proportion- 
 ally small, than if we always attempt to form such images 
 of the globes as shall accord with their actual size. When 
 we reduce the earth to a half -inch in diameter, and reduce 
 the other planets, the satellites, and the sun to a propor- 
 tionate littleness, we prepare ourselves to form a still more 
 exact idea of the greatness of those orbs. Hence, the 
 use of the planetarium. Sir John Herschell says, “As 
 to getting correct notions on [the magnitudes and dis- 
 tances of the planets] by drawing circles on paper, or, 
 still worse, from those very childish toys called orreries, it 
 is out of the question.” As to getting perfect notions on 
 any great subject in this world, it is out of the question ; 
 but right ideas are often suggested where they are not ex- 
 pressed. If we bend low, we may afterward rise high. It 
 is said of Pope Sixtus V that while a cardinal, he walked 
 like an old man, with his head inclined toward the ground, 
 but as soon as he had obtained the papal tiara, which had 
 been the object of his ambition, he assumed an erect 
 stature and walked with a firm step. To the question, 
 “ Why this change ? ” his reported answer was, “ While I 
 was looking for the keys of St. Peter, I needed to stoop; 
 but now that I have found them, I may stand upright.” 
 We need to stoop low in order to detect the sublimity o f 
 Sie human soul. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 XXIX 
 
 When we see a girl in lowly life, 11 a silent, helpless, 
 hopeless unit of mortality,” whose faculties lay slumber- 
 ing in a prison barred by four thick walls, not a ray of the 
 sun’s light entering her dungeon after she was eight or 
 nine years old, not a sound of a human voice penetrating 
 it, with but few odors wafted into it from the flowers of 
 the field, with only a faint and feeble sense of the most 
 luscious fruits; a lonely girl, doomed to form her notions 
 of the outer world by what is commonly called the sense 
 of touch, wisdom at all other entrances being almost, 
 although not “quite shut out,” who yet learns to per- 
 form operations far surpassing those of such men as can 
 see and hear and smell and taste, we are surprised at the 
 reserved forces belonging to human nature and exceed- 
 ing some of the capabilities which are developed in com- 
 mon life. 
 
 In the narrative of this remarkable person, we are told 
 of her physical exploits, which are certainly equal to those 
 performed by James Mitchell or Samuel Eames or Julia 
 Brace; and of her mental and moral advancement, which, 
 in a soul so firmly imprisoned, is altogether unprecedented. 
 She can read words which we cannot. She can detect the 
 emphasis of a bodily motion which gives no idea to us. 
 In the darkness of midnight she can peruse her Bible. If 
 she were amid the roar of a battle-field, she could pursue 
 her studies undisturbed. She feels a command in one 
 movement of the arm, a permission in another move- 
 ment, a reproof in a different one; an expression of im- 
 patience in one muscle, of anger in another, of esteem in 
 a different one. She can touch the smiles of a congrega- 
 tion. She can feel the beaming of the eyes of her visit- 
 ors. She can distinguish the various tones of various 
 movements of the fingers. If her quick discernment of 
 muscular expression were combined with the common 
 powers of vision, hearing, and speech, site would be dis- 
 tinguished above her race as an observer of its mental 
 
XXX 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 phenomena, We read of men who having eyes see not, 
 and having ears hear not; but we now behold a woman 
 who has no eyes, and yet sees the finger of nature point- 
 ing to its God; has no ears, and yet listens to the tones 
 of nature expressing the majesty of God; lives in the 
 land of silence and the land of darkness, is unable to 
 utter the name of Him who dwelleth only in the light, 
 and yet she holds and enjoys communion with that Infi- 
 nite Intelligence. The most disabled of men is made but 
 little lower than the angels. 
 
 August B, 1878 
 
 Edwards A. Park, 
 Andover Theological Seminary . 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 In a paper on the vocal sounds of Laura Bridgman, 
 published thirty years ago, Dr. Francis Lieber expressed 
 the hope that a general account of her education would 
 not much longer be withheld from the public. Dr. Howe 
 has often intimated in conversation, as well as in his an- 
 nual reports, his intention to prepare such an account, 
 but his life closed before it was accomplished. Soon after 
 his death applications were made to the writer from vari- 
 ous parts of the country to take up the work at once, lest 
 that which was considered to be of much importance to 
 the scholar be lost irretrievably. 
 
 Most reluctantly have I yielded to these requests, appre- 
 ciating fully my own inability to fill the place which right- 
 fully belonged to him who first devised a way to pour light 
 into a mind thus darkened. My aim will be simply to 
 state facts, and in making selections from the daily reports 
 of her teachers to omit nothing which can be of service 
 in any department of science. Believing that the value 
 of the work is to be measured by its accuracy, I have care- 
 fully ascertained all dates, and have secured from most 
 reliable sources a full account of her early teaching. 
 
 I have quoted largely from the reports of Dr. Howe 
 (now nearly out of print) , which contain a summary of 
 her progress from year to year, and thus have preserved 
 them from utter loss, while adding greatly to the interest 
 »f these notes. 
 
/ 
 
 / 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 ers is left the work of gleaning from these fruit- 
 ds. There are rich sheaves for the teacher who 
 js the subject of language a study, and for the men- 
 and moral philosopher, who will find much that is val- 
 .able each in his own department; while all who read may 
 learn to prize highly the inestimable gifts of sight 
 itnd heading. 
 
 Mart Swift Lamson. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 Page 
 
 Parentage. — Infancy. — Early Childhood. — Brought to the 
 Institution for the Blind in Boston. — First Lessons. — 
 Learning to attach Labels to Proper Objects. — Learns 
 Finger Alphabet. — Learns to write. — First Temptation. 
 
 — Visit to Hanoyer 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Dr. Howe’s Report of the First Year’s Instruction, 1838. — 
 Occupation when alone. — Dexterity in use of Finger 
 Language. — Her Mother’s First Visit to her. — Report of 
 Second Year’s Instruction, 1839. — Intellectual Improve- 
 ment. — Learning Adjectives. — Prepositions “in” and 
 “on.” — Auxiliaries expressing Past, Present, and Fu- 
 ture Tenses. — First Letter. — First Lessons in Arith- 
 metic. — Days of Week. — Perception of Time in Music. — 
 Judgment of Distances and Direction. — Learning Words 
 “ right ” and “ left.” — Word-making. — Attempt at 
 Classification. — Love of Teasing. — Fondness of Dress. — 
 Effect of Deprivation of Three Senses on the Remaining, 11 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Second Visit to Hanover. — First Lesson on Arithmetic 
 Board. — Description of it. — Journal of Miss Drew. — 
 Death of Adeline. — Honesty. — Dr. Howe’s Report of 
 1840. — Size of Head. — Evidences of Lack of Smell. — 
 Recognition of Persons. — Progress in Intellectual Ac- 
 quirements. — Use of Pronouns. — Inflection of Verbs. — 
 Eagerness in Study. — Words signifying Mental Oper- 
 ations, “ remember,” “ forget.” — Words expressing 
 
XXXIV 
 
 CM N TENTS. 
 
 Pagb 
 
 Generic Character. — Development of Moral Qualities. — 
 Deportment towards Different Sexes. — Conscientious- 
 ness. — Choice of Companions. — Tendency to Imitation. 
 
 — Social Feelings. — First Falsehood. — Prejudices . 28 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 1841. Miss Swift’s Journal. — Arrival of Lucy Reid. — Lau- 
 ra’s Lesson to Lucy. — Difficulty in teaching Comparison. 
 
 — Refusal to eat Meat. — Dr. Howe’s Views. — Her Re- 
 ligious Feeling. — Innate Dispositions. — Can she he 
 taught the Existence of God? — She discovers that she has 
 Four Senses. — Quarrel with Lucy. — Her Idea of the Seat 
 of Sensation. — Lessons on Color. — Power of Blind to dis- 
 tinguish Color. — Teaching her Doll to talk. — Noises to 
 designate Persons. — Interest in Lucy. — Box of Types. 
 
 — Lucy’s Departure. — First hears of Oliver Caswell. — 
 Sentences on Type Board. — Questions about Animals. — 
 Dislike of Types. — Sense of the Ludicrous. — Letter to 
 her Mother. — Test of Conscientiousness. — Killing a 
 Mouse. — Idea of Noise. — Distinction between “ to pun- 
 ish” and “to blame.” — Arrival of Oliver Caswell. — 
 
 His First Lesson (see appendix). — Lesson on Trades . 48 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 1841. Visit to Hanover, Concord, Hartford. — Meets Julia 
 Brace and Mrs. L. H. Sigourney. — Poem by Mrs. Sigour- 
 ney. — Parting with Miss Drew. — Invitation to visit her. 
 
 — Dr. Howe’s Statement of her Physical and Mental Con- 
 dition. — Assistance she derives from the Sense of Mus- 
 cular Resistance. — Relations of “ Outness.” — Measures 
 Distance accurately. — Effect of Electricity and Galvan- 
 ism. — Dreams. — Progress in Language. — Native Mod- 
 esty. — Idea of Sex. — Story of the Doll. — Dr. Howe’s 
 Plans for her Religious Instruction .... 82 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 1842. Teachers in this Year. — Manner of reporting Conver- 
 sations. — Why she spells correctly. — Difficulties in read- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 XXXV 
 
 Page 
 
 ing “ Child’s First Book.” — Asks a Definition of Vowels 
 and Consonants. — Boats and Oars. — Notice of a Trus- 
 tees’ Meeting. — Explanation of an Almanac. — Dr. 
 
 Howe wishes to give her Ideas of Death. — Recollections 
 of feeling of a Corpse. — Remarks upon it. — Can we 
 think without Words? — Call from Charles Dickens. — 
 
 Words of Flattery not repeated to her. — Letter to her 
 Mother. — Report of a Lesson upon God. — Mistakes in 
 using Verbs. — Desire to see God. — New Words from 
 “ Child’s Second Book.” — Learns the Meaning of ** de- 
 ceive ” and “fault.” — Colors Dark and Light. — Recov- 
 ers from Measles. — Wrong Impressions in Reading. — 
 Smells an Orange. — Seeing through the Windows in 
 Boston. — Extent of the Dog’s Knowledge. — Hearing 
 Cannon. — Sick Horse. — Little Deception. — J ane Da- 
 mon. — Lesson at Sea-shore. — Spider’s Web like Plate 
 of Planetary System. — Difficulty in remembering cer- 
 tain Words 94 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 1842. Death of Orrin. — Dr. Howe’s Conversation with her. 
 
 — Questions she asked others. — Gymnasium. — Visit to 
 Museum. — Dr. Howe’s Summary of her Condition at 
 Close of this Year. — Necessity of Language. — Process 
 of acquiring Language. — Use of Adjectives. — Use of 
 Verbs. — Further Views of Religious Training . . 116 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 1843. New Year’s Day. — Feeling Persons talk. — Rudeness 
 explained. —Playing the Coquette. — Her own Idea of 
 the Noises she makes. — Visit of George Combe. — Re- 
 sults in the Appointment of the Author as sole Teacher. — 
 
 New Plan of Studies, Work, and Exercise. — Delight at the 
 Arrangement. — First Lesson in Geography. — Points of 
 Compass. — Bounding Rooms. — Story of Old Man and 
 Plum-Tree. — Her Version of it. — Conversation on 
 Trades. — Numeration. — Public Exhibition. — Questions 
 on House-building. — Teaching her to speak. — Lesson 
 on Map of Boston. — Conversations recall Events of her 
 
XXXV2 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Pag* 
 
 Childhood. — S "ory of Little Girl and Lamb. — Failure in 
 •writing a P.tory which had been read containing Dialogue. 
 
 — Lesson on Dry Measure. — Story of Folio. — Bounds 
 Towns in Vicinity of Boston. — Lesson on Wine Measure. 
 
 — Letter. — Case of Deception. — Its Treatment. — Story 
 of her Childhood. — Troubled by the Word “ crazy.” — 
 Letter to her Mother. — Hears of Dr. Howe’s intended 
 Marriage. — Cloth Measure. — Outline Map. — Lesson 
 on Towns on Cape Cod. — Excitement in an Interesting 
 Lesson. — Discussion of Etiquette. — Imagination devel- 
 ops slowly. — Good Resolutions. — Use of “Ma’am ” and 
 “ Sir.” — Exhibition at State House 132 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 L843. Commences Colburn’s Mental Arithmetic. — Gymna- 
 sium Exercises. — Enjoys her Arithmetic. — Again mis- 
 understands her Reading. — Impatience in a Shop. — 
 
 Finds a Latin Book and puzzles over it. — Takes First 
 Lesson on the Large Map of New England States. — 
 Questions how to address a Gentleman in a Note. — 
 Judges correctly of Quality of Embroidery. — Completes 
 Third Section in Colburn’s Mental Arithmetic. — Lesson 
 on Trees. — Frightened by a Dream. — Visit to Steam- 
 ship. — Sadness at parting with Dr. Howe. — Letter to 
 Miss Everett. — Vacation. — Forgetting her Arithmetic. 
 
 — Passion. — First Lesson on Large Map of United 
 States. — Excitement on hearing of Niagara. — Sewing. 
 
 — Learning various Kinds of Woods. — Examines a Mon- 
 key. — Visit to a Menagerie. — Cause of Trouble in Arith- 
 metic. — Death of one of the Blind Girls ...» 160 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 1843. J ourney to Halifax. — Pleasure in teaching Laura. — 
 Lessons in the Woods ; in Barn ; at Saw-Mill. — About 
 the Fall River Fire. — Completes Seventh Section in 
 Arithmetic. — How she knows when to rise in the Morn- 
 ing. — Punctuation. — Eighth Section completed. — 
 Lesson on Multiplication of Fractions. — Playing with 
 Doll in the Night. — Lesson on Indians. — Reading to her 
 “The Spider and the Fly.” — Tenth Section in Arith- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 xxxvu 
 
 Pagb 
 
 metic. — Niagara Falls.— Distance lessening Size.— Causes 
 of Day and Night. — Calculates the Difference in Time 
 between Places. — Tired of Living. — Prudery corrected. 
 
 — Tellurian 184 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 1843. How we read Books to Laura; the Rapidity with 
 which it can he done. — Visitors from North Carolina. — 
 
 Doll in Welsh Costume. — Vacation. — Breaking a Glass. 
 
 — Map of North America. — Difficulty of learning the 
 Names in Mexico. — Animals required to make the Things 
 in the Room. — Metals required. — Woods required. — 
 Manufacture of Glass. — Completes Thirteenth Section 
 in Arithmetic. — Commences Abbott’s Story, “ Caleb in 
 Town.” — Tells to which Kingdom Things in the Room 
 belong. — Letter to a Little Girl. — Book of Diagrams. — 
 
 Rain, Snow, Hail. — Difficulties in commencing a New 
 Subject. — Slow to receive a Joke. — Feeling on Account 
 of Dr. Howe’s Marriage. — Conscience. — Improvement 
 in Smell. — Learning the Names of Cooking U tensils. — 
 Complete Map of South America. — Commences Section 
 Fifteen in Arithmetic. — Finds it a difficult one. — Feels 
 that she has been slighted. — Learning Shapes of V arious 
 Objects. — Field of Inquiry enlarged. — Fourteenth 
 Birthday. — Examines a Dead Canary Bird. — Too old 
 to go to Bed early. — Sensitiveness because Parrots speak. 
 
 — Lesson on the Large Globe. — Commences Map of 
 Europe 199 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 1844. Wishes Dr. Howe a Happy New Year. — New Year’s 
 Present. — Call from a Graceful Young Lady. — Talks 
 about Spain and its People. — Dreams. — Finds Fault with 
 those around her. — Lesson on the Lever. — Dreamed she 
 talked with her Mouth. — Sorrow that Oliver knows 
 nothing about God. — Visit of Representatives. — Letter 
 to Dr. Howe, — Recalls the Old Case of Deception about 
 the Gloves. — Case of Anger, continued 111 Feeling, and 
 Final Penitence. — Picture of Laura and Oliver painted 
 
xxxviii 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAG! 
 
 by Fisher. — Drunkards. — Capering. -- Compares Blocks 
 of Ice to Glaciers. — Last Miscellaneous Examples in 
 Colburn. — Visit of Governor and Council, and Mr. Weld 
 and his Deaf-Mute Pupils from Hartford. — He promises 
 to pray God to bless her. — Letter to Gov. Briggs. — Read- 
 ing in Book of Psalms.— -Visit to a German Brig. — Indus- 
 try. — Long List of New Words for Explanation. — Let- 
 ter to Dr. Howe. — Completed Colburn’s Mental Arith- 
 metic in One Year. — Method of Study. — Letter to Mrs. 
 Howe. — Talk on the New Russian Railroad. — President 
 of the United States. — Discovery of America. — Begins 
 the Map of Africa J22 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Letter from Dr. Howe to Laura. — Mistake in reckoning 
 Time. — Visits Boston at the Time of Temperance 
 Procession. — Musical Instruments. — Doll’s Marriage. — 
 Smells Roses for First Time. — Letter to Mrs. Howe. — 
 iEolian Harp. — Commenced a Story about two African 
 Tribes. — Shocked at their killing each other. — Return 
 of Dr. Howe. — Writes a Story on Jane Damon. — Arri- 
 val of Mrs. Howe 250 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 1844. Learned much in Vacation. — Dr. Howe’s Lesson on 
 “ ful ” and “ less.’ ’ — Fifty New Words learned in a Week. 
 
 — Meaning of Profane. — Imaginary Shopping, pay- 
 ing in Dollars and Cents, then in Shillings and Pence. — 
 
 1845. Diploma from the Mechanics’ Fair. — Commences 
 Grammar. — Learns the Parts of Speech rapidly. — U ses 
 Ciphering Board again. — Dislikes to lose part of my 
 Time. — Style of Conversation with Oliver. — Language 
 not as good as Six Months ago. — Dr. Howe’s Remarks 
 on Language. — He tells her the Story of Christ’s Birth. 
 
 — Advanced to Reduction on her Board. — Finished the 
 Story of Marco Paul. — Dr. Howe’s Method of conver- 
 sing with her on Religious Subjects. — Answers to Ques- 
 tions concerning Laura’s Ability to understand Biblical 
 Doctrines 264 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 xxxix 
 
 CHAPTER. XY. 
 
 Pagh 
 
 184-5. No Teachei for Four Months. — Miss "Wight becomes 
 her Teacher in August. — She has forgotten much both 
 in Geography and Arithmetic. — Few Records of Details 
 of Lessons. — Interest in Magnet. — Question on Mar- 
 riage. — Lesson on Motives. — Rudeness. — Talk on being 
 benevolent. — “"Why do I have two Thoughts?” — Con- 
 cealment from her Teacher — Asks God’s Forgiveness. 
 
 — Unkindness to her Teacher, Impatience, and Anger. — 
 Succeeds in overcoming Difficulties without Impatience. 
 
 — Strange Dreams. — Questions about Heaven. — “ Why 
 did Jesus come?” An Original Story .... 278 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 184,7. Further Extracts from Miss Wight’s Journal. — 
 Desire to read the Bible. — Becomes more Pa- 
 tient. — Anxiety to know if God has forgiven her 
 Past Sins. — Reading of Matthew’s Gospel. — Interest 
 in Chapter Five. — Hears of the Death of her Friend 
 Tenny. — Explains the Lord’s Prayer. — Christ’s Temp- 
 tation. — Inhales Ether. — Letter to Brother. — Im- 
 provement in Character. — Miracles of Christ. — 
 
 “ Why is Pain sent us ? ” — Impatience. — Christ’s 
 Death. — Forgiveness. — Dr. Howe resumes her Religious 
 Instruction. — Visit to Hanover. — Questions about Mr. 
 Tenny after Death. — U nhappiness at the Reserve of her 
 Teacher in talking on Religious Topics. — Self-Satisfac- 
 tion. — Another Fall. — Extracts from Laura’s own 
 Journal. — She reports her Success in teaching a Deaf 
 and partially Blind little Girl. — She talks to her about 
 her Heavenly Father. — Insubordination and Punishment 
 of her Pupil. — Miss Wight’s Absence. — Laura’s Tribute 
 to her. — Inquiries about Christ. — Confession of Wrong- 
 Doing. — Feelings towards God. — Story of a Poor 
 Woman. — Pleasant Anticipations. — Less Bright 
 Thoughts 30C 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 1848. Miss Wight’s Journal, continued. — Good Health. — 
 Desire to earn her own Living. — Effects of 
 Prayer. — Interest in Free - Soil Principles. — Allu- 
 
xl 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 sion to her Privations. — Delight in a Sermon. — 
 
 1849. Advice to a Friend. — Attends a Wedding. — 
 Letter to her Brother Addison. — Studying Algebra. — 
 Finished reading Jarvis’s Physiology. — Christmas 
 Party. — Miss Wight, failing in Health, leaves her in 
 
 1850. — Dr. Howe’s Eighteenth Report. — Laura’s Pro- 
 
 gress. — Position before the World. — Her Treatment 
 shows Human Progress 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Additional Items of Interest. — Return to Boston. — Visit 
 and Examination of my House. — Interest in the Baby. — 
 Description of its V isit to her. — Letter of Consolation 
 on its Death. — Her Occupation after Miss Wight left 
 her. — Letters of Sympathy to Miss Rogers. — Incidents 
 of Visits to Mrs. L. — Return to her Father’s House. — 
 Illness from Home-Sickness. — Strong Likes and Dis- 
 likes. — Ability to read Character. — Illustrations. — 
 Choice of Dress. — Enjoyment of a Watch. — Receives a 
 Present of one. — Sympathy with the Poor and Suffer- 
 ing. — Her own Sketch of her Early Life .... 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Acquaintance of Katie Hill. — New Views received from 
 her. — Hears of the Death of her Sister. — Rebellious 
 Spirit. — Letter to Miss Rogers, indicating her Submission 
 to God’s Will. — Baptism. — Sketch of her Feelings at the 
 Loss of her Sister, and Description of her Baptism. — 
 Anxiety about her Future Support. — Letter to Mrs. L , 
 expressing Gratitude at an Arrangement for it. — Visit 
 to Dr. Howe before his Decease. — Letter after it. — Loss 
 of her Friend, Miss Rogers. — Letter written to her 
 before her Death. — Letter to her Sister. — Sympathy 
 with a Little Boy 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Her Present Life. — Occupations. — Books. — Appearance. - 
 Change in Character. — Poem on “Light and Dark- 
 ness.” — Closing Remarks. — Poem, “ Holy Home ” 
 
 Page 
 
 321 
 
 33C 
 
 •349 
 
 363 
 
LAUEA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Laura Dewey Bridgman was born Dec. 21, 
 1829, in Hanover, N. H. She was the child of 
 Daniel and Harmony Bridgman. Her parents are 
 described* as of — 
 
 “the average height, and though slenderly built, of 
 sound health and good habits. The father’s tempera- 
 ment inclined to the nervous, but he had a small brain ; 
 while the mother had a very marked development of 
 the nervous system, and an active brain, though not a 
 large one. 
 
 “They were persons of good moral character, and 
 had received about as much culture as is common in the 
 rural districts of New Hampshire. 
 
 “The child inherited most of the physical peculiar- 
 ities of the mother, with a dash of what, from want of 
 a better name, is called the 4 scrofulous temperament.’ 
 This temperament makes one very liable to certain dis- 
 eases, but it gives great delicacy of fibre, and conse- 
 . quent sensibility. Laura had a physical organization 
 like that of a delicate plant, — very liable to derange- 
 
 * Barnard’s Am. Journal of Ed icatiori, December, 1867 (article 
 by Dr. S. G. Howe). 
 
2 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 ment because very sensitive, also very difficult as an 
 organization to bring to maturity, but promising great 
 capacity and beauty.” 
 
 During her infancy she was subject to severe 
 convulsions, but at the age of eighteen months 
 her health improved, and when two years old, she 
 is described as being more active and intelligent 
 than ordinary children. She had learned to speak 
 a few words, and knew some of the letters of the 
 alphabet. But her release from suffering was of 
 short duration ; for a month after, scarlet fever en- 
 tered the family, which then consisted of three 
 little girls. Her two older sisters died of the 
 disease, and Laura’s life long hung by a very 
 slender thread. For seven weeks she was unable 
 to swallow any solid food; both eyes and ears 
 suppurated and discharged their contents, and 
 sight and hearing were destroyed. Her eyes were 
 very painful, and for five months she was kept in 
 a darkened room. 
 
 The sense of smell was so nearly destroyed that 
 it was useless, and she could scarcely distin- 
 guish between different articles of food by the 
 taste ; her only means of communication with the 
 outer world was the touch. A year passed before 
 she could walk without support, and two years 
 before she was sufficiently strong to sit up all day. 
 
 At five years of age she had regained her 
 strength, and hei mind, which had been unim- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 3 
 
 paired by all this bodily suffering, now hungered 
 for food. The long sickness had effaced the rec- 
 ollection of babyhood; the words once spoken 
 were long since forgotten; she had become dumb, 
 because she was deaf. She must begin life anew, 
 and her thirst for knowledge must be satisfied by 
 obtaining such information as one sense could 
 bring. Of everything she must feel, and all the 
 properties perceivable by that sense must be as- 
 certained. As the mother moved about her vari- 
 ous avocations, the child was always beside her, 
 the little hands felt every motion, and soon the 
 desire of imitation was developed. She was 
 taught to sew, to knit, and to braid. The only 
 way of communicating with her was by the sim- 
 plest signs : extending the hand in a certain way 
 meant bread ; raised to the lips as if tipping a 
 cup, drink ; pushing — go ; pulling — come ; a pat 
 on the head expressed approval ; on the back, 
 disapproval, etc. She was affectionate in disposi- 
 tion, but as she grew in strength and age, her 
 will developed, and restraint became more diffi- 
 cult. On her father devolved the unpleasant 
 task of compelling obedience. She had a friend 
 in an old man who loved her dearly, and of whom 
 she always in after life spoke with the greatest 
 affection. In his strong arms she delighted to be 
 carried, and with him, when able to walk, she 
 rambled through the fields and by the river-side, 
 
4 
 
 LAURA B RID OMAN. 
 
 taking pleasure in throwing stones into the water, 
 though her eye could not watch them nor her 
 ear hear their plashing. 
 
 Only one case similar to Laura’s had ever been 
 known in this country, and that was Julia Brace, 
 who lost her senses of sight and hearing at four 
 years of age, and who was living at this time at 
 the Asylum for Deaf-Mutes, in Hartford, Conn. 
 She had been taught to communicate to some 
 extent, by signs only. Dr. S. G. Howe, direc- 
 tor of the Institution for the Blind in Boston, had 
 visited Julia, and had formed a theory for reach- 
 ing a mind so enclosed. Hearing, soon after, of 
 this little girl in New Hampshire, he went to see 
 her, and persuaded the parents to place her under 
 his charge. 
 
 She was brought to the Institution in Boston, 
 Oct. 12, 1837, about two months before her 
 eighth birthday. 
 
 Of the development of this theory and its appli- 
 cation to her instruction, Dr. Howe has given 
 brief accounts in his annual reports, but as the 
 question most frequently asked is, " What was 
 done first? ” I have thought it desirable to obtain 
 all possible information on that point. 
 
 For the interesting account which follows I am 
 indebted to Mrs. L. H. Morton (Miss Drew), of 
 Halifax, Mass., who assisted Dr. Howe in all 
 these early lessons, and who continued to be 
 
LAURA BRWGMAN. 
 
 5 
 
 Laura’s teacher for several years. She writes as 
 follows : — 
 
 “ Laura was a healthy little girl, with very fair com- 
 plexion and light-brown hair ; and there was nothing in 
 her appearance to distinguish her from the . other little 
 blind girls, except that she was more quiet and unde- 
 monstrative. This was, perhaps, because all were 
 strangers to her. She first made the acquaintance of 
 the matron, Mrs. Smith, to whom she seemed to be 
 especially attracted, whose greetings would light up her 
 face with smiles, while she returned her caresses with 
 interest. She spent her time in knitting, and would 
 take her work to Mrs. Smith if she dropped a stitch, 
 and smile quietly as it was returned with a sign of 
 approbation. At this time she uttered only a little 
 pleasant noise ; but as she became better acquainted, 
 this grew louder and very disagreeable. 
 
 u When I had been with her a few days, and she had 
 become accustomed to being led about by me, I took 
 her one morning to the nursery ; and having seated 
 her by a table, Dr. Howe and myself commenced her 
 first lesson. He had had printed, in the raised letters 
 used by the blind, the names of many common objects, 
 such as knife, fork, spoon, key, bed, chair, stove, 
 door, etc., and had pasted some of the labels on the 
 correspon ling articles. First we gave her the word, 
 4 knife,’ on the slip of paper, and moved her fingers over 
 it, as the l ind do in reading. Then we showed her 
 the knife, ai i let her feel the label upon it, and made 
 to her the s^gn which she' was accustomed to use to 
 signify likeness, viz., placing side by side the fore- 
 
6 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 fingers of each hand. She readily perceived the simi* 
 larity of the two words. 
 
 “ The same process was repeated with other articles. 
 This exercise lasted three quarters of an hour. She 
 received from it only the idea that some of the labels 
 were alike, and others unlike. The lesson was repeated 
 in the afternoon, and on the next day, and about the 
 third day she began to comprehend that the words on 
 the slips of paper represented the object on which they 
 were pasted. This was shown by her taking the word 
 ‘ chair’ and placing it first upon one chair, and then upon 
 another, while a smile of intelligence lighted her hitherto 
 puzzled countenance, and her evident satisfaction 
 assured us that she had mastered her first lesson. In 
 succeeding lessons, the label having been given her, she 
 would search for the article, and having found it, place 
 it upon it. Then the operation was reversed, and hav- 
 ing the article given, she found the proper label. 
 
 “ Thus far she had studied the words as a whole, and 
 it was now desirable to have her form them herself from 
 their component letters. Mr. S. P. Ruggles, who had 
 charge of the printing department, was called upon to 
 construct a case of metal types. This contained four 
 sets of the alphabet, and afforded her much amusement 
 as well as profit. She seemed never to tire of setting 
 up the types to correspond with the printed words with 
 which she was already familiar. All the letters of one 
 alphabet were kept arranged in their proper order, while 
 she used the others. In less than three days she had 
 learned this order, as was found by taking all the types 
 from the case, and making a sign to her to rearrange 
 them, which she did without assistance. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 7 
 
 “During the time of her earliest instruction, it was 
 necessary to use many signs. These were laid aside, 
 however, as soon as we had something better to supply 
 their place. As a mark of approval, I stroked her hair 
 or patted her upon the head ; of disapproval, knocked 
 her elbow lightly. 
 
 “Whenever she overcame a difficulty, a peculiarly 
 sweet expression lighted up her face, and we perceived 
 that it grew daily more intelligent. 
 
 “It was nearly two months before any use was made 
 of the manual alphabet. At this time Dr. Howe gave 
 me a letter of introduction to Mr. George Loring, who 
 was a deaf-mute, and a graduate from the Institution at 
 Hartford. In one afternoon he taught me the alphabet, 
 and the next day I began to teach it to Laura, showing 
 her the position of the fingers to represent each of the 
 types which she had been using. 
 
 “ The method of teaching her new words afterwards 
 was as follows : To let her examine an object, and 
 then teach her its name by spelling it with my fingers. 
 She placed her right hand over mine, so she could feel 
 every change of position, and with the greatest anxiety, 
 watched for each letter ; then she attempted to spell it 
 herself; and as she mastered the word, her anxiety 
 changed to delight. Next she took her board, and 
 arranged the types to spell the same word, and placed 
 them near the object, to show that she understood it. 
 
 “ She very soon perceived that spelling the words 
 in this way was much more rapid, and attended with 
 much less difficulty, than the old method with types, 
 and immediately applied it practically. I shall never 
 forget the first meal taker after she appreciated the 
 
8 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 use of the finger alphabet. Every article that she 
 touched must have a name ; and I was obliged to call 
 some one to help me wait upon the other children, while 
 she kept me busy in spelling the new words. Dr. Howe 
 had been absent for some time, and on his return was 
 much delighted with the progress she had made, and at 
 once learned the manual alphabet himself. 
 
 “ After she had learned a hundred or more common 
 nouns, we began to teach her the use of verbs. The 
 first were shut, open ; shut door, open door, accom- 
 panying the spelling of the word by the act. In this 
 way she learned those in constant use, and then we 
 taught her adjectives, and the names of individuals. 
 In a very short time she had learned the names of all 
 our large family. 
 
 “ After a year she began to learn to write. A paste- 
 board with grooved lines such as the blind use, was placed 
 between the folds of the paper ; a letter was pricked 
 in stiff paper so that she might feel its shape, and then 
 her right hand, holding the pencil, was guided to form 
 it, the forefinger of the left hand following the point of 
 the pencil, guiding the writing, and keeping the spaces 
 between the letters. She did not learn to write well as 
 quickly as many of the blind children. 
 
 “ She was very social, and always wished to have 
 some one sit beside her or walk with her, and she 
 taught her little blind friends the finger alphabet. 
 
 “ One day I was passing the door of the linen-room, 
 and saw her standing upon a chair, examining the con- 
 tents of an upper drawer. It contained pieces of rib- 
 bon and laces belonging to the matron. She took them 
 out, felt of the smooth satin and the delicate lace, solil- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 9 
 
 oquized with her fingers, and made a motion as if to 
 appropriate them, then knocked her elbow (the sign of 
 wrong) , and after some hesitation replaced them. This 
 was repeated several times, and then I went to her, and 
 took her hand as if wishing to speak to her, when an 
 expression of conscious guilt overspread her face. I 
 made her understand by signs that she must not meddle 
 with what did not belong to her. She said, 4 Laura, 
 wrong, no ; Laura, right/ patting her own head, and 
 showing me that she had not taken anything, but I 
 knew that she had been under great temptation and had 
 triumphed over it. 
 
 44 1 accompanied her on her first visit to her home in 
 Hanover, in 1839. Her father met us in Lebanon, and 
 as he took her hand she recognized him, and I taught 
 her the word 4 father/ She had seen her mother a year 
 before, and had learned the word 4 mother * at the time 
 of her visit to the Institution. Before Laura could be 
 persuaded to take off her cloak and bonnet after arriv- 
 ing at home, she took me over the whole house, show- 
 ing me everything, and inquiring the names of things 
 which she had not learned about in Boston. In an 
 unfinished room were a loom and spinning-wheel. 
 These she had seen (felt) her mother use, and was 
 very anxious for their name. Then she led me to the 
 bee-hive to know what that was. 
 
 44 At this time she was very shy of gentlemen, and 
 would hardly approach any one but Dr. Howe, and I 
 thought she might repel her father and her old friend 
 Mr. Tenny, but, on the contrary, she was much pleased 
 to walk with him, as she had been in the habit of doing 
 before she left hotne. 
 
10 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 “ She was anxious to have her mother talk with her, 
 and began at once to teach her the alphabet. 
 
 “ She seemed so happy to be at home that I feared 
 she might object to return with me, but at the end of a 
 fortnight she was quite willing to go, and left her mother 
 rery calmly.” 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 11 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 No regular journal of Laura’s lessons was kept 
 until June, 1840, but we find in the annual 
 reports of Dr. Howe a summary of her progress 
 from year to year, as well as a statement of her 
 physical, mental, and moral condition. 
 
 At the close of the year 1838, when she had 
 been sixteen months under instruction, he writes as 
 follows : — * 
 
 “It has been ascertained beyond the possibility of 
 doubt that she cannot see a ray of light, cannot hear 
 the least sound, and never exercises her sense of smell, 
 if she has any. Thus her mind dwells in darkness 
 and stillness, as profound as that of a closed tomb at 
 midnight. Of beautiful sights and sweet sounds and 
 pleasant odors she has no conception ; nevertheless, 
 she seems as happy and playful as a bird or a lamb ; 
 and the emplojunent of her intellectual faculties, or 
 acquirement of a new idea, gives her a vivid pleasure, 
 which is plainly marked in her expressive features. She 
 never seems to repine, but has all the buoyancy and 
 gaiety of cnildhood. She is fond of fun and frolic, 
 
 * Seventh Report of the Trustees of the New England 
 Institution for the Blind. 
 
12 
 
 LAURA B RID G MAX. 
 
 and when playing with the rest of the children, her shrill 
 laugh sounds loudest of the group. 
 
 When left alone, she seems very happy if she has her 
 knitting or sewing, and will busy herself for hours : if 
 she has no occupation, she evidently amuses herself by 
 imaginary dialogues, or by recalling past impressions ; 
 she counts with her fingers or spells out names of 
 things which she has recently learned, in the manual 
 alphabet of the deaf-mutes. In this lonety self-com- 
 munion she seems to reason, reflect, and argue ; if she 
 spells a word wrong with the fingers of her right hand, 
 she instantly strikes it with her left, as her teacher does, 
 in sign of disapprobation ; if right, then she pats her- 
 self upon the head, and looks pleased. She sometimes 
 purposely spells a word wrong with the left hand, looks 
 roguish for a moment and laughs, and then with the 
 right hand strikes the left, as if to correct it. 
 
 “ During the year she has attained great dexterity in 
 the use of the manual alphabet of the deaf-mutes ; and 
 she spells out the words and sentences which she knows, 
 so fast and so deftly, that only those accustomed to 
 this language can follow with the eye the rapid motion 
 of her fingers. 
 
 “But wonderful as is the rapidity with which she 
 writes her thoughts upon the air, still more so is the 
 ease and accuracy with which she reads the words 
 thus written by another, grasping their hand in hers, 
 and following every movement of their fingers, as letter 
 after letter conveys their meaning to her mind. It is in 
 this way that she converses with her blind playmates ; 
 and nothing can more forcibly show the power of mind in 
 forcing matter to its purpose, than a meeting between 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 13 
 
 them. For if great talent and skill are necessary for 
 two pantomimes to paint their thoughts and feelings by 
 the movements of the body and the expression of the 
 countenance, how much greater the difficulty when 
 darkness shrouds them both, and the one can hear no 
 sound ! . 
 
 “ When Laura is walking through a passageway, ' 
 with her hands spread before her, she knows instantly 
 every one she meets, and passes them with a sign of 
 recognition ; but if it be a girl of her own age, and 
 especially if one of her favorites, there is instantly a 
 bright smile of recognition and a twining of arms, 
 a grasping of hands, and a swift telegraphing upon 
 the tiny fingers, whose rapid evolutions convey the 
 thoughts and feelings from the outposts of one mind to 
 those of the other. There are questions and answers, 
 exchanges of joy or sorrows, there are kissings and 
 partings, just as between little children with all their 
 senses. 
 
 “ One such interview is a better refutation of the doc- 
 trine that mind is the result of sensation than folios of 
 learned argument. If those philosophers who consider 
 man as only the most perfect animal, and attribute his 
 superiority to his senses, be correct, then a dog or a 
 monkey should have mental power quadruple that of 
 poor Laura Bridgman, who has but one sense. 
 
 “ During this year, and six months after she had left 
 home, her mother came to visit her, and the scene of 
 their meeting was an interesting one. 
 
 “ The mother stood some time, gazing with overflow- 
 ing eyes upon her unfortunate child, who, all uncon- 
 scious of her presence, tvas playing about the room. 
 
14 
 
 WAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 Presently Laura ran against her, and at once began 
 feeling of her hands, examining her dress, and trying 
 to find out if she knew her ; but not succeeding in this, 
 she turned away as from a stranger, and the poor 
 woman could not conceal the pang she felt at finding 
 that her beloved child did not know her. 
 
 “ She then gave Laura a string of beads which she 
 used to wear at home, which were recognized by the 
 child at once, who with much joy put them around her 
 neck, and sought me eagerly, to say she understood the 
 string was from her home. 
 
 “ The mother now tried to caress her, but poor Laura 
 repelled her, preferring to be with her acquaintances. 
 
 “ Another article from home was now given her, and 
 she began to look much interested ; she examined the 
 stranger much closer, and gave me to understand that 
 she knew she came from Hanover. She even endured 
 her caresses, but wodld leave her with indifference at 
 the slightest signal. The distress of the mother was 
 now painful to behold ; for although she had feared 
 that she should not be recognized, the painful reality of 
 being treated with cold indifference by a darling child 
 was too much for woman’s nature to bear. 
 
 “After a while, on the mother’s taking hold of her 
 again, a vague idea seemed to flit across Laura’s mind 
 that this could not be a stranger ; she therefore felt of 
 her hands very eagerly, while her countenance assumed 
 an expression of intense interest; she became very- 
 pale, and then suddenly red ; hope seemed struggling 
 with doubt and anxiety, and never were contending 
 emotions more strongly painted upon the human face. 
 At this moment of painful uncertainty, the mother 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 15 
 
 drew her close to her side, and kissed her fondly, when 
 at once the truth flashed upo:n the child, and all mis- 
 trust and anxiety disappeared from her face, as with an 
 expression of exceeding joy she eagerly nestled to the 
 bosom of her parent, and yielded herself to her fond 
 embraces. 
 
 “After this, the beads were all unheeded; the play- 
 things which were offered to her were utterly disre- 
 garded ; her playmates, for whom but a moment before 
 she gladly left the stranger, now vainly strove to pull 
 her from her mother ; and though she yielded her 
 usual instantaneous obedience to my signal to follow 
 me, it was evidently with painful reluctance. She 
 clung close to me, as if bewildered and fearful ; and 
 when, after a moment, I took her to her mother, she 
 sprang to her arms, and clung to her with eager joy. 
 
 4 4 1 had watched the whole scene with intense interest, 
 being desirous of learning from it all I could of the 
 workings of her mind ; but I now left them to indulge, 
 unobserved, those delicious feelings which those who 
 have known a mother’s love may conceive, but which 
 cannot be expressed. 
 
 44 The subsequent parting between Laura and her 
 mother showed alike the affection, the intelligence, and 
 the resolution of the child, and was thus noticed at the 
 time : 4 Laura accompanied her mother to the door, 
 clinging close to her all the way, until they arrived at 
 the threshold, where she paused, and felt around to 
 ascertain who was near her. Perceiving the matron, 
 of whom she is very fond, she grasped her with one 
 hand, holding on, convulsively, to her mother with the 
 other; and thus she stood for a moment, then she 
 
16 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 dropped her mother’s hand, put her handkerchief to her 
 eyes, and turning round, clung, sobbing, to the matron, 
 while her mother departed, with emotions as deep as 
 those of her child.” 
 
 At the end of the year 1839, after she had been 
 twenty-eight months under instruction, the follow- 
 ing report was made of her case : — * 
 
 “The intellectual improvement of this interesting 
 being, and the progress she has made in expressing her 
 ideas, are truly gratifying. 
 
 “ Having mastered the manual alphabet of the deaf- 
 mutes, and learned to spell readily the names of every- 
 thing within her reach, she was then taught words 
 expressive of positive qualities, as 4 hardness/ 4 soft- 
 ness ’ ; and she learned to express quality by con- 
 necting the adjectives, 4 hard * or 4 soft/ with the sub- 
 stantive ; though she generally followed what one would ' 
 suppose to be the natural order in the succession of 
 ideas, by placing the substantive first. 
 
 44 It was found too difficult, however, then, to make 
 her understand any general expression of quality, as 
 4 hardness/ 4 softness/ in the abstract. Indeed, this is 
 a process of mind most difficult of performance to any, 
 especially to deaf-mutes. 
 
 “Next she was taught those expressions of relation 
 to place which she could understand. For instance, a 
 ring was taken and placed on a box, then the words 
 were spelt to her, and she repeated them from imita- 
 tion. Then the ring was placed on a hat, and a sign 
 
 * Eighth Annual Report of the Trustees of Perkins Institu- 
 tion and Massachusetts Asylum for the Blind. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 17 
 
 given her to spell. She spelt , 4 ring on box’ ; but being 
 checked, and the right words given, she immediately 
 began to exercise her judgment, and, as usual, seemed 
 intently thinking. Then the same was repeated with a 
 bag, a desk, and a great many other things, until at last 
 she learned that she must name the thing on which the 
 article was. 
 
 44 Then the same article was put into the box, and 
 the words 4 ring in box ’ given to her. This puzzled her 
 for many minutes, and she made many mistakes ; for 
 instance, after she had learned to say correctly whether 
 the ring was on or in a box, a drawer, a hat, a bucket, 
 etc., if she were asked, where is house, or matron, she 
 would say, in box. Cross-questioning, however, is 
 seldom necessary to ascertain whether she really under- 
 stands the force of the words she is learning, for when 
 the true meaning dawns upon her mind, the light spreads 
 to her countenance. 
 
 44 In this case, the perception seemed instantaneous, 
 and the natural sign by which she expressed it was 
 peculiar and striking : she spelt o-n , then laid one hand 
 on the other ; then she spelt i-n, and enclosed one hand 
 within the other. 
 
 44 She easily acquired a knowledge and use of active 
 verbs, especially those expressive of tangible action , as 
 to walk, to run, to sew, to shake. 
 
 44 At first, of course, no distinction could be made of 
 mood and tense ; she used the words in a general sense, 
 and according to the order of her sense of ideas. Thus, 
 in asking some one to give her btcad, she would first 
 use the word expressive of the leading idea, and say, 
 2 
 
18 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 4 Bread, give Laura.’ If she wanted water, she would 
 say, 4 Water, drink, Laura.’ 
 
 44 Soon, however, she learned the use of the auxiliary 
 verbs, of the difference of past, present/ and future 
 tense. For instance, here is an early sentence, 4 "Keller 
 is sick ; when will Keller well ’ ? The use of be she had 
 not acquired. 
 
 44 Having acquired the use of substantives, adjec- 
 tives, verbs, prepositions, and conjunctions, it was 
 thought time to make the experiment of trying to teach 
 her to write , and to show her that she might communi- 
 cate her ideas to persons not in contact with her. 
 
 44 It was amusing to witness the mute amazement 
 with which she submitted to the process, the docility 
 With which she imitated every motion, and the per- 
 severance with which she moved her pencil over and 
 over again in the same track, until she could form the 
 letter. But when, at last, the idea dawned upon her 
 that by this mysterious process she could make other 
 people understand what she thought, her joy was 
 boundless. 
 
 44 Never did a child apply more eagerly and joyfully to 
 any task than she did to this ; and in a few months she 
 could make every letter distinctly, and separate words 
 from each other ; and she actually wrote, unaided, a 
 legible letter to her mother, in which she expressed 
 the idea of her being well, and of her expectation of 
 her going home in a few weeks. It was, indeed, a 
 very rude and imperfect letter, couched in the language 
 which a prattling infant would use. Still it shadowed 
 forth, and expressed to her mother, the ideas that were 
 passing in her own mind. 
 
r- TT\ J Q 
 TTV. O 
 
 o va 
 
18 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 ‘ Bread, give Laura/ If she wanted water, she would 
 say, 4 Water, drink, Laura/ 
 
 44 Soon, however, she learned the use of the auxiliary 
 verbs, of the difference of past, present/ and future 
 tense. For instance, here is an early sentence, ‘ "Keller 
 is sick ; when will Keller well ’ ? The use of be she had 
 not acquired. 
 
 44 Having acquired the use of substantives, adjec- 
 tives, verbs, prepositions, and conjunctions, it was 
 thought time to make the experiment of trying to teach 
 her to write , and to show her that she might communi- 
 cate her ideas to persons not in contact with her. 
 
 44 It was amusing to witness the mute amazement 
 with which she submitted to the process, the docility 
 with which she imitated every motion, and the per- 
 severance with which she moved her pencil over and 
 over again in the same track, until she could form the 
 letter. But when, at last, the idea dawned upon her 
 that by this mysterious process she could make other 
 people understand what she thought, her joy was 
 boundless. 
 
 44 Never did a child apply more eagerly and joyfully to 
 any task than she did to this ; and in a few months she 
 could make every letter distinctly, and separate words 
 from each other ; and she actually wrote, unaided, a 
 legible letter to her mother, in which she expressed 
 the idea of her being well, and of her expectation of 
 her going home in a few weeks. It was, indeed, a 
 very rude and imperfect letter, couched in the language 
 which a prattling infant would use. Still it shadowed 
 forth, and expressed to her mother, the ideas that were 
 passing in her own mind. 
 
— La ura's Fi rst Lette 
 Autograph Fac - Simile 
 
 ir 
 
 Lcl Cl r ~r~ cl llt u L l 
 (j -O tr tj — £L r- T~ \j D 
 
 L ol Ll nr CL. Lult u V \j 
 
 vjlT '-j t w t ou V L -e 
 
 \juij IV -mu cl Ve* j 
 
 rr Qn \j o t rj s <— r 
 
 IJLru 'LL -m 3 L -Q -Q- |lJ 
 
 mruC "t Iryj tr nr c^_~ “m3 ^ 
 
 ^ nr lit \AX 
 
 0 4lc) I \j JT3 -T-J \J 
 
 \jCl ul nr cju la-t u 1_> \j 
 
 Ltt ja. rr to * 
 
 IjCl. ll — t-ol. lux L L 
 
 'L^a_\-u r V c\_ W U 
 
 Copy. — 
 
 1 
 
 LJUT — y- u 
 
 OTl\ L L XD nr 
 
 L~- 
 
 T \j O ^ UT Vi 
 
 . L 
 
 V) 
 
 Cl 
 
 >c) C 3 
 — cl 
 
 
 la 
 V_AJ L» t Vu 
 
 Vl -tf —r 
 \_j O LT j 2 - 
 CL- \„L m CL HR. □ ur 
 CA_ r-r -T- 
 —CT\uO 
 
 42 . 4 ? LXTCL 
 
 o rrrvj ^ • 
 
 ti? 
 
 k. 
 
 . *^T 
 
 1 e fi 
 
m *w 
 
 OF THE 
 
 uMVEHsmr of vmm 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 19 
 
 “ She is familiar with the processes of addition and 
 subtraction in small numbers. Subtraction of one 
 number from another puzzled her for a time ; but by 
 help of objects she accomplished it. She can count and 
 conceive objects to about one hundred in number ; to 
 express an indefinitely great number, or more than she 
 can count, she says, hundred. If she thought a friend 
 was to be absent many years, she would say, Will come 
 hundred Sundays , meaning weeks. She is pretty accu- 
 rate in measuring time, and seems to have an intuitive 
 tendency to do it. Unaided by the changes of night 
 and day, by the light, or the sound of any timepiece, 
 she nevertheless divides time pretty accurately. 
 
 “ With the days of the week, and the week itself as 
 a whole, she is perfectly familiar. For instance, if 
 asked, What day will it be in fifteen days more ? she 
 readily names the day of the week. The day she 
 divides by the commencement and end of school, by 
 the recesses, and by the arrival of meal-times. 
 
 “ Those persons who hold that the capacity of per- 
 ceiving and measuring the lapse of time is an innate 
 and distinct faculty of the mind, may deem it an impor- 
 tant fact that Laura evidently can measure time so 
 accurately as to distinguish between a half and whole 
 note of music. Seated at the piano-forte, she will strike 
 the notes in a measure like the following, quite cor- 
 rectly : — 
 
 =t 
 
 
20 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 44 Now it will be perceived that she must have cleai 
 perception of lapse of time, in order to strike the two 
 eighths at the right instant ; for in the first measure 
 they occur at the second beat, in the second measure 
 at the third beat. She often asks questions which 
 unfortunately cannot be satisfactorily answered to her, 
 for it is painful to excite such a vivid curiosity as now 
 exists in her mind, and then balk it. For instance, she 
 once asked with much eagerness why one arrange- 
 ment of letters was not as good as another to express 
 the name of a thing ; as why lac should not express 
 the idea of the animal, as well as cat. This she 
 expressed partly by signs and partly by words, but her 
 meaning was perfectly clear ; she was puzzled and 
 wished an explanation. 
 
 4 4 An extract from the diary kept by her instructor 
 will give an idea of her manner of questioning : — 
 
 44 Dec. 5, 1839. Spent one hour in giving Laura an 
 idea of the meaning of the words 4 left* and 4 right.’ She 
 readily conceived that left hand, meant her left hand, but 
 with difficulty generalized the term. At last, however, 
 she caught the idea, and eagerly spelt the name of her 
 arms, hands, fingers, feet, ears, etc., as they were 
 touched, and named them, right or left, as might be ; 
 suddenly pausing, however, and looking puzzled, she 
 put her finger on her nose , and asked if that were right 
 or left ; thus she continually puzzles one ; but such is her 
 eagerness to find out one’s meaning, such a zealous co- 
 operation is there on her part, that it is a delightful 
 task to teach her. 
 
 44 Uses to-day freely the prepositions in and on; she 
 says, 4 teacher sit in sofa.’ Do not dare to correct her 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 21 
 
 in such cases of anomalous usage of the preposition, 
 but prefer to let her be in error than to shake her faith 
 in a rule given : the corrections must be made by and 
 by. The sofa having sides, she naturally says in. 
 
 44 In her eagerness to advance her knowledge of words 
 and to communicate her ideas she coins words, and is 
 always guided by analogy. Sometimes her process of 
 word-making is very interesting ; for instance, after 
 some time spent in giving her an idea of the abstract 
 meaning of alone , she seemed to obtain it, and under- 
 stood that being by one’s self was to be alone or al-one. 
 She was told to go to her chamber, or school, or else- 
 where, and return alone ; she did so, but soon after, 
 wishing to go with one of the little girls, she strove to 
 express her meaning thus : 4 Laura go al-two .’ 
 
 44 The same eagerness is manifested in her attempts 
 to define for the purpose of classification ; for instance, 
 some one giving her the word 4 bachelor’ she came to her 
 teacher for a definition ; she was taught that men who 
 had wives were husbands , those who had none, bache- 
 lors; when asked if she understood she said, 4 man no 
 have wife — bachelor; Tenny — bachelor,’ referring to 
 an old friend of hers. Being told to define bachelor, 
 she said, 4 bachelor, no have wife, and smoke pipe.’ 
 Thus she considered the individual peculiarity of smok- 
 ing, in one person, as a specific mark of the species 
 bachelor . 
 
 4 4 Then in order to test her knowledge of the word, 
 it was said by her teacher, 4 Tenny has got no wife, 
 what is Tenny?’ She paused, and then said, 4 Tenny 
 is wrong.’ The word 4 widow ’ being explained to- her, a 
 woman whose husband is dead, and being called upon 
 
22 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 to define, she said, ‘ Widow is woman, man dead and 
 cold/ and eked out her meaning by sinking down, and 
 dropping her hand, to signify in the ground. 
 
 “ The last two words she added herself, they not 
 having been in the definition ; but she instantly asso- 
 ciates the idea of coldness and burial with death. 
 
 “ She had touched a dead body before she came to 
 the Institution. 
 
 “The following anecdote will give an idea of her 
 fondness for teasing, or innocent fun or mischief. Her 
 teacher, looking one day, unobserved, into the girls* 
 play-room, saw three blind girls playing with the rock- 
 ing horse. Laura was on the crupper, another in the 
 saddle, and a third clinging on the neck, and they were 
 all in high glee, swinging backward and forward as far 
 as the rockers would roll. There was a peculiarly arch 
 look in Laura’s countenance, the natural language of 
 sly fun. She seemed prepared to give a spring, and 
 suddenly, when her end was lowest, and the others were 
 perched high in the air, she sidled quickly off on to the 
 floor, and down went the other end so swiftly as to 
 throw the girls off the horse. 
 
 “This Laura evidently expected, for she stood a 
 moment, convulsed with laughter, then ran eagerly 
 forward with outstretched hands to find the girls, and 
 almost screamed with joy. As soon, however, as 
 she got hold of one of them, she perceived that she 
 was hurt, and instantly her countenance changed, she 
 seemed shocked and grieved, and after caressing and 
 comforting her playmate, she found the other, and 
 seemed to apologize by spelling the word 4 wrong/ and 
 caressing her. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 23 
 
 “ When she can puzzle her teacher, she is pleased, 
 and often purposely spells a word wrong, with a playful 
 look; and if she catch her teacher in a mistake, she 
 bursts into an ecstasy of laughter. 
 
 “ With little girls of her own age, she is full of frolic 
 and fun, and no one enjoys a game at romps more than 
 Laura. 
 
 “ She has the same fondness for dress, for ribbons, 
 and for finery as other girls of her age, and as a proof 
 that it arises from the same amiable desire of pleasing 
 others, it may be remarked that whenever she has a 
 new bonnet, or any article of dress, she is particularly 
 desirous to go to meeting, or to go out with it. If 
 people do not notice it, she directs their attention by 
 placing their hands upon it. 
 
 “ Generally she indicates her preference for such 
 visitors as are the best dressed. 
 
 “ It is interesting, in a physiological point of view, to 
 know the effect of the deprivation of three senses on 
 the remaining two. 
 
 “ The sense of smell being destroyed, it seems 
 a curious question whether the effect upon the organ of 
 taste is general or particular, that is, whether the taste 
 is blunted generally, and for all things alike, or whether 
 one kind of sapidity is more affected than another. 
 To ascertain this, some experiments have been tried, 
 but as yet, not enough to enable one to state con- 
 fidently the results in minute distinction. The general 
 conclusions are these : - — 
 
 “ Acids seem to make vivid and distinct impressions 
 upon the taste ; and she apparently distinguishes the 
 different degrees of acidity better than of sweetness or 
 
24 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 bitterness. She can distinguish between wine, cider, 
 and vinegar, better than substances like manna, liquor- 
 ice, and sugar. Of bitters she seems to have less per- 
 ception, or, indeed, hardly any ; for on putting pow- 
 dered rhubarb into her mouth, she called it tea , and on 
 saying no , and telling her to taste close, she evident^ 
 did try to taste it, but still called it tea, and spit it out, 
 but without any contortion or any indication of its being 
 particularly disagreeable. 
 
 “Of course she has a repugnance to this kind of 
 experiments, and it seems almost imposing upon her 
 good-nature to push them very far. 
 
 “ Those who are curious in the physiology of the 
 taste know that the highest degree of gusto , or the 
 acme of pleasure, is not obtained until just as the 
 morsel has slipped over the glottis, and is on its way, 
 beyond power of recall, down the oesophagus. This 
 seems to be a wise precaution of nature to prevent the 
 stomach being cheated of its due ; for if the highest 
 degree in pleasure of eating could be obtained without 
 absolutely swallowing the morsel, the epicure could 
 have an exhaustless source of pleasure, and need never 
 degenerate into the gourmand. 
 
 ‘ ‘ Some physiologists who have speculated upon this 
 subject consider that this final climax of the pleasure of 
 taste is produced by a fine aroma which, rising from the 
 morsel and mounting up the fauces, pleasantly titillates 
 the ramifications of the olfactory nerve. The fact that 
 when we have a cold in the head, and the fauces are 
 obstructed, the taste is blunted, seems to bear out this 
 supposition ; but from some observations on Laura, 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 25 
 
 one would be inclined to think that some other cause 
 must contribute to the effect. 
 
 “She appears to care less for the process of mastica- 
 tion than deglutition ; and probably it is only the neces- 
 sity of mechanical trituration of foods which induces 
 her to go through with it, before hastening to the pleas- 
 ant part of swallowing. Now, as the imperfection of 
 smell impairs the taste in the tongue and palate during 
 mastication, it should have the same effect in degluti- 
 tion, supposing this theory to be correct ; but it seems 
 not to be so, else Laura would have little inducement 
 to swallow, save to fill a vacuity of stomach. Now it 
 seems doubtful whether the feeling of vacuity of stom- 
 ach, strictly speaking, would show a child the road for 
 the food, or whether it would not be as likely to stuff 
 bread into its ear as into its mouth if it had no pleas- 
 urable sensation in tasting ; and further, if the pleasur- 
 able sensation did not increase, and tempt to deglutition, 
 it is doubtful whether hunger or vacuity of stomach 
 alone , would teach a child to swallow the chewed 
 morsel. 
 
 44 On the whole, she seems to care less for eating 
 than most children of her age. 
 
 44 With regard to the sense of touch it is very acute, 
 even for a blind person. It is shown remarkably in the 
 readiness with which she distinguishes persons. There 
 are forty inmates in the female wing, with all of whom 
 of course Laura is acquainted ; whenever she is walking 
 through the passage-ways, she perceives by the jar of 
 the floor or the agitation of the air that some one is 
 near her, and it is exceedingly difficult to pass her with- 
 out being recognized. Her little arms are stretched 
 
26 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 out, and the instant she grasps a hand, a sleeve, or 
 even part of the dress, she knows the person and lets 
 them pass on with some sign of recognition. 
 
 4 ‘The innate desire for knowledge, and the instinc- 
 tive efforts which the human faculties make to exercise 
 their functions, is shown most remarkably in Laura. 
 Her tiny fingers are to her as eyes and ears and nose, 
 and most deftly and incessantly does she keep them in 
 motion. Like the feelers of some insects which are 
 continually agitated, and which touch every grain of 
 sand in the' path, so Laura’s arms and hands are con- 
 tinually in play ; and when she is walking with a person 
 she not only recognizes everything she passes within 
 touching distance ; but by continually touching her 
 companion’s hands she ascertains what he is doing. A 
 person walking across a room while she had hold on his 
 left arm, would find it hard to take a pencil out of his 
 waistcoat pocket with his right hand, without her per- 
 ceiving it. 
 
 “ Her judgment of distances and of relations of place 
 is very accurate ; she will rise from her seat, go straight 
 towards a door, put out her hand just at the right time, 
 and grasp the handle with precision. 
 
 “When she runs against a door which is shut, but 
 which she expects to find open, she does not fret, but 
 rubs her head and laughs, as though she perceived the 
 ludicrous position of a person flat against a door trying 
 to walk through it. 
 
 “The constant and tireless exercise of her feelers 
 gives her a very accurate knowledge of everything 
 about the house ; so that if a new article, a bundle, 
 bandbox, or even a new book is laid anywhere in the 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 27 
 
 apartments which she frequents, it would be but a short 
 time before in her ceaseless rounds she would find it, 
 and from something about it, she would generally dis- 
 cover to whom it belonged. 
 
 14 She perceives the approach of persons by the 
 undulations of the air striking her face, and she can 
 distinguish the step of those who tread hard and jar 
 the floor. 
 
 “ At table, if told to be still, she sits and conducts 
 herself with propriety; handles her cup, spoon, and 
 fork like other children ; so that a stranger looking at 
 her would take her for a very pretty child with a green 
 ribbon over her eyes. 
 
 u But when at liberty to do as she chooses, she is 
 continually feeling of things, and ascertaining their 
 size, shape, density, and use, asking their names and 
 their purposes, going on with insatiable curiosity, step 
 by step, towards knowledge. 
 
 “ Thus doth her active mind, though all silent and 
 darkling within, commune by means of her one sense 
 with things external, and gratify its innate craving for 
 knowledge by close and ceaseless attention. 
 
 “ Qualities and appearances, unappreciable or un- 
 heeded by others, are to her of great significance and 
 value ; and by means of these her knowledge of exter- 
 nal nature and physical relations will in time become 
 extensive.” 
 
28 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 In June, 1840, her teacher, Miss Drew, re- 
 turned, after an absence of six months. From 
 her journal of the remainder of the year we quote 
 items of interest. Before commencing the sum- 
 mer term she accompanied Laura on a visit to 
 her parents. Her health was very delicate, and 
 she suffered much from pain in her side, which 
 she attributed entirely to the long journey. This 
 she expressed in the following words, which give 
 the reader a very good idea of her use of language 
 at this date : " When Laura did go to see mother, 
 ride did make Laura side ache ; horse was wrong, — 
 did not run softly.” While at breakfast one day, 
 she asked, "Who did make egg?” Hen. “ With 
 foot?” No. "Laura do love egg. Hen must 
 make more egg.” June 20 she received her first 
 lesson in arithmetic on the metallic case used by 
 the blind. This is perforated with square holes, 
 and two square types are used to represent the 
 digits. The corner of one end is raised, and 
 represents 1, 3, 7, and 9, according to position in 
 the board or case. On the other end of the same 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 29 
 
 type is a diagonal line and a raised corner repre- 
 senting 2, 4, 6, 8. The second type has, on one 
 end, simply a diagonal line, representing 5 ; the 
 other end, which is flat, 0. She was delighted with 
 her lesson, as she always is with anything new ; 
 but it took several days to make her understand 
 the connection between the position of the type 
 in the aperture and its significance.” 
 
 44 July 9. She had learned to add a column of 
 figures amounting to thirty. 
 
 44 For a month she was not well, and so excessively 
 nervous that her lessons were omitted. 
 
 “Aug. 20. A gentleman called to see Laura who 
 was going to Hartford. She had been told that there 
 was a person in the asylum there who was deaf, dumb, 
 and blind, and asked if she might send her a letter. 
 She wrote, 4 Julia Brace cannot see and hear, — sorry, 
 — Laura is blind and^ deaf/ 
 
 44 Aug. 22. She was asked by her teacher to go to 
 the school-room to find a lead pencil, and told that she 
 did not know on which desk it was. She returned 
 bringing the pencil, and said, 4 Laura cannot find 
 which/ She had had several lessons upon the pro- 
 nouns, I and you, and had used them properly, but 
 never had learned any others. 
 
 44 Aug. 24. Gave her sentences introducing if, or, 
 which, and the past tense of the verbs come and go. 
 
 44 Aug. 26. She was very impatient while writing 
 for company, and at last said, 4 1 do not want to write 
 for twenty ladies/ 
 
 44 Aug. 31. Taught her the words Mr., Mrs., Miss. 
 
30 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 She asked if she was Miss Laura. She uses the words 
 ‘me’ and ‘my’ correctly to-day. If, by chance, she 
 converses with any one who uses proper names where 
 pronouns should be used, she looks very wise, and 
 knocks the person’s elbow, and threatens to complain 
 of her to her teacher. 
 
 44 Sept. 2. Her lesson was upon the formation of the 
 plural. She wishes to form them all by adding 4 s,’ but 
 quite dislikes the idea that some nouns ending in 4 ey * 
 must have an 4 s’ while others change to 4 ies.’ 
 
 44 Sept. 7. Laura came to me saying, 4 Dog did come 
 in school-room. Susan did strike dog, — dog was 
 wrong to come in school-room,’ and then she laughed 
 aloud at the idea of a dog coming to school. That I 
 might see what reply she would make, I told her she 
 must teach the dog. She asked, 4 Can dog learn? Can 
 dog talk with fingers ? ’ and added, laughing heartily, 
 4 Dog has no fingers.* 
 
 44 Sept. 8. Dr. R. visited the school to-day and was 
 much interested in Laura, but it was impossible to make 
 her converse about anything. She wrote badly, and 
 seemed anxious to go away to play. In the afternoon, 
 I told her I was sorry she was not good when Dr. R. 
 was here ; she very adroitly changed the subject, ask- 
 ing, 4 Has Dr. R. got little cow in home? * 
 
 44 Sept. 11. A visitor at the school said he had a 
 deaf and dumb boy at home. I repeated it to Laura 
 thus, 4 Man has little boy who cannot see and hear.* 
 She wrote as a specimen of her writing, 4 1 am sorry 
 who cannot see and hear. I am blind and deaf.* She 
 probably thought that 4 who * was the name of the boy. 
 
 • 44 Nov. 5. Find u difficult to make her comprehend 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 31 
 
 the use of it, they, them. Speaking of a lady who has 
 died, and whom she saw in Hanover two years ago, she 
 said, 4 Will Mrs. M. come hack when sun is warm? 
 where is Mrs. M. ? are you sorry not to see Mrs. M. ? * 
 
 44 Nov. 6. She asked, 4 Where are flies gone?’ I 
 told her the cold made the flies die. 4 Will flies come 
 when warm?’ Yes. 4 1 am sorry lady will not come 
 when warm.’ 
 
 “Nov. 11. In Laura’s lesson in arithmetic I told 
 her she was 4 adding.’ She thought a moment, and 
 said, 4 1 added yesterday and counted.’ I said, 4 1 will 
 tell doctor you can add very good.’ 4 When will you tell 
 him? ’ 4 After dinner, if I see him.’ She immediately 
 
 said, 4 If he will not go to Boston,’ showing that she 
 applies if correctly at last. In one of her sums the 
 answer consisted of four figures, and she did not know 
 the name of thousands. I explained that one thousand 
 was the same as ten hundred, and she read the number 
 1875, 4 ten hundred, and eight hundred, and seventy- 
 five.’ 
 
 44 Nov. 18. Laura has lately reported many misdeeds 
 of her playmates. To-day she came to say, 4 Olive 
 pinched very hard. You must knock Olive very much 
 hard, she pinched and was wrong.’ 
 
 44 Nov. 29. Our little blind pupil, Adeline, breathed 
 her last this afternoon. Her death, although every 
 hour expected, came like a chill upon all our hearts, for 
 she was beloved by us all. The little girls of her own 
 age were much affected. Laura was puzzled ; she could 
 not understand the mystery of death, but she seemed 
 grieved, and asked, 4 Will Adeline’s mother cry and be 
 very sorry? Is she cold and stiff? What is die? * 
 
32 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 “ Dec. 2. Laura was much grieved that she could 
 not go to Cambridge 4 to see Adeline/ and asked many 
 questions, which it was impossible to answer. 4 Where 
 is Adeline ? can she breathe ? when will she be well ? ’ 
 
 44 Dec. 12. Laura has been confined to her bed for 
 several days, but was able to sit up to-day. She highly 
 enjoys being comfortably sick, and it delights her to sit 
 in a rocking-chair with a shawl wrapped around her, 
 and then to be served with such delicacies as she thinks 
 proper for an invalid, as roasted apple, cracker toast, 
 etc. 
 
 44 Dec. 30. She was in the dining-room closet, where 
 there were some apples, and told the little girl who was 
 with her she wanted an apple. Elizabeth gave her one, 
 but she refused it, and said, 4 No, Elizabeth must ask 
 Mrs. Smith if she can give me apple.’ I have observed 
 frequently that she will not take anything that she 
 knows does not belong to her. At one time a piece of 
 candy lay upon my table ; she touched it accidentally, 
 took it up, and made a sign that she would eat it, then 
 laid it down again, and knocked her elbow as if she 
 had done wrong to take it up, and shook her head to 
 signify it was not hers.” 
 
 In the Ninth Annual Report to the Trustees at 
 the close of the year 1840, Dr. Howe writes : — 
 
 44 1 shall now notice such of the phenomena that I 
 have remarked in her case during the last year, as seem 
 most striking and important. 
 
 “Her health has been very good. She has not 
 grown much in height, but her frame has filled out. 
 
 44 A perceptible change has taken place in the size 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 33 
 
 and shape of her head ; and although unfortunately the 
 measurement taken two 3'ears ago has been mislaid, 
 every one who has been well acquainted with her 
 notices a marked increase in the size of the forehead. 
 She is now just eleven years old ; her height is four 
 feet four inches and seven tenths. Her head measures 
 twenty inches and eight tenths in circumference, in a 
 line drawn around it, and passing over the prominences 
 of the parietal and those of the frontal bones ; above 
 this line the head rises one inch and one tenth, and is 
 broad and full. The measurement is four inches from 
 one orifice of the ear to the other ; and from the occip- 
 ital spine to the root of the nose, it is seven inches. 
 
 “ Nothing has occurred to indicate the slightest per- 
 ception of light or sound, or any hope of it ; and al- 
 though some of those who are much with her suppose 
 that her smell is more acute than it was, even this 
 seems very doubtful. 
 
 “ It is true that she sometimes applies things to her 
 nose, but often it is merely in imitation of the blind 
 children about her ; and it is unaccompanied by that 
 peculiar lighting up of the countenance which is ob- 
 servable whenever she discovers any new quality in an 
 object. 
 
 “ It was stated in the first report that she could per- 
 ceive very pungent odors, such as that of cologne ; but 
 it seemed to be as much by the irritation it produced 
 upon the mucous membrane of the nares as by any im- 
 pression upon the olfactory nerve. 
 
 “ It is clear that the sensation cannot be pleasurable, 
 nor even a source of information to her respecting 
 physical qualities ; for such is her eagerness to gain 
 
34 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 this information, that could smell serve her, she would 
 exercise it incessantly. 
 
 “ Those who have seen Julia Brace, or any other 
 deaf-blind person, would hardly fail to observe how 
 quickly they apply everjffhing which they feel to the 
 nose, and how, by this incessant exercise, the smell 
 becomes almost incredibly acute. Now with Laura 
 this is not the case ; she seldom puts a new thing to 
 her nose, and when she does, it is mechanically, as ik 
 were, and without any interest. 
 
 u Her sense of touch has evidently improved in 
 acuteness ; for she now distinguishes more accurately 
 the different undulations of the air, or the vibrations of 
 the floor, than she did last year. She perceives very 
 readily when a door is opened or shut, though she may 
 be sitting at the opposite side of the room. She per- 
 ceives also the tread of persons upon the floor. 
 
 “ Her mental perceptions, resulting from sensation, 
 are much more rapid than they were, for she now per- 
 ceives, by the slightest touch, qualities and conditions 
 of things, similar to those she had formerly to feel long 
 and carefully for. So with persons ; she recognizes 
 her acquaintances in an instant, by touching their 
 hands or their dress ; and there are probably fifty indi- 
 viduals who, if they should stand in a row, and hold 
 out each a hand to her, would be recognized by that 
 alone . 
 
 4k The memory of these sensations is very vivid, and 
 she will readily recognize a person whom she has thus 
 once touched. Many cases of this kind have been 
 noticed ; such as a person shaking hands with her, and 
 making a peculiar pressure with one finger, and repeat* 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 35 
 
 /ng this on his second visit after a lapse of many 
 months, being instantly known by her. She has been 
 known to recognize persons whom she had thus simply 
 shaken hands with but once, after a lapse of six 
 months. 
 
 “This is not more wonderful, indeed, than that one 
 should be able to recall impressions made upon the 
 mind through the organ of sight, as when we recognize 
 a person of whom we had but one glimpse a year be 
 fore ; but it shows the exhaustless capacity of those 
 organs of sense which the Creator has bestowed, as it 
 were in reserve against accidents, and which we usu- 
 ally allow to live unused and unvalued. 
 
 “ The progress which she has made in intellectual ac- 
 quirements can be fully appreciated by those only who 
 have seen her frequently. The improvement, however, 
 is made evident by her greater command of language, 
 and by the conception which she now has of the force 
 of parts of speech which last year she did not use 
 in her simple sentences ; for instance, of pronouns, 
 which she has begun to nse within six months. This 
 ivill be seen by an extract from the diary of one of her 
 teachers written last month, Dec. 18 : ‘ To-day Laura 
 asked me, “ What is voice?” I told her as well as I 
 could that it was the noise people make when they 
 talk with their mouths. She then said, “I do not 
 voice.” I said, “Can you talk with your mouth?” 
 Answer: “ No.” “ Why?” “ Because I am very deaf 
 and dumb.” “Can you see?” “ No, because I am 
 blind, I did not talk with fingers when I came with my 
 mother, doctor did teach me on fork.” “What was 
 on fork ? ” I told her paper was fixed on forks. She 
 
36 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 then said, 44 I did learn to read much with types, doc- 
 tor did teach me in nursery. Drusilla was very sick all 
 over.” * 
 
 44 The words here given (and indeed in all cases) are 
 precisely as she used them ; for great care is taken to 
 note them at the time of utterance. It will be observed 
 that she uses the pronoun, personal and possessive ; 
 and so ready is she to conceive the propriety of it, and 
 the impropriety of her former method, that upon my 
 recently saying, 4 Doctor will teach Laura,’ she eagerly ! 
 shook my arm to correct me, and told me to say, ‘ 1 
 will teach you .’ She is delighted when she can catch 
 any one in an error like this ; and she shows her sense 
 of the ludicrous by laughter, and gratifies her innocent 
 self-esteem by displaying her knowledge . 
 
 44 She easily learned the difference between the sin- 
 gular and plural form, but was inclined for some time 
 to apply the rule of adding a, universally. For in- 
 stance, at her first lesson she had the words, arm, arms, 
 hand , hands, etc. ; then being asked to form the plural 
 of box, she said boxs, and for a long time she would 
 form the plural by the general rule, as lady, ladys, etc. 
 
 “One of the girls had the mumps; Laura learned 
 the name of the disease ; and soon after she had it her- 
 self, but she had the swelling only on one side ; and 
 some one saying, 4 You have got the mumps,’ she replied 
 quickly, 4 No, I have mump.’ 
 
 44 With pronouns she had very little difficulty. It 
 yas thought best at first to talk with her as one does 
 with an infant ; and she learned to reply in the same 
 Way. 4 Laura want water, give Laura water ’ ; but she 
 readily learned to substitute the pronoun, and now says. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 37 
 
 1 Give me water. I want water,’ etc. Indeed, she will 
 not allow persons to address her in the third person, 
 but instantly corrects them, being proud to show her 
 knowledge. 
 
 “ She learned the difference between present and 
 past tense the last year, but made use of the auxilia- 
 ries ; during this year she has learned the method of 
 inflecting the verb. In this process too her perfect 
 simplicity rebukes the clumsy irregularities of our lan- 
 guage. She learned, jump, jumped, walk, walked, etc., 
 until she had an idea of the mode of forming the im- 
 perfect tense, but when she came to the word see, she 
 insisted that it should be seed in the imperfect, and 
 after this, upon going down to dinner, she asked if it 
 was eat , eated , but being told it was ate, she seemed to 
 try to express the idea that this transposition of letters 
 was not only wrong but ludicrous, for she laughed 
 heartily. 
 
 ‘ 4 The eagerness with which she followed up these 
 exercises was very delightful ; and the pupil, teasing 
 the teacher for more words, is in pleasing contrast with 
 the old method, where all the work was on one side, 
 and where the coaxing and scolding, and birchen appli- 
 ances to boot, often failed to force an idea into the 
 mind in the proper shape. But Laura is always ready 
 for a lesson, and generally has prepared, beforehand, 
 a number of questions to put to her teacher ; for 
 instance, when she was learning past tenses, she came 
 one morning with fourteen verbs, of which she knew 
 the present form, to ask for the imperfect. 
 
 “The most recent exercises have been upon those 
 tfords which would require attention to one’s own 
 
88 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 mental operations, such as remember, forget, expect, 
 hope, etc. 
 
 44 Greater difficulties have been experienced in these 
 than in her former lessons ; but they have been so far 
 surmounted that she uses many words of this kind with 
 a correct perception of their meaning. 
 
 “The day after her first lesson on the words, ‘I re- 
 member ’ and 4 I forget/ this memorandum was made of 
 her second lesson on the same words. Question : 4 What 
 do you remember you did do last Sunday?’ Answer: 
 
 4 I remember not to go to meeting ’ (meaning that she 
 did not go to meeting) . Question : 4 What do you re- * 
 member you did on Monday?’ Answer : 4 To walk in 
 streets, on snow ’ (this was correct) . Question : 4 What 
 do you remember you did in vacation?’ Answer: 
 
 4 What is vacation ? ’ This was a new word to her. 
 She had been accustomed to say, 4 When is no school,’ 
 or, 4 When girls go home.’ The word being explained, 
 she said, 4 1 remember to go to Halifax ’ (meaning that 
 she did go to Halifax, which was true) . 4 What do 
 
 you remember you did in vacation before ? ’ Answer : 
 
 4 To play with Olive, Maria, and Lydia* (these were 
 the girls who had been her companions) . 
 
 44 Wishing to make her use the word 4 forget,’ I 
 pushed the questions back to periods which she 
 could not recall. I said, c What did you do when you 
 were a little baby?’ She replied, laughing, 4 1 did 
 cry,’ and made the sign of tears running down her 
 cheeks. 
 
 44 4 What did you say V No answer. 4 Did you talk 
 with fingers ? ’ 4 No ’ (very decidedly) . 4 Did you talk 
 
 with mouth ? ’ A pause. 4 What did you say with mouth ? * 
 
LAURA B RID OMAN. 
 
 39 
 
 1 1 forget.’ I then quickly let her know that this was 
 the proper word, and of the same force as 4 1 do not 
 remember.’ Thinking this to be a good opportunity of 
 testing her recollection of her infancy, many questions 
 were put to her ; but all that could be learned satisfac- 
 torily was that she could recollect lying on her back, 
 and in her mother’s arms, and having medicines poured 
 down her throat, or, in her own words, 4 I remember 
 mother to give me medicines ’ (making the signs of 
 lying down and of pouring liquids down the throat) . 
 
 “ It was not until after she had learned a few words 
 of this kind that it was possible to carry her mind 
 backwards to her infancy ; and to the best of my judg- 
 ment, she has no recollection of any earlier period than 
 the long and painful illness in which she lost her senses. 
 She seems to have no recollection of any words of 
 prattle which she might have learned in the short 
 respite which she enjoyed from bodily suffering. 
 
 “ Thus far, her progress in the acquisition of lan- 
 guage has been such as one would infer, a priori, from 
 philosophical considerations ; and the successive steps 
 have been nearly such as Monboddo supposed were 
 taken by savages in the formation of their language. 
 
 u But it shows clearly how valuable language is, not 
 only for the expression of thought, but for aiding men- 
 tal development and exercising the higher intellectual 
 faculties. 
 
 “ When Laura first began to use words, she evidently 
 had no idea of any other use than to express the indi- 
 vidual existence of things, as book, spoon, etc. The 
 sense of touch had, of course, given her an idea of 
 their existence, and of their individual characteristics ; 
 
40 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 but one would suppose that specific differences would 
 have been suggested to her also ; that is, that in feeling 
 of many books, spoons, etc., she would have reflected 
 that some were large, some small, some heavy, some 
 light, and been ready to use words expressive of the 
 specific and generic character. But it would seem not 
 to have been so, and her first use of the words great, 
 small, heavy, etc., was to express merely individual 
 peculiarities ; great book was to her the double name 
 of a particular book ; heavy stone was one particular 
 stone ; she did not consider those terms as expressive 
 of substantive specific differences, or any differences of 
 quality ; the words great and heavy were not considered 
 abstractly, as the name of a general quality, but they 
 were blended in her mind with the name of the objects 
 in which they existed. At least such seemed to me to 
 be the case, and it was not until some time after, that 
 the habit of abstraction enabled her to apply words of 
 generic signification in their proper way. 
 
 “ This view is confirmed by the fact that when she 
 learned that persons had both individual and family 
 names, she supposed that the same rule must apply to 
 inanimate things, and asked earnestly what was the 
 other name for chair, table, etc. 
 
 “Several of the instances which have been quoted 
 will show her disposition to form her words by rule, and 
 to admit of no exceptions ; having learned to form the 
 plurals by adding s, the imperfect by adding ed, etc., 
 she would apply this to every new noun or verb, conse- 
 quently the difficulty hitherto has been greater, and her 
 progress slower, than it will be, for she has mastered 
 the most common words, and these seem to be the onep 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 41 
 
 that have been the most broken up by the rough collo- 
 quial usage of unlettered people. 
 
 The notice of her intellectual progress has thus far 
 related to the acquisition of language, and this, to her, 
 was the principal occupation ; other children learn lan- 
 guage by mere imitation and without effort ; she has to 
 ask by a slow method the name of every new thing ; 
 other children use words which they do not understand, 
 but she wishes to know the force of every expression. 
 Her knowledge of language, however, is no criterion of 
 her knowledge of things, nor has she been taught mere 
 words. She is like a child placed in a foreign country, 
 where one or two persons only know her language, and 
 she is constantly asking of them the names of the 
 objects around her. 
 
 The moral qualities of her nature have also developed 
 themselves more clearly. She is remarkably correct in 
 her deportment, and few children of her age evince so 
 much sense of propriety in regard to appearance. 
 Never, by any possibility, is she seen out of her room 
 with her dress disordered ; and if, by chance, any spot 
 of dirt is pointed out to her on her person, or any little 
 rent in her dress, she discovers a sense of shame, and 
 hastens to remove it. 
 
 44 She is never discovered in an attitude or an action 
 at which the most fastidious would revolt, but is remark- 
 able for neatness, order, and propriety. 
 
 4 4 There is one fact which is hard to explain in any 
 way : it is the difference of her deportment to persons of 
 different sex. This was observable when she was onh 
 seven years old. She is very affectionate, and when 
 with her friends of her own sex she is constantly cling- 
 
42 • 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 ing to them, and often kissing and caressing them ; and 
 when she meets with strange ladies, she very soon be- 
 comes familiar, examines very freely their dress, and 
 readily allows them to caress her. But with those of 
 the other sex it is entirely different, and she repels every 
 approach to familiarity. She is attached, indeed, to 
 some, and is fond of being with them ; but she will not 
 sit upon their knees, for instance, or allow them to take 
 her around the waist, or submit to those innocent famil- 
 iarities which it is common to take with children of her 
 age. 
 
 “ She seems to have, also, a remarkable degree of 
 conscientiousness for one of her age ; she respects the 
 rights of others, and will insist upon her own. 
 
 “ She is fond of acquiring property, and seems to 
 have an idea of ownership of things which she has long 
 since laid aside, and no longer uses. She has never 
 been known to take anything belonging to another ; and 
 never but in one or two instances to tell a falsehood, 
 and then only under strong temptation. Great care, 
 indeed, has been taken not to terrify her by punish- 
 ment, or to make it so severe as to tempt her to avoid 
 it by duplicity, as children so often do. 
 
 “ When she has done wrong, her teacher lets her 
 know that she is grieved, and the tender nature of the 
 child is shown by the ready tears of contrition and 
 the earnest assurances of amendment with which she 
 strives to comfort those whom she has pained. 
 
 “ When she has done anything wrong, and grieved her 
 teacher, she does not strive to conceal it from her little 
 companions, but communicates it to them, tells them 
 ‘ it is wrojig/ and says, 4 cannot love wrong girl.' 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 43 
 
 “ When she has anything nice given to her, she is 
 particularly desirous that those who happen to be ill, or 
 afflicted in any way, should share with her, although 
 they may not be those whom she particularly loves in 
 other circumstances ; nay, even if it be one whom she 
 dislikes. She loves to be employed in attending the 
 sick, and is most assiduous in her simple attentions and 
 tender and endearing in her demeanor. 
 
 “It has been remarked in former reports that she 
 can distinguish different degrees of intellect in others, 
 and that she soon regarded, almost with contempt, a new- 
 comer, when, after a few days, she discovered her weak- 
 ness of mind. This unamiable part of her character has 
 been more strongly developed during the past year. 
 
 “ She chooses for her friends and companions those 
 children who are intelligent, and can talk best with her ; 
 and she evidently dislikes to be with those who are 
 deficient in intellect, unless, indeed, she can make them 
 serve her purposes, which she is evidently inclined to 
 do. She takes advantage of them, and makes them 
 wait upon her, in a manner that she knows she could 
 not exact of others, and in various ways she shows her 
 Saxon blood. 
 
 “ She is fond of having other children noticed and 
 caressed by the teachers, and those whom she respects ; 
 but this must not be carried too far, or she becomes 
 jealous. She wants to have her share, which, if not the 
 lion’s, is the greater part ; and if she does not get it, 
 she says, 4 My mother will love me.’ 
 
 “Her tendency to imitation is so strong that it leads 
 her to actions which must be entirely incomprehensible 
 to her, and which can give her no other pleasure than 
 
44 
 
 LAURA BRIDGE AN. 
 
 the gratification of an internal faculty. She has been 
 known to sit for a half an hour, holding a book before 
 her sightless eyes, and moving her lips, as she has ob- 
 served 4 seeing people ’ do when reading. 
 
 44 She one day pretended that her doll was sick, and 
 went through all the motions of tending it and giving 
 it medicine ; she then carefully put it to bed, and placed 
 a bottle of hot water to its feet, laughing all the time 
 most heartily. When I came home she insisted upon 
 my going to see it, and feel its pulse ; and when I told 
 her to put a blister to its back, she seemed to enjoy it 
 amazingly, and almost screamed with delight. 
 
 44 Her social feelings and her affections are very 
 strong; and when she is sitting at work, or at her 
 studies, by the side of one of her little friends, she will 
 break off from her task, every few moments, to hug and 
 kiss her with an earnestness and warmth that is touching 
 to behold. 
 
 44 When left alone, she occupies and apparently 
 amuses herself, and seems quite contented ; and so strong 
 seems to be the natural tendency of thought to put on 
 the garb of language that she often soliloquizes in the 
 finger language , slow and tedious as it is. But it is only 
 when alone that she is quiet ; for if she becomes sensible 
 of the presence of any one near her, she is restless 
 until she can sit close beside them, hold their hand, and 
 converse with them by signs. 
 
 44 She does not cry from vexation and disappointment, 
 like other children, but only from grief. If she receives 
 a blow by accident, or hurts herself, she laughs and 
 jumps about, as if trying to drown the pain by muscular 
 action. If the pain is severe, she does not go to her 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 45 
 
 teachers or companions for sympathy, but on the con- 
 trary, tries to get away by herself, and then seems to 
 give vent to a feeling of spite by throwing herself about 
 violentlj 7 , and roughly handling whatever she gets 
 hold of. 
 
 4 4 Twice only have tears been drawn from her by the 
 severity of pain ; and then she ran away, as if ashamed 
 of crying for an accidental injury. But the fountain of 
 her tears is by no means dried up, as is seen when her 
 companions are in pain or her teacher is grieved. 
 
 44 In her intellectual character, it is pleasing to 
 observe an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a quick 
 perception of the relation of things. 
 
 4 4 In her moral character it is beautiful to behold her 
 continual gladness, her keen enjoyment of existence, 
 her expansive love, her unhesitating confidence, her 
 sympathy with suffering, her conscientiousness, truth- 
 fulness, and hopefulness.” 
 
 We return to the journal of Miss Drew. 
 
 44 Jan. 13,1841. While Laura was playing with 
 Lydia and Sophia, I told her to go to her room and 
 brush her hair 4 very quick/ and come to me. She 
 refused at first. I insisted, and she went up stairs in a 
 pet. In a little while she came into the school-room 
 with Sarah, and looked very anxious. Sarah said she 
 had told the little girls in the parlor that she could not 
 go to school because Miss Drew was gone to Boston, 
 and she came down with her to inquire if I were gone. 
 When Laura took my hand she looked very pale, then 
 red. I asked her what she did. She said, 4 1 did tell 
 Louisa you were gone to Boston.’ 4 Why did you tell 
 
46 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 her so?* 4 Because I was very wrong and did say lie.* 
 She then attempted to justify herself, and asked, 4 Why 
 did you tell me to go from Sophia?’ I told her I 
 wished her to braid her hair. 4 1 did not want to go.’ 
 Here the Doctor came in and she colored immediately. 
 He asked her what she had done. She said, 4 1 did 
 tell lie.’ After he had left her I talked with her some 
 time and she seemed much grieved, and said, 4 1 am 
 sorry. I will be good and will not tell lie any more,’ 
 
 44 Jan. 25. Laura struck one of the little girls 
 against whom she has always an aversion, and after 
 repentance and forgiveness, she said, 4 1 will go home 
 and come no more.’ I asked why. 4 Because I cannot 
 be good in Boston.’ I said, 4 Your mother will be sorry 
 if you are naughty.’ 4 My mother will love me.’ ‘Yes, 
 but she will be sorry.’ I asked her if she was sorry she 
 came to Boston. 4 No, because I can (could) not talk 
 with fingers when I came with my father and mother.’ 
 4 If you go home and come no more, you can talk with 
 no one with fingers.’ 4 My mother will talk little slow. 9 
 
 44 P. M. I endeavored to overcome Laura’s prejudices 
 against Olive, and tried to make her understand that 
 Olive was as good as she was. I said to her, 4 You must 
 love Olive, and walk with her, and teach her to talk 
 with fingers.’ She burst into a loud laugh, and said, 
 
 4 Olive cannot learn to talk with fingers ; her fingers 
 are very stiff. She cannot make good letters.’ And 
 then she made a letter with her own fingers in a very 
 awkward manner to show me what might be expected 
 from her. 
 
 “Feb. 6. The crowd has become so great at the 
 monthly exhibitions, and presses so closely about 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 47 
 
 Laura, that we are obliged to surround her desk by 
 settees, thus making a little enclosure and protecting 
 her. Our first trial of the arrangement was to-day, and 
 Laura was (Juite displeased with it. She asked, ‘ Are 
 ladies afraid of me?’ thinking that it was made for the 
 people rather than for her own good.” 
 
48 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Ok Feb. 16, 1841, a deaf, dumb, and blind 
 girl named Lucy Reed was brought to the Insti- 
 tution from Derby, Vt. She was at once an 
 object of great interest to Laura, who was very 
 anxious that she should be taught to talk with her. 
 She was fourteen years of age, had never been 
 controlled, and for a long time violently resisted 
 all efforts to approach her, but she seemed to 
 understand that Laura was like herself, and was 
 attracted to her. Under date of April 14, Miss 
 Drew records her first success after two months 
 of daily effort. 
 
 44 I tried to teach Lucy to spell the word ‘ fig’ with her 
 fingers, and succeeded in doing so after much trouble ; 
 she would not do it, however, a second time, although 
 she seemed very desirous of having the fig.” 
 
 A week later she relates the following incident. 
 
 “ I took a fork and gave her the letters , f-o-r-k. She 
 was very indifferent, and manifested unwillingness to 
 do what I wished her to, but she made the letters once. 
 Presently Laura came in with some figs. I told her 
 she must give Lucy one. She said, 4 Lucy must spell 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 49 
 
 fig before I give it to her.’ She went to ber and 
 showed her the fig, and then spelled it very slowly on 
 her own hand, then made signs to her make the letters 
 herself. This Lucy would not do at first, but Laura 
 persevered, and by signs made her understand that she 
 might have the fig if she would spell it, and made the 
 letters again on her own hand, and again made signs to 
 her to make them herself. At last Lucy found that Laura 
 was in earnest, and she spelled the word f-i-g. Laura 
 then patted her on head and cheek, and seemed to be 
 perfectly delighted that she had accomplished so much.” 
 
 After this we often taught Lucy at the same 
 time with Laura, when giving the latter a lesson 
 which did not require undivided attention. This 
 was a trial of her patience, and it was necessary 
 to remind her how much she ought to pity Lucy, 
 in order to reconcile her to the arrangement.* It 
 was merely the development of the same feeling 
 we so often perceive in the family, when the little 
 child finds itself supplanted by the new-born baby. 
 Lucy remained with us only a few months, and 
 the occasional references in the notes which follow 
 will show Laura’s interest in her. 
 
 At this point in Laura’s history, June, 1841, 
 my own notes commence. I had entered the Insti- 
 tution a year previous, as special teacher for Joseph 
 Smith, a young blind man who was preparing for 
 Harvard College. 
 
 Laura always made the acquaintance of every 
 member of the ’ family, and soon discovered me, 
 
 4 
 
50 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 and taught me to use the manual alphabet. In 
 August, Dr. Howe requested me to devote an 
 hour daily to conversation with her. My remem- 
 brance of those early lessons is very limited, and 
 no notes of them have been preserved. The diffi- 
 culties encountered in teaching her comparison 
 are, however, indelibly impressed upon my mind. 
 At the close of the third week’s work oij this sub- 
 ject alone, I felt that I had exhausted all my own 
 resources, and went to Dr. Howe for assistance. 
 He dismissed me with the suggestion that I perse- 
 vere, and in a day or two after, we triumphed. 
 Perhaps this may be accounted for, in part, by my 
 inexperience, as I was only eighteen, and just out 
 of school, but the subsequent study of the devel- 
 opment of other children convinces me that most 
 of them meet the same difficulties, and that they 
 are only overcome by much practice. 
 
 After a child has acquired a good use of lan- 
 guage, the question, "Which do you like better, 
 an apple or an orange ? ” will be answered by nam- 
 ing the object which happens to be mentioned 
 last; reverse the order of the question, and the 
 answer will be reversed. 
 
 When in the kitchen one day, Laura put her hand 
 upon a turkey and asked what it was. She was 
 told it was a dead bird. Some time afterward she 
 asked of what the meat she was eating was made, 
 and was told it was cow. This was a new re vela- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 51 
 
 tion to her, and she refused to eat any meat for a 
 number of weeks. We regretted it and said all 
 we could to persuade her, for she was not strong, 
 and it was thought a very necessary article of diet 
 for her. Whether she perceived she was not as 
 well in consequence we do not know, but she at 
 length returned to it of her own accord, and we 
 thought it unwise to make further conversation 
 about it. 
 
 My journal entries from this time to May, 1845, 
 were made daily, and begin as follows : — 
 
 June <9, 1841. Laura is not quite satisfied with her 
 arithmetic lesson because I was teaching Lucy Eeed 
 at the same time. She finds much difficulty in doing 
 her examples in subtraction ; but was made happy at 
 last, because she detected me in a mistake. 
 
 June 9. Allowed her to converse instead of the 
 arithmetic lesson, which always pleases her. Asked 
 her questions that would lead to answers introducing 
 the past tenses of verbs, and found them very correct. 
 Several times she recalled a wrong word, correcting it 
 herself before I alluded to it. When talking about 
 bathing, she said, “ Did you walk very weak in water? 
 Water is very strong. Who made water?” 
 
 Referred her to Dr. Howe for a reply. In 
 explanation of this, and in justice to myself, it is 
 necessary for me to state that when Dr. Howe 
 requested me to teach Laura, he expressed the 
 wish that I should not converse with her on any- 
 
52 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 thing which should lead to religious subjects, but 
 that I would refer her to him for answers to all 
 questions tending in that direction, as he reserved 
 to himself that part of her education. 
 
 In Appendix A to the Ninth Annual Report to 
 the Trustees, which was written six months pre- 
 vious to this date, Dr. Howe gives his views on 
 the subject of her religious teaching : — 
 
 “ No religious feeling, properly so called, has de- 
 veloped itself ; nor is it yet time, perhaps, to look for 
 it ; but she has shown a disposition to respect those who 
 have power and knowledge, and to love those who have 
 goodness ; and when her perceptive faculties shall have 
 taken cognizance of the operations of nature, and she 
 shall be accustomed to trace effects to their causes, then 
 may her veneration be turned to Him who is almighty, 
 her respect to him who is omniscient, and her love to 
 him who is all goodness and love ! 
 
 “ Until then, I shall not deem it wise, by premature 
 effort, to incur the risk of giving her ideas of God 
 which would be alike unworthy of his character and 
 fatal to her peace. 
 
 “I should fear that she might personify Him in a way 
 too common with children, who clothe him with un- 
 worthy, and sometimes grotesque, attributes, which 
 their subsequently developed reason condemns, but 
 strives in vain to correct. 
 
 “ I am almost invariably questioned by intelligent 
 visitors of the Institution about my opinion of her 
 moral nature, and by what theory I can account for 
 such and such phenomena ; and as many pious people 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 53 
 
 have questioned me respecting her religious nature, 1 
 will here state my views. 
 
 u There seem to have been in this child no innate 
 ideas or innate moral principles ; that is, in the sense 
 in which Locke, Condillac, and others consider those 
 terms. But there are innate intellectual dispositions ; 
 and moreover, innate moral dispositions , not derived, 
 as many metaphysicians suppose, from the exercise of 
 intellectual faculties, but as independent in their exist- 
 ence as the intellectual dispositions themselves. 
 
 “ I shall be easily understood when I speak of innate 
 dispositions , in contradistinction to innate ideas, by 
 those who are at all conversant with metaphysics ; but 
 as this case excites peculiar interest, even among chil- 
 dren, I may be excused for explaining. 
 
 u ¥e have no innate ideas of color, of distance, etc. ; 
 were we blind, we never could conceive the idea of 
 color, nor understand how light and shade could give 
 knowledge of distance ; but we might have the innate 
 disposition, or internal adaptation, which enables us to 
 perceive color, and to judge of distance ; and were the 
 organ of sight suddenly to be restored to healthy action, 
 we should gradually understand the natural language, 
 so to call it, of light ; and soon be able to judge 
 of distance, by reason of our innate disposition or 
 capacity. 
 
 “ So much for an intellectual perception. As an 
 example of a moral perception, it may be supposed, for 
 instance, that we have no innate idea of God, but that 
 we have an innate disposition, or adaptation, not only 
 to recognize, but to adore him ; and when the idea of 
 a God is presented, we embrace it, because we have 
 that internal adaptation which enables us to do so. 
 
54 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 “ If the idea of a God were innate, it would be uni 
 versal and identical, and not the consequential effect of 
 the exercise of causality ; it would be impossible to 
 present him under different aspects. He would not be 
 regarded as Jupiter, Jehovah, Brahma ; we could not 
 make different people clothe him with different attri- 
 butes, any more than we could make them consider two 
 and two to make three, or five, or anything but four. 
 
 “ But on the other hand, if we had no innate dispo- 
 sition to receive the idea of a God, then could we never 
 have conceived one, any more than we can conceive of 
 time without a beginning ; then would the most incon- 
 trovertible evidence to man of God’s existence have 
 been wanting, viz., the internal evidence of his own 
 nature. 
 
 “ Now, it does appear to me very evident, from the 
 phenomena manifested in Laura’s case, that she has 
 innate moral dispositions and tendencies, which, though 
 developed subsequently (in the order of time) to her 
 intellectual faculties, are not dependent upon them, nor 
 are they manifested with a force proportionate to that 
 of her intellect. 
 
 “ According to Locke’s theory, the moral qualites 
 and faculties of this child should be limited in propor- 
 tion to the limitation of her senses, for he derives moral 
 principles from intellectual dispositions, which alone he 
 -considers to be innate. He thinks moral principles 
 must be proved , and can only be so by an exercised 
 intellect. 
 
 “Now, the sensations of Laura are very limited; 
 acute as is her touch, and constant as is her exercise of 
 it, how vastly does she fall behind others of her age in 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 55 
 
 the amount of sensations which she experiences, how 
 limited is the range of her thought, how infantile is 
 she in the exercise of her intellect ! But her moral 
 qualities, her moral sense, are remarkably acute ; few 
 children are so affectionate, or so scrupulously con- 
 scientious, few are so sensible of their own rights or 
 regardful of the rights of others. 
 
 u Can any one suppose, then, that without innate 
 moral dispositions, such effects could have been pro- 
 duced solely by moral lessons ? for even if they could 
 have been given to her, would they not have been seed 
 sown upon barren ground ? Her moral sense and her 
 conscientiousness seem not at all dependent upon any 
 intellectual perception ; they are not perceived, indeed, 
 or understood, — they are felt, and she may feel them 
 even more strongly than most adults. 
 
 4 4 These observations will furnish an answer to another 
 question, which is frequently put concerning Laura : 
 can she be taught the existence of God, her dependence 
 upon, and her obligations to him ? 
 
 44 The answer may be inferred from what has gone 
 before, — that, if there exists in her mind (and who can 
 doubt that it does ?) the innate capacity for the percep- 
 tion of this great truth, it can probably be developed, 
 and become an object of intellectual perception and 
 firm belief. 
 
 “I trust, too, that she can be made to conceive of 
 future existence, and to lean upon the hope of it, as an 
 anchor to her soul in those hours when sickness and 
 approaching death shall arouse to fearful activity the 
 instinctive love of life which is possessed by her in 
 common with all. 
 
56 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 “But to effect this, to furnish her with a guide 
 through life and a support in death, much is to he done, 
 and much is to be avoided. 
 
 “ None but those who have seen her engaged in the 
 task, and have witnessed the difficulty of teaching her 
 the meaning of such words as remember , hope, forget , 
 expect , will conceive the difficulties in her way ; but 
 they, too, have seen her unconquerable resolution, and 
 her unquenchable thirst for knowledge ; and they will 
 not condemn as visionary such pleasing anticipations.” 
 
 We continue the extracts from the journal : — 
 
 June 15. Laura succeeded in doing several exam- 
 ples in subtraction very well. For the last one under 
 this rule gave her one with fifteen figures in the minu- 
 end. She said, “ Sum is very long, like Halifax.” 
 
 She thought her journey to that place took a long 
 time, hence the comparison. Some time ago she read 
 in “ The Child’s Book ’ (printed in raised letters for the 
 blind) about the senses, and in conversation afterward, 
 I told her she had three. She was much displeased 
 because she had not as many as one of the blind girls 
 whom she considers, not without reason, as decidedly 
 her inferior.* After sitting still a moment this morn- 
 ing, apparently thinking earnestly, she said, “ I have 
 four.” “Four what?” “Four senses; think, and 
 
 * When this child entered school Laura took her under her special 
 care, showed her about the house and assisted her in various ways, 
 but in trying to teach her the huger alphabet she discovered her 
 mental incapacity, and afterwards manifested a decided aversion to 
 her. If anything were broken or lost, she always attributed it to 
 Olive. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 57 
 
 nose, and mouth, and fingers. I have four senses.” 
 And she seemed much delighted at the discovery. 
 
 June 16. Laura began to learn the multiplication- 
 table. Found she knew the two table perfectly, though 
 after reciting it she said, “ My think is very tired.” 
 
 She corrected me for not saying “ please” in every 
 sentence. She had some cake given her, and said she 
 must give Lucy some; but first wished me to teach her 
 to spell it with the types. Tokl Laura it was ‘ ‘ pound ” 
 cake, and laughing she pounded upon her desk. This 
 is the only meaning she has yet been taught of that 
 word. 
 
 June 18. As an exercise upon the two and three 
 tables, gave her to-day an example on the board. This 
 pleased her much, and she worked with great spirit. 
 While walking on the piazza, she said, “Why do sun 
 not come?” Because clouds are over it. “ Who shut 
 clouds ? ” 
 
 June 19. One of the gentlemen who visited the 
 school to-day saw Laura when she first came to the 
 Institution, and desired to know if she would recognize 
 him by touching again his finger-nail, which was of a 
 peculiar shape. She touched his hand, perceived the 
 nail, and turning to one of the blind girls who stood 
 near, said, “ I remember to see man when it was very 
 cold. I could not talk with fingers. I did not know 
 (then) man had got any name.” 
 
 Heard a sound from both Lucy and Laura this morn- 
 ing that led me to think all was not right. Found that 
 Laura had accidentally broken the string of Lucy’s fan 
 while playing with her, and that Lucy was taking re- 
 venge by pinching and striking, while Laura, not under- 
 
58 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 standing about it, still kept her arm round Lucy. This 
 made matters worse ; and she had worked herself into 
 quite a passion before I got to her. Separated them, 
 and Luc} t grew calm, but Laura was much troubled. 
 
 On coming for her lesson Monday morning, she said, 
 “I want to talk much with you.” Her first topic 
 was the trouble with Lucy. She had been thinking 
 about it, and could not understand it. 44 Why did Lucy 
 pinch and scratch me ? Was she very wrong ? ” Tried 
 to excuse it, saying she did not know better. 44 Did she 
 know I was ver} r sorry to break her fan? Why will 
 Lucy pinch and strike ? ” Told her I hoped she would 
 soon learn it was wrong, and we must be patient with 
 her. This being settled to her satisfaction, she said, 
 4 4 TVhy do not heart stop ? ” Being puzzled for a reply 
 that should not involve me in questions I was not allowed 
 to answer, I said, 44 Because it cannot stop.” Told her 
 she always breathed. She held her breath for a while, 
 and said, 44 1 do not breathe now.” But you will breathe 
 soon, and cannot stop long, or it will hurt you. 44 And 
 die,” she added. 44 Is not heart very tired?” 
 
 She seems to have a theory of her own regarding 
 the seat of sensation. During a lesson one day she 
 stopped, and holding her forehead, said, 44 1 think very 
 hard. Was I baby, did I think?” (meaning, when I 
 was a baby) . Another day she said, 4 4 Doctor will come 
 in fourteen days, I think in my head.” Asked her if 
 she did not think in her side and heart. 44 No ; I cannot 
 think in heart ; I think in head.” Why? 44 1 cannot 
 know ; all little girls cannot know about heart.” When 
 disappointed or troubled, she often says, 44 My heart 
 aches.” One day she asked, 44 When heart aches, does 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 59 
 
 blood run ?” We had told her about the circulation of 
 the blood. “ Does blood run in my eyes ? I cannot feel 
 eyes blood run. Why cannot I stop to think? I can- 
 not help to think all days. Do you stop to think? 
 (meaning, cease thinking). Does Harrison stop to 
 think, now he is dead ? ” President Harrison had lately 
 died, and the blind girls had talked much about it, and 
 by them Laura had been told of it. 
 
 June 24. Within the past week Laura has begun to 
 ask the color of everything. We cannot find where she 
 got the first idea of it. This morning she would have 
 liked to devote her whole lesson to it, she was so much 
 interested. She has attached an idea of inferiority to 
 red, and was displeased when told a dress, which she 
 wore in the afternoon, had red in it, and said, “ I will 
 wear it in the morning.” 
 
 June 25. Continued the subject of color, and her 
 first question was, “ What did man make red for?” 
 Told her because he thought red pretty, and that 
 reconciled her to it. I tried unsuccessfully to find, 
 by questioning, the origin of her dislike, but can only 
 venture a surmise that the article she had in her hand 
 when first told of the color red, may have been harsh 
 and disagreeable to her touch. 
 
 This leads me to speak of my observations with 
 regard to the power of the blind to distinguish 
 color. Fabulous stories have been told, but cer- 
 tainly among the pupils at our Institution, there 
 were none of whom we could make similar state- 
 ments. It is true of many totally blind that, if a 
 number of balls of worsted of various colors are 
 
60 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN’. 
 
 given them, and they are obliged to notice them 
 carefully, that they may use them in their proper 
 places in work, they will rarely make a mistake. 
 So we may give them pieces of silk, with the 
 same result, but this does not prove, that having 
 been told the colors in one material or fabric, they 
 will recognize them in any other. 
 
 We have no evidence that there is any inherent 
 property in the color red, or blue, or yellow, 
 which will enable the most sensitive touch to 
 detect each in all materials offered. 
 
 It has often been stated by letter-writers that 
 "Laura Bridgman can tell the color of everything 
 by feeling.” This we know is a mistake, and as 
 we suppose her sense of feeling to be more acute 
 than that of any other person, we infer that it 
 cannot be literally true in any case. 
 
 June 26. Sent Laura to bring Lucy down to the 
 school-room. She came, looking quite sad, and said, 
 “ Lucy talked with her mouth.” “ What did she say?” 
 “ I cannot know. Lucy did talk.” She was comforted 
 by my assuring her she only made noises, it was not 
 talking. She must have had her hand near Lucy’s 
 mouth, and perceived some motion similar to talking. 
 
 June 28. In the midst of an arithmetic lesson she 
 stopped to ask the name and color of her eyelashes 
 and brows . When talking of hair, she asked the color 
 of mine, and said, “Mine will be dark brown too when 
 I am tall.” She walked to the window, where the lower 
 shutter was closed, and said, “ I will talk about this,” 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 61 
 
 and asked the name and color of the hasp and hinge, 
 then swinging it backward and forward said, “ It is like 
 a clock ” (pendulum) . 
 
 June 29. She brought her doll into school, and said, 
 14 It is not pretty to bring doll into all schools,” and 
 then extended its hand towards me, and said, “See doll 
 talk,” and moved its fingers to spell “ Swift.” She was 
 delighted that I could understand it, and said, “ Doll 
 can talk with fingers ; I taught doll to talk with fingers.” 
 She has lately made a strange noise which she calls 
 “ calling,” and if I leave her a moment she makes it, 
 and says, “ I wanted you to come and I called you.” 
 
 This is quite a new idea, as all the noises she 
 has previously made were evidently not intended to 
 attract attention. Of these Dr. Howe speaks in 
 one of his reports as follows : — 
 
 44 It may be well to explain what was said in a 
 former report about Laura making a peculiar sound 
 whenever she meets any person, which she calls that 
 person’s noise , and about which many inquiries have 
 been made, especially as an important physiological 
 inference may be drawn from it. When she meets me, 
 one of the pupiL, or any intimate friend, she instantly 
 piakes a noise with the vocal organs ; for one a chuckle, 
 for another a cluck, for a third a nasal sound, for a fourth 
 a guttural, etc. These are to her evidently signs, or 
 names affixed to each person. These are known by 
 those very intimate with her , when they speak to her 
 of such and such an one, she makes her 4 noise ” ; and 
 these noises or names have become so intimately asso- 
 ciated with the persons that sometimes, when she is 
 
62 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 sitting by herself, and the thought of a friend comes up 
 in her mind, she utters his c noise/ as she calls it, that 
 is, what is to her his name. Now, as she cannot hear a 
 sound, as she never attempts, like deaf and dumb per- 
 sons, to attract the attention of others by making a 
 noise, it follows that, impelled by the natural tendency 
 of the human mind to attach signs to every thought, she 
 selects the natural vehicle for the expression of it, and 
 exercises the vocal organs, but without any definite 
 view of producing an effect. This would seem to prove, 
 if indeed any proof be wanting, that men did not select 
 vocal sounds for a colloquial medium, from among other 
 possible media, but that it is the natural one.” 
 
 July 1. Laura did not succeed as well as usual in 
 her arithmetic, and was a little fretful and impatient. 
 When her examples were corrected, she was quite dis- 
 pleased, and said, “ Ladies do not say wrong. I think 
 j^ou are very wrong to say wrong to me. Think cannot 
 do good, because I am very deaf. Think is very long,” 
 meaning slow in working. 
 
 July 2. A complaint was entered against Laura that 
 she pinched Lucy and made her cry. I talked with her 
 about it, and said to her, “ Lurena told doctor you 
 pinched Lucy’s nose and made her cry.” Before I had 
 finished the sentence she smiled, and seemed, by the 
 expression of her face, to think that it was very ridicu- 
 lous to pinch her nose ; but when she was told that Lucy 
 cried, she changed countenance, and was immediately 
 sad. She said, “ When did I pinch Lucy’s nose ? ” I 
 replied, “Lurena said yesterday.” “After how many 
 schools?” I told her I did not know. She thought a 
 moment, and then said eagerly, “ I pinched Lucy’s nose 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 63 
 
 after one * school, to play. I did not mean to make her 
 cry, because I played. Did Lucy know I was wrong? ” 
 
 I told her Lucy did not know when she played, and she 
 must play softly. I asked her if she loved Lucy ; she 
 replied, “ Yes, but Lucy does not hug me.” “Why does 
 she not?” “Because she is very deaf and blind and 
 does not know how to love me ; she is very weak to hug.” 
 
 July 3. Gave Lucy the word “ cake ” and called Laura 
 to spell it to her ; the interest seemed to be all on 
 Laura’s side, as she cares much more than Lucy about 
 the lessons. She asked with great earnestness, “ Does 
 Lucy know what I say?” and added, “ I want her to 
 learn to talk very, very ” (and to make it emphatic, she 
 repeated it ten times) “ much.” 
 
 July 8. Laura went to ride, and as usual asked the 
 color and name of the horse. Told her “Post-boy.” 
 She said, “What boy? Has he four legs?” She was 
 puzzled by the name, and could not decide whether it 
 was man or horse. 
 
 July 9. Laura was ready for her lesson before 
 prayers, and when I went down, led me to the table to 
 show me a box and asked “ What?” It was fastened 
 with hasps, and looked as if it had not been opened, but 
 to satisfy myself of her self-denial I asked her if she had 
 opened it. She said “ No ” with great emphasis, sh6w- 
 ing therebjr her nice sense of propriety. Allowed her 
 to open it, and she was surprised when told it was for 
 her to use. It contained types with raised letters on the 
 end, and had grooved lines in which they could be set up. 
 
 The next morning she brought the box with the - 
 
 * fa lie was accustomed to reckon time by schools, “ a school,” 
 with a recess of a quarter of an hour, occupying an hour. The 
 first “ school ” was before breakfast, closing at seven o’clock. 
 
64 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 alphabet arranged in order seven times, and the remain- 
 der of the types in such a way that she knew where to 
 find them. This had taken her several hours to accom- 
 plish, but much gratified her strong love of order. 
 
 July 13. This was a sad day to us all. Lucy’s 
 parents had sent for her to return to them, and all the 
 care and anxiety she had been to her teachers for the 
 five months was forgotten in the sorrow of seeing her 
 leave us. Had she remained we had no doubt of our 
 future success in teaching her, for the greatest difficul- 
 ties were overcome, but now she must go back from 
 dawn into night again. Laura could think of nothing 
 but Luc} t , when she came for her lesson, as she had 
 just bidden her good by. She was much troubled that 
 Lucy did not return her embraces. She said, “I am 
 very sorry ; I cannot work much because I am very 
 sorry that Lucy is going away. Why will not Lucy 
 hug me ? Will Doctor cry ? ” Then she reviewed Lucj^’s 
 history, and not one circumstance connected with her 
 seemed to have escaped her mind. She said, k *Doll 
 will cry ; she is very sorry Lucy is gone, and will cry.” 
 
 A week after Lucy left, Laura was told by Dr. 
 Howe of a blind deaf and dumb boy who would 
 come to the school before long. She had many 
 questions to ask : " Can I talk with him when he has 
 learned much ? ” This question occurred to her 
 mind, I presume, because in the school the boys 
 occupied one part of the house and the girls 
 another, and so she doubted whether she would 
 be allowed to talk with him. " Will you kiss the 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 65 
 
 little blind and deaf and dumb boy ? Why not ? ” 
 *' Because it is very wrong to kiss boys ” (with a 
 very imperative air) . 
 
 July 23. She brought me her new board with a very 
 good sentence set up in types : “ Doctor and Drew and 
 Swift taught Lucy to learn to talk with her fingers, and 
 Laurena taught her to read on board, good ; when 
 Laura came with my mother, doctor and Drew taught 
 me on knife and fork and spoon and mug very good.” 
 She said of her own accord, “ Laura is wrong ” and sub- 
 stituted “I” for it. She shows much ingenuity in arrang- 
 ing the spaces between the words ; she has not enough 
 blanks for long sentences, and so takes the smaller let- 
 ters and turns the blank end up. While Miss Drew 
 was talking with her she asked, “ What is by and by? ” 
 and was told it meant soon. She went to her work, but 
 came back five minutes after, saying, “ To and to is 
 now.” Being asked why she thought so she said, 
 “ Because by and by is soon.” 
 
 July 27. Laura said this morning, “I do not want 
 to study to cipher, I want to talk about things. What 
 is hour? Doctor said after two hours.” After talking 
 some time she said, “Sunday is two hours ; eight weeks 
 Sunday, peaches will grow.” Neither remark was intel- 
 ligible to me. She attended very quietly to my expla- 
 nation for some time, and said, “ I cannot have some 
 one to say weeks and hours to me, because I cannot 
 know ” (understand) . Told her she could know hour, 
 and tried to explain it as one school and one recess. 
 Feared she might think them synonymous in meaning 
 Vather than in time, but after sitting still a long time 
 5 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 66 
 
 thinking, she said, “After one school, after recess, is 
 an hour, and a week is after Sunday.” 
 
 When a subject that is very difficult occupies 
 part of the hour, I turn her attention to something 
 which will be easier, but will teach her some 
 new words, so to-day showed her a ball of wicking, 
 taught her the name and color, and throwing it 
 upon the desk she noticed its elasticity, and said, 
 " Ball jumps ” ; taught her the word " bound.” 
 
 Aug. 2. Exercised Laura in examples with five for 
 a multiplier. She did them very rapidly and without 
 much effort. In review gave her one with two for a 
 multiplier, and found she had almost entirely forgotten 
 that table while learning the higher numbers. This 
 surprised me, as she never seems to forget in any other 
 study. When she had finished her lesson she found on 
 her board a row of figures without a multiplier, and play- 
 fully put down a cipher and commenced multiplying by it. 
 
 Aug. 4 . Laura’s sentence on her board this mom 
 was, “Osborne went on water, he was very tired to 
 work & he came to see his mother. Cyrus came to see 
 Miss Drew. Miss Davis sent berries to girls to eat 
 them for dinner, good. Olive was very wrong to tell 
 lie when it was very cold.” She seemed quite impatient 
 when I wished her to correct it, but was reconciled when 
 told that the reason I wished her to put it on the board 
 was that, by correcting it, I might teach her to talk as 
 other girls do. The letter s was exhausted before she 
 finished the sentence, and I suggested leaving a blank 
 for it, but instead of doing so, she put z in its place. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 67 
 
 It was singular that she should have hit on the letter 
 which sounded most nearly like s, so I asked why she 
 did not take o or t. “ Because o and t are not good,” 
 was all the reason I could get. 
 
 Aug. 16. The sentence this morning was “I, & J, 
 & Doctor went in the boat to see Betsy Tuesday, & all 
 the girls went to ride in the cars to See-konk & they 
 picked many whortle & blueberries. Mr. Greene gave 
 me some cake & Mrs. Greene gave me raspberries. I, 
 & Drew, & Martha, went to see baby.” Tried to 
 explain to her that “ I ’’should come after “Doctor,” 
 but she was much dissatisfied and said, w Why must I ” 
 (pointing to herself) u come last? I rode between Dr. & 
 Jennette.” Her manner of writing See-konk with a 
 dash, showed the idea she attached to the name. When 
 we came to the last clause I thought she would correct 
 it herself and put the “I” last, but she objected and said, 
 “ I sat first, why must I be last? ” 
 
 Aug. 19. Taking up a pincushion which was in the 
 form of a fish, she said, “What is it”? When told, 
 she threw it down quickly as if afraid to handle it, then 
 taking it up again said, “ You must teach me about fish. 
 Why has it not legs ? ” Described the fins and their use, 
 then showed her another pincushion in the form of a 
 fly. She asked the different colors of the silk, and the 
 use of the various parts. 4 4 Why do flies fly with wings ? 
 Why do they not walk on the floor ? Because girls would 
 walk on them, and hurt them very much ? Why do flies 
 get in water ? Can you catch fly to show me legs and 
 wings? Why does not the silk fly move?” I was 
 about to answer when she showed me one wing was 
 partly off, and said, 44 Fly is dead.” Asked her if she 
 
68 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 thought it flew before it was off, and she seemed to | 
 think it did. 
 
 Aug. 20. Laura asked to talk about animals, so 
 excused her from the much less interesting lesson in 
 arithmetic. Her mind is full of the subject now. 4 4 Why 
 do not flies and horses go to bed ? Why do they eat 
 fast? Are horses cross all days? What does horse i’ 
 do ? Is he hurry to go ? Do horse know it is wrong to | 
 go slow? Would they know that carryall would fall if 
 they went slow and the ground was rough? Why 
 does Abner hold the horse’s head when we get in ? 
 Why did horse fret?” (Shaking her head up and 
 down.) She had probably perceived the jar of the car- 
 riage from this motion of the horse, and some one had 
 shown her what the horse did to cause it. Just then a 
 horse came into tlie yard ; she felt the jar and asked, 
 u Why do horse walk hard on barn floor? I will see 
 horse.” Told her I would show her one, meaning a 
 model. 44 Will horse come into school? Do ladies bring 
 horse into school ? I think I am very sorry I said I 
 would see horse.” 
 
 Aug. 23. I found Laura waiting for me with two 
 pieces of paper, one folded very small, which she said 
 was 44 hopper,” meaning it was about the size of a grass- 
 hopper ; the other, much larger, was 44 elephant.” She 
 was not satisfied with the name hopper, and changed it 
 to 44 grass-hopper,” then to 44 hopper-ground.” I think 
 she had an idea that if she used grass, it would mean 
 that it was made of grass, and so was puzzled what to 
 call it. Next she asked, 44 What are flies’ names?” 
 Being sure she knew better than to ask such a question, 
 
 I replied, 4k Ellen and Laura and Susan.” She laughed 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 69 
 
 heartily, and said, “Flies have no name but bug. 
 Why do not flies have names like girls and boys ? Why 
 do horses have iron shoes ? Do they tie them on with 
 strings? Why do men hold horse’s foot to put on 
 shoes? I hear horse walk when he kicks off flies, 
 because they are hard.” She often perceives the jar 
 made by the stamping of the horse in the stable. 
 “ Why do cows not draw?” “ Cow’s feet are cut in two 
 parts.” Told her she might go out to the stable with me 
 to see the cow’s foot, but she shrunk from it, saying, 
 “No, she would run and kick me. When horses and 
 cows are sick, do they go to bed like girls and get well? 
 Do they go down stairs ? Why do cows have horns ? ” 
 “ To keep bad cows off when they trouble them,” was 
 my answer. “Do bad cows know to go away when 
 good cow pushes them ? ” After sitting some time in 
 thought, she said, “ Why do cows have two horns, — to 
 push two cows?” moving her hands in two directions. 
 
 Extended reports of conversations are copied 
 from journals, that the reader may be enabled the 
 more fully to realize how many things a child thus 
 isolated has to learn in this way, which we never 
 know how other children acquire. Dr. Howe 
 remarks, — 
 
 “ her curiosity is insatiable, and by the cheerful toil 
 and patient labor with which she gleans her scanty har- 
 vest of knowledge, she reproves those who, having eyes 
 see not, and having ears hear not.” 
 
 Aug. 24. Lesson upon weeks and months. She 
 learned to reckon the number of weeks in three, four, 
 and five months. Asked her if she had done tea 
 
70 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 “You are wrong to say tea; it is milk and water.” 
 Walked with her to South Boston Point, and showed 
 her a boat and oars, but could not persuade her to sit 
 in it, 4 4 Because,” as she said, “ I am afraid it will move.” 
 
 When asked the next day why she did not make a 
 sentence on her board about the oars, she replied, 
 “ Thought was ver} r sleepy not to study much.” This 
 is the first time she has made use of the noun “ thought,” 
 her usual expression being 4 4 Think is tired.” She asked 
 what bit her, and was told mosquito. 4 4 You were wrong 
 Monday to say flies had no ‘name ; it is mosquito fly.” 
 
 She shook hands with me and laughing said, 44 1 have 
 been to see your mother ; I went yesterday after dinner, 
 and I came this morning. She said she was very glad to 
 see me, and I said, 4 How do you do? ’ ” She enjoyed 
 this little play of imagination as a very good joke. 
 After tea she asked, 4 4 Is it very time ? ” and explained it 
 by saying, 44 Is it late?” evidently thinking her first 
 form more emphatic. 
 
 Aug. 30. She is becoming more and more dissatis- 
 fied with her type-setting. It is a very slow process for 
 her, and with all the pains she can take she does not 
 succeed in setting up as good sentences as she uses in 
 talking with her fingers. The corrections displease her, 
 but we are not ready yet to give up the experiment. 
 She shows great ingenuity often in making excuses, and 
 so begging off from it. This morning she was full of 
 them : 44 1 must make many pitchers ” (a kind of purse 
 made in the shape of a pitcher which she had been 
 taught to knit of worsted, her orders for them being 
 often in advance of the supply) “ for ladies, and they 
 will not be done.” When this excuse did not avail she 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 71 
 
 said, “ I shall not have you teach me after it is cold 
 because I have learned all.” Asked if she thought I 
 knew no more to teach her, but she had no answer, only 
 asked, “Why did doctor have Munger make types?” 
 “ To teach j t ou to talk like all the girls.” “ I can talk good 
 now.” I could not blame her much for this little pet- 
 tishness, for I think girls who could see would find their 
 patience taxed. 
 
 Laura has a very keen sense of the ludicrous, 
 and while she is sympathetic when she sees any 
 one is hurt, yet her expressions of sympathy will 
 often be supplemented by a good, hearty laugh. 
 An illustration occurred just at this date. Dr. 
 Howe met with an accident. She said, laughing 
 heartily, " I am very sad because doctor hurt 
 him. I want him to be well very much ; he hurt 
 his leg, and walked like a dog.” Then she laughed 
 again, and said, " I am very much afraid I shall 
 not see doctor walk on crutches for legs ; I want 
 you to ask him if he will walk, and let me see 
 him.” Another day she had a great play over the 
 letters of the finger alphabet. The letter which 
 amused her most was t, which is made by putting 
 the thumb between the next two fingers. She 
 put her fingers over her nose, so it would project 
 between them, and said " like t.” When I took 
 my paper to make notes of the lesson she put her 
 hand on the pencil, and said, " Do not write about 
 nose and thumb ; I do not want doctor to know.” 
 She probably thought he would call it silly. 
 
72 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 Talking about moths one day, she decided very 
 positively that moths ate all old dresses, and that 
 was what made them wear out. 
 
 Sept, d, 1841. Laura wrote the following letter to 
 her mother without assistance : — 
 
 Dear My Mother: 
 
 May I come with Miss Drew to Hanover if I will be 
 very good and not trouble mother ? Do she want me 
 (to) come to see her? I will try to be good at Han- 
 over. She must write to Drew. I send love to mother. 
 May I make a pitcher (purse) and chain for her and 
 father in Hanover? I send love to father and my 
 brothers. Will mother be very glad to see me and 
 Drew ? Swift sends her love to my mother. Swift and 
 Drew taught me good. I will come in vacation. I 
 am well. I ate with Jennette & Doctor. Man pricked 
 paper ; he took my face for mother. I was sick. I 
 can sew and study and write and knit. Drew was sick. 
 Lurena cannot walk because she is lame. I sleep 
 with Drew. I shall bring doll. 
 
 Laura Bridgman. 
 
 Sept, 9. Laura said, “ I will go home after six Sun- 
 days ” ; and added, after stopping some time to calcu- 
 late, “ that would be forty-two days.” I replied, “Yes, 
 six times seven are forty- two.” I perceived she had 
 arrived at it by addition, and wished her to take the 
 hint of the better way. After a moment’s thought I 
 saw it was not lost upon her, for she said, “ Yes, like 
 seven.” Explained it further, and then asked if she 
 knew now why it was “ like seven.” “ Yes,” hesitat- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 73 
 
 ingly. “ Get beans.” After counting them off she was 
 entirely satisfied, and much pleased with her new 
 knowledge. 
 
 Sept. 12. Dr. Howe told her a story, which was 
 designed as a test of her conscientiousness. We copy 
 his account of it: “A little boy went to see a lady, 
 and the lady gave him two birds, one for himself and 
 one for his sister ; she put them in a basket for him to 
 carry home, and told him not to open the basket until 
 he got home ; the boy went into the street and met 
 another little boy, who said, 4 Open the basket, and let 
 me feel the birds * ; and the boy said, 4 No, no ’ ; but 
 the other boy said, 4 Yes, yes ’ ; and then the boy opened 
 the basket and they felt of the birds. Did he do right? 
 She paused, and said, 4 Yes/ I said, ‘Why?’ She 
 replied, 4 He did not remember.’ I said, 4 If he did 
 remember, did he do right?’ She replied, 4 Little 
 wrong to forget.’ I then went on to say, 4 When the 
 boys did feel of the birds one bird was killed.’ Here 
 she became very much excited, and manifested the 
 greatest anxiety and distress, saying, 4 Why did boy 
 feel hard ? Why did bird not fly ? ’ I went on. 4 He 
 carried the basket and birds home, and gave the dead 
 bird to his sister. Did he do right or wrong?’ She 
 said, 4 Wrong.’ 4 Why?’ 4 To kill bird.’ I said, 4 But 
 who must have the live bird, the boy or the girl?’ 
 She said, 4 Girl.’ 4 Why ? ’ 4 Because bo} T was careless, 
 and girl was not careless.’ She was at first a little 
 confused about the persons, but decided promptly the 
 question of right or wrong, both in respect to opening 
 the basket and about who ought to possess the bird. 
 
 44 She supposed it was all reality, and I could not well 
 
74 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 make her conceive the object of the fable. Her mind 
 was for some time entirely occupied with this story, and 
 she afterwards asked, 4 Did man knock (strike) boy 
 because he killed bird?’ I said, ‘No, the bo} T ’s 
 heart did knock him. Does your heart knock jmu when 
 you do wrong?’ She inquired about the beating of 
 the heart, and said, 4 My heart did knock little when I 
 did do wrong.’ 
 
 44 She asked, ‘Why blood came in face?’ I said, 
 4 When wrong is done.’ She paused and said, 4 Blood 
 did come in Olive’s face when she did tell lie. Do 
 blood come in your face when you do wrong ? ’ ” 
 
 Sept. 13. Laura was full of questions about the story 
 which was told her last evening, and which has inter- 
 ested her very much. 44 How tall were the little boys? 
 Why did he tell lie, and why did he not mind lady? 
 Why did not boy tell true and he was wrong ? ” Gave 
 her the word 44 story.” 44 Why did boys and ladies write 
 in book ? ” Told her boys did not write ; they told 
 man the story, and he wrote it. 44 All leaves?” 44 Did 
 blood come into his face when he did wrong ? ” Told 
 her it came into hers when she was wrong. 44 1 am 
 sorry,” she added. 44 It makes your face look red” 
 44 And pretty? ” That her face should not look pretty 
 when she had done wrong troubled her much. She 
 said, 4t I feel very bad because boy told lie to make the 
 blood come in his face.” 
 
 Sept. 16. She gave me an account of killing a mouse 
 last night, and by the aid of a few questions, made out 
 quite a graphic description. 44 1 slept in blind Sarah’s 
 room last night, and I was very afraid because mouse 
 came ; I walked on it, and stamped very hard.” 44 How 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 75 
 
 did you know it was a mouse ? ” “Because I felt hair and 
 tail. I held mouse up, and I was very afraid because 
 he moved and jumped much. He opened mouth and 
 made much noise. I stamped on him and he was very 
 dead and could not move.” This seemed a very improb- 
 able story, and at first I thought her imagination had 
 been at work, but on going to the room, found the 
 mouse was there, and “ very dead,” as she said. 
 
 In the above account she says, “ He made much 
 noise.” In talking of the circulation of the blood 
 she insisted that it made a noise, and put my hand 
 on her neck to feel the pulsations, saying, " Sit 
 very still and see if you do not hear it.” At 
 another time she was having a lesson about an 
 india-rubber cord and said, "It makes noise when 
 I pull it.” Told her I could not hear it, but she 
 was so sure of it that she held it close to my ear, 
 when, to my surprise, I could hear distinctly the 
 motion of the rubber. The only inference which 
 I can draw from all these cases is, that in conse- 
 quence of the extreme sensitiveness of her touch, 
 she distinguishes the vibrations which we hear, 
 and which she has observed me speak of as sound, 
 or in her vocabulary as " noise,” and so whenever 
 she perceives vibrations, she supposes we can hear 
 them. In the last instance her sense of touch was 
 capable of detecting "noise” more quickly than 
 my ear. 
 
 Sept. 17, “Do horses draw good when they are 
 
76 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN \ 
 
 small like me?” “ No.” “When they are large like 
 doctor ? Why do horses love to have men pat them ? 
 Do horses think? When I went to get water, dog came 
 to the door.” “Was he glad to see you?” “I did 
 not ask him because he is very dull, because he cannot 
 talk with his fingers.” “ Can he talk with his mouth ? ” 
 “No.” “What does the dog do with mouth?” She 
 made a noise, as she supposed, like barking. “Do 
 horses bark? Do dogs bark to ask men for meat for 
 them to eat, and when they are cross, and when they 
 are afraid ? Do men talk to dogs when they are cross ? ” 
 “Yes, they say, ‘Be still!’” “With mouth?” She 
 was quite indignant that dogs should hear when men 
 spoke with their mouths, and she could not. “ Do men 
 bark ? Do mouse bark ? ” 
 
 As an illustration of the difficulties we met in 
 making her understand accurately words signify- 
 ing mental operations, we copy the following: — 
 
 Sept. 21. Found she had the idea that to punish and 
 to blame were synonymous, and tried in various ways 
 to correct it. I said, “ Miss Drew blames you when she 
 thinks you are wrong and tells you so; blame is to 
 think you do wrong.” She would not wait for me to 
 explain it further but said, “I was cross when Anna 
 was here and Miss Drew blamed me.” “She blamed 
 you because you did what you knew was wrong.” 
 
 ‘ ‘ Why did you not say blame to me before ?'* “ Because 
 
 we thought you could not know it before.” Had we 
 stopped here, we should have thought she fully under- 
 stood the word, but she wished to use it more, and said, 
 “ Do Abner blame horses to ride very quick? ” “No.” 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 77 
 
 But she insisted that he did, and to illustrate it made 
 the motion of whipping the horse and saying, “ Whip.” 
 “ Horse blames flies.” My answer was, “ Blaine is not 
 to scold, or to whip, or to strike, or to make j^ou sit 
 still and stay in your room ; it is to think you are wrong. 
 I blame you when I think you are wrong. When you 
 are impatient and push me in school, I think you are 
 wrong and I blame you.” She listened unwillingly to 
 this explanation, for it was a little too personal to 
 suit. On such occasions, she shows much adroitness in 
 changing the conversation. Now she said, “Do Abner 
 blame to strike pigs ? ” “ Why do hail break grapes ? ” 
 
 She was evidently thinking whether the hail was to 
 blame. I replied, “ Pigs and horses cannot know when 
 they do wrong, but you and I know, and if we do wrong 
 men will blame us because we know.” She said, “ Boy 
 came to take grapes, he was very wrong,” showing 
 great indignation; “bird came to eat them, and he 
 could not know, because he was very dull,” and here 
 she laughed heartily. “Do you blame the bird?” I asked. 
 “ No.” “ Do you blame the boy? ” “ Yes. I blamed 
 
 the boy I saw in Laurena’s room, because he played 
 very hard,” and she made the sign of striking. I said, 
 “I think you punished him if you struck him. ” Told her 
 a story of a little girl who was sent to carry some apples, 
 and then told the lady she did not know about them, 
 and of a dog who came to take meat because he was 
 hungry. The first excited her indignation so much 
 that to a stranger she would have appeared as if in a 
 passion. Asked her, “Do you blame the girl?” “Yes,” 
 very emphatically. “Was the dog wrong? ” “ Yes — • 
 
 no,” alternately. I said, “I do not blame the dog, 
 
78 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 because he cannot know. I do not blame babies.” 
 She answered this by saying, “ Thomas strikes.” Told 
 her, “ He is a little boy and knows, so I blamed him, 
 but Joseph is a baby, he cannot know, because he is not 
 old enough to think.” 
 
 Sept. 23. Laura told me this morning doctor said, 
 
 “ Chair is thing,” and laughed as if she thought it quite 
 absurd. Took the word for her lesson, and she soon 
 answered correctly when I gave her objects. Then she 
 asked if well and white were things. Once when she 
 mentioned an adjective, I inadvertently said, “Yes,” 
 and she immediately said, “Very wrong.” She asked, 
 “Why do not doctor whip me with stick when I am very 
 wrong? Men whip horses with sticks.” Told her 
 because we could tell little girls that we blame them 
 and that it makes us sorry if they do wrong. 
 
 A lady visiting the school asked her to write the 
 words, “ Do good and be good,” but nothing could 
 induce her to do it until she had the promise of an 
 explanation, as she seemed to think it not a proper 
 sentence to write. 
 
 Sept. 28. In speaking of some one who she thought 
 had not done rightly, she said, “ I think she is to blame 
 very much,” proving that the long lesson was under- 
 stood. 
 
 She was told that a little girl had chicken-pox, and 
 asked, “ Why did she eat so much chicken to make her 
 sick?” 
 
 During this month she had frequent sittings for Miss 
 Peabody, who was modelling a bust. She rather enjoyed 
 them as times when she could frolic as much as she 
 liked. 
 
IIP^hy 
 OF THE 
 
 uwvosrTY OF !u wms 
 
Heliotype Printing Co. 
 
 OLIVER CASWELL AND LAURA D. BRIDGMAN, 1844. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 79 
 
 Sept SO. This was a day of great interest both to 
 Laura and myself. Oliver Caswell, the deaf, dumb, and 
 blind boy arrived, and at noon I had the privilege of 
 giving him his first idea of the finger alphabet.* He 
 appeared much delighted with Laura’s mode of talking, 
 and imitated her by putting his hand in ours, and mak- 
 ing movements with his fingers. He evidently discov- 
 ered at once that she was like himself, for when he 
 wished to show her anything, he put it in her hand, 
 while he held it up for us to see. 
 
 Oct. 1. Dr. Howe gave Oliver a lesson, and he 
 learned to spell many words, and to distinguish between 
 doctor and Swift, when spelled to him. He showed his 
 delight in being taught by laughing heartily after 
 each word in which he was successful. Laura was a 
 most interested spectator, or rather participant, in this 
 lesson, for on the day before, I had not thought best to 
 allow her to be in the room, fearing she would distract 
 his attention. She became so much excited that she 
 forgot herself, and kissed him, and when she came 
 to me for her lesson in the afternoon she was much 
 troubled, and could not speak of it without blushing 
 very much. Yet she seemed to have a conflict in her 
 own mind about it, for she said she thought it was as 
 well as for little Maria to kiss Doctor before she went 
 to bed. After a long talk, she concluded it would be 
 very wrong, u Doctor would say I was very wrong and 
 would point at me.” Evidently her love of appproba- 
 tion helped her natural modesty in settling the question, 
 and it was a final decision, for I think she never kissed 
 him again. 
 
 *See Appendix. 
 
80 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 Oct. 4. She was surprised this morn to learn that 
 the air was everywhere. She happened to ask me where 
 the wind was to make the fire in the furnace, and ex- 
 plained what she meant by saying, u Match must have 
 air to make it burn, and how could air be in the furnace ? ” 
 A lesson on trades followed ; she said, “ Gown-maker is 
 carpenter, because cloth is made in loom, and man 
 makes cloth.” She could not see why a carpenter might 
 not as well do a great many other things, make walls 
 as well as floors. 
 
 Oct. 5. She enjoyed her lesson so much yester- 
 day that she came with man}" questions this morning. 
 Laura gains in one way upon children who have all their 
 senses. If interested in anything specially, she does 
 not forget it, but while dressing, or working, or however 
 occupied, her mind is upon it, while other children go 
 from their lessons into a world which presents so much 
 to take their attention that the lesson is hardly thought 
 of before another school-day comes. To-day she had 
 a long list of things, and wished to know the names of 
 the makers. Was much interested in sailors. The 
 idea that they were sailing day after day, “ all days,” as 
 she expressed it, was new to her. “Do they gobecause 
 ladies and men buy things, and men want more to put 
 in store?” Feeling a stone in a ring she asked, “ Did 
 mason make rings with stones ? ” For some time after 
 this lesson she inquired, when introduced to gentlemen, 
 if they were sailors, carpenters, or masons, etc. 
 
 One of the greatest trials Laura has is the restraint 
 we are obliged to put upon her in making loud noises, 
 tf she is interested in her lessons or excited, pleasantly 
 or unpleasantly, she is inclined to utter sounds which 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 81 
 
 are very disagreeable. She has a pleasant ringing 
 ! laugh, and we never object to her laughing as much as 
 she likes. She has for a few weeks been trying to be 
 quiet, as Dr. Howe has been away, and she is ambitious 
 to surprise him when he returns. 
 
82 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Miss Drew accompanied her on a visit to her 
 mother in October. They met Dr. Howe in Con- 
 cord and gave an exhibition of Laura in the State 
 House before many of the citizens. 
 
 From this place they went to Hartford, and vis- ; 
 ited Julia Brace at the Asylum for Deaf-Mutes. 
 When Laura was told she was deaf and blind like ! 
 herself, she became much excited, and asked, "Can 
 she talk with her finders?” On being told she 
 had never been taught, she tried to place her fin- 
 gers in position for the letter a, but Julia’s chief 
 interest was in the examination of Laura’s dress. 
 The teacher thought that by signs she made her 
 understand they were alike. She also visited Mrs. 
 
 L. H. Sigourney, who wrote on the occasion the 
 following poem : — 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 THE DEAF, DUMB, AND BLIND GIRL AT THE INSTITUTION FOR 
 THE BLIND IN BOSTON. 
 
 Where is the light that to the eye 
 Heaven’s holy message gave, 
 
 Tinging the retina with rays 
 From sky and earth and wave? 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 83 
 
 Where is the sound that to the soul 
 Mysterious passage wrought, 
 
 And strangely made the moving lip 
 A harp-string for the thought? 
 
 All fled ! All lost ! Not even the rose 
 An odor leaves behind, 
 
 That, like a broken reed, might trace 
 The tablet of the mind. 
 
 That mind ! It struggles with its fate, 
 The anxious conflict, see. 
 
 As if through Bastile bars it sought 
 Communion with the free. 
 
 Yet still its prison robe it wears 
 Without a prisoner’s pain, 
 
 For happy childhood’s beaming sun 
 Glows in each bounding vein. 
 
 And bless’d Philosophy is near, 
 
 In Christian armor bright, 
 
 To scan the subtlest clew that leads 
 To intellectual light. 
 
 Say, lurks there not some ray of heaven 
 Amid thy bosom’s night, 
 
 Some echo from a better land, 
 
 To make thy smile so bright? 
 
 The lonely lamp in Greenland cell, 
 
 Deep ’neath a world of snow, 
 
 Doth cheer the loving household group 
 Though none beside may know ; 
 
 And, sweet one, doth our Father’s hand 
 Place in thy casket dim 
 A radiant and peculiar lamp, 
 
 To guide thy steps to Him? 
 
84 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 At the close of this visit Laura had the grief of 
 parting with her old and much-loved teacher, who ! 
 left her to go to a home of her own. She had 
 been with her nearly all the time since she came 
 to the Institution, and to her untiring patience and 
 perseverance she was indebted for the most of 
 her early instruction. 
 
 Dec. 8. She received an invitation from her old i 
 teacher, Miss Drew, to visit her. This gave her great ; i 
 pleasure, but she found much fault with her because she ; 
 signed her old name Drew, “ when her name is Morton i 
 now.” Allusion has been made to her habit of making ;; 
 a different noise for each person : she had one for Miss ! 
 Drew, but now she said she must find another, as the j 
 one for Drew must not be the same as for Morton. 
 
 Dec. 31. Lesson on Christmas presents, and tried j 
 to interest her in New Year’s Day, the number of days ; 
 in a year, etc., but she is just now anxious to talk only 
 on subjects that will furnish new words. “ I want you 
 to tell me new many words. What does language, . 
 syllable, divided, evil, mean ? ” She wished me to know I 
 what she had learned, and said, “ O ! is when you are | 
 glad, and Oh ! is when we are afraid. Lydia is oh ! of * 
 doctor. Was Lydia naughty and bad to be afraid of “I 
 doctor?” It was evident she had been talking with 
 some of the blind girls and only half understood what j 
 the} 7 had tried to teach her. 
 
 Having completed the extracts from the journal} j 
 for the year 1841, we quote from Dr. Howe’s re- j 
 
 ! 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 85 
 
 port* a statement of her physical and mental con- 
 dition at this period : — 
 
 44 I shall first give an account of what may be called 
 her physical condition, and its attendant phenomena. 
 She has had almost uninterrupted health, and has grown 
 in stature and strength. She is now tall of her age 
 (twelve years) , well proportioned, and very strong and 
 active. The acuteness of her touch, and of the sense 
 of feeling generally, has increased sensibly during the 
 last year. She can perceive when any one touches a 
 piano in the same room with her ; she says, 4 Sound 
 comes through the floor to my feet, and up to my head.* 
 She recognizes her friends by the slightest touch of their 
 hands, or of their dress. For instance, she never fails 
 to notice when I have changed my coat, though it be 
 for one of the same cut, color, and cloth ; if it is only a 
 little more or less worn than the usual one, she perceives 
 it, and asks, 4 Why ? ’ It would appear that in these 
 perceptions she employs not only the sense of touch, 
 but derives great assistance from what Brown would call 
 a sixth sense, viz., the sense of muscular resistance. 
 Aided by both of these, she has acquired surprising 
 facility in ascertaining the situation and relation of 
 things around her. Especially is it curious to see how 
 accurate is her perception of the direction or bearing of 
 objects from her ; for by much practice and observation, 
 she has attained, to some extent, what the bee and some 
 other insects have in such perfection by instinct, — the 
 power of going straight towards a given point, without 
 
 * Tenth Annual Report of the Trustees of Perkins Institution 
 and Massachusetts Asylum for the Blind. 
 
86 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 any guide or landmark. For instance, when she is 
 told to go from any part of the room to a particular 
 door or window, she goes directly and confidently on, 
 not groping, or feeling the walls ; she stops at the right 1 
 instant, raises her hand in the right direction, and places i 
 it upon the door-knob, or whatever point she may have | 
 aimed at. Of course it is not supposed that she can ! 
 exercise this power when she is in a new place, but that j 
 she has attained great facility in ascertaining her actual 1 
 position in regard to external things. 
 
 “ I am inclined to think that this power is much 
 more common than is usually supposed, and that man 
 has the desire and the capacity of knowing all the rela- 
 tions of outness (to use a word of Berkeley) , so strongly 
 marked as almost to deserve the name of a primitive 
 faculty. The first impulse on waking in the morning 
 is to ascertain where we are, and although the effort to 
 ascertain it may not be apparent in common cases, yet, , 
 let a person be turned round when he is asleep, and see 
 how instantaneously on waking he looks about to ascer- 
 tain his position ; or, if he is tying awake in the dark 
 and his bed should be turned round, see how difficult it 
 would be for him to go to sleep without stretching out 
 his hand to feel the wall, or something by which the 
 desire in question maybe gratified. Swing a boy round 
 till he is dizzy, look at a girl stopping giddy from the 
 waltz, or a person who has been playing blind man’s 
 buff, and has just raised the handkerchief, and mark 
 how, by holding the head as if to steady it, and eagerly 
 looking around, the first and involuntary effort of each 
 one is to ascertain the relations of outness. . . 3 
 
 Who could be easy a moment if he had no notion of 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 87 
 
 what he was sitting or standing upon, or any percep- 
 tion or idea of being supported and surrounded by 
 material objects? 
 
 “ Laura, or any blind child, if taken up in a person’s 
 arms, carried into a strange room and placed in a chair, 
 could not resist the inclination to stretch out her hands 
 and ascertain by feeling the relations of space and 
 objects about her. In walking in the street she en- 
 deavors to learn all she can of the nature of the 
 ground she is treading on ; but she gives herself up 
 generally to her leader, clinging very closely to her. 
 I have sometimes, in play, or to note the effect, sud- 
 denly dropped her hand when she was in a strange place 
 and started out of her reach, at which she manifested 
 not fear, but bewilderment and perplexity. 
 
 “ I have said she measures distances very accurately, 
 and this she seems to do principally by the aid of what 
 Brown calls the sixth sense, or muscular contraction, 
 and perhaps by that faculty to which I have alluded 
 above, by which we attend to the relations of outness . 
 When we ascend a flight of steps, for instance, we 
 measure several steps with the e} T e ; but once having 
 got the gauge of them we go up without looking, meas- 
 ure the distance which we are to raise the foot, even 
 to the sixteenth of an inch, by the sense of con- 
 traction of the muscles ; and that we measure accu- 
 rately, is proved when we come to a step that is but 
 a trifle higher or lower than the rest, in which case we 
 stumble. 
 
 “I have tried to ascertain her mode of estimating 
 distance, length, etc., by drawing smooth, hard sub- 
 stances through her hand. When a cane, for instance, 
 
88 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 is thus drawn through her hand, she says it is long 
 or short, somewhat according as it is moved with more 
 or less rapidity, that is, according to the duration 
 of the impression; but I am inclined to think she 
 gets some idea of the rapidity of the motion even of 
 the smoothest substances, and modifies her judgment 
 thereby. 
 
 “I have tried to excite the dormant senses, or to 
 create impressions upon the brain, which resemble 
 sensations, by electricity and galvanism, but with only 
 partial success. When a galvanic circuit is made by 
 pressing one piece of metal against the mucous mem- 
 brane of the nose, and another against the tongue, the 
 nerves of taste are affected, and she says it is like 
 medicine. 
 
 “ The subject of dreaming has been attended to, with 
 a view of ascertaining whether there is any sponta- 
 neous activity of the brain, or any part of it, which 
 would give her sensations resembling those arising 
 from the action of light, sound, etc., upon other per- 
 sons, but as yet without obtaining positive evidence 
 that there is any. Further inquiry, when she is more 
 capable of talking on intellectual subjects, may change 
 this opinion, but now it seems to me that her dreams 
 are only the spontaneous production of sensations, 
 similar in kind to those which she experiences while 
 awake (whether preceded or accompanied by any cere- 
 bral action cannot be known) . She often relates her 
 dreams, and says, ‘ I dreamed to talk with a person,’ 
 
 ‘ to walk with one,’ etc. If asked whether she talked 
 with her mouth, she says, 4 No,’ very emphatically, 
 
 ‘ I do not dream to talk with mouth ; I dream to talk 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 89 
 
 with fingers.’ Neither does she ever dream of seeing 
 persons, but only of meeting them in her usual way. 
 She came to me the other morning with a disturbed 
 look, and said, * I cried much in the night, because I 
 did dream you said good by, to go away over the 
 water.’ In a word, her dreams seem, as ours do, to 
 be the result of the spontaneous activity of the different 
 mental faculties, producing sensations similar in kind 
 to our waking ones, but without order or congruity, 
 because uncontrolled by the will. 
 
 “ In the development of her intellectual powers, and 
 in the acquisition of knowledge, not only of language, 
 but of external things and their relations, I think she 
 has made great progress. The principal labor has, of 
 course, been upon the mere vehicle for thought, — 
 language ; and if, as has been remarked, it is well for 
 children that they do not know what a task is before 
 them when they begin to learn language (for their 
 hearts would sink within them at the thought of forty 
 thousand unknown signs of unknown things which they 
 are to learn) , how much more strongly does the remark 
 apply to Laura ! They hear these words on every side, 
 at every moment, and learn them without effort ; they 
 see them in books, and every day scores of them are 
 recorded in their minds. The mountain of their diffi- 
 culty vanishes fast, and they finish their labor, think- 
 ing, in the innocence of their hearts, that it is only 
 play ; but she, poor thing, in darkness and silence must 
 attack her mountain, and weigh and measure every 
 grain of which it is composed ; and it is a rebuke to 
 those who find so many lions in the path of knowledge, 
 to see how incessantly and devotedly she labors on 
 
90 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 from morn till night of every day, and laughs as if hei 
 task were the pleasantest thing in the world. 
 
 “ I mentioned some circumstances in my last report, 
 which made me infer her native modesty, and although 
 such a supposition seems to some unphilosophical, I can 
 only say that careful observation during the past year 
 corroborates the opinion then advanced. Nor have I 
 any difficulty in supposing that there is this innate ten- 
 dency to purity 1 ; but on the contrary, I think it forms 
 an important and beautiful element of humanity, the 
 natural course of which is towards that state of refine- 
 ment, in which, while the animal appetites shall work 
 out their own ends, they shall all of them be stripped of 
 their grossness, and clad in garments of purity, contrib- 
 ute to the perfection of a race made in God’s own 
 image. 
 
 “ Laura is still so young, and her physical develop- 
 ment is yet so imperfect, she is so childlike in appear- 
 ance and action, that it is impossible to suppose she has 
 as3 r et any idea of sex ; nevertheless, no young lady can 
 be more modest and proper in dress and demeanor than 
 she is. It has been suggested that, as her father was 
 obliged, when she was young, to coerce her to many 
 things which she was disinclined to do, she may have 
 conceived a fear of every one in man’s dress. But on 
 the other hand, she was much accustomed, from child- 
 hood, to the society of a simple, kind-hearted man, who 
 loved her tenderly, and with whom she was perfectly 
 familiar ; it was not, therefore, the dress which affected 
 her. 
 
 “ I may add, moreover, that from the time she came 
 here, she has never been accustomed to be in company 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 91 
 
 with any man but myself ; and that I have, in view of 
 the future, very carefully refrained from even those 
 endearing caresses which are naturally bestowed upon a 
 child of eight years old, to whom one is tenderly 
 attached. But this will not account for such facts as 
 the following. During the last year, she received from 
 a lady a present of a beautifully dressed doll, with a bed 
 and bedclothes, and chamber furniture of all kinds. 
 Never was a child happier than she was ; and a long 
 time passed in examining and admiring the wardrobe 
 and furniture. The wash-stand was arranged, towels 
 were folded, the bureau was put in place, the linen was 
 deposited in the tiny drawers ; at last the bed was 
 nicely made, the pillows smoothed, the top sheet turned 
 trimly over, and the bed half opened, as if coquettishly 
 inviting Miss Dolly to come in ; but here Laura began 
 to hesitate, and kept coming to my chair to see if I 
 was still in the room, and going away again, laughing, 
 when she found me. At last I went out, and as soon 
 as she perceived the jar of the shutting door, she com- 
 menced undressing the doll, and putting it to bed, 
 eagerly desiring her teacher (a lady) to admire the oper- 
 ation. 
 
 “ She, as I said, is not familiarly acquainted with any 
 man but myself. When she meets with one, she shrinks 
 back coyly ; though if it be a lady, she is familiar, and 
 will receive and return caresses ; nevertheless, she has 
 no manner of fear or awe of me. She plays with me as 
 she would with a girl. Hardly a day passes without a 
 game at romps between us ; yet never, even by inad- 
 vertence, does she transgress the most scrupulous pro- 
 priety, and would as instinctively and promptly correct 
 
92 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 any derangement of her dress, as a girl of fourteen, 
 trained to the strictest decorum. Perceiving, one day, 
 that I kissed a little girl much younger than herself, she 
 noticed it, and stood thinking a moment, and then asked 
 me gravely, ‘ Why did you kiss Eebecca ? ’ and some 
 hours after, she asked the same question again.” 
 
 Dr. Howe closes this report with the following 
 remarks upon her ideas of God, and his plans for 
 her future instruction : — 
 
 “ During the past year she has shown very great 
 inquisitiveness in relation to the origin of things. She 
 knows that men made houses, furniture, etc., but of her 
 own accord seemed to infer that they did not make 
 themselves or natural objects. She therefore asks, 
 ‘Who made dogs, horses, and sheep?’ She has got 
 from books, and perhaps from other children, the word 
 God, but has formed no definite idea on the subject.. 
 Not long since, when her teacher was explaining the 
 structure of a house, she was puzzled to know ‘ How 
 the masons piled up bricks before floor was made to 
 stand on ? ’ When this was explained she asked, ‘ When 
 did masons make Jeannette’s parlor, — before all Gods 
 made all folks ? ’ 
 
 “ I am now occupied in devising various ways of giv- 
 ing her an idea of immaterial power by means of the 
 attraction of magnets, the pushing of vegetation, etc., 
 and intend attempting to convey to her some adequate 
 idea of the great Creator and Euler of all things. Iam 
 fully aware of the immeasurable importance of the sub- 
 ject, and of my own inadequacy ; I am aware, too, that, 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 93 
 
 pursue what course I may, I shall incur more of human 
 censure than of approbation ; but, incited by the warm- 
 est affection for the child, and guided by the best exer- 
 cise of the humble abilities which God has given me, I 
 shall go on in the attempt to give her a faint idea of 
 the power and love of that Being, whose praise she is 
 every day so clearly proclaiming by her glad enjoyment 
 of the existence which he has given to her.” 
 
94 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 During the year 1842 Laura was taught one 
 hour daily by Miss Rogers (Miss Drew’s succes- 
 sor) and two hours by myself. 
 
 As in the year preceding, there was little system 
 in the course of instruction. Our aim was to 
 improve her language and add to her general 
 information. A review of the work done leads 
 me to say that she advanced despite all disadvan- 
 tages. 
 
 In the extracts from journals which follow, it 
 should be understood that all remarks which are 
 quoted as her own expressions are unchanged, 
 even in orthography. 
 
 It was my custom to have lying before me paper 
 and pencil, and the exact words of all sentences 
 which were of interest were noted at once. It 
 may be a surprise that her spelling was so uni- 
 formly correct, but when it is remembered that 
 she never makes use of a word without giving its 
 component letters, this is easily accounted for. 
 She has only two ways of using language ; the one 
 requires her to make each letter with the fingers, 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 95 
 
 the other to write it with her pencil. She is not 
 led into error by the sound of the word, as chil- 
 dren who can hear constantly are, nor by the rec- 
 ollection of its appearance when written ; but it is 
 a matter of simple memory, and if that fail, there 
 can be no possibility of spelling by analogy, or in 
 any way making good the deficiency. It becomes 
 a lost word, until such time as it shall be used by 
 some one in conversation with her, and so recov- 
 ered. 
 
 At this time she had only one book which she 
 attempted to read, there being no elementary 
 books printed in the raised type. This was called 
 "The Child’s First Book,” and while it was all that 
 was required for the blind children, who did not 
 enter the school until they understood ordinary 
 language, it proved a labyrinth of difficulties to 
 Laura, and even at this date a few lines furnished 
 work for a day’s explanation. 
 
 Jan. 8 , 1842. Laura has had a present of a toy range 
 which has a lamp to serve instead of fire She spent 
 the most of her lesson time in asking “the why” of 
 every part, even to the little air-holes in the top of the 
 lamp ; nothing escaped her observation. Having satis- 
 fied herself on this, she said she had new words which 
 she had found in her book, and wanted me to tell her 
 about, “articulate sounds, vowels, consonants, etc.” 
 One would suppose that it would have taken her hours 
 to remember how to spell such words, and the work of 
 
96 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 explaining them looked equally laborious. The first 
 she soon understood, but I told her no little girls learned 
 about vowels ; she must wait till she was older. She 
 replied, “ You told me when Miss Drew was here,” and 
 then she repeated them, and asked, “ What is w and y ? ,l 
 I supposed she would not be satisfied without an answer 
 to the question why they were called vowels, but as the 
 lesson was continued while taking a walk, she changed 
 the subject. We found four boats drawn up on the 
 shore, which she was very happy in examining ; her 
 questions were so numerous it took long to answer them. 
 She had been shown a fish-hook, and supposed that men 
 had to get out of the boats to get the fish in ; wanted 
 to know why boats should not have wheels instead of 
 keels. Asked if fire made these boats go. On being 
 told no, she said I was very wrong, that fire was in a large 
 boat. Explained the difference in boats and the use of 
 oars. “Do water roll much and come over men in 
 boat? Who put fishes in water? ” 
 
 Jan. 13. Laura had found a notice of a Trustees' 
 meeting, which was printed in raised letters, and brought 
 it for explanation. “What are Trustees?” When 
 told they were men who took care of this house, “And 
 the girls and boys ? ” she added, ‘ ‘ and horses ? ” After 
 a long explanation of “ Sir,” “ Yours respectfully, etc.,” 
 I asked her if she knew about it now. “Little, — 
 because you said long words.” It always makes her 
 unhappy to be left with a subject half understood, so I 
 went over it all again and explained it to her satisfaction. 
 
 Jan. 15. Some one had given her an almanac, and 
 she brought it to me with a sad face, saying, “ Jenny 
 sent me book and I cannot know, there are many 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 97 
 
 hard words on all leaves that I cannot know.” Told 
 her we would talk about it, and I could tell her a great 
 deal that was in it. So we turned leaf after leaf, and 
 she wished to be told 4 ‘ everything ” there was on a 
 page, and to have the pictures at die head of each month 
 explained. The blank leaves for memoranda pleased 
 her. At the end of the lesson she was as “ triumphant 
 as one who has taken a city,” and her comment upon 
 the one who had told her she could not understand 
 about it was, “ She is very blind, she did not see to 
 tell me about many things.” 
 
 It was the wish of Dr. Howe to give her all 
 ideas concerning death himself, but she often sur- 
 prised her teachers by use of expressions which had 
 never been taught her by them. It must be remem- 
 bered that she was constantly meeting the blind 
 girls, while passing to and from the school-room, 
 and she never missed an opportunity for conver- 
 sation, often holding them unwilling listeners. She 
 rarely told us of new words or ideas acquired in 
 this way, at once, but only as they were suggested 
 to her mind in some lesson. For example, speak- 
 ing of Cambridge to-day suggested an occurrence 
 of over a year ago, when she had been at the 
 Institution only about two years. There were two 
 little sisters from that place, who were in our 
 blind family, Adeline and Elizabeth. Adeline 
 died at her home. She asked, "Did you see 
 Adeline in box?” "Yes.” "She was very cold 
 and not smooth; ground made her rough.” I 
 
98 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN \ 
 
 tried to change the subject here, but it was in 
 vain ; she wished to know how long the box was, 
 etc., and said, " Drew told me about Adeline : did 
 she feel ? Did Elizabeth cry and feel sick ? I did 
 not cry, because I did not think much about it.” 
 She drew her hands in with a shudder, and I asked 
 if she was cold. She said, "I thought about I 
 was afraid to feel of dead man before I came here, 
 when I was very little girl with my mother; I 
 felt of dead head’s eyes and nose ; I thought it 
 was man’s ; I did not know.” 
 
 I desire to call particular attention to this conver- 
 sation, and to have the reader distinctly under- 
 stand the circumstances. A blind, deaf, and dumb 
 child, not over six years old, was led beside a coffin, 
 and her hand placed on the features of a corpse. 
 No one could communicate with her in any way 
 to tell her the meaning of it, and all she could 
 know was the coldness and rigidity, which to her 
 sensitive touch must have been so terrible. Are 
 we surprised that now, when language has been 
 given her, in which she can describe the feelings 
 and tell of the thoughts which must have been 
 indelibly impressed upon her mind, she says she 
 "was afraid,” and shudders at the recollec <on? 
 She added, "I thought it was man’s” (shf was 
 correct) , " I did not know.” Does not this little 
 sentence settle beyond dispute the question, "Can 
 we think without words ? ” 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 99 
 
 Jan. 24. She has been thinking much of the lesson 
 on boats and ships, and came to me to ask, if ships were 
 so large and high, how men could get into them. To 
 test her powers of receiving ideas through illustrations 
 that would require her imagination to work quite 
 actively, I built up objects in the room to represent a 
 ship, told her she must think of the floor as being water, 
 and the rug as the ground, and laid a plank to let her 
 see how she could get up to it. She was delighted with 
 it all, and the lesson was a success. 
 
 Jan. 29. To-day Laura had the honor of a call from 
 Charles Dickens. His great interest in her caused him 
 to remain for several hours. She was animated in con- 
 versation, and I think he received a very correct impres- 
 sion of her. 
 
 His " Notes on America ” contain several pages 
 of description of this visit. 
 
 In this connection I wish to explain, what was 
 perhaps often misunderstood by visitors to Laura, 
 during this period of her life. Out of the fulness 
 of the heart many words of kindness, and many of 
 flattery, were dictated to us to interpret to her. 
 The former we always repeated literally, but we 
 evaded the latter. Persons did not realize that 
 a child placed in her position would naturally 
 become proud, selfish, and disagreeable in many 
 ways, and that more than ordinary care must be 
 taken to guard her from all influences which would 
 produce these effects. When taken to the school- 
 room for exhibition, she was told that the blind 
 
100 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 girls were sitting in their desks all around the 
 room, and that ladies and gentlemen came to see 
 how the blind could be taught. She never had an 
 idea that her share of attention was greater than 
 theirs, but if the hundredth part of the comments 
 which were intended to reach her had been re- 
 peated, all our efforts to preserve her a mod- 
 est, simple-hearted child would have been of no 
 avail. 
 
 Feb. 4. Talking of her plans for vacation, Laura 
 made an unusually long sentence. “ I must go to 
 Hanover to see my mother, but I shall be very weak to 
 go far ; I will go to Halifax, if I can go with you. If 
 Dr. is gone away, I think I will go with Jeannette ; * if 
 Dr. is at home, I cannot go, because he does not like to 
 be left alone, and if J. is gone he cannot mend his 
 clothes and fix all things alone.” 
 
 Feb. 8. She had written the following letter entirely 
 without assistance and brought it for me to read.f It 
 was directed on the outside to 44 My Mother, Hanover.” 
 
 My Dear my Mother : 
 
 I want to see you very much. I want you to send 
 me some mince pie, and I want you to write to me. You 
 will write letter to me. I send much love to you, and 
 Addison, and John (brothers) : they must send me many 
 nuts, because I love them very much ; you must write 
 to me. I am very well now, much, my doll is well. 
 
 * Dr. Howe’s sister. 
 
 t The punctuation marks and capitals are ours. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 101 
 
 Lurena is well but she is weak. Miss J. and Dr. are 
 well. Miss Swift and Miss Rogers teaches me many 
 days. Doll is better. I can write with chalk on 
 k° ar d- Laura Bridgman. 
 
 Her thoughts were still on her home, and she said, 
 u My mother cried before I came to Boston, because 
 she was very sad to have me come from home. Was 
 she silly ? She cannot teach me at home, I should be 
 very dull, and forget all.” She then gave me a long 
 description of their rooms, laughed when she told of 
 the low ceilings, little windows, etc., which she com- 
 pared with those of the Institution. 
 
 Feb. 9. Asked if she had any 4 4 new words” for 
 me. In reply she said, 14 Doctor told me about God ; 
 it was very little say, and he told me when I was very 
 tall he would teach me about God much. Is it man? 
 Did it make you and me ? ” Told her she must ask 
 Doctor again about it. 
 
 Feb. 16. Having noticed that Laura was growing 
 careless upon the use of the verbs, devoted the time to 
 a conversation on 44 do” and 44 does,” which she uses in- 
 discriminately. As an example of the use of 44 do,” she 
 said, 44 1 do go to bed ” ; and when corrected, asked wh} r 
 it was not as well to omit 44 go ” as 4 4 do.” She is always 
 ready with illustrations, and after much thinking, was 
 able to correct the sentences herself. She made such 
 mistakes as 44 1 have not been to walk yesterday,” 44 I 
 did not know if she could hear,” etc. Asked her if she 
 would try to remember the lesson. 44 Yes, when I am 
 not in much hurry.” 
 
 Feb. 17. She brought me a letter she had received, 
 
102 
 
 LAVRA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 saying, with great indignation, “Doctor opened and 
 read it to me. Doctor was wrong to open little girl’s 
 letters ; little girls open tkeirself.” 
 
 Feb. 19. Talked about monkeys. After answering 
 the usual questions which she asks about every new 
 animal, told her a story of one who liked to kiss little 
 girls. Found that she supposed a monkey could talk, 
 and when told he could not, she looked as if much 
 relieved, though she asked immeaiately if he could see. 
 
 Feb. 23. Talking about the veins, told her they 
 were blue; she asked, “Are they pretty?” This is 
 her favorite color. I drew my finger over them in her 
 neck and face, and it seemed to her veiy ridiculous 
 that there should* be so many colors in her face. 
 
 Feb. 25. In the midst of a conversation upon every- 
 day occurrences she said abruptly, “ I want to see 
 God, I want Doctor to make me see.” Speaking of 
 being tall, asked her if she wished to be tall. “ Yes, 
 because I want to learn about many Gods, and to wear 
 collar.” It will be perceived that thus far she had only 
 a vague idea of God, but that her desire to be taught 
 about him was very great. 
 
 Feb. 28. Laura found a copy of ‘ 6 The Child’s Second 
 Book” while left alone on Sunda}^, and was much pleased 
 that she could understand a sentence here and there. 
 Many words which were new to her she had carefully 
 remembered, and so brought work enough for three or 
 four hours. “ Wave, prevent, hollow,” she understood 
 readily, and applied the latter to a defective tooth. 
 “ Cape, point, valleys, plains, and deluge ” next occu- 
 pied attention. “ Drown ” was explained “ to go under 
 the water, and not come up.” “Would they die?” 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 103 
 
 was her question at once. “ Floating, preserved,” and 
 lastly “ Mediterranean Sea, Bhering’s, Narragansett.” 
 Told her she would know all about these last when we 
 taught her geography. “ Will that be very soon?” 
 Should we not think that a bright child with all her 
 senses had learned a hard lesson if she had committed 
 to memory such a list of words, and then had learned 
 to spell them all correctly ? This was just what Laura 
 had done in that hour, when left by herself. 
 
 March 5. She wished me to tell her about yarn. 
 Began with the sheep, shearing it, etc. When I got as 
 far as the carding she made the motion for it, and said, 
 “I have seen my mother.” Found she was familiar 
 also with the process of spinning. Talked of all the 
 things in the room made of wool. She said, u Silk- 
 worms make something, what is it?” Taught her co- 
 coon, but reserved the story of silk for another lesson. 
 She had been shown a pod with cotton and remembered 
 that the cotton was made from that. 
 
 March 7. Yesterday, when reading, she found the 
 word “ harmony,” and ran to Miss J. and said, “ My 
 mother is in book ; it must be Harmony Bridgman, man 
 did not know.” 
 
 March 9. To show me that she remembered and 
 could apply one of the “ new words” of yesterday’s 
 lesson she said, on first seeing me this morning, “ J.’s 
 hand is instrument to pat with.” During the past week 
 she has said several times when checked for making 
 noises, “I thought you could not hear,” and instances 
 of this kind have led us to think that she imagined she 
 did nothing wrong, provided she concealed it. To-day 
 taught her the word “ deceive,” and told her it is to do 
 
104 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 things when J. is not here that you would not do when 
 she is here. Then gave her several instances of decep- 
 tion which she had used during the last week, all very 
 slight in themselves, but which would fairly come under 
 that head, and thought she began to understand it. 
 She said, 4 4 1 would not like to have J. know, and I would 
 not like to have Doctor know ; he must make me know ; 
 I would be very sad to have any one tell Doctor because 
 he would blame, or scold me.” Told her if she did not 
 do wrong no one would have to tell him, and she showed 
 that she fully understood that wrong intent was neces- 
 sary to make the action wrong by remarking, 44 1 would 
 tell Doctor ; if I did not mean , he would not blame me.” 
 She has not yet corrected the impression that the error 
 lies in failing to conceal the crime, rather than in its com- 
 mission. The next day, when sent for her lunch, she 
 found the servant absent, and feeling irritated, took 
 the key from the door to prevent Miss J. from pass- 
 ing through. After talking about it, she said, 44 1 knew 
 it was wrong ; was it deceive ? ” Told her no, and was 
 about to explain further when she said, 4 ‘If I do not 
 want J. to know that I took key, it is deceive.” Told 
 her that to deceive was a little lie ; that she did not tell 
 large lies, but in this way she could tell many little 
 lies, and it was very, very wrong. She then gave a 
 minute description of the first time she attempted to 
 disobey me, when I was giving her a lesson. Told her 
 I had nearly forgotten all about it, and she said, 44 You 
 are very forgetful,” — the first time I had known her to 
 use this expression. 
 
 March 15. Laura was in excellent spirits this morn- 
 ing, for she was expecting Dr. Howe to return after a 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 105 
 
 long absence in the South. She asked, “ Do Doctor 
 know I can smile ? ” This is a word she has learned 
 since he went awa} r , and she seemed to think he could 
 not understand it. Among the words she talked of was 
 “fault”; she wanted to know its meaning. Told her 
 it was doing wrong ; she said, “ Fault is like diameter 
 — no, crime.” Accounted for the mistake as I remem- 
 bered that I taught her both words at the same time 
 and she had crossed their meaning. Explained that 
 fault was a little crime. When walking, she asked, “ If 
 the bark of a tree,” which I laid her hand upon, “ was 
 black, because if it was white it would get dirty ? ” 
 
 March 17. “New words” which she brought to the 
 lesson were, “ Mentioned, suit of clothes, approached, 
 arrived. ” Had her bring me the book in which she had 
 found them, and read a page to me, to see if she got 
 any correct idea of it as a whole. As I supposed, she 
 gave only a confused mixture of words. After reading it, 
 she said, “ My head aches to think of many words ; do 
 sheep’s head ache?” Thoughts of animals, and their 
 points of resemblance to man, seem to be always in her 
 mind. She asked, “Are peaches yellow because they 
 would be dirty if white ? and are shoes dark colored ? ” 
 (for the same reason.) She has lately learned the divi- 
 sion of colors into dark and light. 
 
 March 26. Laura just recovering from measles. 
 She wanted to know the meaning of “ selfish.” After a 
 long talk about it, she thought she would like to be a 
 little selfish, and I did not succeed in changing her 
 opinion, even by the argument which generally avails 
 much, that ladies do not love selfish girls, and she would 
 not be loved when she grew old if she were selfish. 
 
106 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 March 28. Although she was still weak, we had a 
 pleasant talk to-day. Perhaps, as in the case of most 
 people, her sickness has made her think of home and 
 her mother, and she wanted to talk to me of old times. 
 Asked me the names of spindle and reel by describing 
 their motions. She said, “My mother had a swift 
 made of sticks to wind yarn on.” She laughed heartily 
 at the name being like mine. She told me about her 
 mother’s last visit to her, of the things she brought, and 
 ended by saying, “I think I am little afraid of my 
 father.” As he had been the one to correct her before 
 she was taught anything, it is not strange she should 
 say this. She speaks of him with affection at other 
 times. 
 
 March 30. For several weeks she has had a habit of 
 pushing the blind girls away when she meets them, if 
 she does not wish to speak to them. As it seemed to be 
 growing into a serious matter, both for herself and the 
 blind girls, their esteem for her being somewhat lowered 
 of late, decided to devote an hour to talking about it. 
 When she understood it fully, she was very sad and 
 cried, and felt it very much when I told her the girls 
 would not love her, and why they all loved the gentle 
 Oliver. When it was proposed that she go and tell 
 Abby she was sorry that she pushed her, she went at 
 once, and said, u I shall tell her I am very sad.” 
 
 April 4. Found Laura much excited over something 
 she had found in a book ; she met me saying, “Doctor 
 wrote in book, ‘ you must not think because you are 
 blind.’ ” On referring to it I found she had omitted the 
 conclusion of the sentence, which was, “ that you can- 
 not learn as much as other children.” I failed to remove 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 107 
 
 the -wrong impression entirely, and presume it will still 
 trouble her. 
 
 This is one of her greatest difficulties in reading, and 
 it seems almost impossible to teach her how to read 
 properly, i. e., to receive the ideas as a whole instead of 
 detaching sentences, clauses, or even words, and think- 
 ing only of their meaning when taken separately, and 
 so failing to get the true sense. 
 
 April 6. The experience of the last lesson leads me 
 to think that I cannot better spend an hour with her 
 than in having her read to me from the book with which 
 she has been amusing herself. “ I will tell you about 
 the world,” was the first sentence, and she stopped to 
 ask, 44 Who is I? ” Next she read, 4 4 It is round,” and 
 before reading 44 like an orange,” she told me, u round 
 like a peppermint.” The whole of the hour was occu- 
 pied in making her understand the difference between 
 the shape of the peppermint and the orange. 
 
 Dr. Howe came into the room while she was having 
 a lesson, peeling an orange. She stopped in the midst 
 of a sentence to say, 44 I smell orange.” We can see a 
 decided improvement in her sense of smell since last 
 year, but she has never noticed any perfume so quickly 
 or at so great a distance before. 
 
 April 19. 44 Why does it rain?” 44 To make all 
 
 things grow.” 44 What are all things?” Described 
 the planting of the seed, potatoes, peas, etc., and told 
 her it rained to make them grow, just as she put 
 water on her plant in the pot to make it grow. She 
 led me to it to show me its growth, and found hang- 
 ing upon it a bunch of raisins, which Miss J. had 
 put there as a surprise. At first she thought the 
 
108 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN 
 
 plant had borne fruit, but soon discovered the joke and 
 enjoyed it. 
 
 April 21. Lesson on the yardstick; learned to 
 measure three quarters, half, one quarter, and was very 
 happy in applying her new knowledge. 
 
 April 25. Another example of her difficult} 7 in read- 
 ing. The sentence was, “ The deer knows this.’ The 
 previous sentence was, “ The grass grows under the 
 snow.” She could not put the two together as any 
 other child would readily do, but asked, with a look 
 of great surprise, “ Can the deer know what is in this 
 
 book?” 
 
 April 27. When returning from a walk with her, I 
 told her I could see the windows in our house. She 
 asked at once, “ Can you see my Hanover’s windows? ” 
 meaning the windows in her father’s house in Hanover, 
 N. H. One day when walking on our piazza, I said, 
 “ I can see the windows in the houses in Boston, and 
 the sun shining on them very brightly ” Another day 
 when sitting in the room I told her I could look through 
 our window and see the windows in Boston. She said, 
 “ Look through their windows and tell me what all folks 
 are doing.” 
 
 May 2. The dog Marco accompanied us in our walk 
 to-day, and she was much interested in asking the 
 extent of his knowledge. “ Can Marco hear when } ou 
 say Marco?” Told her yes, and that he came to me. 
 
 ‘ Does he know Doctor ? ” “Yes.” “ Will you say 
 Doctor to him, and see if he knows ? ” Told her he did 
 not know when I talked about Doctor, but when he saw 
 him he knew him. This was a great puzzle to her, that 
 he should know his own name and not Doctors, and 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 ioy 
 
 after thinking of it for some time she said quite impa* 
 tiently, u I will ask Doctor, you do not know.” 
 
 May 3. While walking to the Point two or three 
 cannon were fired from a vessel near the Farm School. 
 At each report she said, “I hear; it is cannon.” 
 Thinking she might describe her hearing as she did in 
 case of the piano, I asked, “ Do you hear through your 
 feet ? ” “ No, when it is ver} r loud I hear in m} T ear.” 
 
 May 8. Laura’s mind has been entirely occupied 
 with the sick horse. She wants to know if he has 
 medicine. “Does he know sick or better? ” Told her 
 he did not know the words, sick or better, but he knew 
 when he felt better. She asks every hour what they 
 are doing for him, and if they give him gruel. When 
 told no, she said I was wrong, that horses ate meal and 
 water and that was gruel, which I did not dispute. To- 
 da} r she had been told he was dead. “ Why did not I 
 die when I was very sick ? ” This is the first time she 
 has alluded to her own death in conversation with me, 
 and now she looked anxious and much troubled. “ Did 
 horse know about dead, before he was dead?” Suc- 
 ceeded in diverting her attention, and she was very 
 happy for a while. One extreme of feeling is often fol- 
 lowed, in her case, by the other. Asked her why she 
 laughed so much? “ Because I am very O.” “ What 
 
 is O ? ” “ When I am very happy ; you said ladies say 
 0. I am very O ! ” She soon returned to the old sub- 
 ject and said, “ I cried much Friday morning because 
 the horse was worse, and I love him very much, he is 
 soft and gentle.” 
 
 May 12. Gave her a lesson in the stable ; examined 
 the harness, saddle, bit, blinders, and reins, sleigh-bells, 
 
110 
 
 LAVRA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 collar, stirrups. Then took her to the carriage, and 
 taught her the name of many of its parts, and the use 
 of the springs. 
 
 May 13. Laura had a lesson in multiplication, and 
 I told her to-morrow I would teach her to divide. She 
 thought I said “ dive” and was quite troubled about it, 
 but when she found it was divide and something new in 
 arithmetic, she said, u To-day, not to-morrow.” 
 
 May 15. Laura asked for “poor pork” at dinner 
 to-day. Found she wanted lean pork. She often falls 
 into mistakes in words by false analogies, and it is easy 
 to see how she should make the above mistake. One 
 day when feeling ill she said, “ I am very strongless.” 
 When corrected she said, “ You say restless, when I do 
 not sit still,” and then changed her sentence to, “I am 
 very weakful.” 
 
 May 17. Laura succeeded in dividing 252 by 6. 
 Have commenced teaching her by long division, think- 
 ing it less puzzling for her than short. Last night, in my 
 sleep, I told Laura to go into Miss Jeannette’s room. 
 She obeyed, but this morning severely reprimanded me, 
 and concluded by saying, “ You do not think good in 
 your sleep.” 
 
 May 23. I fear that Laura attempted to deceive me 
 to-day in her work. At ten o’clock I sent her to knit. 
 She was to commence a pitcher (purse), and I told her 
 I wanted she should knit much. At twelve I went to 
 give her a lesson and asked her how much she had 
 done. She said, “ I have done handle and neck,” chang- 
 ing it to u and almost neck.” Her manner was pecul- 
 iar, so I asked her to let me see it ; she hesitated, but 
 brought it, when I found instead of the neck being 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 Ill 
 
 almost done, it was not yet entirely begun. Told her 
 I would not give her a lesson again to-day, but she 
 must think about deceiving. She worked steadily, but 
 did not seem to be moved by this. 
 
 May 24. Her mind was entirely occupied with the 
 wrong of yesterday. She asked, 44 Am I wrong many 
 times ? ” She then repeated the history of the decep- 
 tion and said, “I felt very bad yesterday, — bad is 
 sad. I want to learn to be good.” Asked if she 
 thought she would be sad if she learned to be good. 
 44 I do not think so.” After thinking awhile, she said, 
 44 I want you to love me many times, much,” and burst 
 into tears. It was some time before she became com- 
 posed, but after that she was very gentle. 
 
 P. M. Walked to the Point, and while sitting by 
 the water she said, 44 I was very silly not to think to 
 wear shawl.” After being quiet awhile, she said, 44 Be 
 very still, something in my right foot hears.” Asked 
 her to try her left foot. She did so, but said, 44 I can- 
 not hear good with my left ” 44 What is in right foot 
 
 that hears?” Told her the water jarred the ground, 
 and she felt it shake. 4 4 Who put jar under the ground ? ” 
 She had seen a jar in the kitchen, so a long explanation 
 of what I intended for a simple sentence was necessary. 
 
 May 27. Laura has been told often that she must 
 not displace things in the parlor, and yet the figure of a 
 monk and a little dog belonging to her are always found 
 turned round and facing the wall. To-day I asked an 
 explanation, and the reply was, 44 To have them see the 
 pictures on the wall.” 
 
 May 30. Took Laura to see Jane Damon. This 
 little blind girl had been very singularly afflicted. She 
 
112 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 had passed through typhoid fever, hut was left by it 
 with hip-joint disease, and while in the hospital for 
 treatment, took the small-pox. Of course she had 
 drawn largely on our sympathies, and Laura had been 
 greatly interested in her, but had not seen her for 
 months. She seemed very happy and kissed her, but 
 in an instant her countenance changed, and she looked 
 very sad. She had perceived the marks of small-pox 
 on her face and hands and asked, 44 What made them?” 
 Told her Jane had been sick with small-pox. “Not 
 small-pox,” she said earnestly, 44 it is much pox.” Next 
 she asked her to walk, saying she would help her. She 
 was very much affected when she found she could not 
 use her limb at all. A little while after, looking much 
 distressed, she said, 44 1 am afraid she will die,” and 
 showed me how thin her hair was, and all the marks on 
 her face. She was comforted somewhat when told 
 she was nearly well now. Going home, she said, 44 1 
 feel very sad, blood does not run, my heart beats very 
 slow.” She then began to devise ways in which we 
 could all make Jane happy. I never saw Laura so 
 much affected as when she discovered Jane’s condition. 
 
 June 11. Told her to-day she must go and exercise 
 in the hall, supposing it would be a new word to her. 
 As she took no notice of it, I asked her, 4 4 What is exer- 
 cise ? ” 44 To run.” 44 Who told you about exercise ? ” 
 
 44 No one.” 44 How did you know it was to run?” 
 44 Because you said it would make me well.” And then 
 she tried to spell it, but did not succeed until after sev- 
 eral trials. It is the first time I have ever known her 
 to arrive at the meaning of a word in this way. Having 
 lost my paper on which I was taking notes, I asked 
 
LAVE A BRIDGMAN. 
 
 113 
 
 her to find it. She said, laughing, “I felt it walk 
 away,” at the same time taking it from her shoe, and 
 enjoying the joke. 
 
 June 14. Gave her another lesson at the sea-shore. 
 The tide had brought in the sea-weed, and it was all 
 new to her. That it should grow on a stone, puzzled 
 her. Next, showed her some with little bags of air, 
 and she applied her new word 44 elastic” to them, and 
 * could feel how hard the sacks were when full of air ; 
 then a species with three lobes, which she called fingers. 
 We picked up some that had a little shell attached, and 
 when told there was a fish in it, her questions were 
 numberless. Some of them were, 44 Why does fish shut 
 in the shell ? ” meaning, draw himself into it. 4 4 Who 
 gave fish shell ? Will he live in my hand ? Why not 
 from (out of) the water? Is it baby fish?” An hour 
 passed quickly, and then she said, 4 4 1 think Rogers and 
 Oliver have not seen.” So giving me a small stone 
 with sea weed attached, and taking her baby fish, and 
 what she called fingers in her own hand, she went home 
 to teach Oliver. 
 
 June 17. She went to get a chair this morning, and 
 finding a large basket with clothes in it, stepped into 
 it. Talked to her some time, to explain the harm she 
 might do to both basket and clean clothes, but she was 
 disposed to excuse herself, saying, 44 1 was blind, and 
 I did not know the basket was there,” and changed the 
 subject, saying, 44 I saw my father’s Jambs in basket, 
 and a blanket over them, because they would be cold 
 from (out of) basket. Were they wrong to be in 
 basket ? ” She showed me how her mother placed a 
 chair over the basket, and I told her it was to keep the 
 8 
 
114 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 lambs from jumping out. 44 Because babies would be 
 very cold ? ” Asked her if her mother told her why she 
 put the chair there. 44 No ; I could not talk to my 
 mother, and I could not think why she put the chair.” 
 Here was another case of her thinking before she had 
 any language. 
 
 June 21. Laura ran out of the parlor last eve, just 
 as a gentleman, who was a phrenologist, was examining 
 her head ; when asked why she was so rude, she said 
 indignantly, 44 Man was not kind to me, and troubled 
 me, and I did not like to have him put his hand on my 
 head.” She discovered that the fingers of her left hand 
 were not so pliable as those of the right, and at once 
 gave the reason, 44 Left hand never talks.” 
 
 July 27. Told Laura as I was going with her to the 
 school-room that a spider was running over my hand, 
 and had made a web to the floor. This furnished a 
 subject for the lesson. After describing the process of 
 spinning the web, told her about its shape, and she 
 turned to her desk to find 4 4 The Child’s Book,” which 
 has a plate of the Planetary System in raised lines, 
 thinking from my description of the web that this must 
 be a picture of one. As usual, she had many questions 
 about spiders. When told they ate flies, she asked, 
 44 Do large spiders eat ten flies? Do they eat them to 
 keep them from getting into molasses ? ” 
 
 July 28. Laura met me to-day with, 44 1 am very 
 neat ” ; and as she had on a clean dress, it was a good 
 application of a new word. Then she put out her foot, 
 and asked, 44 What do ladies wear on their feet?” which 
 was a delicate way of attracting my attention to some 
 new shoes. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 115 
 
 Aug. 1. Laura was disobedient to Miss J. this 
 morning, in leaving her room to go to the school-room, 
 after having been told not to go out. She thought it a 
 sufficient excuse that she wanted to go to ask Miss W. 
 to tell her about clams. As there had been several 
 cases of slight errors in this way, I made it a subject 
 for conversation, and afterwards asked her if she had 
 done right. She said, “ No, I did not obey J.” It 
 usually takes a very short time for her to see the 
 error. 
 
 Aug. 19. She asked where I would go in vacation, 
 and when told to Nantucket, she tried several times to 
 spell it, and said, u It is very hard.” I cannot under- 
 stand why she always finds so much difficulty with this 
 name, for she learns those which appear to me much more 
 difficult, such as Philadelphia, with very slight effort, 
 while every time Nantucket occurs, she has to learn to 
 spell it anew. 
 
116 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 One of the blind boys died, and we give Dr. 
 Howe’s account * of his conversation with Laura : 
 
 44 One of our pupils died, after a severe illness, which 
 caused much anxiety in our household. Laura, of 
 course, knew of it, and her inquiries after him were 
 as- frequent and as correct as those of any one. After 
 his death I proceeded to break it to her. I asked 
 her if she knew that little Orrin was very sick. She 
 said, ‘Yes.’ 4 He was very ill yesterday forenoon/ 
 said I, 4 and I knew he could not live long.’ At this 
 she looked much distressed, and seemed to ponder 
 upon it deeply. I paused awhile, and then told her 
 that 4 Orrin died last night.’ At the word died she 
 seemed to shrink within herself, there was a contrac- 
 tion of the hands, a - half-spasm, and her counte- 
 nance indicated not exactly grief, but rather pain and 
 amazement, her lips quivered, and then she seemed 
 about to cry, but restrained her tears. She had 
 known something of death before, she had lost friends, 
 and she knew about dead animals, but this was the 
 only case which had occurred in the house. She asked 
 about death, and I said, 4 When you are asleep 
 does your body feel?’ 4 No, if I am very asleep.’ 
 
 * Eleventh Report to the Trustees. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 117 
 
 ‘Why?’ 4 1 do not know.* I tried to explain, and 
 used the word soul. She said, 4 What is soul ? ^ 
 
 4 That which thinks, and feels, and hopes, and loves,’ 
 said I, to which she added interrogatively , 4 And 
 aches?’ Here I was perplexed at the threshold by 
 her inquiring spirit, seizing upon and confounding, 
 material and immaterial processes. I tried to explain 
 to her that any injury of the body was perceived by 
 the soul ; but I was clearly beyond her depth, although 
 she was all eagerness to go on. I think I made her com- 
 prehend the difference between material and spiritual 
 operations. After a while, she asked, 4 Where is 
 Orrin’s think? ’ 4 It has left his body and gone away.’ 
 
 ‘Where?’ 4 To God in heaven.’ ‘Where, up?’ 
 (pointing up.) 4 Yes.’ 4 Will it comeback? 4 No. 
 ‘Why?’ said she. 4 Because his body was very sick 
 and died, and soul cannot stay in a dead body. After 
 a minute she, said, 4 Is breath dead? Is blood dead? 
 Your horse died, where is his soul? ’ I was obliged to 
 give the very unsatisfactory answer, that animals have 
 no souls. She said, 4 Cat does kill a mouse, why? 
 has she got soul?’ Answer: ‘Animals do not know 
 about souls, they do not think like us. At this 
 moment a fly alighted upon her hand, and she said, 
 ‘Have flies souls?’ I said, 4 No.’ 4 Why did not 
 God give them souls?’ Alas for the poverty of her 
 language ! I could hardly make her understand how 
 much of life and happiness God bestows even upon a 
 little fly. 
 
 “Soon she said, ‘Can God see, has he eyes. I 
 replied by asking her, 4 Can you see your mother in 
 Hanover?’ 4 No.’ 4 But,’ said I, ‘you can see 
 
118 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 her n a your mind, you can think about her, and love 
 her. ; ‘ Yes,* said she. ‘ So,’ replied I, ‘ God can 
 see you and all people and know all they do, and He 
 thinks about them, and loves them, and He will love 
 you and all people if they are gentle and kind and 
 good, and love one another/ ‘Can He be angry?’ 
 said she. ‘No, He can be sorry, because he loves all 
 folks, and grieves when they do wrong/ ‘ Can He 
 cry?’ saia she. ‘No. The body cries because the 
 soul is sad, but God has no body/ I then tried to 
 make her think of her spiritual existence as separate 
 from her bodily one ; but she seemed to dislike to do 
 so, and said eagerly, ‘ I shall not die/ Some would 
 have said she referred to her soul, but she did not ; she 
 was shrinking at the thought of physical death, and I 
 turned the conversation. I could not have the heart to 
 give the poor child the baneful knowledge before I had 
 prepared the antidote. It seems to me that she needs not 
 the fear of death to keep her in the path of goodness/’ 
 
 After reporting this conversation Dr. Howe 
 adds : — 
 
 “ It would have been exceedingly gratifying to be 
 able to announce a more perfect development of those 
 moral qualities on which true religion is founded ; but it 
 was hardly to have been expected ; those qualities are 
 among the last to develop themselves, and are of tardy 
 growth ; we could have forced them out perhaps by arti- 
 ficial culture but that would have been to have obtained 
 a hot-house plant instead of the simple and natural one 
 that is every day putting forth new beauties to our sight. 
 It is but thirteen years since Laura was born ; she has 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 119 
 
 hardly lived half that number, yet in that time what an 
 important mission has she fulfilled ! How much has she 
 done for herself, how much has she taught others ! 
 Deprived of most of the varied stimuli furnished by 
 the senses, and fed by the scantiest crumbs of knowl- 
 edge, her soul has nevertheless put forth the buds of 
 the brightest virtues, and gives indication of its pure 
 origin and its high destination.” 
 
 Having given Dr. Howe’s account, and his 
 views of her present mental condition, I quote 
 from my journal a report of conversations with 
 different members of the family : — 
 
 When I returned from church found Laura in a very 
 excited state, and as no notes had been taken of her 
 conversation with Miss J. and Miss Rogers, I collected 
 it from them, and also noted that with myself. She 
 came up from the Doctor’s room saying, 1 4 Orrin has 
 gone to God. Soul has gone. God gives all folks, and 
 men, and boys, and babies, souls. God is very kind.” 
 She spoke of the body, and Miss Rogers asked her why 
 she did not say Orrin. “Because Orrin has gone to 
 God.” When she met me in the afternoon, she said, 
 
 4 4 Did you know Orrin was dead ? Are you glad ? ” 
 Turning to Miss J. 44 Do God love Orrin? Can Orrin 
 move with God?” Then drawing back a little, 44 I 
 want to be with God. God is very good to give us all 
 souls. God would be sad Orrin’s body is dead. Does 
 God know all names and things?” 44 Yes, and Doc- 
 tor knows all things. God would think that Orrin’s 
 soul came from body, — so il came very quick from body 
 
120 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 last night. Why did he die? Why did soul go very 
 quick? Was he any well with God last night ? ” Her 
 idea in this question evidently was, whether the soul, 
 having just left the sick body, began to be well with 
 God. u Can he talk? Doctor knows about heaven ; I 
 shall know all things when Ldie.” She then made a sign 
 of drawing out something from herself which was very 
 thin, and would pass through her fingers, and said, 
 u Souls are white. Can baby know God? I think I 
 was with God in Hanover, and God made new Laura.” 
 This was an allusion to her birth. “■ My doll can see 
 body, but not soul. Flies and hoppers have not souls. 
 Shall I go up when I die ? Where is God ? Are clouds 
 in heaven ? ” During the week she often recurred to the 
 conversation with Doctor, and was much impressed with 
 the thought, “ God knows m 3 ’ thoughts, and wrong, and 
 does not love bad.” One day she said, “ Do you want 
 to see Orrin ? Why does not God take us ? Does he not 
 want you and me ? Why did God kill Orrin ? ” 
 
 Nov. 15. Laura met a very old lady, and asked, 
 when she took her hand, “ Why did God make her skin 
 
 ugly?” 
 
 Nov. 16. Walked with Laura. She wore a bonnet 
 which Miss J. had given her, and said, “ I think she is 
 very kind. What could I do if I had no friends to give 
 me things?” To deepen this impression, told her a 
 story of a poor little girl who had no father or mother, 
 and no home to live in, and who slept in barns. She 
 was much interested and deeply moved by it. 
 
 Dec. 19. For several months I have been unable, 
 from pressure of other duties, to devote much time to 
 Laura, but to-day’ have returned to the pleasant work, 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 121 
 
 Asked her why she did not read now in her book. “ I 
 never read now, I do not know what the words mean.” 
 Proposed her reading to me, but she asked that she 
 might tell me about an elephant. Told her a story of 
 little boy who troubled one, and how he retaliated. I 
 chanced to say he thought. She did not interrupt the 
 stoiy, but at its close said, u Can elephants think?” 
 
 Dec. 21 , 1842. Laura announced her birthday. 
 “ I am thirteen now : am I taller? ” 
 
 A very good gymnasium had been fitted up for 
 the use of the blind pupils, and it was thought 
 best for Laura to join the girls at their hour. 
 She was not much pleased with it. As she could 
 not hear the orders and make the movements in 
 concert as those only blind could, it was not 
 strange that some of the charm of it was lost on 
 her. 
 
 She visited a museum yesterday, and I asked her to 
 tell me what she saw. 1 ‘ I saw crocodile and elephant’s 
 bone of head ; why was his eye very large ? I saw ele- 
 phant’s trunk and camel’s legs ; they were very high. 
 I could not reach his head, and I stood on stool, and 
 could not reach. Why cannot he put his head to the 
 ground ? I saw bear ; what does he do ? ” After think- 
 ing awhile she said, “Why did God make proboscis, 
 and why does the elephant not have teeth and lips like 
 us?” 
 
 She wanted to have me tell her about the cages in 
 which bears were kept. After paying close attention, 
 she said, “ I will get something to show you if it is 
 
122 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN 
 
 like.” She went to the apparatus case, and took the 
 little carriage from the inclined plane, to illustrate her 
 idea of a cage on wheels. To give her a more correct 
 one I took the wire frame used with the air pump, and 
 put that on wheels. She understood it at once, but 
 asked, “ Why do not bears have cages made of wood ? ” 
 “They could not have air enough to breathe.” She 
 then tried to see if she^could feel the air passing through 
 $he wire. “I sit in my closet many days, and I can 
 breathe, and that is wood.” “ But you could not 
 breathe if shut up in your desk ” ; and this she accepted. 
 As her mind develops she is more inclined to argue, 
 and will not accept an assertion as readily. She told 
 me that bears had glass eyes, and insisted upon it. “I 
 saw dead bear’s glass eyes yesterday.” 
 
 Before closing the account of the progress made 
 for the year 1842, we quote again from the report 
 of Dr. Howe : — * 
 
 “ Her health has been excellent during the year, un- 
 interrupted, indeed, by a single day’s illness. Several 
 medical gentlemen have expressed their fears that the 
 continual mental excitement which she manifests, and 
 the restless activity of her mind, must affect her health, 
 and perhaps endanger the soundness of her mental 
 faculties ; but any such tendency has been effectually 
 counteracted by causing her to practise calisthenic 
 exercises, and to take long walks daily in the open 
 air, which on some days extend to six miles. Besides, 
 she has a safeguard in the nature of her emotions, 
 
 * Eleventh Annual Report to Trustees. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 123 
 
 which are always joyful, always pleasant and hopeful ; 
 and there is no doubt that the glad flow of spirits which 
 she constantly enjoys contributes not only to her physi- 
 cal health, but to the development of her mind. 
 
 “ Laura generally appears, by the quickness of her 
 motives and the eagerness of her gestures, to be in a 
 state of mind which in another would be called unnatu- 
 ral excitement. Her spirit, apparently impatient of its 
 narrow bounds, is, as it were, continually pressing 
 against the bars of its cage, and struggling, if not to 
 escape, at least to obtain more of the sights and sounds 
 of the outer world. The signs by which she expresses 
 her ideas are slow and tedious ; her thoughts outstrip 
 their tardy vehicle, and fly forward to the goal ; she 
 evidently feels desirous of talking faster than she can, 
 and she loves best to converse with those who can 
 interpret the motion of her fingers when they are so 
 rapid as to be unintelligible to a common eye. But 
 with all this activity of the mental machinery, there is 
 none of the wear and tear produced by the grit of dis- 
 content ; everything is made smooth by the oil of glad- 
 ness. She rises uncalled at an early hour ; she begins 
 the day as merrily as the lark ; she is laughing as she 
 attires herself and braids her hair, and comes dancing 
 out of her chamber as though every morn were that of 
 a gala day ; a smile and a sign of recognition greet 
 every one she meets ; kisses and caresses are bestowed 
 upon her friends and her teachers ; she goes to her 
 lesson, but knows not the word task; she gayly assists 
 others in what they call housework, but which she 
 deems play ; she is delighted with society, and clings 
 to others as though she would grow to them ; yet she is 
 
124 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 happy when sitting alone, and smiles and laughs as the 
 varying current of pleasant thoughts passes through 
 her mind ; and when she walks out into the field she 
 greets her mother Nature, whose smiles she cannot see, 
 whose music she cannot hear, with a joyful heart and a 
 glad countenance ; in a word, her whole life is like a 
 hymn of gratitude and thanksgiving. 
 
 u I know that this may he deemed extravagant, and 
 by some considered as the partial description of a fond 
 friend, but it is not so ; and fortunately for others, 
 particularly because this lesson of contentment should 
 not be lost upon the repining and ungrateful, she is a 
 lamp set upon a hill whose light cannot be hid. She is 
 seen and known of many, and those who know her best 
 will testify most warmly in her favor. 
 
 “ The general course of instruction pursued during 
 the past year, corresponding as it does with that detailed 
 in former reports, needs not to be here repeated for the 
 information of those to whom this report is immediate!}" 
 addressed; but as great public interest is excited in 
 this case, and as inquiries are continually made respect- 
 ing the processes by which instruction is conveyed to 
 her mind, it may be well to explain some of them, even 
 at the risk of repetition, and of saying what may seem 
 to those familiar with the theory of teaching the deaf 
 and dumb not only trite but worthless. 
 
 “ Some kind of language seems necessary for ever}' 
 human being ; the cravings of the social nature are 
 loud and constant, and cannot be gratified except by 
 some medium of communication for the feelings. The 
 intellect cannot be developed unless all the modifications 
 of thought have some sign even by which they can be 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 125 
 
 recalled. Hence men are compelled by a kind of inward 
 force to form languages ; and they do form them under 
 all and every circumstance. The social organ presents 
 the natural and most perfect medium through which, by 
 attaching a meaning to every modulation of voice, a 
 perfect system of communication is kept up. The ques- 
 tion whether a people could exist without language, 
 would be about as reasonable as it would be to ask 
 whether they could exist without hands ; it is as natural 
 for men to converse as it is for them to eat ; if they can- 
 not speak, they will converse by signs, as, if they had 
 no hands, they would feed themselves with their toes. 
 Children then, prompted by nature, associate their 
 thoughts with audible words, and learn language with- 
 out any special instructions. If you make the sound, 
 represented by the letters a-p-p-l-e, when you hold up 
 the fruit to a child, he naturally associates that sound 
 with it, and will imitate the sound, even without your 
 trying to make him do so ; if the child be deaf so that 
 he cannot hear the word which you speak, of course he 
 cannot imitate it, and as such, of course, he must be 
 forever dumb But the desire to associate the thing 
 with a sign still remains, and he has the same power of 
 imitation as others, except in regard to words ; if, 
 therefore, you make a visible sign when you show him 
 the apple, as by doubling the fist, the fist afterwards 
 becomes to him the name or sign for the apple. But 
 suppose the child cannot see the apple, suppose he be 
 blind as well as deaf. What then ? He has the same 
 intellectual nature. Put the apple in his hand, let him 
 feel it, smell it, taste it ; put your clinched hand in his 
 at the same time, and several times, until he associates 
 
126 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 this sign with the thing, and when he wishes for the 
 fruit he will hold up his little fist and delight your heart 
 by this sign, which is just as much a word as though he 
 had said 4 apple ’ out aloud. 
 
 “Reasoning in this way, 1 undertook the task of 
 instructing Laura Bridgman, and the result has been 
 what it will ever be where nature is followed as our 
 guide. 
 
 4 ‘ This simple process is readily understood ; but sim- 
 ple signs and names of objects being easy enough, it is 
 often asked, How can a knowledge of qualities which 
 have no positive existence be communicated? Just as 
 easily, and just as they are taught to common children ; 
 when a child bites a sweet apple or a sour one, he per- 
 ceives the difference of taste ; he hears you use one 
 sound, sweet , when you taste the one ; another sound, 
 sour, when you taste the other. These sounds are asso- 
 ciated in his mind with those qualities. The deaf child 
 sees the pucker of your lips or some grimace when you 
 taste the sour one, and that grimace perhaps, is seized 
 upon by him for a sign or a name for sour; and so with 
 other physical qualities. The deaf, dumb, and blind 
 child cannot hear your sound, cannot see your grimace ; 
 yet he perceives the quality of sweetness, and if you 
 take pains to make some peculiar sign two or three 
 times, when the quality is perceived, he will asso- 
 ciate that sign with the quality and have a name for it. 
 
 44 It will be said that the qualities have no existence, 
 being mere abstractions, and that when we say ‘ sweet 
 apple * the child will think it is a compound name for 
 the individual apple, or if he does not do this, that he 
 cannot know whether by the word ‘sweet’ we mean 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 127 
 
 the quality of 1 sweetness * or the quality of 4 sound- 
 ness.’ This is true ; at first the child does not know to 
 what the sound ‘ sweet’ refers ; he may misuse it often, 
 but by imitation, by observation, he at last gets it 
 right, and applies the word ‘ sweet ’ to everything whose 
 qualities revive the same sensation as the sweet apple 
 did ; he then uses the word ‘ sweet ’ in the abstract, not 
 as a parrot, but understanding^, simply because the 
 parrot has not the mental organization which fits it to 
 understand qualities, and the child has. Now the 
 transition from physical to mental qualities is very easy ; 
 the child has dormant within his bosom every mental 
 quality that the man has ; every emotion and every pas- 
 sion has its natural language, and it is a law of nature 
 that the exhibition of this natural language calls into 
 activity the like mental quality in the beholder. The 
 difference between joy and sorrow, between a smile and 
 a frown, is just as cognizable by a child as the difference 
 between a sweet apple and a sour one ; and through the 
 same mental process by which a mute attaches signs to 
 the physical quality, he may (with a little more pains) 
 be made to attach them to the moral qualities. 
 
 “Much surprise has been expressed by some who are 
 conversant with the difficulties of the teaching, etc., of 
 mutes, that Laura should have attained the use of verbs 
 without more special instruction. It may be said in 
 reply that no minute and perfect account of the various 
 steps in the process of her instruction has ever yet been 
 published ; and that moreover the difficulties in the use 
 of the verbs are in reality much less than is usually 
 supposed. 
 
 As soon as a child has learned the use of a noun, as 
 
128 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 4 apple,’ and of one or two signs of qualities, as 4 sour’ 
 and 4 sweet,’ he begins to use them, he holds up the 
 fruit and lisps out, 4 apple sour,’ or ‘apple sweet’ ; he 
 has not been taught a verb, and yet he uses one; he 
 asserts the one apple to be sweet the other to be sour ; 
 he in reality says mentally, 4 apple is sweet apple,’ or 
 4 apple is sour apple ’ ; and in a little while he catches by 
 the ear an audible sign, — the word is , — and puts it in 
 where he before used only a sign, or meant to use one. 
 Just so with the deaf-mute ; when he has learned a noun 
 and an adjective he uses them by the help of a verb, or 
 some mark of assertion, and you have only to give him 
 some sign, which he will adopt just as readily as the 
 speaking child, by mere imitation and without any pro- 
 cess of ratiocination. We give too narrow a definition 
 when we say a verb is a word, etc. 
 
 44 But it would swell the report to a volume should I 
 pursue the same train of remarks with regard to the 
 different parts of speech. Indeed I should hardly have 
 hazarded it here, had it not been for assertions, emanat- 
 ing from respectable sources, that this child must have 
 some vision or hearing, or some remembrance of oral 
 language, since she has easily attained the use of the 
 most difficult parts of speech, which cost so much labor 
 to those merely deaf and dumb. It is needless to repeat 
 what is so well known to hundreds, that she is totally 
 deaf and blind, and has been so from her tender 
 infancy. 
 
 4 4 It will be observed by those who have had the 
 patience to read the above remarks that to the child 
 with all his senses, the acquisition of a language, which 
 has already been perfected by the labor of many succes- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 129 
 
 sive generations, is an easy and pleasant task, and 
 accomplished without any teacher ; that for the deaf- 
 mute the difficulty is increased a thousand-fold ; that 
 for the deaf, dumb, and blind, it is immeasurably 
 greater still ; and that for poor Laura, Bridgman it is 
 even more increased by the fact that she has not that 
 acuteness of smell and taste which usually aid those 
 in her situation, and that she relies upon touch alone. 
 Nevertheless, she goes on, joyously using her single 
 small talent, patiently piling up her little heap of 
 knowledge, and rejoicing as much over it as if it were a 
 pyramid.” 
 
 Dr. Howe’s views with regard to her religious 
 training, as given in the same report, are as fol- 
 lows : — 
 
 ‘ 4 The various attempts which I have made during the 
 year to lead her thoughts to G-od and spiritual affairs 
 have been, for the most part, forced upon me by her 
 questions, which I am sure were prompted by expres- 
 sions dropped carelessly by others, as God, heaven, 
 soul, etc., and about which she would afterwards ask 
 me. Whenever I have deliberately entered upon them, 
 I have done so with caution, and always felt obliged by 
 a sense of duty to the child to make the conversation 
 as short as possible. The most painful part of one’s 
 duty is often where an honest conviction forces one to 
 pursue a line of conduct diametrically opposite to that 
 recommended by those for whose superior talents and 
 wisdom one has the greatest respect. It is said con- 
 tinually that this child should be instructed in the 
 doctrines of revealed religion ; and some even seem to 
 9 
 
130 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 imagine her eternal welfare will be perilled by her 
 remaining in ignorance of religious truths. I am aware 
 of the high responsibilit}" of the charge of a soul, and 
 the mother who bore her can hardly feel a deeper inter- 
 est in Laura’s welfare than I do ; but that very sense of 
 responsibility to God, and that love I bear to the child, 
 forces me, after seeking for all light from others, finally 
 to rely upon my own judgment. It is not to be doubted 
 that she could be taught any dogma or creed, and be 
 made to give as edifying answers as are recorded of 
 many other wonderful children to questions on spiritual 
 subjects. But as I can see no necessary connection 
 between a moral and religious life and the intellectual 
 perception of a particular truth, or belief in a particular 
 creed, I see not why I should anticipate what seems to me 
 the course of nature in developing the mental powers. 
 Unaided by any precedent for this case, one can look 
 only to the book of nature ; and that seems to teach 
 that we should prepare the soul for loving and worship- 
 ping God by developing its powers and making it 
 acquainted with his wonderful and benevolent works,, 
 before we lay down rules of blind obedience. 
 
 “ Should Laura’s life be spared, it is certain she can 
 be made to understand every religious truth that it may 
 be desirable to teach her. Should she die young, there 
 can be no doubt that she will be taken to the bosom of 
 that Father in heaven to whom she is every day paying 
 acceptable tribute of thanksgiving and praise by her 
 glad enjojunent of the gift of existence. With these 
 views, while I am readj T to improve every opportunity 
 of giving what she seems to need, I cannot consent to 
 attempt to impart a knowledge of any truth for which 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 131 
 
 her mind is not prepared ; and I would take this oppor- 
 tunity to beseech those friends of hers who differ from 
 me, and who may occasionally converse with her, to 
 reflect that, while the whole responsibility of the case 
 rests upon me, it is unjust in them to do what they 
 may easily do, — instil into her mind notions which 
 might derange the whole plan of her instruction. ” 
 
132 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Laura has just passed her thirteenth birthday, 
 Dec. 21, 1842, and we turn to the journal to 
 continue our story. 
 
 Jan. 2. She was troubled about some little acts of 
 rudeness yesterday, and asked the question, which she 
 so often does now when told she has not done right, 
 
 Can Grod see it and know it, and does he like it? ” 
 In her lesson she asked of what cheese is made, and 
 how it differs from butter. “ What is name of (here 
 she made a sign of moving her arms up and down) to 
 make butter called ? I churned when I lived with my 
 mother, and blistered my hands, and made them very 
 hard. What is chalk? What is ink? What would it 
 do if I drink it, and what would chalk do if I ate it ? ” 
 Told her it was sometimes taken for medicine. She 
 asked, “ Why did not Catherine take chalk ? She was 
 sick eight weeks, fifty-six days.” She had been told it 
 was New Year’s Day yesterday, so to-day she asked, 
 “ Is it Happy New Year to-day ? Who told all folks it 
 was Happy New Year? ” 
 
 Jan. 5. Last evening when I returned from Boston 
 I went to the parlor and found Miss J. alone ; soon 
 Laura came in and seated herself, without speaking to 
 any one, at some little distance from either of us. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 133 
 
 After sitting quietly knitting for a quarter of an hour 
 she said, “ Who talks with you? I think it is Swift.” 
 She had been told that I was away, and had no possi- 
 ble way of knowing any one was in the room, except 
 by the motion of the air made in talking, for I had not 
 moved from my chair since she came into the room. 
 Miss J. asked her how she knew any one was in the 
 room. She replied, “ I felt them talk.” 
 
 Jan. 6. Laura had a nervous day, and lost part of 
 her lesson. Talking about some things which she had 
 done in the morning, she said, “ What made me very 
 rude ? I think I did not feel good in heart, because I 
 broke knob this morning.” Asked her if she felt good 
 now. “ I cannot feel good until I learn to be good.” 
 
 It is necessary to explain here our use of the 
 word rude, which, perhaps, had acquired a mean- 
 ing somewhat peculiar. As has been said, Laura 
 has a highly nervous temperament, and while the 
 ceaseless activity which results from it, giving 
 her mind unusual power, is a very valuable assist- 
 ance in her intellectual training, the effects of it 
 in other directions are to be counteracted con- 
 stantly. Some days she seems to be in a quiver 
 of nervous excitement, and if we did not resort to 
 systematic exercise and so work off the superfluous 
 nervous fluid, she would have many more such 
 times of trial as that alluded to above. We call 
 all these developments rudeness , though, strictly 
 speaking, many of them would not be so consid- 
 ered in the ordinary acceptation of the word. 
 
134 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 Laura sometimes showed a little of the coquette 
 which was very amusing. Charles Sumner was, 
 at this time, a frequent visitor, and she felt very 
 well acquainted with him, and was fond of having 
 a play with him occasionally. 
 
 Jan. 9. She wished to talk of the gentlemen she 
 had seen lately, and was disposed to criticise them 
 quite severely. “ Sumner is not gentle like Doctor. 
 Why does Doctor want Sumner to come here if he is 
 not gentle ? ” In reply I used the word ‘ 1 like ” instead 
 of “ love.” She corrected me at once, and said, “ Like 
 is not love.” “ It is not different.” Explained the use 
 of “like” in this sense, and she said, “ I do not like or 
 love Sumner ; I do not care for him. I did not like Dr. 
 Jarvis when he was here, because I did not know him.” 
 
 Jan. 10. In the midst of a conversation on bread- 
 making, she suddenly changed the subject by asking, 
 “Why does not God want you in heaven now? Does 
 he know what you teach me ? Does he know what I 
 think? Do you? Try.” And then she held her fore- 
 head towards me, that I might read her thoughts. In 
 speaking of her mother, she said, “ She came to see me 
 two times.” I gave her the word “ twice.” She asked 
 how many weeks I stayed in Castine, and when told 
 three, said, “ Why did you stay thrice? ” 
 
 Jan. 13. Commenced her conversation by asking, “Is 
 salt made ? ” She was much interested in an account of 
 it. Her next query was, “ How is gravy made? What 
 is sauce made of? What is lead in my pencil? What 
 is oil made of, and hair-oil, and rum, and camphor, and 
 cologne ? What would I do if I drank them ? ” When 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 135 
 
 told that rum would make her sleepy, and she could 
 not walk straight, she said, u I was very sick in head 
 last summer, and very sleepy, and walked crooked.” 
 
 Jan . 19. She had found something about Indians in 
 her book, and asked, “ Why do they not have houses 
 like us, and why not clothes like us? I think Indians 
 are very poor. Why did not God give poor Indians 
 clothes like us?” Dr. Jarvis came into the room, and 
 she wished me to ask him if he had ever seen Indians. 
 He told her a story of one which pleased her much. 
 “ Why were Indians not white like us? Why do they 
 wear blankets? Are they not sorry not to have 
 clothes?” etc., etc. 
 
 Jan. 23. A conversation on “ noises,” made neces- 
 sary by her making so many of late. She attempted to 
 justify herself by saying, “ Some of my noises are not 
 bad, some are pretty noises. I must make noises to 
 call some one.” Then to divert attention as well as to 
 get information, u Why does wolf make bad noises? ” 
 After half an hour’s talk she promised to try to remem- 
 ber to be quiet, and during the rest of the day she did 
 remember very well. In the latter part of the day she 
 made a noise in a whisper, and said, “ That was with 
 my tongue, I made your smooth noise.” 
 
 Jan. 27. After coming into the school-room she sat 
 still a moment. Some one was playing very softly on 
 the organ in the hall above. She asked, “ Why does 
 the house shake ? What makes organ shake ? Does it 
 make a bad loud noise ? ” 
 
 During the last year many persons of distinc- 
 tion in the world of science and letters had visited 
 
136 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 Laura, and among the number George Combe, 
 Esq., of Scotland. Much had been said of the 
 importance of carefully recording everything with 
 regard to this peculiar child, as there might other- 
 wise be many things lost, which would be of the 
 greatest value to science. Dr. Howe had long 
 wished that he could employ a teacher who should 
 devote her whole attention to her, but there 
 were no funds that could be so appropriated. 
 Mr. Combe urged that this ought to be done 
 at once, and a gentleman accompanying him of- 
 fered to assist in defraying the expense. Others 
 joined him, and the work was assigned to the 
 writer. 
 
 At once we arranged an order for study, exer- 
 cise, and work, as follows : From 6.15 to 7 a.m., 
 arithmetic ; breakfast, domestic duties, putting her 
 room in order, etc., until 9, when we had an hour 
 for conversation. At 10 geography ; at 11 writ- 
 ing; at 12 reading from books to her, with conver- 
 sation on the subject. The last fifteen minutes of 
 each hour was a recess. At 1 knitting or sewing ; 
 at 2 she joined the blind girls in calisthenic exer- 
 cises until her dinner. After dinner a long walk, 
 and then knitting until 6. During her walks not 
 a moment was wasted, as leaning on my right arm, 
 giving herself no care of her footing, which she 
 trusted entirely to my guidance, she conversed 
 steadily, unless the condition of the roads made it 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 137 
 
 impossible for my eye to read her fingers and 
 choose the way at the same time. A walk of five 
 miles under such circumstances was no sinecure as 
 may be readily perceived ; indeed, it often proved 
 the most difficult part of the day’s work. 
 
 Of her general knowledge of language at this 
 time, and her ability to use it, the reader of the 
 previous pages can form an idea. Her lessons in 
 arithmetic had been very irregular, and she had 
 had time between them to forget what she had 
 previously learned. Geography was a new study. 
 We had hitherto read very little to her from 
 books, because the time allowed us was so brief. 
 
 She had reached a point now when the desul- 
 tory manner of teaching, that we had of necessity 
 adopted, ought to be exchanged for one of more 
 system. The much-loved hour in which she had 
 been allowed to bring her own subjects for con- 
 versation was continued at nine, and she was 
 pleased when told she was to be taught geogra- 
 phy. Writing had always given her much trouble. 
 She was very patient when first learning to form the 
 letters, and wrote well, but soon became careless. 
 In her present stage of advance, she is inclined to 
 think all time spent in attention to the details is 
 wasted, and therefore it becomes irksome to her. 
 She is much more willing to give thought to 
 the matter than to the manner of writing, and per- 
 haps she will have the sympathy of many, who 
 
138 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 quote the saying, " Bad chirography is evidence 
 of a great mind.” 
 
 When the new arrangement was announced to 
 her she was delighted, and entered upon it with 
 enthusiasm, approving of it all, save that she 
 would have preferred to spend the hour for her 
 work in the afternoon in play or roaming about, 
 and talking with the blind girls. 
 
 Jan. 30. We commenced to-day working by the 
 new schedule. Her first lesson in geography was upon 
 the points of the compass. She had some idea of the 
 four cardinal ones, and she learned in addition those 
 between them. She practised writing some of the 
 letters of the alphabet very slowly, for a quarter of an 
 hour, and was allowed to spend the rest of the time in 
 writing her journal. 
 
 She has been in the habit of writing daily a 
 short account of the lessons which have specially 
 interested her, or of any particular incident. 
 
 Jan. 31. Wishing to find just what she knew in 
 arithmetic, I gave her an example in addition which 
 she did very well, then in subtraction, when she failed 
 in writing the numbers correctly and in performing the 
 operation. In multiplication she did well. The rest of 
 the lesson was devoted to numeration, writing numbers, 
 and teaching her the hard words of the table. Finding 
 she understood the points of the compass, and could 
 point in any direction I required, after haying been 
 placed with her face to the north, I gave her an 
 exercise in bounding the room we were in, and others 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 139 
 
 round it. I asked her what I meant by “ bound.” She 
 took up a piece of india-rubber and throwing it on the 
 desk said, “It is little elastic and bounds.” Had to 
 explain to her the other signification of the word. 
 
 Feb . 1 . Found that she could not bound the rooms 
 I gave her yesterday, unless she went into them. Exer- 
 cised her in it for some time, and then she bounded the 
 dining-room and kitchen without going to them ; the 
 entries were more difficult, but she succeeded in bound- 
 ing two of them. 
 
 I read to her the following story yesterday : — 
 
 “1. An old man had a plum-tree, and when the 
 plums were ripe he said to his boy, John, 
 
 44 2. I want you to pick the plums off my tree, for I 
 am an old man, and I cannot get up into my tree to 
 pick them. 
 
 “3. Then John said, 4 Yes, % sir, I will get up into 
 the tree and pick them for you.’ 
 
 44 4. So the boy got up, and the old man gave him a 
 pail to put the plums in, and he hung it up in the tree 
 near him. 
 
 44 5. And then he put the plums into the pail, one by 
 one, till the pail was full. 
 
 44 6. When the boy saw that the pail was full he said 
 to the old man, 4 Let me give you the pail, for it is full.’ 
 
 44 7. Then the man held up his hand and took the 
 pail of plums and put them in his cart. 
 
 44 8. 4 For,’ said he, 4 1 am to take them to town in 
 my cart to sell them,’ and he gave the boy back the 
 pail to fill with more plums. 
 
 44 9. At last the boy said, 4 1 am tired and hot ; will 
 you give me a plum to eat ? ’ 
 
140 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 44 10. 4 Yes/ said the old man, 4 for you are a good 
 boy, and have worked well ; so I will give you ten 
 plums, for you have earned them.’ 
 
 44 11. The boy was glad to hear him sa}^ so, and 
 said, 4 1 do not want to eat them all now ; I will eat 
 five, and take five home to my sister/ 
 
 44 12. 4 You may get down now,’ said the old man, 
 4 for it will soon be dark, and then you will lose your 
 way home.’ 
 
 44 13. So the boy got down and ran home, and felt 
 glad that he had been kind to the old man. 
 
 44 14. And when he got home he was glad he had 
 been kind to his sister, and kept half his plums for 
 her.” 
 
 To-day she asked me if she might write this story 
 in her journal. The following is a copy of what she 
 wrote without assistance, the punctuation marks alone 
 being added : — 
 
 44 An old man had a large plum-tree ; he had a little 
 boy John ; the man asked John to please to go up on 
 the tree to pick many plums because he was very old 
 and lame. The man gave John a pail for plums. 
 John put them in till it was very full ; he said to the 
 man, it is very full of plums. He took the pail up in 
 his cart to sell them. John was tired & hot ; he asked 
 the man if he might take one plum. The man said he 
 might take ten plums, because he was a very good boy 
 to earn them hard. The man told him to hurry home. 
 He ate five plums ; he gave his sister five plums ; he 
 felt very happy because he helped the old man much, 
 and made his sister happy. John was kind to help the 
 old man ; he was very generous to give his sister part 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 141 
 
 of his plums. The old man loved John very much. 
 If John did not hurry home he would have lost the 
 way. John liked to help the old man well.” 
 
 The last two or three lines were her own reflections 
 upon the story. 
 
 Feb. 2. She asked me if she was good yesterday. 
 Told her 'yes, she had been good all the week. She 
 said, ‘ 4 Did I do any little thing wrong ? ” Continued 
 the conversation on trades, and taught her the word 
 “ furniture ” ; when I was telling her what work milli- 
 ners did, she asked, “ Do milliners make stockings? 
 Milliners make stockings that have flowers on them.” 
 In the geography lesson she asked me to teach hei 
 “ above,” meaning the chambers. She bounded all 
 the rooms on the second floor, and remembered all of 
 yesterday’s lessons without going to the rooms. In 
 writing, gave her a lesson in using chalk on the black- 
 board, but she does not succeed so well as Oliver. At 
 twelve told her about seeds, and said I would tell her 
 what her father did (he was a farmer). “ How do you 
 know what my father does ? Does your father do so ? ” 
 “ No ; my father is a doctor.” u Why is not my father 
 a doctor? He gave me medicine once, was he a 
 doctor ? ” 
 
 Feb. 3. Gave her examples in numeration, in hun- 
 dreds and thousands, which she performed very well, 
 numerating correctly until she had the number 8,500, 
 which she wrote 8,050. She hesitated, and then said, 
 “ I think it is wrong” ; but it took her a long time to 
 find how to alter it ; when she at length succeeded, she 
 said, “ I was ver}^ sad not to know.” She asked what 
 cups and plates and saucers were, and learned the new 
 
142 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 word “ crockery.” “ What are rings and knives and 
 forks ? ” “ Jewelry” and “ cutlery” were then learned, 
 
 and she brought her work-box for me to tell her of what 
 it was made. Told her about the pearl with which it is 
 inlaid, and the rosewood. Then she asked of what 
 wood the doors were made, and why pineapples were 
 pine. “ Who makes brass hinges for doors ? ” Talked 
 about her locket, asked what color it was under the 
 glass. Being told black, she asked, “ How can folks 
 see through black? ” In geography, she bounds any of 
 the rooms after a moment’s thought, and seems to under- 
 stand it perfectly. She bounded the house, with a little 
 help. Talked with her about the Point, to try to give 
 her an idea of it, but failed. 
 
 While practising on her letters in writing she does 
 very well, but as soon as she begins to write in her 
 journal she is careless again. In the afternoon, she 
 was asked to go to the school-room to see a committee 
 of gentlemen, and amused herself while there by asking 
 the denominations after millions. Setting up a row 
 of types the whole length of her board, on numerat- 
 ing she found it was eighty quintillions. She asked, 
 u What people lived eighty quintillions of miles off? I 
 think it would take ladies a year to go so very far.” 
 
 Feb. 4. A crowded exhibition. Laura did well, 
 though at times much excited. 
 
 The first Saturday afternoon of each month was 
 at this time devoted to a public exhibition. For 
 the first hour Laura was expected to be in the 
 Bchool-room. As her fame was widespread, there 
 were usually several hundreds of people present 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 143 
 
 who wished to see her, and enjoy also the con- 
 cert by the blind. This was a very trying ordeal, 
 jyid she often became so much excited (probably 
 in part sympathizing with her teacher) that it 
 was necessary to take a longer walk than usual in 
 preparation for it. 
 
 Feb. 6. She writes numbers as high as millions cor- 
 rectly. Took her to the piazza to see the ice and snow ; 
 she felt the zinc plates in the lower panes of the windows, 
 and this suggested a lesson on the metals. When talk- 
 ing of iron, she said, u God made some nails, and men 
 made some of iron.” She talked about a point, and 
 asked me if I had ever seen a pond. She gave me a 
 description of one and of a river which she said Tenny 
 taught me about river before I came here, and I threw 
 stones into it.” Taught her what an ocean is. When 
 talking of birds, I found she supposed they had four 
 legs, and when I corrected her she asked, “ Why did 
 God not give them four ? ” 
 
 Feb. 8. Continued the description of house building 
 from yesterday. She had many questions to ask. 
 
 4 4 How can men reach to put up the very high posts ? 
 How can they fix beams ? Where can men sleep when 
 they are building the house ? How do carpenters and 
 masons know when to come ? How did they learn to 
 build houses ? Why do they put fence round the piaz- 
 zas, and why marble floors?” In geography, when 
 explaining islands to her, she said laughing, 44 Eyes are 
 very full of tears : are they islands ? ” 
 
 Dr. Howe wished me to try some experiments 
 in teaching her to speak words with her mouth. 
 
144 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 Some time ago she happened to make a noise that 
 sounded like ship. I told her she said "ship,” and 
 she remembered it always after, and liked to have 
 me ask her to say it. At another time she said 
 "pie,” and at another still "doctor.” These she 
 constantly used, and has continued to do so all her 
 life. After much labor she said "pa” and "ma” 
 very well, and sometimes succeeded in saying 
 "Abby” and "baby.” After trying some time, 
 one day she said, " My mother was wrong to make 
 me deaf.” Told her sickness made her so, and 
 she seemed satisfied, but some time after said, 
 " I am very sad that I cannot hear and speak and 
 see,” though the next moment she was laughing 
 heartily. 
 
 Feb. 9. When checked in making noises she replied, 
 “ I only made your noise with my lips, and I tried to 
 talk with my mouth and say Swift, as you and many folks 
 do.” In geography she had her first lesson on one of 
 the maps prepared in raised lines for the use of the 
 blind, “Boston and Vicinity .” She found South and 
 East Boston and the bridges, and then studied, the city 
 itself. She had not known before that streets had 
 names, and was much interested in tracing Washington 
 Street, etc. Had a long talk on the subject of house- 
 building, and how fires sometimes burned them ; what 
 people ought to do to save their clothes, etc. She was 
 much excited. 
 
 Feb. 10. She told me that she had seen her father 
 “ burn short trees” in the ground, meaning stumps I 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 145 
 
 presume, and asked why he wanted to do it. From time 
 to time some conversation seems to suggest things 
 which she knew about when living at home, and we 
 see by her questions how much she observed and 
 thought wonderingly about. She seems to have grasped 
 numeration now, so advanced her to addition, which she 
 does perfectly well, but I wished her to understand the 
 reason of carrying to the next column. She learned it 
 very readily. On her map to-day she found all the 
 places she was told yesterday, and learned the names of 
 some of the islands in the harbor, but preferred to move 
 her fingers over the whole map rather than attend to 
 one place. 
 
 Feb. 13. Her examples in arithmetic pleased her 
 much, and she found how far from Portland, Me., to 
 Savannah, Ga., by adding the distances between the 
 cities on the route ; how many times the clock strikes in 
 twenty-four hours, etc. In her journal she wrote the 
 following account of a story I read to her yesterday : 
 
 4 ‘ A poor little girl was sitting on the step. A man was 
 passing in the cart and little girl did not know what was 
 in the cart. A man stopped by her and took out a 
 lamb that was almost dead ; he told her she might have 
 it if she wanted it. She held it and kept it warm with 
 her dress, and tried to have it drink some of her milk. 
 It lay down stiff and could not move to drink some 
 milk. It got well after a few days. In one day the 
 little girl lost a lamb and she went to look for it in the 
 barn, but it was not there ; then she went to look for it 
 in the wood-yard. She called it to come to her, but it 
 cried because rt was very much hurt with a stick of 
 wood. She took the stick from her poor leg. She took 
 10 
 
146 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 it in her arms to get it well. She put it in some soft 
 hay under the sun to go to sleep, and then it could play 
 and frisk.” 
 
 It was my rule to read a story to ner only once, 
 explaining any words that were new, and on the 
 following day she wrote what she could remember 
 in such words as she pleased, and often they were 
 quite unlike the book. 
 
 Feb. 14. Laura was left alone with the map, and 
 when I returned said, “ I have read all the names and 
 studied Quincy Ba 3 T .” With very little assistance she 
 bounded Roxbury, Brookline, and Brighton. She 
 now keeps the run of the day of the month, and writes 
 it at the head of each journal entry. Read a story to 
 her which was told as a dialogue ; her account of it was 
 strangely mixed and without sense. 
 
 Feb. 16. Gave Laura, among other examples, one 
 requiring her to find the weight of a cow ; when I gave 
 her the weight of the Jude , I asked her if she knew what 
 I meant. “ Yes, to put away things.’’ Taught her 
 “dry measure.” Took half a peck of beans and a 
 half-pint measure, told her the number of gills in it, 
 and then had her measure by the cupful, telling me each 
 one how many gills and pints it made, and then at 
 another time the quarts, pints, and gills, until she had 
 measured the half-peck. Such lessons are her delight, 
 and she was very soon entirely familiar with it, and 
 could quickly answer questions on the number of gills or 
 pints in a peck, bushel, etc. I copy the story alluded 
 to above, as she wrote it after the second reading : ' 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 147 
 
 “One day little Rollo was sitting by the fire on his 
 green cricket ; his mother was sitting at her work-table ; 
 he asked her, ‘When father would come home?’ She 
 said, ‘ He will come pretty soon. * Rollo told her he 
 thought he had better go and take hold of the great 
 rocking-chair to pull it to the fire for father. So he 
 began to cry because chair would not come to the fire 
 to please him. Mother looked up, — ‘ Rollo, what is 
 the matter?’ and he said, ‘The chair will not come.’ 
 Mother said, ‘Why Rollo wanted it?’ He said he 
 ‘Wanted to save father the trouble.’” (This was a 
 phrase she had lately learned, so she used it here, 
 although not in the story.) “She told Rollo that he 
 troubled her by crying ; then he stood by the chair and 
 swang back and forth. By and by, he said he was 
 going to get his father’s slippers from the little closet by 
 the side of the fire and put them in the corner by the 
 fire. When his father came home, then Rollo ran to the 
 door, and said to him he could not move the chair, but 
 father’s slippers are all ready for him.” 
 
 'Feb. 17. One example in arithmetic this morn was, 
 to find the age of a man, having the time he had lived 
 in several places given. She said, “ He lived in many 
 places, I am not sure why, — why ? ” She asked many 
 questions about a party I attended last evening, “ How 
 the ladies knew when to come ? ” Taught her ‘ ‘ invi- 
 tation.” “Why was not I invited?” Told her she 
 was a little girl. “ Doctor says I am tall.” But she was 
 satisfied when told that the blind girls did not go. 
 She was much amused in her walk yesterday over snow 
 that was incrusted, but not sufficiently to bear her 
 weight. When she broke through, she would scream 
 
148 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 with delight, and pull me after her. Promised to 
 explain the reason in the lesson this morning, so we 
 talked on ice, etc. 
 
 Found to my surprise that she could bound all the 
 towns I had taught her without the aid of the map, and 
 to-day she completed the circuit of Boston from Rox- 
 bury round to Malden. She takes much pleasure in 
 this study. 
 
 At noon took her to the stable to let her measure 
 oats with the half-peck measure, and then to the store- 
 room to teach her wine measure. Found a gallon, and 
 also hogshead, tierce, and barrel. She readily learned 
 their names and number of gallons they would hold, and 
 then wanted to examine other things, -—coffee in a bag, 
 sugar and salt in barrels, ginger, pepper, etc., in boxes 
 of twenty-five pounds, starch in papers, tea-chest box 
 and lead within. It was my intention to make two les- 
 sons of this, but there was no place to stop answering 
 her questions. 
 
 Feb. 18. When she bounded Chelsea, and found it 
 was north by Reading, she said, “Who lives in Read- 
 ing?” making the sign of reading in a book, and laugh- 
 ing heartily. 
 
 The following is a copy of a letter written in place of 
 her journal exercise : — 
 
 Twentyth Day of February. 
 
 My dear Miss Susan : 
 
 Miss Swift sends much love to you, & she wants 
 to see you. Miss Swift teaches me five hours, — to 
 cypher, & to talk about many things, and to study 
 geography, & to write & to read about stories in the 
 books to me. She teaches me calisthenics every day in 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 149 
 
 the afternoon. Will yon please to write a letter to me 
 some time ? I was very sore from exercising ; I am well 
 now. I send my love to Mrs. Swift ; I want to see her 
 very much. I like calisthenics much ; it makes me 
 strong and well, like the walking. I go to meeting 
 with Miss Rogers every Sunday. I like to go to meet- 
 ing very much. Good by, my friend. 
 
 Feb. 22. Found that she was studying her geography 
 with a thorough understanding of it. Some days since 
 she had learned to bound West Cambridge ; and to-day, 
 when asked to bound Lexington, she traced it on the 
 map until she got to the south, and then took off her 
 hands and said, U I must think the south,” and in an 
 instant told me, “ By West Cambridge.” 
 
 Dr. Howe thus relates the story of deception 
 which occurred this day, prefacing it with the 
 remark that it was perhaps attributable to indis- 
 cretion on his part : — 
 
 “ She came to me one day dressed for a walk, and had 
 on a new pair of gloves which were stout and rather 
 coarse. I began to banter and tease her (in that spirit 
 of fun of which she is very fond, and which she usually 
 returns with interest) upon the clumsy appearance of 
 the hands, at which she first laughed, but soon began 
 to look so serious and even grieved that I tried to direct 
 her attention to something else, and soon forgot the 
 subject. But not so poor Laura ; here her persona] 
 vanity or her love of approbation had been wounded ; 
 she thought the gloves were the cause of it, and she 
 resolved to be rid of them. Accordingly, they disap- 
 
150 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 peared and were supposed to be lost ; but her guileless 
 nature betrayed itself, for without being questioned she 
 frequently talked about the gloves, not saying directly 
 that they were lost, but asking if they might not be in 
 such or such a place. She was uneas} r under the new 
 garb of deceit, and soon excited suspicion. When it 
 reached my ears, I was exceedingly pained, and, more- 
 over, doubtful what course to pursue. At last, taking 
 her in the most affectionate wa}^, I began to tell her a story 
 of a little girl who was much beloved by her parents 
 and brothers and sisters, and for whose happiness everj T - 
 thing was done ; and asked her whether the little girl 
 should not love them in return and try to make them 
 happy, to which she eagerly assented. But, said I, 
 she did not ; she was careless and caused them much 
 pain. At this, Laura was excited, and said the girl 
 was in the wrong, and asked what she did to displease 
 her relations. I replied, she deceived them. They 
 never told her anything but truth ; but she, one day, 
 acted so as to make them think she had not done a 
 thing, when she had done it. Laura then eagerly asked 
 if the girl told a fib, and I explained to her how one 
 might tell a falsehood without sajdng a word, which she 
 readily understood, becoming all the time more inter- 
 ested and evidentty touched. I then tried to explain 
 to her the different degrees of culpability, resulting 
 from carelessness, from disobedience, and from inten- 
 tional deceit. She soon grew pale, and evidently 
 began to apply the remarks to her own case, but still 
 was very eager to know about “ the wrong little girl” 
 and how her parents treated her. I told her her parents 
 were grieved and cried, at which she could hardly 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 151 
 
 restrain her own tears. After a while, she confessed 
 to me that she had deceived about the gloves, that they 
 were not lost, but hidden away. I then tried to show 
 her that I cared nothing about the gloves, that the loss 
 of a hundred pairs would be nothing if unaccompanied 
 by any deceit. She perceived that I was grieved, and 
 going to leave her to her own thoughts, clung to me as 
 if in terror of being alone. I was forced, however, to 
 inflict the pain upon her. 
 
 “ Her teachers and the persons most immediately 
 about her were requested to manifest no other feeling 
 than that of sorrow on her account ; and the poor crea- 
 ture, going about from one to another for comfort and 
 for joy, but finding only sadness, soon became agonized 
 with grief. When left alone, she sat pale and motion- 
 less, with a countenance the very image of sorrow ; and 
 so severe seemed the discipline that I feared lest the 
 memory of it should be terrible enough to tempt her to 
 have recourse to the common artifice of concealing one 
 prevarication by another, and thus insensibly get her 
 into the habit of falsehood. I therefore comforted her 
 by assurances of the continued affection of her friends, 
 tried to make her understand that their grief and her 
 suffering were the simple and necessary consequences 
 of her careless or wilful misstatement, and made her 
 reflect upon the nature of the emotion she experienced 
 after having uttered the untruth ; how unpleasant it 
 was, how it made her feel afraid, and how widely dif- 
 ferent it was from the fearless and placid emotion which 
 followe4 truth.” 
 
 Feb. 23. The morning lesson was very good, but at 
 the hour for conversation she could only talk about the 
 
152 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 gloves, and at request of Dr. H. I left her to sit by 
 herself. 
 
 Feb. 24. She finished the map of Boston and vicin- 
 ity. When asked to name the towns north, west, and 
 south of Boston, she did it correctly at once, without 
 reference to the map. She has taken less time on this 
 map than any of the blind children. 
 
 Later in the day she asked, “ Are you tired to live ? ” 
 Corrected the form of question, and answered, “No.” 
 u Are you tired of moving?” Asked her if she was 
 tired of living. “ No, but you have lived many years.” 
 “ Do you think you would be tired if you had lived 
 twenty years ? ” She hesitated, and thought some time 
 about it, but decided she should not. 
 
 Feb. 25. “ When I am a lady I shall go and never 
 
 come ; Doctor says ladies do not go to school.” Asked 
 where she should go. “To Hanover, but I want you 
 to come and live with me to take care of baby sister, 
 because my mother and the girl are very busy, and 
 cannot take care of her and me.” “ When you are a 
 lady, you ought to take care of yourself.” She said, 
 ‘ 4 Can I tell myself when to put on other dress ? ” She 
 talked a long time about what things she could do to 
 help her mother, and then changed the subject to talk 
 about u giving away things.” She said, “ Doctor says 
 I must not give things away that ladies give me.” 
 Fearing that she had not quite understood his meaning, 
 and that she might think this would be an excuse for 
 selfishness, I proposed that she should give to her little 
 sister the playthings which she did not use now ; she 
 made several excuses for not doing so, but at last con- 
 cluded she would like to. She said, “ Pigs are very 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 153 
 
 stingy, they eat all the food, and do not give baby pigs 
 any.” Told her the birds gave each other food. This 
 was a puzzle to her, and she talked long, trying to settle 
 the question if the pigs were wrong. Children usually 
 prefer to skip the moral of a story, but Laura always 
 wishes to discuss it ; she never seems quite satisfied 
 with the results of her own reasoning, or with my ver- 
 dicts on such questions. 
 
 Feb. 27. Laura told me a story of her early child- 
 hood to-day : u When I was a little girl in Hanover I 
 threw the cat into the fire, and she ran fast, and my 
 mother ran fast to take her out, and she burned her 
 foot very much. She went away into the woods, and 
 never came out.” It is singular that, after being with 
 us and able to talk for so many years, she should just 
 now remember an incident of this kind and relate it. 
 
 After recess she said, “ I was very much frightened. 
 I thought I felt some one make a great noise, and I 
 trembled, and my heart ached very quick.” Probably 
 the children had made some unusual sound in romping, 
 but I had not perceived it. She asked, “ Do you 
 know any crazzy persons ? ” Then altered the word to 
 u craxy,” and finally “ crazy.” Asked who told her 
 that word. She said, “ Lurena told about crazy per- 
 sons, and said she was once crazy herself. What is 
 crazy ? ” Told her crazy persons could not think what 
 they were doing, and attempted to change the subject, 
 but she immediately returned to it, and repeated the 
 question, “ Have you seen crazy people ? ” And would 
 not be satisfied without an answer. I replied, “ I saw a 
 woman once who walked about.” “ Why did she walk? 
 How could she think to walk ? ” Here she showed the 
 
154 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN \ 
 
 error of my definition. Explained to her that some* 
 times people were sick, and that made them crazy. 
 “ Who will take care of me if I am crazy? ” Laughed 
 at her, and told her she would not be. “I said if” 
 I promised to take care of her if she would be gentle 
 and kind to me. “ Can I talk with my fingers? Did 
 you ever see a dizzy lady ? How do you dizzy ? ” She 
 said she dreamed last night about her mother and the 
 baby, and talked with her fingers as in the daytime. 
 I questioned her particularly as to what she dreamed, 
 but got no satisfactory answer. 
 
 Laura writes a great many letters to her friends now. 
 The following is a copy of one just written to her 
 mother. She has in this for the first time asked ques- 
 tions about family affairs. I asked why she said, “ My 
 dear my mother.” “ She is my mother, and she would 
 not know if I did not write it so.” 
 
 My Dear my Mother. 
 
 I want to see you very much. I send very much 
 love to you. I send ten kisses to sister Mary. My one 
 pair of stockings are done.* Can Mary walk with her 
 feet? Do stockings fit her? I want you to write a 
 letter to me some time. Miss Swift teaches me to say 
 father, & mother, & baby. I want you to come to 
 South Boston with my sister, to stay few days and to 
 see me exercising the calisthenics. Oliver can talk 
 with his fingers very faster about words. I will write a 
 letter to you again. Miss J. & Doctor send love to 
 you. Miss Davis is married, — Mrs. Davis ; she has 
 gone to live with her husband in Dudley. Is Mary well ? 
 
 * She had knit a pair to send with the letter. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 155 
 
 Is my aunt well? I send love to her. I will write a 
 letter to you soon some time. Why did you not write a 
 letter to me? I go to meeting every Sunday. I am 
 gentle in church with Miss Rogers. I am happy 
 there. Good-bye. 
 
 Feb. 28. Laura was quite forgetful in her lesson, 
 and said as an excuse, “ I was thinking about wife and 
 Doctor.” She had just been told of Doctor’s intended 
 marriage, and evidently did not know whether to be 
 glad or sorry about it. She said, “ To-morrow will be 
 March ; will it be the once day of March ? ” 
 
 March 1. Taught her cloth measure, and let her 
 measure everything about her. She was quite dis- 
 turbed to find her fingers were all of different length, 
 and said, “ Why did not God make them all alike?” 
 In geography found she had forgotten some of her defi- 
 nitions, so gave her a review, and at its close she 
 answered in her own words all such questions as, 
 What is an island? Cape? Bay? etc. She asked if 
 I would give her the map to-morrow, where the birds 
 canary live. Told her that was very far off, that other 
 little girls did not know that map, but that if she 
 remembered well what I taught her, she would learn it 
 soon. 
 
 March 3. She explains the process of multiplication 
 by one figure very well, and seems to understand it 
 perfectly. Found difficulty in deciding on the best map 
 for her to study, as there is none of the State of Massa- 
 chusetts prepared for the blind, on a sufficiently large 
 scale, and the step from that she has been studying to 
 one on which a pin-head denotes a town, and but few 
 
156 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 towns even marked in this wa}? - , is a very long one. 
 Decided upon an outline map. Commenced by telling 
 her where Boston and Charles River were, and then 
 attempted to give her the idea that the map was so 
 small and it had so many miles on it, we could not have 
 room to put down all that was on the other map. Told 
 her the number of miles from Boston to the mouth of 
 the Hudson River. She said, “ I think Miss W lives 
 there,” and was much pleased that she should have 
 learned anything so far from home. 
 
 March 4. The monthly exhibition day. Laura was 
 puzzled to know why there are sometimes three Satur- 
 days, and sometimes four between them. It took some 
 time to explain this. 
 
 March 6. Gave her for a writing lesson the story I 
 had read to her three days before She thought she 
 should not be able to remember it, but she did well. 
 After writing she said, “Is this truth? I think not. 
 Is it lie ? ” Tried to make her understand it was not 
 wrong to write it, but doubt if I succeeded entirely. 
 In writing she spelled the word “ bureau” incorrectly, 
 and when told of it, said, u I was very unremembered.” 
 She uses ‘ ‘ forgetful ” often, but this was an effort to 
 coin a word, and she turned to me for approbation of it. 
 
 March 8. The geography lesson was the towns on 
 the Eastern Railroad, and also on the Lowell and 
 Providence roads. She enjoyed tracing the routes 
 which the blind scholars take to go to their homes. 
 
 The next lesson was the towns on the coast in Plym- 
 outh and Barnstable Counties to the extremity of Cape 
 Cod. When told this name she asked, “To eat?” 
 The bays and islands, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 157 
 
 interested tier, and she was much amused at such names 
 as “ Ply-mouth, Barn-stable,” etc. She always seems 
 to think of words in their component parts. 
 
 March 10. Not quite as good a lesson as usual in 
 arithmetic. She found an algebra type, and was anx- 
 ious to be able to use it. Told her I would teach her 
 all about it when she was sixteen. 1,4 And can you 
 kiss me then? Can you kiss sixteen young ladies?” 
 She expressed much fear that she should have to give 
 up kissing and being kissed when she was so old. 
 
 When Laura was having a lesson on a subject 
 in which she was specially interested, she appeared 
 to be in a state of great excitement; each new 
 thought was received with a hearty laugh, or a 
 kiss or a hug for her teacher. The desire to 
 express her delight was irresistible. The question 
 was often asked by visitors, " What is it pleases 
 her so much ? ” when perhaps it was only a new 
 word which she had learned from a sentence 
 dictated by a stranger, which I had interpreted to 
 her and afterwards explained. 
 
 March 11. On some points of etiquette she needs 
 special instruction, and to* day the subject of visiting 
 came up. Sometimes, of late, when asked to call on a 
 person, she has added, 4 4 And to take tea? When 
 told of the impropriety of this, she carried it to the 
 opposite extreme, and thought Miss J. must be to 
 blame when she went to her sister’s without an invita- 
 tion, and questioned whether it was proper tor me to 
 pay any calls unless a special invitation to do so was 
 
158 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 extended ; but she at last understood the propriety of 
 thanking people for the invitation, and that she was not 
 to ask for anything more. 
 
 She had a story read to her to-day in which was the 
 sentence, “ One day John was a little cross.” As a 
 comment she said, “ I think the man” (who wrote the 
 story) “ guessed that.” One of the questions in arith- 
 metic was, “If a man travel seven miles an hour, how 
 far will he travel in eight days, when the days are nine 
 hours long? ” She did not know the word “ travel,” so 
 an explanation of that and the word “journey” occu- 
 pied some time. She performed it correctly, but when 
 asked to explain it, did not succeed. Thought she 
 might do better if I put myself in the place of the man. 
 After thinking a moment she said, “You will have to 
 go more ; you will have to go over the bridges.” When 
 she found the answer was several hundred miles, she 
 said, “ When will you come back? ” 
 
 Her imagination seemed to develop more slowly 
 than any other power of her mind, and this caused 
 her to meet with difficulties where I have never 
 known any child who could hear to encounter 
 them. 
 
 March 13. Laura said on coming down early this 
 morning, “ I hope I shall not be cross, or make noises, 
 or fret, or deceive, or tell any wrong stories this week.” 
 Taught her the words “resolution” and “resolved,” 
 and she understood them both very quickly. She asked 
 a question, which I answered playfully, “Yes, ma’am.” 
 Explained the use of “ ma’am,” and also of “ sir.” She 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 159 
 
 asked what the punctuation marks meant in her Child’s 
 Book. Gave her the names, and attempted to explain 
 them, but it will take much practice before she succeeds 
 in using them correctly. She learned the words “ sur- 
 prise ” and “strange.” Asked her for illustrations, 
 and she gave the sentence, “ I am surprised to know I 
 shall go to the State House.” 
 
 The exhibition of the pupils of the Institution 
 before the Legislature was always an exciting 
 episode, and although we used the greatest care 
 to keep Laura calm, she sympathized with the 
 family. 
 
 March 15. Her mind being entirely occupied with 
 the experience of yesterday, I took the State House and 
 its uses as a subject of conversation. She learned the 
 word “ representative” with much difficulty. 
 
 March 16. The requests for Laura’s autograph were 
 always numerous, and it was often very irksome to her 
 to write. When I asked her to prepare some this morn- 
 ing which Doctor H. wished to use, she objected, and at 
 last with reluctance took her pencil and wrote hurriedly 
 with one hand. I took her hand in mine and told her it 
 made me feel sad to have her do so, and she soon said, 
 ‘ 4 1 feel bad in my heart, and that makes me wrong.” 
 After a moment’s thought she wrote very well. 
 
160 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 March 17. Having devoted six weeks to lessons on 
 written arithmetic, and taught her all the tables of 
 weights and measures which would be of use to her, I 
 decided that she would be better prepared to advance 
 further by studying Colburn’s Mental Arithmetic first. 
 I supposed she would be much amused at the simple 
 questions in the first section ; when asked how many 
 hands she had, she said, “ Two, but I saw Mr. Rogers, 
 who has only one ” Her comments on nearly every ques- 
 tion were such as, “That boy was very kind and gener- 
 ous. Why did this boy buy much cake ? ” etc., etc. She, 
 as usual, took every statement as a fact, and the amuse- 
 ment was all on my side. She was much pleased at her 
 success in the gymnasium yesterday, when she swung 
 herself up seven rounds of the ladder. Here she 
 stopped, and I lifted her down. She thought she 
 might go to the top to-da} T , and wanted to know if she 
 could jump to the floor. Showed her the pole near by 
 for her to cling to and slide down, but she was afraid 
 to attempt it. I can talk to the blind girls and encour- 
 age them while they are attempting new feats, but poor 
 Laura has both hands in use, and it is not a cause of 
 wonder that she is timid, but rather that she accom- 
 plishes so much. 
 
 March 18. She enjoys her mental arithmetic, as she 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 161 
 
 can answer the questions so easily. She said, “ I think 
 I am very bright this morning, I have done many 
 sums.” On the map she has learned all the principal 
 towns in the east of New England, and to-day learned 
 those between Worcester and the Connecticut River. Her 
 memory is wonderful, as she rarely forgets one of the 
 names given her. 
 
 March 20. She performed thirty examples, and gave 
 the reasons for her work. This she dislikes, and says, 
 u I never did tell why before, and why do you have me 
 now?” At nine she brought “ The Child’s Second Book” 
 and asked that she might read to me. I found her yes- 
 terday puzzling over it, and when I spoke to her, she 
 said, “ I cannot read books and know them as you do.” 
 Again she had found that unfortunate sentence which 
 had so grieved her a year ago, and to-day it is a dis- 
 couragement to me, for I supposed she would now read 
 it, as she should, connectedly, but find I am mistaken. 
 “You must not think because you are blind, you cannot 
 learn as much as other children ” Again she stops at 
 the comma and says, “ Cannot I think? Why did Dr. 
 Howe say I could not ? ” 
 
 March 22. She was puzzled by a question in arithme- 
 tic this morning, “ What will a gallon of molasses cost 
 at two cents a gill ? ” but succeeded at last in doing it 
 without assistance. She enjoyed a review in geography, 
 as I made a play of going from town to town in Massa- 
 chusetts, and having her tell what places we would pass 
 through, having her tell me also the direction in which 
 she was travelling. It seems to me that few children 
 Viake a geography lesson so completely their own as she 
 does. She did not appear well after her walk, and 
 ll 
 
162 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 said, “ I must ask doctor why my blood is cold, and 
 does not run about and be warm as J.’s.” She found in 
 her book the word “ syllable.” I do not like to tell her 
 she cannot understand a word, it makes her so sad, so 
 told her what I could of this way of dividing words, but 
 it is so dependent upon the ear that I do not think she 
 can ever be taught it, so she can use it. 
 
 March 27. A lesson on halves which took an hour ; 
 but I hope the way is prepared for thirds, etc. When I 
 called her to come for a lesson, she said, “I have been 
 reading about God.” Asked if she understood all the 
 words ; she said, “ No, I thought I would wait patient 
 until you were not busy.” 
 
 March 30. Read the following to her, 11 If you 
 can buy a barrel of cider for four dollars, how much 
 can you buy for one dollar?” Her comments were, 
 “ How did the man who wrote the book know I 
 was here? ” and “ I cannot give much for cider, because 
 it is very sour.” Fractions prove very puzzling to her. 
 Our walk to-day was from the Institution to the lower 
 part of Mt. Vernon Street, round the Common and 
 home, which took nearly three hours, but she did not 
 seem tired. She asked how candy was made. Found 
 she did not know what raisins are made from, so we 
 had a lesson on vineyards, etc., and she learned the new 
 word “ shrivelled.” 
 
 March 31. When in a shop in Boston she showed 
 some impatience on being checked in making a noise, 
 and perceiving that I had in my hand a bundle of mus- 
 lin which I wished to keep smooth, she pinched it very 
 hard. On leaving the shop I told her I could not talk 
 with her because she had done wrong, and asked if she 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 163 
 
 knew in what. “ Yes, I pinched your cloth.” And we 
 walked on silently. As we were crossing the bridge, 
 there was a sail-boat so near, that by extending her 
 arm I could put her hand upon the sail. I stopped to 
 let her examine it, but she did not talk about it. When 
 we got home, she said, “Do you feel sad? Why did 
 you let naughty girl feel of the boat?” Told her I did 
 not like to punish her, and I thought she would want to 
 feel it very much. This touched her feelings, and she 
 was very sad and thoughtful all the forenoon. 
 
 These little bursts of anger were very slight, 
 and perhaps many would say it is not just to men- 
 tion them at all. Were I writing of any ordinary 
 child, I should not do so, but in giving these notes 
 to the world, it seems to be my duty to tell of 
 things just as they happened whether they were 
 large or small. 
 
 April 3. Last evening when walking with Laura, 
 we met Oliver. She said to him, “ Laura is sick.” I 
 asked where, as I had not noticed it. “ In my head, I 
 studied much in books, and thought very hard.” (Sun- 
 da} 7 " afternoon when she was left alone.) Found she 
 had been studying in “ Viri Romae,” and she remem- 
 bered several words, “ non, sed, est,” etc., and was anx- 
 ious to know what they meant. When told, she asked, 
 “ Does Doctor know Latin, and Jeannette and Rogers 
 and Sophia ? ” And when she found some did not, she 
 was very happy. “Does God know Latin? Do you 
 know all things like God ? ” The occasional glimpses 
 which she gets of the world of letters beyond discour* 
 
164 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 age her at first, and she seeks companions in her igno- 
 rance, but they serve in the end only to whet her curi- 
 osity. She had also found many other new English 
 words to ask about. u What is England? Is Doctor 
 going there? What does ‘altered her mind’ mean? 
 Are snatch and scratch the same ? What is education ? ” 
 She had an idea, from some reason unknown to me, 
 that this was a French word. ‘ ‘ Do French people say 
 they will education children?” Taught her the verb 
 “ educate.” 
 
 April 10. Gave her a lesson on a large map of the 
 New England States, and she found the towns upon it 
 with ease. At noon told her she might think of a sub- 
 ject for our lesson, and when I returned she said, “Talk 
 about Jupiter.” She was satisfied when told it was the 
 name of a star, and asked, “ What does orbit mean? ” 
 Then she talked of the wind ; when told that it blew 
 northeast and was veiy cold, and yesterday it was south 
 and very warm, she asked, “ Is the wind always south 
 in summer? Will you teach me next summer and win- 
 ter, and after two summers?” “Perhaps the Doctor 
 will think } t ou had better go home, and help your mother 
 make cheese and butter.” She showed much adroitness 
 in settling the moral questions which I knew would be 
 raised at once by the suggestion, and answered, ‘ ‘ Doc- 
 tor says he wants me to live with him, and I think my 
 sister will help my mother.” 
 
 April 12. She wished to write a note of thanks to a 
 gentleman who had sent her some candy, and came to 
 me in trouble because she did not know how to address 
 it. “I cannot say My dear Mr. Howard.” When 
 told she could say simply, “Mr. Howard,” she was 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 165 
 
 much relieved. No one had ever made a suggestion of 
 this kind to her, but her delicate sense of propriety 
 never fails her. She had tried to speak my name 
 with her mouth. I found the combination of conso- 
 nants too difficult, and suggested that she try to speak 
 44 Mary.” She succeeded very well, but to-day said, 44 1 
 am little afraid to say 4 Mary/ I think other folks would 
 think it was their name.” She asked if she had been 
 very gentle this week. 4 4 Yes, I think so.” But she was 
 not satisfied. 44 1 think I was a little cross yesterday 
 in arithmetic : my forehead was wrinkled.” She went 
 with me to a shop to select a collar. Before going in I 
 told her they did not like to have them touched much, 
 but that she could feel of the one I bought. She kept 
 her hands very still for some time, and then I showed 
 her one I liked. She said, 44 1 think I could find you a 
 very pretty one,” and in a moment selected a very fine 
 one. The salesman, wishing to know if she would man- 
 ifest any more pleasure at the finest work, showed her 
 one of the most costly he had. She felt of it carefully, 
 and said, 44 That is very, very beautiful, and I think it is 
 velvet.” She had many questions to ask about embroi- 
 dery of all kinds to-day. 
 
 April 17. A question in her arithmetic lesson to-day 
 was, “There is a vessel containing eighty-seven gal- 
 lons, and by a cock, ten gallons run into it in an hour, 
 in how many hours will it be filled?” She said, 44 How 
 can gallons run ? ” She associated the word 4 4 run ” 
 with the measure I had shown her when she first 
 learned it, but when I added, 44 of wine or water,” she 
 understood it. At noon, I told her she might sweep 
 ae stairs to help Ellen. This was quite a trial for her, 
 
166 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 as she is not very fond of domestic work, and she 
 wanted a story read to her at this hour, but she came 
 out of it nobly. At first she looked displeased, then 
 her countenance brightened, and she said, “ Yes, I can 
 sweep for money, because I am very poor without 
 money.” Told her she must sweep them to try to pay 
 Ellen and J. for doing work for her, and that she did 
 not do anything for them, but they worked much for 
 her. After a moment’s thought, she kissed me, and 
 said, u Yes, I will go and try to do them well, that I 
 may pay J. and Ellen for many nice things.” And she 
 did them faithfully, though it occupied her two hours. 
 
 April 18. Completed the third section of Colburn’s 
 Mental Arithmetic. Her lesson in geography was on 
 New Hampshire. She is familiar with its large towns, 
 rivers, lakes, and mountains. Showed her where her 
 mother lived, and talked about the college, why called 
 Dartmouth, etc. Continued reading a story which was 
 commenced a fortnight since, but she could tell me 
 just where we left it. 
 
 April 20. Laura said to me last eve, “I do not 
 think now, I dream.” I supposed she was joking, and 
 took little notice of it, but this morning she asked, 
 “ Why could I not think last night? ” “I think you 
 did.” “ No, I only dreamed, I did not know anything 
 well.” She expressed much sorrow about Doctor’s 
 going away, and perhaps this was the cause of her 
 peculiar state. 
 
 April 21. A beautiful spring day, so took Laura 
 out to the play -ground for a lesson on trees ; taught 
 her about the evergreens, and showed her the buds just 
 swelling on the other trees. Then she visited the pig- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 167 
 
 pen, tried to get the cat to come to her, and when she 
 succeeded, I held her so she could feel her head, ears, 
 nose, and mouth. She has alwa} T s before shrunk from 
 touching her, but she has known of Julia Brace’s* affec- 
 tion for cats, and I think this made her less timid. She 
 felt of its whiskers, and at once said that was what Julia 
 meant by her sign for a cat. When told its eyes were 
 green, she said, “ I think they are very beautiful.” 
 She was so happy that she laid her plans for taking all 
 her lessons next summer in the arbor. In geography 
 she surprised me more than ever, by learning the names 
 and situation of Lake Champlain and four rivers run- 
 ning into it, and of about ten towns in Vermont, after 
 I had spelled them only once to her. 
 
 April 24. She asked for a lesson in the china closet, 
 that she might learn the names of different pieces of 
 china and glass. In the fourth section of the arithmetic 
 she has done, in two mornings, over fifty such sums as. 
 “ Three times seven are how many times four? ” 
 
 April 25. Found her too much engaged with her cares 
 as housekeeper, which she has assumed in Miss J.’s 
 absence, to attend to a lesson. She had cleared two 
 closets of their contents and wished to be allowed to 
 complete her cleaning. She could tell me in her geog- 
 raphy lesson the names of the cities through which 
 Miss J. passed in going to New York. 
 
 April 26. Laura said this morning, 4 4 My heart ached, 
 I was very much frightened last night. I do not know 
 what made my blood make a noise.” Told her I 
 
 * This deaf, dumb, and blind woman, whose home was in Hart- 
 ford Aysliun for Deaf-Mutes, bad been at South Boston for some 
 
 Weeks. 
 
168 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 thought she dreamed. “I did not know that dream 
 could make my heart afraid. I put sheet over my head 
 very quick ; I trembled very much.’ , “ I dream some- 
 times and am frightened.” “ When your dream fright- 
 ens you, do you think you feel some one walking ? ” At 
 breakfast she asked each person she met, if her dreams 
 ever frightened her. “What shall I do if I am fright- 
 ened?” “Laugh, to think that you dreamed.” At 
 nine she could think of nothing else. “ When I was 
 at Halifax with you and Miss J., I came from my bed 
 because I was frightened.” Told her I sometimes 
 dreamed of falling. “ I do sometimes, and then I make 
 a noise and jump. I think dream was very hard and 
 heavy and thick ; it made me grow quick, my blood ran 
 very hard.” “ I think you dreamed that some one was 
 walking and that frightened you.” “ Did some one 
 walk ? ” “ No.” ‘ ‘ Did you think you heard some one ” 
 (here she corrected me and said felt) “ walk after you 
 woke, or did you remember feeling them before you 
 woke?” “ I felt them and woke very quick, my eyes 
 opened very quickly. What made my blood run very 
 noise?” (Here she made a low noise.) “I thought 
 something had four legs, and it ran almost over me.” 
 She was so much excited about it that I tried to laugh it 
 off, but she seemed to think it was nothing to joke 
 about. “ I can come to you when I am frightened?” 
 “Yes, and I can wake you and tell you it is all a 
 dream, and you can laugh and go to sleep again.” Then it 
 seemed as if she had just remembered what her dream 
 was, for I had asked her several times before, and 
 said, “I dreamed last night that Wight came to my 
 room with a pig, and that the pig ran down hill on a 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 169 
 
 board to my bed.” “ Was this what frightened you? ” 
 “Yes” 
 
 April 28. She performed thirty examples in an 
 hour, such as the following: “ Eight times seven and 
 two sevenths of seven are how many times nine ? ” She 
 had her first lesson on Maine ; when told the name of 
 the capital, she said, laughing, “Is it a little girl?” 
 She talked much of Doctor’s wedding, and said, “I 
 wanted to go to see Doctor wedding. Do ladies wear 
 very nice dresses ? Did Doctor wear very nice ? When 
 you are married I shall come to your wedding, and 
 wear very nice silk,” then changed her sentence, say- 
 ing, “ I meant if.” She sat still an unusually long 
 time, and I asked what she was thinking about. “ I 
 love Doctor, like Mrs. Howe. I love him very, very 
 much ; is he my daughter? He said he was.” “ I think 
 he said you were his daughter, did he not? ” “ Is Mrs. 
 
 Howe my sister? ” “ If Doctor is your father, then she 
 
 will be your mother.” “ No ; J. is mother. I cannot 
 love Mrs. Howe as I do J., because I do not see her 
 often ; she is a stranger.” 
 
 April 29. She went j^esterday to visit the steamship 
 in which the Doctor was to sail for Europe. She exam- 
 ined the saloon, the tables, felt of the glasses in the 
 racks, and then visited the state-rooms and cabins. 
 After seeing the crockery she said, “ I have seen cups 
 and saucers and plates ; where are spoons and knives 
 and forks? Will you show me where men keep the 
 flour and molasses ? ” Bread and molasses is her favor- 
 ite dish. Next she asked to see where they cooked, 
 and wanted to know if men could make things good. 
 The cook happened to be near, and, to prove his abil- 
 
170 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 ity, gave her a cake ; and then she asked where cakes 
 stay (were kept). “ Where do men get milk to make 
 cakes ? ” She was taken to see the cow. Lastly she 
 walked the whole length of the ship, to get an idea of 
 its size. 
 
 May 9 . She was very much excited, so tried to 
 interest her in a talk about the weather, and why she 
 could feel the storm from some of the windows, and 
 not from the others, but she was unable to fix her atten- 
 tion. She was inclined to conceal her own sadness at 
 parting with Dr. Howe, who sailed to-day, and said to 
 me when she had been to say good by, “ Do not be 
 very sad, I will make you happy.” I brought Oliver 
 into our rooms, thinking that talking with him might 
 amuse her, and make him feel more happy. She said, 
 “ I will try very hard to make him happ}^. He must 
 not be sad.” She led him to Doctor’s chamber to show 
 him that all the things were taken away, and talked 
 with him till dinner. After this she became more quiet. 
 
 May 2. She completed an unusually long letter to 
 her friend, Miss Everett. She said, “ I must write a 
 very long letter to her, because she has not been here 
 for very long time, and she will want to know about all 
 things, and it will make her happy.” It is much the 
 most gossiping letter she ever wrote, so I copy it 
 entire : — 
 
 First op May. 
 
 My Dear Elizabeth Everett : 
 
 I want to see you very much. I have not seen you 
 for very many months. You did not write a letter to 
 me for very long time. Why did you not write to me? 
 I send very much love to you. I am sad that you did 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 171 
 
 never come to see us last summer, to stay a few days. 
 Are you very well? I am well. Were you sad not to 
 come to S. Boston? Mrs. Morton has got baby named 
 Lucy. I & Miss J are going to see Mrs. M. & little 
 baby next summer & to pick berries. Dr. went to 
 New York to see Miss Ward many times because he 
 loved her very much. Last Saturday morning he went 
 to New York to be married Wednesday evening. Miss 
 Ward is married, — Mrs. Howe. Miss J. went to see 
 Dr. married Wednesday evening. Mrs. H. came with 
 her husband to stay till Monday. Before dinner they 
 are going in ship to stay two weeks. I went to see 
 ship Friday, where (in which) Dr. is going away. I 
 went with Miss S. & Miss R. & Miss W. & Oliver & 
 Mr. H. & Mrs. S. to see ship, & cups, and saucers, and 
 plates, & many glass tumblers, & berths, & other 
 things. I am very sad to have Dr. & Mrs. Howe go & 
 stay many months, one 3^ear. They will go three thou- 
 sand miles, far off. My very dear lame friend sends 
 much love to you. Mrs. Howe can talk with her fin- 
 gers, she goes away in May. Will you please to write 
 a letter to me some time? Miss S. sends her love to 
 you. Dr. & Mrs. Howe went away in the ship Monday. 
 They will come next spring, very long. I went to 
 (visit) Mrs. B. before dinner till night. I had a very 
 pleasant time. I was happy there last Thursday. Miss 
 S. teaches me five hours, — to cypher, & to talk, & 
 to study geography well, & to write, & to read to me 
 in books about very pretty stories. It is vacation now. 
 I want to come to see you. Miss Davis is married, 
 Mrs. Davis has gone to live with her husband. All 
 the girls are very well & good. Goodbye. 
 
172 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 It is quite touching to see how the thought of 
 Dr. Howe as just going, and then as gone, and 
 then not to return for so long a time, runs like a 
 sad refrain all through the letter. Few children 
 would have borne such trials as bravely as she 
 did. 
 
 May 4. She asked why I hurried in sewing, and 
 when told because I had much to do and very little 
 time to do it in, said, “ I can hem handkerchiefs for 
 you,” and this afternoon has worked very diligently all 
 the time, though she had work of her own which she 
 wished to do. 
 
 May 5. She completed the fourth section in arith- 
 metic, and after that could talk of nothing but the 
 vacation. As I was to be absent three weeks from her, 
 she wished to be told what she could do every day, and 
 almost every hour. She seems to prefer to lean on me, 
 rather than to be independent as so many girls of her 
 age wish to be. 
 
 May 31. Laura was very happy to welcome the 
 blind girls on their return. She busied herself in assist- 
 ing me in arranging my room, and as she knows the 
 place for everything in my bureau drawers, she can be 
 very useful. She was anxious to tell me of all that had 
 happened in the vacation, and to hear what I had been 
 doing. Being “ anniversary week,” we had a large 
 number of visitors, so had only time to ask questions 
 on the map of New England. She had just completed 
 it and was very ready in answering questions a month 
 ago, and I was anxious to test her memory. Found 
 she remembered much of it, and probably a few days of 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 173 
 
 review will bring it all back. On returning from our 
 walk we met in the hall a little blind girl who was a 
 new scholar. Thinking it would please her, I stopped 
 for her to feel of her, but she treated her rather roughly. 
 This afternoon the little girl sent her an orange. I said 
 that I thought she was very kind and had forgiven her 
 rudeness in the morning. She made no reply, but I 
 could see that she appreciated the reproof intended. 
 
 June 1. She brought some candy and said, “ I want 
 you to give them to little Jane, and tell her I thank her 
 for the orange very much.” Found, in a review of four 
 States, she had forgotten only three places. Some one 
 nad been talking to her about monkeys, and she wished 
 to repeat to me the stories. The way in which they were 
 made to throw down cocoa-nuts from the trees amused 
 her, but the question whether it was right (morally) for 
 the men to throw stones at the monkeys was raised at 
 once. 
 
 She has forgotten more in her arithmetic than in any- 
 thing else, which I regret, as she is always more easily 
 troubled by failures and enjoys the study less than any 
 other. When discouraged she often says, “It is very 
 hard, I think I cannot know it.” 
 
 It generally happened that her times of greatest 
 trouble came very unexpectedly, and when her previous 
 conversation would have led me to anticipate an unusual 
 amount of self-restraint. An example of this occurred 
 
 June 7. She asked, “ Was I good all day yesterday ? ” 
 “ Nearly all day ; you were rude two or three times.” 
 “ It makes me sad in eyes, and something troubles me 
 when I am not good.” She had commenced a new sec- 
 tion in arithmetic and was puzzled but in very good 
 
174 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 spirits. She tried unsuccessfully to tell me how much a 
 quarter of eight was, and said, “I do not know.” I 
 replied, as I always do when she does not take time, “ If 
 you think, you can tell me.” Instead of receiving it as 
 usual, she caught my hand and twisted it very hard. 
 At first I thought it was play and was surprised to see 
 her face was scarlet, and that she was in a passion. I 
 left my seat beside her without speaking, and she sat 
 alone a quarter of an hour. Then I went to her to tell 
 her it was time for her to put her room in order. When I 
 went to take her to breakfast she said, “ I think you do 
 not want very angry girls to eat with you ; you can bring 
 m} T breakfast, and I can eat alone.” Told her I liked 
 to have her go with me. When she came for her next 
 lesson, I asked her if she felt happy. “ No, I was very 
 angry. I twisted your hand and almost broke your 
 wrist. Does it ache now ? ” Told her I was very sad that 
 she felt so, and asked her if I was unkind to her. “ You 
 told me to think.” Explained why I said so, and that 
 I could not teach her well unless she took time to think. 
 She said, “ You were kind, but I was ang^. What 
 will you do to punish me?” “ Nothing, I do not want 
 to punish you.” “ You did punishme very much when 
 I sat alone.” “If you had been good you would not 
 care if I left you alone ; it is your thoughts that punish 
 you and make you sad and unhappy.” ‘ ‘ What will you 
 do to punish me if I am angry again? ” “ Nothing. I 
 
 shall be kind to you, and try to teach you, but I am 
 afraid if you are angry I cannot love you so much as 
 I do when you are mild and gentle, and it makes me 
 very sad to have you so.” She wiped her tears, and 
 thinking of some work she could do to help Miss J., 1 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 175 
 
 sent her to do it, hoping to change the current of her 
 thoughts. All the rest of the day she was very affec- 
 tionate, and frequently said, “You are very kind to 
 me,” as if trying to make me forget the morning. 
 
 June 8. She asked if “think, guess, suppose, and 
 understand” are the same. An hour was too short 
 to make her fully understand the difference ; indeed, I 
 doubt whether any explanations, illustrations, etc., will 
 avail, but she must learn their exact meaning as other 
 children do, by having them used constantly in conver- 
 sation with her. 
 
 Her geography lesson was on the large map of the 
 United States. She was already so familiar with New 
 England that she soon adjusted herself to the new scale 
 of distances, etc., and one lesson sufficed. Passing her 
 hand over all the great map, she said, “ I cannot learn 
 so very much, I cannot remember.” A few weeks since 
 she had a lesson in the play 7 -ground, and to-day she felt 
 of what were then little buds, and was delighted to find 
 not only leaves but flowers on the trees and plants. 
 She learned many new names. 
 
 June 9. This morning she did not feel very friendly 
 towards Mr. Warren Colburn ; she asked. “ Why does 
 man put sums in book for girls to guess ? ” After 
 studying some time on one she said, “ I am not very 
 widsom. What does widsom mean? To know much 
 like Doctor ? ” Taught her the noun 4 ‘ wisdom ” and 
 the adjective “ wise,” and encouraged her by telling her 
 that Doctor had to study such sums when he was a little 
 boy, to make him very wise. While talking about 
 Eastern New York with the map before her, she stopped 
 to ask, “ Do you want to see God? Do you want Him 
 
176 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 to want you now? Does He see us, does He know wliat 
 I say to you? Do you think of Him? Do all people 
 love God? How many bodies has God made? Ten 
 thousand billion ?” Her lesson led to the subject of 
 canals, and we had a long talk about the Erie Canal 
 and Niagara Falls. It might be supposed that they 
 would be mere commonplace topics to her, and that the 
 most vivid description could not convey to one, who had 
 never even seen water, the faintest idea of their beauty 
 and grandeur. Just what ideas she did receive, it is 
 impossible for us to know, and also the cause of the 
 excitement she manifested when told about them. At 
 noon there was to be a launch from a ship-yard near by, 
 and we seated ourselves near a window, that I might 
 tell her all I could see. She listened eagerly to the 
 description of the ship, its position, etc., what the men 
 were doing, and was much disappointed when told that 
 it would not move, and now they must wait till the water 
 was higher to launch it. She had learned this word 
 to-day, and it was a very good occasion on which to use 
 it. She asked, “ Why does God not launch it? ” 
 
 June 13 She told me she wished to talk about her 
 teachers, and occupied the hour with reminiscences of all 
 who had ever taught her anything, what they did, and 
 even expressed her opinion of how they did it. In talk- 
 ing of her experiences with me, she asked, “Were not 
 Doctor and J. wrong not to let me come and see you, 
 and stay with you all the time, when you were sick last 
 summer? If you are sick again I must come, and I can 
 stay with you and take care of you, because you teach 
 me, and I can be still,” This occasional assertion Oj. 
 her rights, and the development of the feeling of respon 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 177 
 
 sibility, show us how fast the time is approaching when 
 she will put off the little child. 
 
 Another topic of conversation was suggested by the 
 question, 44 Where do men get water to drink? ” She 
 asked, in jest, if I would teach her 300 trillions of 
 years. I held up my hands to express surprise, and 
 said, 44 Yes.” She often begins with a joke, but as 
 soon as I answer in the same way, she seems to forget, 
 and takes it all as in earnest. She said now, 44 Do you 
 play ? Will you live so many years ? ” On the map 
 she completed New Jersey and crossed the Delaware 
 to find Philadelphia, which she has desired to do for a 
 long time, because she has heard so much about it 
 as my home. It seems to be best to have points of 
 interest just ahead of her studies in geography, instead 
 of showing her all such as soon as she takes the 
 map. 
 
 June 15. She has learned to do plain sewing very 
 neatly, and always assists in making her own clothes. 
 She threads the needle by feeling the eye with her 
 tongue, and by a rolling motion conducting the thread 
 into it, as most of the blind do. It is some time since 
 she had any sewing, and fearing she might forget to 
 work well, I told her she might do some for me, when 
 she had finished her knitting. 44 For money?” she asked. 
 44 My sister works for me because she wants to oblige me 
 and to help me.” “I am very, very poor, and want 
 money.” 4 4 What can you buy with money ? ” She could 
 not think of anything she wanted, but said, 44 All people 
 have money, Lizzie B.” (a little girl) 44 has money.” 
 Told her that her father gave Dr. Howe money to buy 
 hef clothes, and it was better for him to take care of it 
 8 
 
178 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 for her. She was more willing to work, hut not quite 
 as cheerful about it as I should like to see her. 
 
 June 20. She complained of her eyes, which often 
 give her trouble saying, “ My eyes are unstrong.” 
 When doing her sums she looked troubled, and I said, 
 “I must get a flat-iron to smooth your face.” She 
 laughed and asked, “ Is it twisted or wrinkled? Are 
 wrinkled and tumbled the same, and jammed and tum- 
 bled?” 
 
 While talking of the various kinds of wood, she went 
 from room to room feeling of different articles, and 
 seldom made a mistake between pine, oak, and mahog- 
 any. She was puzzled when feeling of a secretary which 
 was veneered, noticed the difference at once, and asked 
 an explanation. She remembered a lesson more than a 
 year ago on the various kinds of trees, and said that 
 men cut down the trees to make the boards. When 
 asked how they knew which tree to cut to make pine 
 or mahogany, she answered, “ I think they guess.” 
 Described to her the difference in the leaves, bark, 
 etc. 
 
 June 21 . A question in the arithmetic lesson puzzled 
 her to-day, and we spent an hour upon it, but did not 
 succeed in answering it. “If two men do a piece of 
 work in six days, how long would it take four men to 
 do the same? ” This was not a surprise to me, for the 
 child who performs examples of this kind without diffi- 
 culty at first is a rare exception. 
 
 June 22. For some time it has been very irksome to 
 her to write specimens enough to satisfy the demands 
 of visitors, and of late this unwillingness has extended 
 to recitations in geography. This was so manifest 
 

 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 179 
 
 when company was present yesterday, that it seemed 
 best to discuss the matter, and put it before her as a 
 duty. The argument that had the most effect was 
 that the blind girls always did as they were asked to by 
 strangers, and that if she did not, they would think she 
 could not learn as well as they. In her writing lesson 
 she was asked to prepare a very nice specimen ; and to 
 (give more interest in it, I suggested that she write a 
 | composition on the camel. This was new, as her writ- 
 ing previously has been either in the form of journal 
 entries or letters. She had been much interested in a 
 'talk about camels, deserts, etc., and so wrote as fol- 
 lows, in a very distinct hand: u The camel can go a 
 I very long time without drinking ; he can carry very 
 ! heavy loads ; he is very gentle like a dove ; he goes on 
 ! very sandy ground ; he carries people on his back to 
 ride long.” 
 
 She suffers much from the heat, and is so listless and 
 dull that only conversations upon animals seem to 
 interest her in such weather as this. Our subject was 
 lions, and she closed a long discussion by saying, “ I 
 think men could teach them to be very gentle like 
 sheep.” 
 
 June 30. A man with a very tame monkey came to 
 the house, and Laura was persuaded to put her hand 
 upon it, and having overcome her first dread she was 
 quite brave and enjoyed feeling of him as he performed 
 his tricks. She had many questions to ask after he had 
 gone, especially as to the manner of teaching monkeys. 
 “ Do ourang-outangs learn to do such things? Why do 
 monkeys wear chains ? His toes were very long, why ? 
 When I gave him a fig he took off his hat to thank me ; 
 
180 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 he did not know that I could not see.” She has, aftei 
 three lessons, mastered the difficulty in the question on 
 work in arithmetic. 
 
 July 3. She performed thirty examples this morning, 
 but is much troubled by the mosquitoes. “I think 
 mosquitoes were very hungry,” she said. “ Why did 
 God make mosquitoes to bite us ? Was He wrong ? ” 
 A cold wind was blowing, and she asked if the camels 
 in the menagerie in Boston would not have very cold 
 feet, because when they were at home they were always 
 in hot sand. 
 
 She knew that the children were planning for a holi- 
 day to-morrow, and asked, ‘ ‘ Do they call it Fast ? ” Told i 
 her the programme for the celebration of the Fourth of 
 July, and that she might go with me to the grove. This 
 was a new word. 
 
 July 5. She seemed to enjoy the day yesterday as 
 much as any one. I told her, as she sat beside me, what 
 was being done, and while we were listening to the ora- 
 tion and poem, both of which were by blind young men, 
 she was very quiet. While going to church she has 
 learned to be perfectly still. I found her in a great frolic 
 with her doll this morning, and helped her to carry it out 
 for a while, but the promised visit to the menagerie soon 
 put everything else out of her mind, and she asked 
 questions about the animals continually. 
 
 July 6. We spent four hours in the menagerie. 
 The keeper of the animals was very kind, and, to my 
 surprise, Laura was very calm. She felt of the foot, 
 tusks, and trunk of the elephant and fed him, and 
 examined the saddle. The keeper showed her a young 
 leopard which is yet tame, also a cockatoo. Then I led 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 181 
 
 her from cage to cage, telling what animals were in 
 each, describing their nature, size, and appearance. 
 After this she asked for the monkeys, and we stood 
 beside their cages a long time, while I told her all the 
 tricks they were doing. She frequently laughed aloud. 
 We were disappointed in not having a ride on the ele- 
 phant, but the crowd began to gather, and as Laura 
 was as much an object of interest to them as the ani- 
 mals, we made good a retreat. 
 
 July 7. A rehearsal of the menagerie visit. She 
 wished to talk of the various sizes of the animals, and 
 seemed to be classifying them in her own mind accord- 
 ingly. In her geography lesson she learned the rivers 
 of Georgia, but thought they were very hard, and that 
 she should not remember them. 
 
 July 8. She did such sums as “Thirty is three tenths 
 of what number ? ” very well, but is unwilling to give the 
 explanation, her excuse being, “It is very long, and I 
 am too weak, and it is very hard for me.” Most chil- 
 dren, I find, object in like manner. She has been for 
 some weeks unusually quiet, rarely making bad noises, 
 iind in their stead we hear her happy, ringing laugh. 
 She has been very patient in the difficulties of arith- 
 metic, and these generally are the greatest trials she has 
 in her studies. She is unwilling to be helped over 
 them, but is determined to conquer them herself, and 
 thus a mental conflict arises, which is very likely to 
 show itself in irritability, extending sometimes to other 
 things, especially if she has to leave her work unfin- 
 ished at the expiration of the lesson hour. 
 
 July 11. While talking she stopped suddenly and 
 said, “ Something moves in my side ; it is like quick- 
 
182 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 silver.” She had been shown some yesterday, and 
 played with it on a plate. When in her geograph}^, I 
 spelled “ Mississippi” to her, she said, “ I think it is a 
 very silly name so many doubles and i s in it.” She 
 did not approve of the word “ Alabama” either. 
 
 July 12. Laura wanted me to walk to Boston with 
 her, and as I had been ill I told her I must ask Doctor 
 F. if I might go out. That I should be under the 
 direction of any one seemed to be a new thought to 
 her, and she followed it out by questions to see if dis • 
 obedience in my case would lead to similar results as 
 in her own. u What would you do if he said no, but 
 you did not mind him and went? Would you be wrong 
 and silly and deceive him? Would you cry? Could you 
 talk with me when you were very wrong, and where 
 would you stay alone ? ” In geography she was much 
 amused at finding Providence Island on the coast of 
 Florida, remembering that Providence city is in Rhode 
 Island. 
 
 July 14. For a week Laura had had a visit to her 
 former teacher, Mrs. Morton, in prospect, and this morn- 
 ing she surprised me by showing me how she had been 
 spending her spare moments. I found that she had 
 looked over all her clothes ver} r carefully to see that 
 everything was in order, and had exercised much in- 
 genuity in repairing the old ones. This being done, she 
 wished to do the same for me. 
 
 July 15. She had a sum about a pole which was 
 partly under water, etc., and her old difficulty came up 
 again. I supposed she understood it long ago. “ Did 
 the man see the pole? Did he think of it? ” (with her 
 usual gesture of rapping her forehead.) “Is this a 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 183 
 
 story ? ” The explanation of the difference between a 
 sum and a story occupied a long time. 
 
 July 17. One of the blind girls died last week, and 
 we thought it best to say nothing to Laura about it, but 
 some of the family spoke of it to her, and she met me 
 this morning saying, ‘ 4 Betsy is dead. Why did she die ? ” 
 44 She was very sick.” “Where?” “In throat and 
 lungs.” 4 4 And God was ready for her ? ” Did Betsy try 
 to breathe again ? Why did you not tell me last Wednes- 
 day ? ” 4 4 1 thought it would make you sad to know she 
 was so sick.” “ Why did Doctor want to tell me about 
 Orrin, because he wanted to teach me and make me 
 know better ? ” *She remembers that Doctor wished to 
 teach her himself, and so has asked me few questions. 
 She has not been as much excited as she was at the time 
 of Orrin’s death. 
 
 In geography we have had an entirely new experience. 
 I never knew her to require to be told any names more 
 than twice since she began the study, but this morning 
 I had to tell the rivers and towns in Tennessee and Ken- 
 tucky for the third time. What there is peculiar in them 
 I cannot see. Reviewed her on the Eastern, Middle, 
 and Southern States, and she did remarkably well, 
 showing that it was caused by no fatigue of mind. 
 
184 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 July 18. Our journey to Halifax, Mass., took nearly 
 all the day, as we were obliged to wait a long time 
 for a stage at Stoughton. Laura was very quiet, and 
 worked industriously while we waited. She was much 
 amused at our tete-a-tete dinner at the hotel. She asked 
 what the waitress said to me. Told her she asked if 
 we wanted anything. This happened to be a new 
 form of expression, and must be explained. “ Did you 
 tell her yes or no?” “ No.” After this she perceived 
 that I had some pudding brought me, and a question 
 of my veracity was raised, which took most of the after- 
 noon to settle. When we stopped to water the horses 
 she asked, “ Do both horses put their heads in one 
 pail ? How does he know when they want water ? If 
 he hold water and make horses put their heads down, 
 do they not have to drink when they do not want 
 water? ” 
 
 It may seem to those accustomed to teach 
 children with all their senses, who acquire knowl- 
 edge of such things intuitively, that these questions 
 would be tedious to answer, but in justice to my 
 pupil I must say that I doubt if any teacher ever 
 had a work of such interest, and although its very 
 intensity drew heavily upon the nervous energy, 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 185 
 
 yet there could never arise a feeling of impatience 
 at questions so earnestly asked. 
 
 The pleasure of teaching was equal to that of 
 being taught, and the reply could always be given, 
 with truth, to the remark so frequently made by 
 visitors, "How much patience it must take to 
 teach her,” " Not more than to teach others.” 
 
 July 19 , Halifax. Laura’s happiness is so great this 
 morning that she does not know what to do to express 
 it. She remembers the places of things she has seen 
 here before, and leads me to closets where they are, to 
 ask about them. She knows that now she can under- 
 stand better than when here a j^ear or more ago. A 
 collection of shells interests her much. She enjoys the 
 smoothness of some artifically polished, and the strange 
 shapes of others, and when shown one very thin, she 
 said, “ I think the fish liked to keep cool.” Her only 
 trouble seems to be to know, “ Why did God make 
 troublesome mosquitoes?” Gave her a lesson in the 
 woods, and showed her how men could distinguish 
 between oak and pine. Some time ago she said she 
 thought they guessed, but she soon learned now, so she 
 could tell each tree. Showed her the different kinds of 
 pine,, and the cone containing seeds. She wished to 
 feel every tree, and expressed great surprise when told 
 that I could see everywhere around nothing but trees. 
 
 July 20 Another lesson on shells ; among them 
 found a snake-skin, and this opened an entirely new 
 subject to her. In the woods gave a lesson on the 
 different parts of a tree. Showed her a beech-tree ; she 
 admired the leaf very much, and asked, “ Why did 
 
186 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN '. 
 
 you not show it to me yesterday?” It pleased her 
 when I had to confess it was because I did not know it 
 n^self yesterday. When told a dog was sick, she 
 asked Mrs. M., “How can you know when a dog is 
 sick?” “ Just as I know when you are sick.” “ Do 
 dogs look pale ? ” When she had forgotten something 
 she said, “ I am very forgetful ; my thoughts waste.” 
 
 July 21 . She had some more examples in arithmetic 
 about work, and found very little difficulty in them. 
 
 July 22. Finished the sixth section, and commenced 
 on miscellaneous examples, which, she says, “ I think 
 are very hard for me.” 
 
 In this opinion she entirely agrees with a little pupil 
 whom I taught some years later, who said that all were 
 very easy “ except the questions that lady asks, Mis — 
 Cellaneous.” 
 
 A lesson in the barn taught her many new words, 
 “rake, hoe, axe, saw,” etc. She asked me to show 
 her “the horses’ things, bits and shaders” (meaning 
 blinders),. She had learned about these in the stable 
 at home. She enjoys gathering cherries. 
 
 July 24. She was much pleased to examine the 
 horse with the side-saddle, and to feel the process of 
 mounting for a ride, my position on the horse, manner 
 of holding the reins and whip. On my return she asked 
 questions about the ride, etc., for an hour. She has all 
 her lessons as when at home, and the good effects of 
 change of air and scene are visible in her great buoy- 
 ancy of spirit. 
 
 July 26. To a question in arithmetic she answered, 
 “ Fourteen sheeps,” and when corrected, said, “ No, it 
 is one sheep, two sheeps.” I think she is unwillingly 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 187 
 
 convinced of her error, and will probably contest the 
 point again. Took her to a place where materials for 
 building a house were collected. She learned about 
 boards, shingles, laths, etc. A little farther on found 
 some trees which had been sawn into planks and piled 
 as they were cut, which gave her a very correct idea of 
 how we get planks and boards. A favorite amusement 
 when we are walking is to ask me, 44 What do you 
 see ? ” stopping and holding my hand to give me time 
 to look, and if she thinks I do not give her objects 
 enough she says, 44 Look more.” We spent two hours 
 in this way this morning, stopping to show her every- 
 thing new, and had a very profitable lesson, and a walk 
 of six miles. She wanted to ask if C. and L., two little 
 boys in the family, were alike, and said, 44 Are they 
 alike, I mean in body ? ” and then moved her hand over 
 her face. I asked if she wanted to know if they looked 
 alike. 44 Yes.” Told her they were very unlike. 
 4 4 How do you know they are unlike ? ” 4 4 Are their hands 
 alike ? ” 44 No ; L.’s are soft and fat, but C.’s are tough 
 and rough.” Talking of mosquitoes she said, fretfully, 
 44 1 do not want them to touch me again ” I replied, 
 44 You can ask them to please to let you alone.” 44 And 
 what shall we do if they do not mind ? ” She then 
 raised a question about our right to kill them, which I 
 settled by telling her that we could not talk to them 
 and tell them it was wrong to trouble us, and so killed 
 them. 
 
 July 28. An order for specimens of writing obliged 
 us to take time from other lessons to attend to it. One, 
 which I thought very good, read as follows : 44 1 went 
 to Boston with Oliver & very many folks, to see the 
 
188 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 caravan. In the tent I saw the elephant’s tusks, & 
 legs, & trunk, & foot ; his skin was very rough. I gave 
 him a very great many pieces of apple. I put them in 
 his trunk, he moved it to take them, and put in his 
 mouth. We went into the saddle ; then I saw a very 
 pretty parrot, & a very gentle leopard — he was very 
 little and prett}^.” 
 
 July 29. Reviewed the lessons of the week, and 
 when talking of the trees she brought a pine cone to 
 ask why it had opened so much since she brought it 
 into the house. When told it was dying, she said, “ It is 
 dead. Can God make it grow again?” Explained to 
 her how the seeds fell into the ground and then the 
 trees grew up from them, and other cones grew with 
 more seeds, but this old cone was good for nothing and 
 thrown away. At dinner she moved her hand through 
 the air, and asked, “ When we do so, do we cut the 
 air?” Talked about ribbon, and asked if she knew of 
 what it was made. More than a year ago she had 
 learned something about it. She replied, “ Silk.” “ On 
 what does silk grow?” “The silk-worm makes it.” 
 “Do you think the silk-worm makes the ribbon?” 
 “No.” She told me about “ the ball” the silk- worm 
 made to wind his silk upon, and asked, “ Why do they 
 have very, very nice cotton- wool? ” She looked much 
 troubled when she found her feeling had deceived her, 
 and that it was silk, not cotton, and said sadly, “ I 
 think I could not know by feeling.” 
 
 Aug. 3. Lesson to-day was multiplication of num- 
 bers from twelve to twenty, mentally, which she per- 
 formed readily. In her hour for conversation she asked 
 why there was so much work about the room. It 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 189 
 
 belonged to a company of ladies who were assisting 
 the Fall River sufferers, and I thought it a good 
 opportunity to give her a lesson on it. Told her how 
 much the fire burned, and then of the poor people who 
 had no home or clothes. She seemed unable to under- 
 stand its full extent, for she said, “ The fire did not burn 
 the chambers ? ” When told what the ladies were sew- 
 ing, and how kind they were to assist the poor people, 
 she said, “ I think the men must go out in the woods 
 where I was with you, that are very thick, and cut 
 much wood, and send to the poor people, because they 
 will be very cold when it is cold weather. What will 
 they do before they have more houses ? ” In geography 
 she has completed the States, the boundaries, capitals, 
 rivers, and towns ; now I shall go over them again, 
 teaching her the productions, climate, objects of interest, 
 etc. The last lesson of the day was given in the stage- 
 coach, on the subject of horses. She alwa} r s asks 
 their color, name, disposition, and man} 7 other partic- 
 ulars. In reply to some trivial question, I replied, 
 “ I do not know.” She said, “ God knows, we can ask 
 him when we go to him.” She was feeling very sad in 
 leaving Halifax and her dear friend Mrs. Morton. 
 
 Aug. 5. Completed the seventh section of Colburn’s 
 Mental Arithmetic. 
 
 Aug. 8. The blind - children were all going on a 
 berrying excursion, and no one was to be left at home. 
 Sol offered my services as housekeeper, thinking I could 
 make it quite as profitable to Laura as a regular lesson 
 would be. After breakfast told her we must wash the 
 dishes, and she went to assist me very willingly. 
 During the day she had many opportunities for use- 
 
190 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 fulness, and the day with its unusual lessons was not a 
 lost one. 
 
 Aug. 9. Forty sums in reducing mixed numbers to 
 improper fractions. Told her a story about the way 
 the elephants crossed Bristol Ferry ; one went in a 
 boat, but the other, refusing to obey orders, swam 
 across. She talked an hour about it ; asked if the ele- 
 phants touched the ground under the water, and when 
 told they swam on top of it, she asked, ‘ ‘ How can 
 elephants go so, when they are very large and heavy ? 
 Do not steamboats touch the ground when they are 
 heavy?” Next came questions like these: “If the 
 elephants would not mind, were they wrong? ” She had 
 noticed the children had bad coughs, and was told the 
 name “ whooping-cough,” but did not believe it could 
 come if they had not taken cold. Sitting beside me 
 one day she perceived I held my breath for a long time, 
 and was very much frightened, and said, “Did you 
 almost die ? Your breath stopped.” She is very fond of 
 playing the nurse, and has many suggestions of remedies 
 to make. One day, after exercising in the gymnasuim, 
 she found that my hands were hot and swollen. Her 
 sympathies were much excited. She brought a silver 
 pencil-case, bottle, key, and everything cold that she 
 could think of for me to hold. Then a bright thought 
 struck her, and she led me to an iron-bound trunk, say- 
 ing, If you put your hands on this, I think you will 
 be better.” A lesson on commerce, which was a new 
 subject. 
 
 Aug. 11. Reducing improper fractions to mixed 
 numbers gave her some trouble. 
 
 When she has been called in the morning lately, we 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 191 
 
 have found her dressing. Asked her how she knew 
 when to get up. “I put my hand on the door to feel 
 it shake.” “Do you get up to go to the door?” 
 “No, the door that is by my bed. I put my finger in 
 the key -hole, and if the girls are up it shakes. Who 
 jumps and slams the door in the morning? Why do 
 girls open and shut doors in the night ? ” 
 
 Her own room was in a remote corner of the house, 
 quite removed from the other sleeping-rooms, and we 
 should hardly perceive with our ears the noises which 
 she speaks of feeling. 
 
 Aug. 12. She overcame the difficulties in her arith- 
 metic and said, “ I think I was very dull not to know 
 before.” She has had a lesson on the use of the period. 
 To show how many lessons will be required before she 
 can be taught to punctuate properly, we give below 
 her account of a story which was read to her yesterday, 
 with her punctuation : — 
 
 “Little George’s mother is very poor, instead of 
 having bright coalfires. she has dry sticks to burn. So 
 she sent George two miles, to try to get as much woods 
 as he could. After he had done work very hard, the 
 sun was high over his head, he was hot and tired and 
 hungry, he wanted some dinner, so he had bread and 
 butter, he went to find cool place, and found a stone 
 with green moss by the brook, then he went to look for 
 very large leaf to dip off the water. His stone was his 
 taole. he sat on bank, brook w r as his wine-cellar. 
 Then he heard birds sing very loudly in the trees. He 
 went to pick some wild red strawberries, and put leaf 
 in his cap to keep them nice, he thought that they 
 were very ripe and good, he wanted half but he 
 
192 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 thought that he would save many berries. When it was 
 dark then he went home, then his mother called him 
 to come, he ran and put the woods in her washhouse. 
 Then he gave her some berries and she said ‘ did he 
 save them for his sick mother ? to make her better ? ’ she 
 was very glad, he felt very happy to have her eat them.” 
 
 Aug. 14. Laura completed to-day the eighth section 
 in arithmetic, in five months from the time she com- 
 menced the book. The word “ merrily” was the first 
 topic of conversation, and then she wished to know if 
 we said “more, morest,” and “much, muchest,” and whj 
 not? Used the word “complain,” supposing she 
 understood it, but found it was a new word. 
 
 Aug. 15 Her lesson was multiplying fractions and 
 reducing the result to a mixed number. She surprised me 
 by doing the examples without any trouble. While at 
 work with her types, she wiped her eyes several times, 
 at last she said, “ My eyes are very vexatious this 
 morning.” This is a word she has lately learned ; it 
 pleases her much, so she uses it on many occasions. A 
 lady visited the school who wore unusually thickly lined 
 sleeves ; this she noticed at once and said, “ The-lady 
 must live in Africa, and then she will not have to wear 
 such thick clothes.” At three o’clock this morning 
 Laura was found playing with her cups and saucers. 
 When I asked her why she got up in the night to play, 
 she said, “ Jennie is sick, and I was giving her medi- 
 cines.” She carries out a play with a doll further than 
 I ever knew any other child. Everything she has ever 
 known done for a sick person is tried upon the doll. 
 She is moved from? one bed to another and as carefully 
 bolstered up as if she were a child. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 193 
 
 Aug. 18. We talked about Indians, their manner of 
 living, wigwams, color. She asked about the people of 
 Africa, and when told they were black asked, “ Why 
 did God make some people black?” Told her they 
 lived in Boston before the white people came from Eng- 
 land, and their name for it. She enjoys a lesson on such 
 a subject, it gives her so many new ideas. A question 
 in geography, which I asked without a thought of puz- 
 zling her, occupied most of the hour in the explanation : 
 u Which of the New England States has no sea-coast? ” 
 
 Tried the experiment of reading “ The Spider and 
 the Fly ” to her. Transposed some of it into prose and 
 read very slowly, explaining such words as she might 
 not understand, and told her it was a story in which the 
 man who wrote it played that the spider and the fly 
 could speak. She was amused at the idea and retained 
 it some time, but at last, with a look of surprise, said, 
 “ Did fly say so?” It seemed tome that she under- 
 stood it, but the proof will be to-morrow. 
 
 Aug. 19. She failed entirely in telling the story 
 of yesterday. 
 
 Aug. 21. Bead it to her very carefully again, and 
 asked her to tell it to me. She makes a strange mix- 
 ture of conversational and narrative style, but gets a 
 pretty good idea of it. She has found a toy horse, and 
 taken her doll from bed to have her take a ride, saying, 
 very seriously, “ I think she will be much better, for 
 riding horseback will make her strong.” She had a 
 very important question to ask, “ Do the negroes wash 
 their hands? Because black does not get dirty very 
 quick, and I thought they need not wash their hands 
 very often.” 
 
 13 
 
194 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 Aug. 23. Tenth section. She was a little puzzled 
 at first, but I gave her some cards to cut to illustrate 
 the principle, and she did twenty-five examples. 
 Talked with her about Niagara Falls. When I told 
 her about them some months ago, she understood that 
 the stones fell constantly with the water. When told 
 of the roaring noise they made, she said, “ Can you 
 hear it? Try and see.” Mrs. W., her friend, is in 
 Saratoga, and she asked, “ Can she hear them? Can 
 my mother in Hanover hear them? Why did not Dr. 
 Howe go to hear them ? Why did not he tell me about 
 them?” “Because when he went away you did not 
 know about many places, and could not have under- 
 stood what he said if he had tried to tell you, but when 
 he comes home you can ask him.” She looked much 
 surprised and said, “ He will be very busy writing very 
 much and he cannot talk, and he will not be in this 
 school-room so I cannot ask him.” Told her she 
 could ask him as well in the study as in the school- 
 room ; but she seemed to think it would be necessary 
 for him to have the map before him in order to talk 
 about the Falls. 
 
 Aug. 24. In a section in arithmetic which generally 
 puzzles children, she did forty sums such as “One 
 third of two is how many thirds of one ? ” She was 
 doubtful about the difference between “better” and 
 “ best.” As she had used them a long time, I sup- 
 posed she understood them perfectly. She told me, 
 “ J. says if I am gentle and good, Mrs. Howe will 
 send me a doll with a strange kind of a dress ; you 
 will not know about it.” When talking about its name, 
 she thought she should call it Miss Dewey, but after 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 195 
 
 a moment’s thought said, “ No, doll must be Julia 
 Ward.” 
 
 Aug. 27. She brought “ The Child’s Second Book” 
 and asked me to explain “ possess,” “ general descrip- 
 tion,” and lastly the plate of the Solar System, at the 
 end of the book. Here was a work indeed for me to 
 begin upon, but after reflection I decided that she could 
 be told much that would be both interesting and profit- 
 able to her. Commenced by telling her the great distance 
 of the sun from us, of its size. “ Can we go there? ” 
 was her first question. Asked her how she thought 
 we could go. “In boats.” “Do you think there is 
 water all the way to the sun ? ” “No, go in cars.” “Is 
 there land?” “ No,” and pointing to the sun she said, 
 “It is air,” and was puzzled to know what we could do. 
 I hoped she would suggest a balloon, as I had given 
 her a lesson upon them, but she evidently did not under- 
 stand much about them, and so they did not occur to her. 
 “ Can flies go up to the sun ? Can God be at the sun ? ” 
 She was anxious for me to begin the explanation of the 
 plate, but I told her, before she was ready for that, I 
 must tell her of many things. Talked of the size of the 
 stars, how large they appeared to us. The idea that dis- 
 tance made objects look smaller was new to her, and she 
 was filled with wonder when, to exemplify it, I told 
 her if I were to sit in my room and see her, walking to 
 the Point, she would grow smaller, and would, when 
 there, look like a ?ery little girl. From this, she could 
 understand why the moon should look so much larger 
 than the sun because so much nearer ; told her of the 
 planets, their names, and on which we lived ; she asked 
 what the lines were for on the plate. Forgetting that 
 
196 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 she was just receiving her first idea, I made too long a 
 step and said they were to show where the planets 
 moved round the sun, and that it took the earth three 
 hundred and sixty -five days, so we called it a year. She 
 said, “I think then Louisa’s father” (a sea captain) 
 44 went to the sun, he is gone three years.” This showed 
 how little she appreciated what had been said. When 
 she found I had been teaching her astronomy she said, 
 4 4 Will you please write and tell Doctor what I study ?” 
 
 Aug. 29. She was impatient to resume the subject 
 of yesterday. 4 4 Are there people in the sun ? ” When 
 told we could not know, she said, 44 We can ask God 
 when we go to heaven.” 44 Can I see when I go to 
 heaven, to see the sun?” Talked about the motions of 
 the earth. When she learned that it was turning round 
 all the time, she said, 44 When I am dizzy then I feel the 
 floor go round.” To explain the cause of day and 
 night, I put a pin into a ball of yarn to represent 
 Boston, supposed the fire in the grate to represent the 
 sun, and by revolving the ball let her see that one side 
 must be in the dark. She seemed to understand this. 
 
 Aug. 31. The lesson was upon the difference in time 
 between places, illustrated by a second pin to represent 
 London. She soon learned to tell what the time was 
 in the one, having it given in the other. In her geog- 
 raphy lesson, and when apparently very happy, she 
 took both hands from the map, and with a look of 
 despair said, 44 Are you not very tired of living so many 
 years? ” 44 No, are you? ” 44 Yes, I want to go to God 
 in heaven.” Some time ago the same thought came to 
 her under similar circumstances. It seems to me that 
 she gets a momentary glimpse of the field of knowl- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 197 
 
 edge to be explored, and its immensity overwhelms 
 her. 
 
 Sept 1. She was in much trouble in her arithmetic, 
 because of another sum about work. The old diffi- 
 culty, which I thought overcome long ago, arose, and 
 she could not tell how long it would take one man to do 
 a piece of work if it took three men twenty-one days. 
 
 Sept. 4. For some time we have noticed some little 
 developments in Laura which looked like prudery. On 
 Saturday evening, at the children’s party held in the 
 Doctor’s parlors, Dr. Lieber attempted to shake hands 
 with her. She pulled her hand away, and refused to 
 speak to him at all, or to any one standing near her. 
 There was a little excuse for her; there had been a 
 great crowd at the exhibition in the afternoon, she had 
 become much excited, and the heat had made her head 
 ache, but the time had come to treat the matter seri- 
 ously, and this morning we discussed it. She talked of 
 the different times when she had acted rudely, showing 
 she was perfectly conscious to what I alluded. When 
 told how ladies and other blind girls behaved, she con- 
 fessed that she had been silly, and promised she would 
 never do so again. She asked the meaning of “ pre- 
 vent ” and “ explanation.” Some time since she had had 
 the word “ description,” and now asked, “ Did you give 
 me a description of the new word prevent, or an expla- 
 nation of it ? ” She shows much ingenuity in introdu- 
 cing these long words into her conversation, but not 
 unfrequently I find she has not taken their exact mean- 
 ing. Ater a long talk about the caves of Virginia, she 
 gave me a kiss and hug, and said, “ You are very kind 
 to give me many descriptions.” 
 
198 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 8. She reminded me of a promise to show her 
 a tellurian. She very readily told me from it about 
 day and night, and the time at the different quarters of 
 the globe, but found it hard to realize that some people 
 were then sleeping. She noticed at once the revolution 
 of the earth on its own axis, and also about the sun, 
 and in good language told the effects produced by each 
 motion. 
 
 Sept. 9. From week to week I can see an improve- 
 ment in her way of repeating the stories which are read 
 to her, and to-day she did better than ever before. 
 When she writes one out fully, there are many mistakes 
 in the use of language, which never occur when she is 
 spelling it out with the fingers ; but this is readily 
 accounted for when we remember that writing is of 
 necessity a slow process, and that she cannot look back 
 to read her last sentence, or to note the omission of a 
 word by inadvertence. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 199 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Perhaps some reader would like to ask, " How 
 do you read books to Laura ? ” Seated at her left 
 side, on a sofa rather than in a chair, with the book 
 in my left hand I spell with my right hand (using 
 the manual alphabet of the deaf-mutes) every 
 word with the exception of " and,” which has its 
 own sign. This is all I have to attend to. She 
 takes care of the rest herself. With her right 
 hand moving lightly over my fingers, never with 
 pressure enough to impede their motion, she 
 spells or rather reads the words. She does not 
 seem to take cognizance of each letter any more 
 than we do when we read with our eyes, but the 
 most rapid talker by the finger alphabet could 
 never be too quick for her comprehension, and I 
 always talk to her with such rapidity that no eye 
 could possibly read the words. Constant prac- 
 tice (and for a year I had talked more with my 
 fingers than with my mouth) had made them very 
 flexible, and the question was so often asked me, 
 "How fast do you talk?” that I carefully tried 
 some experiments, which resulted as follows : If a 
 
200 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 person seated near me read aloud, I could not 
 interpret &s rapidly as she read, but if she was 
 reading to a number of people in a large room, I 
 could follow her, givingLaura every word spelled 
 upon my fingers. Of course the mere spelling was 
 no more an act of consciousness than it is when 
 we are writing ; no one thinks how he spells his 
 words, unless in doubt of the orthography, so that 
 no time was lost in this way. 
 
 Sept. 12. The constant rubbing had caused Laura’s 
 hands to be very rough. Dr. Fisher noticed them, and 
 told her she must put some ointment upon them and 
 wear gloves. This was a great trial, for it not only 
 retarded her own talking, but made it difficult for her to 
 understand me. She tried to be patient, and after a 
 day or two succeeded in using them despite the gloves. 
 In her lesson on the tellurian she learned about the 
 length of the year on the different planets, and of her 
 own accord, entered upon a calculation of how old she 
 would be if she had lived in the others. Herschel 
 amused her, and she had a hearty laugh when she found 
 how few years old Dr. H. would be had he lived there. 
 
 Sept. 13. The questions which she solved readily 
 this morning were of this kind : “If five eighths of a 
 cask of wine cost forty-two dollars, what will the whole 
 cost ? ” She answered nine such in her lesson of three 
 quarters of an hour and explained them. 
 
 Among our visitors to-day were two gentlemen who 
 had walked from North Carolina. Laura’s knowledge 
 of the States they had passed through furnished many 
 topics for conversation. When she asked about Wier’s 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 201 
 
 Cave, one of them presented her with a piece of a stalac- 
 tite which he had brought from it. This morning when 
 she came for her lesson, she asked if I could see the 
 sun ; told her I could, but it was not high enough yet foi 
 her to feel it. A while after she said, ‘ ‘ I think the earth 
 moves round very slowly, I cannot feel the sun much.” 
 She enjoyed examining the planetarium, and spent an 
 hour over it. 
 
 Sept. 15. Her doll in Welsh costume arrived last 
 evening, and furnished a topic for conversation. She 
 wished to know about the people and their country. 
 She told me that her old doll and Julia (the new one) 
 loved each other very much. 
 
 Sept. 21. Our lesson was on merchant ships, sug- 
 gested by her inquiry, “ What does Mr. W. do in Bos- 
 ton all day?” Described the preparations for the voy- 
 age, loading the ship, and then of the return cargo. 
 Her last question was, “ Where does he get money to 
 buy so many things ? ” 
 
 Sept. 25. A little circumstance occurred at the tea- 
 table last eve which troubled me. She had eaten one 
 piece of pie and asking for another, was told it was not 
 best for her to eat more. She was displeased, and sat 
 still until she thought I had left the room, when she 
 asked Mrs. S. for it. As this savored of both deception 
 and disobedience, I talked seriously about it this morn- 
 ing. She confessed at once the error, but justified her- 
 self saying, “I wanted more pie.” Found Mrs. Smith 
 had promised her the pie for lunch to-day and decided it 
 was best to let her have it, that she must give part of it 
 to Frank and Susan (two little deaf-mute children) who 
 wanted it as much as she did, and did not ask for it after 
 
202 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 their teacher had told them no. She did not object to 
 this, but said, “ I will give you some too.” Told her I 
 only wished to teach her to do right, not to take her pie. 
 She said, “ It is to remember me that I must not do so 
 again, and next time when you tell me that I must not 
 have any more, I shall not ask Smith for it.” She is 
 reviewing the boundaries of the States ; she does not 
 enjoy it, and when I proposed it, said, “ I have told you 
 many times, I know” 
 
 Sept. 29. The day was spent in reviews, and arrange- 
 ments for the vacation. She objected to my proposal 
 that she write an hour every day in her journal during 
 my absence, but consented to it at last, that I might 
 have the pleasure of seeing it on my return. Of course 
 she must miss her lessons, but she bade me good by 
 saying, “ I am glad for you to go and see your friends, 
 because it will make you very happy. ” One day in the 
 vacation she had the promise of going to meet her 
 mother in Halifax, but a violent rain prevented. She 
 said, “God was very unkind to make it rain, he knew 
 we wanted to go.” She was reconciled by being told 
 that the earth needed rain to make the things grow, and 
 she must try to be happy when disappointed. 
 
 Oct. 27. She asked why Mercury and Venus had no 
 moons. When told we did not know, she said, “We 
 can ask God about it when we go to heaven. Does 
 Grrin* know about it now ? ” Thought she might have 
 forgotten some of her geography lessons in the month, 
 and gave her a review. She answered questions as fast 
 as her fingers could fly, and made only four mistakes in 
 
 * The little blind boy who died two years ago. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 203 
 
 all the States. She mentioned all the capitals and on 
 what rivers situated. 
 
 Nov. 1. Before breakfast I went to get seed for the 
 birds, but could not find the glass with which I measured 
 it, which always stood on a waiter. At the table I 
 asked Laura if she knew where it was. She answered 
 without hesitation, “ I have not seen it.” On searching 
 for it further, I was surprised to find it on the floor in a 
 corner, broken in pieces, as if it had been thrown with 
 considerable force. A suspicion that all was not right 
 with Laura, led me to watch her countenance while she 
 was doing her morning work. After school I asked 
 again, “ Do you know where the glass is ? ” The blood 
 rushed to her face, and she said hesitatingly, “ I thought 
 you let something fall yesterday, when I was in the 
 kitchen knitting.” From this reply I knew she was 
 guilty, and said, “ Think, — be sure to tell the truth.” 
 Then she said, “ When I went down yesterday, I saw 
 the flies eating crumbs in the waiter, and I brushed them 
 away, flies were eating glass, and I did not want them 
 to, and I thought I felt glass fall.” “ But you said before 
 you thought that I let something fall. Did I break the 
 glass?” “No.” “Where did the glass fall?” “On the 
 floor.” “ Did you feel it there ? ” “ Yes.” “Why did 
 you not tell me when I asked this morning ? I looked 
 for it, but it was so dark I could not see the pieces on 
 the floor.” She repeated what she had said before, but 
 in a very indifferent and careless manner, and it seemed 
 to me with a disposition to “ brave it out,” which was 
 an entirely new development and gave me great anxiety. 
 
 Penitence has followed always so quickly after trans- 
 i gression, that it almost made us feel that her faults were 
 
204 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 so little we ought to let them pass unnoticed. I told 
 her now, I could not talk any more about it. but that 
 she must sit alone, without work, and think about it. 
 Without her knowledge, I stayed in the room, where I 
 could carefully watch her. In a little while her coun- 
 tenance changed, and she became troubled, and soon 
 the tears fell. At the close of the forenoon I went to 
 her, and asked, “ Why do you think you are sitting 
 alone? ” “ To think about being wrong, and deceiving 
 
 you. At table I said I had not seen, and at nine, I 
 said I frightened flies away ; it was not true.” She 
 asked why I did not cry as she did. Told her I felt 
 very sad, and it would be long before I could be happy, 
 and that Doctor would be very sad when he read in my 
 journal about it. “ Did I act a lie, or tell a lie? ” she 
 asked. I talked with her some time, to try to convince 
 her how much better it would have been had she come 
 and told me at once after she had done it. She said, “I 
 talked to myself about its being a lie, and that it was 
 wrong to deceive.” After sitting still awhile, with the 
 tears rolling down her cheeks, she said, “ My mother 
 told me I would (should) be a good girl. I hope I 
 shall learn to tell the truth, and always to tell you and 
 Miss J., when I do anything. Are you tired of teach- 
 ing me not to tell a lie ? ” Told her I hoped she would 
 learn soon that it was much pleasanter and easier to 
 tell the truth, and that she might remember this very 
 long, she had better sit alone to work. “Will you 
 shut the door that no one can come in, and see a very 
 sad and wrong little girl ? ” After an hour I went for 
 her to walk. She seemed glad to go, but talked little. 
 On returning, she went to the school-room to see com- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 205 
 
 pany, it being trustees’ meeting. After this she said, 
 “ I had better sit alone till tea-time.” At the tea-table 
 
 she said, “ I want to tell you something. Miss M 
 
 is here to see Lurena to-day : may I go to see her ? ” 
 Asked her if she thought it would be right for me to let 
 her go. In a moment she said, “ No, I must sit alone 
 to-night, and think about being wrong.” When going to 
 bed she said,. “ Will you forgive me?” and with a very 
 sad look, “ Do you think I will ever tell lies again?” 
 I have noted this case so carefully because it is the 
 first untruth since the affair of the gloves that we have 
 known of. There is no reason why she should not have 
 told me of the accident at once, for she had seemed to 
 take pleasure previously in doing so, and has never 
 been reproved for any such thing. 
 
 Noo. 2. She recited an excellent lesson in arith- 
 metic, and never seemed to love me so well as to-day. 
 Gave' her a lesson on the large map of North America. 
 She has been studying on a map of the United States, 
 and the scale of the new one was of course very differ- 
 ent. To give her an idea of this, I passed her hand 
 over the space occupied by the United States. It rested 
 on Missouri, which she spelled. I asked her to find 
 Ohio, not thinking it possible for her to do it without 
 help, but she had no difficulty, and told me some of the 
 rivers and capitals. I supposed we should have two 
 lessons, at least, on the United States, before beginning 
 the other countries of North America, but it was all 
 done in this one. When I showed her the little space 
 occupied by the Gulf of Mexico, she immediately 
 showed me Florida. At each school to-day she asked, 
 “ Do you feel more happy? I must try to be very 
 
206 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 good, to make you more happy. If I say my lesson 
 well, will it make you happy ? ” 
 
 Nov. 3. In learning about Mexico and Guatemala, 
 she said, “ I think there are many new hard names.” 
 Why one name should be any harder than another to 
 her, has been a question that I have tried in vain to 
 answer satisfactorily to myself. If we see or hear an 
 unusual combination of letters, we call it “a hard 
 word,” but neither of these causes operate with her, 
 nor does she always classify words as we should, for 
 sometimes a word which seems simple to me, gives her 
 difficulty. Some one had told her that bears sometimes 
 ate little boys. I explained it, and she said, “ Bears 
 are not to blame.” “Why?” “Because they are 
 hungry and have a good appetite.” She asked if all 
 animals were ferocious (a new word to-day). She 
 saw at the menagerie a little leopard three months old, 
 and very gentle, but I told her it would become wild as 
 it grew older. “ Who takes care of the young leopard, 
 that other animals might not eat him ? Why does God 
 make some animals wild ? ” 
 
 Nov. 6. At noon she came to me sajung, “ I found 
 some words in a book I do not know.” She attempted 
 to spell one, and I guessed from the rest of the sentence 
 what it was, “Alphabet are twenty-six in number.” I 
 supposed she knew the word long ago, for a year or 
 more since, when she was daily using her type box, she 
 used to arrange the letters in proper order, but proba ■ 
 bly then I always spoke of them to her as the letters. 
 For our talk to-day, told her she might think of all the 
 animals we required to make the different things in the 
 room, and to illustrate my meaning I asked, “ What 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 207 
 
 one to make the carpet ? ” This was sufficient clew, 
 and her thoughts and fingers seemed to fly. “Wool 
 from the sheep, horse to make hair-cloth for chairs and 
 sofa, goat to make the cushion for the other rocking- 
 chair, and baby.” “What do you mean by baby?” 
 “ Goat’s baby to make my shoes, and silk- worm for 
 mjr shades, and your handkerchief.” Here she paused, 
 and I led her to the table. She put her hand on the 
 thermometer, and said elephant for that and paper- 
 folder, bees for the wax flowers and fruit, birds for the 
 lamp, and whales for oil, and whale’s head for my 
 rabbit. This was a little model made of spermaceti. 
 
 Nov. 7. Continued yesterday’s talk, taking up 
 metals. She thought at once of gold for thimbles, rings, 
 and pins, silver for wire and cologne stand, iron for 
 grate and register and brass. Then she walked about 
 the room to see what she could find. There were few 
 things that she did not know. Next she led me to 
 the basement, and opened the ice chest to ask what it 
 was lined with, and then to the kitchen range to know 
 what the plate on which the maker’s name was printed 
 was made of, and to a water pipe that was in the cor- 
 ner of an entry, where no one would suppose she would 
 ever have found it, and lastly to the stairs to ask why 
 part of the supports of the railing were of iron and part of 
 wood. I wondered how many children with their eyes 
 had noticed this. Although I have been with her so 
 long she is a constant surprise to me. 
 
 Yesterday I obtained some of Abbott’s stories to read, 
 for I find no others are so well adapted to her, and now 
 she can learn so much from stories of the right kind. 
 
 Nov. 9. She said, “ I want to ask you about many 
 
208 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN 
 
 things that I have seen some time, and where they 
 grow.” One of these was a pumpkin. She had seen 
 a very large one, and imagined that it grew upon 
 a tree, and was puzzled to know why it did not fall off. 
 We had a talk upon the manner of growth of various 
 vegetables and fruits, their order of ripening, etc. 
 
 Nov. 10. Continued the talk about things in the 
 room, what woods we should need to make them. She 
 knew these all except rosewood. Found she knew 
 nothing about glass. Told her about its manufacture, 
 and the manner of its discovery. She could hardly 
 believe me when I told her that a long time ago men did 
 not know anything about it, and had no glass, and this 
 developed an idea which I never knew before that she 
 had, viz., that God taught the first man everything, 
 and he taught everybody else. The idea of invention 
 or discovery was a new one. The making of soap and 
 paint, 'white lead, more than filled up her hour, and I 
 felt that she had too much that was new to remember 
 it all. 
 
 Nov. 13. Found she could tell me all the story about 
 glass, its discovery, and even the name of the city 
 where it was first used ; though only told her once. 
 She was very happy in the hour for company to be 
 introduced to some ladies from Santa Cruz, and that 
 she could show them upon the map where their island 
 ■was. A talk to-day upon colors, what made from, 
 where the plants grow, etc. 
 
 Nov. 14. Commenced Section 13, Colburn’s Men- 
 tal Arithmetic. I anticipated difficulty, but after giv- 
 ing her the first example, left her to think about it. 
 She soon solved it, and did fourteen sums. A talk 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 209 
 
 upon cochineal. Her delight is great when her recently 
 acquired knowledge comes into use, as when told that 
 the insects came from Mexico. Commenced Abbott’s 
 story called u Caleb in Town.” 
 
 Nov. 17. Finished the large map of North America, 
 and merely for the experiment took her to a little map 
 of the same, which is in the corner of the large map of 
 the United States. She found every place I asked her 
 except Newfoundland. For a talk, took a summary of 
 things in the room, saying to what kingdom their com- 
 ponent parts belonged. She omitted bees, and I 
 asked her of what the fruit in the vase was made. 
 “ I do not know, God made it.” When naming the 
 metals she said, “ Is zinc good for windows?” Some 
 of the long windows opening upon a -piazza had zinc 
 set in the lower part of the sash to prevent breakage, 
 and she had supposed we could see through it as well, 
 but that it was stronger than glass. 
 
 Nov. 18. She asked, “ What do you do when you 
 are frightened and feel warm?” “Look to see what 
 made me frightened.” “ Why did something make a 
 noise under my closet floor, so that I could feel it?” 
 Here she scratched upon the table to show me, and I told 
 her it was mice running about, and I had heard them. 
 “ Were you much frightened? ” u No. I only thought 
 they were having a play.” “ Why did I not think so ? ” 
 She seems not to overcome this timidity, and it causes 
 her real suffering. She writes a great many letters for 
 her own amusement, and entirely without oversight or 
 any dictation. It often amuses us to observe how 
 carefully she adapts herself to her correspondents. The 
 following is a copy of one she brought me to-day to 
 14 
 
210 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 send to a little sister of mine, who she knows is not 
 acquainted with any of the people about her here, so she 
 has only one or two subjects to make up a letter. 
 
 My Dear Little Lizzie : 
 
 Miss Swift was sick in her head this morning. 
 Before dinner I brushed her head very much, & put 
 much cologne on, & it made her very much better. 
 She said that I was very kind to her, & she thanked 
 me very much for me to cure her, so she went to church 
 once in the afternoon. I love her very much. I am 
 very happy because I was so very kind to her. I send 
 very much love to you & a kiss. I want to see 
 you very much. My mother & father came to see me 
 & staid seven days. I was very glad to see them last 
 October. I like my little sugar bird very much that you 
 sent it to me by Swift. 
 
 My friend, good-bye, 
 
 Miss Laura Bridgman. 
 
 This signature was a new thought and originated 
 probably in a sense of her superiority to her little cor- 
 respondent, and the wish to express it 
 
 Nov. 20. She brought to-day a book of diagrams 
 belonging to a work on natural philosophy, and as I 
 make it a point never to discourage her by saying she 
 cannot understand about anything, I promised to tell her 
 to-morrow, that I might get time to select enough for a 
 lesson to satisfy her cravings for knowledge. I hap- 
 pened to ask the question, “ In what direction does the 
 Mississippi run ? ” This was a new expression to her. 
 Probably I have always used the word “ flow ” before. 
 She said, “ The river has no feet, why do you say 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 211 
 
 run 9” Continued our talks, asking her the places to 
 which we would have to go to get all the things we 
 needed for the parlor. 
 
 Nov. 21. She came, saying, “ Get the philosophy.” 
 Told her I needed no book, and she waited impatiently 
 for me to begin. It was raining violently, and I con- 
 cluded to take rain, snow, and hail for my topic. I asked 
 her about the steam from a kettle over the fire. At first 
 she seemed to know nothing about it, but suddenly the 
 memory of a burn she got from it when a little girl 
 came to her, and after that she understood it. Next 
 told her of the effect of the sun’s heat upon the water on 
 the earth. The first time she got no idea of it, but on 
 repetition she understood it entirely, and gave me a 
 good explanation in her own words. In teaching her 
 any new thing I alwa}'S pause at intervals, and ask 
 her to tell me what I have been talking about, that I 
 may be sure she has taken my exact idea. If I omit 
 this, by accident, we are sure to have to begin again 
 at the commencement. Having understood about the 
 way the sun produces vapor, it was an easy step to rain 
 and hail. None but those who have attempted it can 
 fully understand the difficulty of commencing a new sub- 
 ject with Laura. I must be very careful that no word 
 is used in the explanation I give which is new to her. 
 For instance : this morning after explaining the word 
 ‘‘vapor,” I said, “The sun turns water into vapor.” 
 Now no one would think there was anything objection- 
 able in this, but she asked, “ Do you mean turns 
 f ound? ” She had never chanced to have the word used 
 in the sense of changes , and all her attention centred on 
 that one word, and the truth I wished to teach her was 
 
212 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 lost. If this were the case in only one sentence, it 
 would be of no importance, but occurring frequently, 
 despite all my care, it increases the difficulty much. 
 In one of her lessons to-day she seeemed lazy and 
 sleepy. I rapped on her forehead (a sign which she had 
 adopted herself) . She said, u Why ? ” 44 To see if j t ou 
 have anything in it, have you?” 44 No, have you?” 
 44 Yes, brains.” 44 My brains are asleep. Are brains 
 and thoughts the same? How do people know about 
 brains ? ” 
 
 Nov. 27. Sunday. She said, 44 1 am thinking about 
 God. I want to go to heaven very much. I want to be 
 very good.” While taking a walk she returned to the 
 subject, and said, 44 1 was thinking much about God.” 
 On returning from church I found she had taken 
 from the bookcase a copy of the Book of Proverbs in 
 raised type. She said, 44 It is Proverbs’ Book,” and 
 asked the meaning of a number of words. 44 Seek 
 first.” 4 4 Do you think much of heaven? I do.” 
 4 4 What is thine ? ” Being told that it was the same as 
 4 4 yours,” she said, 4 ‘ I think thine and possession are 
 the same.” She had learned this word when she was 
 taught 44 British Possessions” on the map of North 
 America. 
 
 Nov. 28. Told her Thursday would be a holiday. 
 44 Is it Fast? ” Gave her the word 44 Thanksgiving,” and 
 said that I was going to spend the day with an aunt. 
 She asked to be allowed to go to the city to meet me on 
 my return, and I agreed to it, if she could find any one 
 to go with .her. She said, 44 Does God know who will 
 take me ? Is God ever surprised ? ” It seems that, 
 without a teacher, she is working out truths regarding 
 God. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 213 
 
 Dec. 5. She was asking many questions about J.’s 
 going to Boston, and how she was to come back. 
 She told her, 44 In my own carriage.” This puzzled her 
 much ; she asked, 4 4 Why cannot I ride too ? ” 44 Because 
 there is not room.” She talked a long time, completely 
 mystified, and then I asked her what horses took her to 
 Boston yesterday ? 4 4 My cloak, bonnet, etc.” 4 4 Did }~our 
 head take you ? ” 44 No,” but still she did not understand 
 it until I told her the horses’ names were Feet, and then 
 she laughed heartily and asked, 44 Who is the driver?” 
 44 The head.” She held her hands up to her forehead as 
 if holding reins, and said, 44 My soul drives,” and then 
 changed it to, 44 Think drives.” 
 
 Dec. 6. Her lesson was forty sums in Section 14. 
 Asked the meaning of 44 den, lack, cling, instance.” 
 4 4 How do we know that God lives in heaven ? ” 
 When told we read it, 44 How could God talk to 
 men and tell them what to write in a book?” And 
 then she made a noise which she calls talking, and 
 asked if it was in that way. She said, 44 Dr. Howe 
 said, he wanted to tell me all about God.” At the time 
 of Dr. Howe’s marriage, it was evident that the ques- 
 tion often arose in her mind, though never expressed in 
 words, whether the new relations might not leave less 
 space for herself in his affections, but this morning, 
 December 7, it found utterance. 44 Does Doctor love me 
 like Julia?” She was answered, 44 No.” 44 Does he love 
 God like Julia ? ” 44 Yes.” When she came for her lesson, 
 she repeated the question to me, adding, 44 God was 
 kind to give him his wife.” Noticing, as I had often 
 done before, that thoughts of this kind, even though 
 her better nature asserted itself in the end, were apt to 
 
214 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 leave her in a state of mind that would readily develop 
 into impatience, I alluded playfully to the manner the 
 cat was washing her face, and this happening to be 
 a new thought, diverted her attention. She could not 
 understand how it was possible for pussy to use her 
 paw without scratching herself, and we had a lesson an 
 hour long on a kitten. At another time she asked if 
 mules were so very sure-footed because they had more 
 toes than other animals, which held in the ground. 
 
 Dec. 12. On being shown where she had done wrong 
 in not observing the wishes of Miss J., she said, “I 
 will not do it again. My thoughts tell me when I am 
 good and when I am wrong.” Gave her the new word 
 “ conscience.” She repeated the story that I had read 
 to her yesterday very well, remembering all the new 
 words. Her written abstracts do not compare favor- 
 ably with the oral ones, for she cannot be made to feel 
 that it is necessary to take time and paper to write fully 
 as she talks, and in attempting abbreviations she makes 
 mistakes. 
 
 It is for this reason that her written productions can- 
 not, with justice, be compared with these of the deaf- 
 mutes who can see ; for if she could look over her own 
 papers after writing, she would herself be surprised at 
 the mistakes, and be able to correct most of them with- 
 out having them pointed out. 
 
 Dec. 14. Not in the right mood for arithmetic, there- 
 fore it took an hour to do one example, although very 
 easy. A lesson upon various shapes and the names of 
 each had interested her much yesterday, and to-day she 
 had collected in her mind all things in the house which 
 were irregular in shape, to be told new names. In this 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 215 
 
 way found she did not know the names of the most 
 common cooking utensils, so the kitchen was our school- 
 room. This led to a talk on meats. She said, “I 
 thought turkey and chicken and ducks were all the 
 same, they taste alike to me. I can tell beef from 
 mutton, wh} r can I not know turkey and chicken ? ” 
 
 On a previous page allusion is made to the fact that 
 we thought that an improvement was perceptible in her 
 sense of smell, and this has continued, though very 
 gradual. She has always been a sufferer from a severe 
 catarrhal affection, and as this shows signs of improve- 
 ment, we hope for a corresponding one in both smell 
 and taste. 
 
 Dec. 15. She asked if the weather was pleasant, and 
 being told it looked like snow she said, u Is God get- 
 ting the snow ready to fall now?” As she had recently 
 had lessons on vapor, rain, hail, and snow, I recalled 
 them to her by saying that the vapor had come into the 
 cold air, and it was freezing the clouds now, so they 
 would fall in snow, which she understood. Her geog- 
 raphy lesson was upon Chili, the Argentine Republic, 
 and Patagonia with adjacent islands, and completed 
 the map of South America. 
 
 Dec. 18. She commenced Section 15, which puz- 
 zled her. Yesterday, when out of school, she read 
 in a history prepared for the blind, and asked me an 
 explanation of the sentence, u Their arms were success- 
 ful.” I explained the last word and changed the sub- 
 ject. This morning, after she had done one sum, she 
 said, “ My arms were very successful.” Told her I 
 thought it was her head that was successful in thinking 
 about the sums, endeavoring to correct the false impres- 
 sion she had received. 
 
216 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 At some time she must know all the terrible things 
 of history, wars and fightings, their causes and conse- 
 quences, but my heart sank within me when this ques- 
 tion opened the subject, and as I had not the privilege 
 of telling her of the antidote to the sorrows and suffer- 
 ings of this life, I felt justified in leaving the story of 
 its woes. 
 
 Dec. 18. While she was sitting at work this after- 
 noon, I noticed that she made a fretting noise continu- 
 ally, and asked, “Why do you fret to-day?” “ Some- 
 thing troubles me.” “ What is it ? ” “I want to go to 
 heaven ; people are not kind to me, and do not love me 
 here as God does.” “ What people ? ” “ Many people.” 
 “ What names? ” “ Rogers and Wight and Coolidge ” 
 (all teachers). “Am not I kind to you?” “Yes.” 
 “Why do you think they are not?” “Because they 
 never come and sit by me, and talk to me much.” Told 
 her they all had much work to do for the other scholars, 
 and could not have time to talk long with her, but they 
 talked when they met her. 
 
 She is alwaj^s anxious to talk with every one, and 
 knows that often persons who pass her in the house 
 avoid her, as they must do when hurrying to some duty. 
 At such times it is not strange that the feeling of being 
 slighted should show itself ; indeed, it is a cause of sur- 
 prise to me that this does not lead to expressions which 
 show a painful appreciation of her privations ; but in 
 all the years I have been with her I have never known 
 of such, and I do not think she suffers from this cause. 
 
 Dec. 19. She led me to the china closet, sajfing, “ I 
 want to ask } t ou about a shape,” and handed me a glass 
 with seven sides. She had learned previously “ octa- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 217 
 
 gon” and “ hexagon.” Next she found a twelve-sided 
 glass, and then one with five sides, and another with ten. 
 When she had learned all these hard names, and had 
 seated herself to talk, she asked, “ How do we know 
 there is air? Why did God give us air? What is wind 
 made of? Orrin’s breath went away when he died. Why 
 do we have blood? If we tie up our wrist very tight, 
 so that blood cannot run, what will our hand do ? ” In 
 geography she learned for the first time about a volcano. 
 Her questions were numerous: “When did the fire 
 begin to come out? Who made the fire? Is it like the 
 fire in our stoves? Can people go up on a volcano, will 
 it burn them?” Then she thought of Niagara, and 
 asked, “ How steep does the water fall? Why does it 
 not stop ? Will it never stop ? Why does it make a 
 loud noise ? Is it like a cannon ? ” 
 
 The gradual development of her mind is shown very 
 clearly in this way ; when first told about a new thing, 
 Niagara for instance, she asks all the questions which 
 occur to her at that time, but after a few months more of 
 study, her field of inquiry is enlarged, and then she re- 
 turns voluntarily to the subject for more information. 
 
 Finding one of the canary birds dead, thought it a 
 good time to let her examine it, as she has often tried to 
 do when held in my hand alive. She asked, “ Why did it 
 die ? ” “ Are the other birds lonely and sad ? ” “ Why 
 
 cannot you know about them ? ” (how they feel.) She 
 wanted Oliver to see it, and Miss Rogers led him down to 
 the parlor, where they sat and talked some time about it. 
 She said afterwards, “ If I stopped my breath ten min- 
 utes I should die. What should you do if you should 
 come to this room after I had been alone, and I had 
 
218 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 stopped my breath and died? Would you be sad? 
 Would you like to have God stop your breath, and die 
 to-day? When God wants you, how can he stop your 
 breath?” 
 
 Dec. 21. Laura’s fourteenth birthday ; she asked me, 
 “Do you like fourteen?” In writing an account of 
 the story of yesterday, she had much difficulty, as she 
 always does when she has to report a conversation 
 between two or three persons ; she becomes confused on 
 the person and number of both pronouns and verbs. 
 
 Dec. 22. She finds more trouble with Section 15 than 
 any she has had this term in arithmetic. She told me 
 she dreamed that she went to Philadelphia with me to 
 make a visit, and that she had a very good time. Her 
 head was so full of it that she wanted to talk of my 
 home, and to have me tell her “ about all the furniture 
 in it ” and the rooms in each story , which word, thus 
 applied, was new to-day. Next she wished to talk about 
 going early to bed. She has been growing increasingly 
 sensitive upon this point, and the birthday of yesterday 
 has made her feel very much older. ‘ ‘ I amlarge enough 
 to sit up till eight.” “ Doctor thinks it is better for you 
 to sleep much, and he knows best.” “ If Doctor knows 
 best, why does not your (little) sister Lizzie go to bed 
 at half past seven ; 3 r our father (is a doctor) knows 
 best? I think when I go to live with Doctor and Mrs. 
 Howe in his house, I shall sit up till half past eight.” 
 She argued the point nearly an hour, and then was not 
 convinced by my reasoning that she was not too old to go 
 to bed at half past seven. 
 
 Dec. 23. She surprised me by doing eighteen sums. 
 When I told her how well she had done she made a 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN: 
 
 219 
 
 very sad noise. I asked why. “ I feel very sad that I 
 did not do sums well yesterday and Thursday.” She 
 said this not because I had reproved her on either of 
 these days, but because she is so ambitious that the 
 distress at being obliged to delay on account of any 
 new difficulty is great. She brought a feather of a pea- 
 cock, and wanted me to tell her what a bird could 
 do with such long feathers, the habits of the bird, and 
 then we talked of parrots, and their speaking, which 
 is a subject on which she is somewhat sensitive ; for it is 
 a singular fact that while she expresses no feeling that 
 men, women, and children can talk and she cannot, she 
 always feels it when she learns of any of the lower 
 animals speaking or hearing. Questioned her on the 
 map that has North and South America upon it for 
 the first time, asking miscellaneous questions, such as, 
 u Which way is Cape Horn from Cape Farewell? ” all 
 which she answered without hesitation. 
 
 Visitors to the Institution will remember a 
 very large globe, thirteen feet in circumference, 
 which stands in the circular hall of entrance. Her 
 success on the map made me desirous of testing 
 her upon this. 
 
 I supposed that the convex surface would trouble her, 
 and the raised lines were also different from those to 
 which she was accustomed on the maps, but she was 
 pleased when told she should have the rest of her lesson 
 upon it. Her first remark was, “ It is too very large.” 
 This expression was not a usual one, but neither quali- 
 fying word adequately expressed her idea of its size, 
 so she used both. I placed her hand on the Russian 
 
220 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 Possessions in North America, and moved it to Mexico, 
 to give her an idea of the scale of distance. I then 
 asked her to find the Gulf of Mexico, Hudson’s Bay, etc., 
 which she did at once, and indeed she found every 
 place I called for, even to Boston. The blind children 
 have never been able to do much on this globe in 
 the first day’s lesson, and I looked on with astonishment 
 to see her fingers move so rapidly, scarce touching any- 
 thing apparently but the spot called for. 
 
 When passing the globe recently the recollec- 
 tion of this lesson came freshly to my mind, and 
 the wonderful feat, performed by touch alone, im- 
 pressed me more than ever before. 
 
 Dec. 26. Another lesson on the globe ; she found 
 nearly all the capitals of the United States, and the 
 chief cities of South America, and then of her own ac- 
 cord compared the Atlantic and Pacific to find their 
 size, and asked to be taught the countries on the other 
 side of the globe. This certainly shows very intelligent 
 study of geography, but she had to be told it was best 
 to learn first on the maps about the other continents, and 
 then she could study again upon the globe. 
 
 Dec. 27. On Miss R.’s return after Christmas, Laura 
 happened to be much interested in conversation with 
 someone, and pushed her away when she attempted to 
 speak to her. We thought it best to give her no oppor- 
 tunity to speak to her again for some time. To-day 
 she asked, “ Why does not Rogers come to see me?” I 
 replied, “ You can tell me why,” and she at once con- 
 fessed what she had done. After talking some time she 
 said, “ Why do you not send me to the House of Correc- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 221 
 
 tion ? ” Last week I had read her a story about an idle boy 
 who was sent there. She answered the question herself 
 by saying, “You can send me to my chamber ; that is my 
 House of Correction.” She said this very seriously, and 
 was much troubled that she could not talk to Miss R. 
 
 Dec. 29. She has reached the tables of weights and 
 measures in Colburn’s Arithmetic, and learned Federal 
 and English money. She commenced the map of Eu- 
 rope, taking Great Britain for a lesson. 
 
 Dec. 30. She talked about catamounts, panthers, and 
 leopards, of which she had seen models yesterday. I 
 asked her if she would like to live in the woods with 
 them. 44 No, I should be sore because they would bite 
 me so much. W ould they eat me ? ” “If they were very 
 hungry they would eat you for dinner.” “ Should I not 
 go to heaven ? I shall not see you in heaven. ” 4 4 Why ? ” 
 4 4 1 shall talk with my mouth.” 4 4 Will you not talk with 
 me?” 44 I shall be busy seeing strangers.” It is not 
 surprising that with the idea of her pleasure in heaven, 
 should mingle that of being able to communicate with 
 others than the little circle which surrounds her here. 
 
222 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 January , 1844. Dr. Howe has been absent in Europe 
 eight months to-day. Laura met me saying, “ It is new 
 happy year day.” I wished her a Happy New Year, and 
 she extended her hand to the east, spelling with her 
 fingers the words, 44 Ilappy New Year,” but added, with 
 a laugh, 44 Doctor cannot know I say so.” 
 
 Reviewed the tables which she learned last week, and 
 added to them dry, ale, and wine measures Found it 
 a very difficult matter to explain the difference between 
 4 4 want ” and 44 wish ” to her. 
 
 Jan . 2. Completed the tables this morning ; when 
 studjung that of time, she asked, 44 How did men know 
 that sixty seconds make one minute?” She had a call 
 from a young lady who was deaf and dumb, but very 
 graceful and pleasing in her manners. One would hardly 
 suppose that Laura would perceive this with her one 
 sense, but as soon as she had left she began to draw a 
 comparison between Miss L. and herself, in which she 
 acknowledged herself inferior. She perceived that some 
 of the children were making New Year’s presents 
 yesterday, and desiring to imitate them she spent all 
 her spare time in making 4 4 an apron for little Susan’s 
 doll, very nice and pretty, for a New Year’s present.” 
 Jan. 4. In her journal she wrote, 44 1 thought 
 about heaven and God, that he would invite me some 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 223 
 
 time when he is ready for us to go to him. He made 
 it storm very much.” Advanced as far as Spain on the 
 map of Europe, but she became so much interested in 
 that country and its people that it occupied all the 
 hour. She asked many questions about their dress. I 
 told her of a Spanish girl I had seen at a concert, of 
 her pretty dress and beautiful hair. u Did she talk 
 English?” Told her I heard her say, “ Mui bien” to 
 see if she remembered the words. I had told them to 
 her long ago, as an example of Spanish, at the time she 
 tried to read a Latin book. She said at once, “ Very 
 well,” and then told me other words which I had said 
 to her then. “ Do they have the same animals in Spain 
 that God made, that they do in England? Why do 
 Spanish people come to America ? ” 
 
 Jan. 7. Laura’s school had to be much interrupted 
 to-day, on account of Miss J.’s illness. She bore this 
 much better than she did when it occurred last week 
 from my own illness, and was very sympathetic, 
 anxious about her medicines, when they were to be 
 taken, etc. To make me forget her unkindness at that 
 time she has been very affectionate, telling me how 
 much she loves me, and kissing and hugging me very 
 often. 
 
 Jan. 12. She talked about dreams, and said, “ Some- 
 times I dream about God.” u What do you dream ? ” “I 
 dreamed that I was in the entry, the round entry where 
 Lurena was rolling in her chair (an invalid chair) , and 
 I went into a good place, that God knew I could not 
 fall off the edge of the floor.” This entry had an open- 
 ing in the floor for the passage of light to the lower hall, 
 around which was a railing, and I understood that in 
 
224 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 her dream she was within the rail, haying tried to avoid 
 the chair. Again she said, “ I dreamed God took awa} T 
 my breath to heaven, ” accompanying the words with 
 the sign of drawing something from her mouth. 
 
 In writing out a story which I had read to her, she 
 remembered a sentence in it, which was, “You must 
 thank the rabbit for your hat,” meaning that it was made 
 from the skin of a rabbit ; but she took its literal sense, 
 and stopped writing to say, “ I cannot thank him ; he 
 cannot talk or know signs.” 
 
 Jan. 13. She did but few sums, as she had forgotten 
 about reducing fractions to their lowest terms. She 
 wrote an account of the seal, and I found she under- 
 stood it well, though read to her only once, and in 
 almost the exact language of the encyclopaedia. She is 
 in a great hurry to get to Russia, probably because it 
 is so extensive ; she found the White Sea and rivers 
 running into it without any help to-day. 
 
 Jan. 15. Laura did the sums which had puzzled her 
 so much on Saturday as fast as I could mj’self. Her 
 ability to overcome difficulties between two days is 
 very peculiar, and she must think about them when she 
 is sitting alone, for I never allude to arithmetic after 
 the lesson is over, and she never asks me any questions, 
 but it often happens that I leave her in a puzzle, and at 
 the next lesson all goes smoothly. 
 
 Jan. 16. Yesterday Laura went to call on Miss 
 Jeannette, who was visiting in Boston, and while I was 
 absent spent her time in fault-finding. Eunice was 
 wrong because she had girls come into her kitchen ; 
 Frank was wrong because he came over J.’s stairs to 
 find Rogers. To each of these charges, which were evi- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 225 
 
 dently made that J. might censure these persons, the 
 answer was, she was very glad they came. “ Swift is 
 not nice, she put her dress on the bed,” etc. About 
 three months ago she did the same thing, and I talked 
 with her a long time about it, until I thought she saw 
 the wrong and felt sorry for it. When I called for her 
 to take her home, she wanted to talk with me, but I told 
 her I could not talk ; that J. said she had been unkind, 
 and I wanted her to think about it. She said no more, 
 and soon after we got home it was time for her to go to 
 bed. This morning at nine I told her I wanted to talk 
 about it. She looked very sad when I asked her to tell 
 me what she told J. In all the charges against Eunice 
 and Frank, I showed her where they were both right in 
 doing what they did ; in reply to those she brought 
 against myself, I told her of some careless things 
 which she did yesterday when preparing to walk, such 
 as pulling a dress down and leaving it on the floor, a 
 closet door open, etc., and asked her if she would like 
 to have me go to J. and tell of them that she might blame 
 her ; and when I said that I shut the door, and hung up 
 the dress, she answered, “You were kind, I was very 
 unkind.” I talked with her some time to convince her 
 how often she might tell wrong stories, by blaming peo- 
 ple for things she did not know about. She said, 
 “ Whose people did I blame?” I did not understand 
 what she meant, and answered, “You blamed many peo- 
 ple.” “ I blamed the Lord’s people,” said she. I was 
 surprised at this, and asked, “What does Lord's mean ? ” 
 “ God’s, I saw it in a book,” and she showed it to me 
 in “ The Child’s Second Book,” the Commandments, “ I 
 am the Lord thy God,” etc. She said, “ How can I ask 
 
226 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 God to forgive me for blaming bis people?” “You 
 can ask him in your thoughts.” “ Can I know when he 
 forgives me, how can I know ? ” “ He will give you good 
 thoughts.” The next hour was for writing ; she came 
 to me and said, “ I have asked God to forgive me, and 
 I hope I shall not be unkind.” She seated herself to 
 write, but it was long before she could do so. I took a 
 seat at a short distance from her and tried to read her 
 conversation with herself, her soliloquy. She said to 
 herself, “ I am very sorry.” “ Doctor said he preferred 
 to teach me himself.” “ Why cannot I know? ” “ It 
 
 makes me very nervous.” There was much more, but 
 too rapid for me to read. 
 
 Jan. 17. Gave her a lesson in philosophy on the 
 lever. She seemed to understand the three kinds, so 
 that she could tell me what kind I used when taking 
 coals with the tongs, ashes with the shovel, shutting a 
 door, etc., and in one more lesson will do very well. 
 After the lesson she said, “ I think God has sent me 
 good thoughts. I am very happy to-day ; I do not feel 
 cross any.” I asked why she kissed me so much ; she 
 said, “ Because I love you so much ; you are very kind 
 to teach me many new things.” 
 
 Jan. 19. In the hour for conversation she intro- 
 duced the subject of dreaming again. “ Why does 
 God give us dreams ? Last night I dreamed I talked 
 with my mouth. Did you hear me talk ? ” “No; I was 
 asleep.” “ I talked as any people do in dreams.” To 
 the question, “ What words did you dream?” I could 
 get no answer. 4 4 Do Spanish people dream like us ? 
 Do they dream words like us ? ” 
 
 Jan. 20. We took a walk to Boston, and though 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 227 
 
 the thermometer was at 3°, and a high wind was blow- 
 ing, Laura did not seem to mind it much. Reversed 
 the usual order in geography by pointing her finger to 
 the place, and asking for its name. A missionary 
 from the West visited us, and said he had seen an 
 Indian girl eighteen years of age, who was born deaf, 
 dumb, and blind. She resides with her tribe in the 
 northern part of Michigan State. Laura was much 
 interested in her, and thought it would be a good 
 arrangement for the girl to come here so that I could 
 teach her. I suggested that she might teach her her- 
 self, and she was quite willing to do so. At the tea- 
 table to-night she amused herself by an imaginary 
 conversation with Dr. Howe after his return. Holding 
 out her hand to the chair at the table where he usually 
 sat, she asked such questions as, “Are you tired of 
 going very far ? Did you want to come back ? ” At 
 noon she asked Miss Rogers if Oliver knew about God. 
 She looked very sad when Miss Rogers said no, and 
 asked her why she did not teach him. 
 
 Jan. 24. When talking with J. she asked, “ When 
 you ask God to give you good thoughts do you say, 
 Lord, God, Father, My Heavenly, give me good 
 thoughts ? ” She probably got these words from some 
 book. She asked also, “ When you look up do you see 
 heaven ? ” 
 
 Jan. 26. She was complaining much of the cold, and 
 I took occasion to turn her thoughts to the poor, tell- 
 ing her of the sufferings of a family I had visited yester- 
 day. Her first question was, u Is God kind to the 
 poor woman ? ” 
 
 She completed the circuit of Europe, and now, to her 
 
228 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 great delight, we have conversations on the objects of 
 interest in the various countries, the people, their hab- 
 its, articles of commerce, etc. 
 
 P. M. A large number of the representatives vis- 
 ited us. Laura had a very interesting conversation on 
 their duties, asked them (through myself as interpreter) 
 many very appropriate questions, and having fully under- 
 stood the importance of laws, she asked if they sent them 
 to Dr. Howe, that he might know what they were, and 
 why they wanted the blind girls to go to the State 
 House every winter. 
 
 Jan. 31. A very cold walk to-day. Laura com- 
 plained but little, though she remarked, u It is like the 
 northern parts of North America ; I think beavers could 
 live here.” 
 
 Twenty-Eight of January. 
 
 My very Dear Dr. Howe : 
 
 What can I first say to God when I am wrong? 
 Would he send me good thoughts & forgive me when I 
 am very sad for doing wrong ? Why does he not love 
 wrong people, if they love Him? Would he be very 
 happy to have me think of Him & Heaven very often ? 
 Do you remember that you said I must think of God & 
 Heaven ? I want you to please to answer me to please 
 me. I have learned about great many things to please 
 you very much. Mrs. Harrington has got new little 
 baby eight da}^s last Saturday. God was very gener- 
 ous & kind to give babies to many people. Miss Rog- 
 ers’ mother has got baby two months ago. I want to 
 see you very much. I send much love to you. Is God 
 ever ashamed? I think of God very often to love Him. 
 Why did you say that I must think of God? You must 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 229 
 
 answer me all about it, if you do not I shall be sad. 
 Shall we know what to ask G od to do ? When will He 
 let us go to see him in Heaven? How did God tell 
 people that he lived in Heaven ? How could He take 
 care of folks in Heaven? Why is He our Father? 
 When can He let us go in Heaven? Why cannot He 
 let wrong people to go to live with Him & be happy ? 
 Why should He not like to have us ask Him to send us 
 good thoughts if we are not very sad for doing wrong ? 
 
 Feb. 2. At nine, Laura asked, “ Do you remember 
 about the woollen gloves that I had two years ago, and 
 that I hid them and told a lie about them, because I did 
 not like them?” She talked of nothing but this the 
 whole hour ; said she was sorry she did so, and that the 
 reason was, because she preferred to wear kid gloves. 
 She spoke of her work yesterday, and I told her she 
 was very industrious to knit so much. She appeared 
 happy, and told me she would try to be very gentle all 
 day, and not tire me, because I was weak and sick. 
 At eleven we had an interesting lesson on the climates 
 of Europe. At noon I was requested to take Laura to 
 the school-room, as special company would be present. 
 While waiting their arrival I was talking with her about 
 the different kinds of coal, and the manner of making 
 charcoal ; we had just commenced the latter subject, 
 when I noticed that she had left her handkerchief upon 
 the desk. (At this time our dresses were not made 
 with pockets, but as her handkerchief was in frequent 
 •use, she always carried it about with her.) She had 
 been told repeatedly why it was not proper to leave it 
 on the outside of the desk, and as she was so scrupulous 
 
230 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 in other matters of propriety, I supposed when she con- 
 tinued to do it, that it was from inadvertence, though 1 
 had noticed, within a few days, increasing impatience 
 when reminded of it. I paused in our conversation for 
 an instant to say, “Put your handkerchief in your desk.” 
 She hesitated and put it in her lap, saying, “ I prefer 
 to put it in my lap,” and held up her hand for me to go 
 on with my storj'. She knew that I objected to this 
 because it was in the way when she had to leave her 
 desk to go to the map. I said, “ I told you to put it 
 in the desk, and now I want you to do it.” She sat 
 still for about two minutes, and then lifted the lid very 
 high, threw the handkerchief into the desk, and let it 
 fall with such a noise as to startle all in the school- 
 room. Her face was growing pale, and she was evi- 
 dently getting into a passion. Whenever I have seen 
 anything of this kind in the past year, the question, 
 4 4 Are you angry ? ” has^ always recalled her to her 
 senses ; but now she answered, 44 1 am very cross ” I 
 said to her, 4 4 1 am very sorry, and I am very sorry you 
 shut the desk so hard. I want you to open it again, 
 and take your handkerchief, and put it in gently.” 
 Putting on a very firm look, she said, 44 1 will take it 
 out to wipe my eyes, and put it back,” meaning, 44 not 
 to mind you.” I told her I wanted her first to put it in 
 gently. After a moment’s hesitation, she took it out. 
 let the cover slam as before, and then raised it to wipe 
 her eyes. I said, 44 No,” decidedly, and gently took 
 her hand down. She sat still awhile, and then uttered 
 the most frightful yell I ever heard. Her face was 
 pale, and she trembled from head to foot. At this 
 moment I heard the sound of visitors approaching, and 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 231 
 
 onty waited to say, “ You must go and sit alone.” A 
 second she clung to my dress and then went quietly 
 with me to her room. 
 
 At dinner-time I led her to the table, without speak- 
 ing, and after that, gave her a chair to sit by herself, 
 without work. Instead of looking troubled, as she 
 generally does after having done anything wrong, she 
 assumed an expression of indifference, talked to herself 
 a little, and then feigned sleep. When she had taken 
 tea, I asked her if she thought she could do what I told 
 her to do this morning, if I let her go to the school- 
 room. She said she would. I led her in and she did it 
 very quietly. After this I tallied an hour with her, 
 trying to get her to feeling as she ought. She acknowl- 
 edged the wrong at once, and said she was sorry, but 
 her countenance indicated anything but sorrow. I left 
 her during the hour for reading, and when I returned, 
 she looked more troubled, and I told her she might go 
 to bed, hoping that her own thoughts would bring her 
 to a right state of feeling. 
 
 Saturday, Feb. 3. This morning have talked with 
 Laura again, and am completely discouraged. I have 
 tried every argument and appealed to every motive, 
 with only partial success. The only thing which 
 seemed to move her at all was, that I did not want to 
 punish her, but that I could not let her do many things 
 to-day to make her happy ; when she went to exhibi- 
 tion I could not let Sophia talk with her, and could not 
 let her go to the scholars’ party in the evening, because 
 only good girls went. But these were direct appeals to 
 selfishness, and they were all that touched her. I did not 
 know what to do, and never felt the need of counsel 
 
232 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN '. 
 
 more. As I liad exhausted every argument, I thought I 
 would try the effect of a lesson in geography ; so 
 taught her something about the produce of different 
 countries of Europe and of their manufactures. She 
 was very quiet during this, and also a writing lesson 
 which followed. The regular lesson for the last hour’s 
 school would have been the reading of a story, and I 
 thought best to omit it. At dinner, she seemed to be 
 very well satisfied with herself. When it was time to 
 go into the school-room for the exhibition, she said, “ I 
 think I had better not go.” I merely said, “ It is time,” 
 and took her hand to lead her. During the exhbition 
 she said, “ Is Sophia here ? ” I told her she was in her 
 desk in the school-room. “ I am very happy,” was the 
 only reply. There was a spirit of defiance in Laura that 
 I had never seen before. A few moments after, she 
 attempted to kiss me, thinking she could take advan- 
 tage of the presence of company. She answered ques- 
 tions readily and was willing to do what I wished her 
 to do. A-t seven, I told her she could go to bed, and 
 she went without any objection, but still with the same 
 expression of countenance. 
 
 Sunday , Feb. 4. As Laura proposed that she should 
 sit alone to-day, I left her this forenoon in the base- 
 ment, where she had seated herself. When I returned 
 from church, she did not appear to be troubled at all. 
 I led her to dinner and then of her own accord she 
 returned to the same place. At the tea-table she 
 seemed much more sad, and after tea I sat down by 
 her to try what effect I could produce then. I could 
 now perceive a great difference, and after I told her how 
 wrong it was that she did not feel more sad for doing 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 253 
 
 wrong, she said, “Ido feel very sad now. I was sad 
 and cried this afternoon, and thought I was very wrong, 
 and I asked God to forgive me and send me good 
 thoughts and to love me.” She then asked the old 
 question, 44 What shall I ask God first, when I ask him 
 to give me good thoughts ? Must I say , 4 Lord, Father, 
 my Heavenly ? ’ ” I answered her that she could say 
 just what she thought first. I told her that I was glad 
 that she felt better now and that I would forgive her, 
 and I hoped she would never be angry again. She 
 said, 44 I think I never shall do so again. Why do I 
 feel so very sad after I ask God to forgive me, and 
 when you forgive me ? ” Told her because she felt so 
 sorry she had done wrong at all. 
 
 If, in a faithful chronicle, the record of these 
 last* few days could have been omitted, it would be 
 desirable both for Laura and myself. The remem- 
 brance of my anxiety to act wisely will never fade 
 from my mind, but the experience of added years 
 shows me that in those first few moments of 
 excitement, it would have been wiser to have 
 avoided the issue, and obtained submission in some 
 other way. The fact that visitors were momen- 
 tarily expected in the room, and the desire that no 
 one should see Laura under such circumstances, 
 added to the complications on my part. 
 
 I had felt for some time that a crisis was ap- 
 proaching, for, while there had been no. act of pos- 
 itive disobedience, yet there was manifest to all 
 who came in contact with her an inclination to 
 
234 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 submit to proper authority only after much argu- 
 ment. 
 
 That a development like this should come as a 
 parenthesis in a lesson in which she was much 
 interested, and to which she was anxious to return, 
 was a surprise, and the intensity of her feeling 
 was not suspected by me, for I supposed I had 
 only to say, " Are you angry ? ” and that she would 
 recover herself, as she had often done in previous 
 times of excitement. Here was my error, and 
 could I have seen the end from the beginning, I 
 should not have asked the question, but have led 
 her quietly to her own room, and left her to her 
 meditations. The next step, unfortunately, devel- 
 oped the worst features of the case, — a declara- 
 tion of persistent disobedience, and the violent 
 expression of passion, which was more like an ani- 
 mal than a human being, followed by the assump- 
 tion of an air of wilful indifference. 
 
 It will be seen that she rendered literal obedi- 
 ence on the evening of the first day, but if I had 
 accepted that, her own conscience would not have 
 been satisfied, and although many may differ 
 from me in opinion, I believe that all good effects 
 of this trial on her future life would have been 
 lost. 
 
 It was not a desire to obtain a passive obedience . 
 to my stronger will which led me to take the 
 course I did at this time, but a thoughtful, unim- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 235 
 
 passioned study of the case, and the cjnviction 
 that this was a crisis in which she was to conquer 
 herself, or ever after to be subject to her passions. 
 Painfully realizing my own inexperience and lack 
 of wisdom, with no one to share the responsibility, 
 the hours of waiting seemed days, and the days, 
 weeks. It would have been far easier to throw 
 my arms about her, and tell her how much sorrow 
 she was givingme, and then her sympathies would 
 have been touched, and, as had often happened 
 before, she would have yielded, only, however, 
 as before, to be overcome again very soon. 
 
 That she won the victory at last, and that hers 
 was a true repentance no one will doubt, and 
 when, with an expression which she could so well 
 give with her fingers, she said, "I think I shall 
 never do so again,” our tears flowed together, and 
 she did not doubt my love for her. 
 
 Monday , Feb. 5. Laura’s arithmetic lesson was in 
 simple fellowship, and she performed the examples with- 
 out difficulty. At nine gave her a lesson on the ther- 
 mometer ; explained the scale, mixed snow and salt to 
 show her how far the raercury would go down in the 
 tube She was delighted with the lesson, and led me 
 from room to room waiting in each to see its tempera- 
 ture. When she came for her writing lesson she asked, 
 “ Why do I love you so very much to-day?” 
 
 Feb. 7. At this time Mr. Fisher was painting the 
 picture of Laura and Oliver, and while sitting with her 
 in his studio, I gave her a lesson on France. When 
 
236 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 she found he had been there, she had many questions 
 to ask. 
 
 Feb. 8. She was quite indignant when told in a les- 
 son on bees that there were drones among them. 
 
 Feb. 12. In reading “The Harvey Boys,” she found 
 the word “drunkards,” and asked what it meant. A 
 long conversation followed on the effects of different 
 drinks, how men behaved who drank too much cider or 
 wine or rum or brandy. She said, “ I want to talk a 
 long time about drunkards.” Told her I did not like 
 to think or talk about them. “ Will you talk about 
 -'razy people? Will you talk about dizzy people ? * 
 She has always confounded these two words, though 
 they have often been explained to her. 
 
 Feb. 13. Last evening Laura was in a very happy 
 mood, and before she went to bed she informed Miss J. 
 that she was going to caper. This word she had just 
 learned. Hearing a great noise, we went up quietly to 
 see what she was doing. We found her ready for bed, 
 but jumping from the bedstead and running to the next 
 room, then returning to do the same. This she con- 
 tinued half a dozen times and then threw herself down 
 exhausted. After resting, she commenced it again and 
 continued it for a quarter of an hour, occasionally stop- 
 ping to see the effect on the sacking which held the bed, 
 and when she discovered that it was dropping down, 
 she laughed most heartily. Tired of this, she swung 
 her closet door violently on its hinges for five minutes, 
 until I feared she would suffer from cold, and spoke to 
 her to tell her it was time to go to sleep. It was a very 
 ludicrous scene, and I presume it was all suggested to 
 her by something which I had said when explaining the 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 237 
 
 word “ caper.” She had thought it over, and then 
 decided she would try it herself. This morning I 
 laughed with her about it and told her she must have a 
 bed of iron if she wished to use it to jump upon, and 
 that she must go up to bed at seven o’clock, so as not 
 to disturb the girls who went to bed early. “Ido not 
 want to caper any more,” she said. “ I did it last night 
 because I thought Doctor was coming so soon.” I had 
 told her that the young lambs capered to express their 
 
 joy- 
 
 Feb. 23. She asked about jails, — if they had win- 
 dows, etc., and then imagined herself there, and said, 
 4 4 What would you do if I had to go to jail? What 
 would Doctor say ? ” etc. In her walk to the Point to- 
 day, she was much interested in examining the blocks of 
 ice which had been thrown one upon another by the 
 tide. As it was low water, we could walk around among 
 them. She showed that she had some appreciation 
 of the descriptions of Swiss scenery that had been 
 given her, by saying, 44 I think they are like mountains 
 and glaciers.” 
 
 Feb. 24. She is advancing very slowly now in 
 arithmetic, her lessons being in the last miscellaneous 
 examples in Colburn’s Mental Arithmetic. Yesterday 
 she succeeded in performing several and then found one 
 which puzzled her, so it was left for this morning’s les- 
 son. This morning she had the answer ready for me, 
 having thought it out by herself. She was much 
 pleased with some of the visitors to-day, when told they 
 were from Scotland, England, and the Azore Islands. 
 
 Fib. 26. For some time I have been desirous of 
 knowing how much she remembered about words which 
 
238 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 were taught her long ago, many of which she had prob- 
 ably never had occasion to use, and for a review decided 
 it would be a good exercise for her to take my old jour- 
 nal of two years ago. She liked the plan. We found 
 many words which she had forgotten, and some of which 
 she had very incorrect ideas, while there were many that 
 she explained perfectly, although she has never used 
 them. 
 
 Talking of families, she asked, 44 Are there families 
 in heaven ? ” I notice a marked difference in her man- 
 ner of talking about the same words now ; she asks so 
 many questions showing a great increase in intelligence. 
 
 Feb. 29. After working a long time she finished an 
 example in arithmetic, and when it was accomplished it 
 seemed so easy to her that she said, 44 I am very dull.” 
 Having completed our 44 talks” upon the countries of 
 Europe, I gave her a review lesson on the boundaries 
 of all the countries, and was surprised to find what a 
 correct idea she had of their situation. She asked me to 
 define pauper; 4 4 the book says, there are nineteen hun- 
 dred and sixty-nine paupers.” The question •* Where ? ” 
 showed that she had only read so much of the sentence, 
 but when referred to the book she replied, 44 In the 
 United States.” It will be long, I fear, before she will 
 be able to read correctly, owing to this habit of taking 
 part of the author’s meaning ; but she enjoys reading 
 very much. She brought many words for explanation 
 from 44 The Harvey Boys.” Vice was explained to her 
 us something wrong, and she said, 44 1 viced last week.” 
 As I was explaining the word 4 4 limbs ” in its various 
 uses, she stopped me to ask, 44 How can God help hear- 
 ing when I ask him to forgive me?” I had to tell her 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 239 
 
 that I did not want to talk about it until Dr. Howe 
 answered her letters, and returned to the other subject, 
 saying that the snow was falling fast, and the limbs 
 of the trees were loaded with it. Another day, she 
 as suddenly changed the conversation by asking, “ How 
 large is heaven ? Is there a door to heaven ? and how 
 does the sky look ? What is it made of? ” 
 
 March 6 The deaf-mute pupils from the Hartford 
 Asylum were to give an exhibition at the State House. 
 Laura was told of it and that I was going to attend, and 
 was very particular in her directions to me to see what 
 signs they made, and to tell her. She has had a num- 
 ber of visitors who have been educated at Hartford, 
 and is always much amused by the signs they made. 
 As she has never been taught anything but the finger 
 alphabet, of course their signs are without meaning to 
 her. 
 
 March 7. We received notice that the Governor 
 and Council, and Mr. Weld with his deaf-mute pupils, 
 would visit us this afternoon, and as is always my cus- 
 tom, when there is to be any such unusual excitement 
 for Laura, I prepared for this visit by taking a walk of 
 five miles with her. I reported to her the exhibition 
 yesterday, and told her how very well all the little girls 
 behaved, and she said she should try to do as well to-day 
 as the girls did yesterday. When they arrived, Laura 
 had many questions to ask about Julia Brace, the deaf, 
 dumb, and blind woman, who was here for a time, and 
 in whom she was much interested. One of the girls 
 asked her where she was brought up. As she did not 
 understand that expression, she changed it to, “ Where 
 were you born?” Laura did not reply to her, but 
 
240 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 turned to me, and said quite indignantly, “I cannot 
 remember when I was born.” Mr. Weld, the teacher, 
 talked to her some time, and as he was leaving her, 
 said, “ I love you and I will pray God to bless you.” 
 She immediately turned to me and said, “What is 
 pra}^?” “To ask God.” “What is bless?” “To 
 give you good thoughts.” Nothing more was said to 
 me. 
 
 March 8. Laura appeared very thoughtful this morn- 
 ing, and said, when she came for her lesson, “Will it 
 do any good for Mr. Weld to .pray God to bless me?” 
 She sat thinking for a while, and then said, “Will we be 
 afraid to die ? ” I asked why we should be afraid to 
 die. She replied, “Because we do not know any one,” 
 meaning in heaven. I saw she had not given me all 
 her reasons, so repeated the question, and she said hes- 
 itatingly, 4 4 Because we cannot be very sure that God 
 will want us. We cannot know that we have been very 
 good when we live here, and we should be afraid he 
 would not want us in heaven.” I was surprised at this 
 conversation, for she must have been thinking much 
 upon the subject, and to be working out by herself many 
 truths . 
 
 Governor Briggs asked her to write a letter to him. 
 She was anxious that the writing should be very nice. 
 
 Eighth of March. 
 
 My Dear Governor: 
 
 I am very glad that you take care of people, & that 
 you are very kind. Yesterday I sent Julia Brace a 
 present to please her very much, & I hope that she 
 will remember me for many years. She was here one 
 year, & we all loved her very much. I was sad she 
 
LATJRA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 241 
 
 went -away & could never learn here anymore. I should 
 like to have you come to see me & the blind girls again 
 when you can. Dear friend, good-b^e. 
 
 March 11. She inquired into the cause of choking 
 when drinking, and this opened the way for her first 
 lesson in ph} T siology. She had many questions to ask, 
 as, “How can men know we have wind-pipes? Are 
 they made of iron?” Asked her if she thought hers 
 was iron, and she said, “No, flesh.” Yesterday Miss 
 Rogers came from church a few moments before I did, 
 and found Laura reading u The Book of Psalms,” and 
 looking very pale and much excited. She said, “ God 
 is angry with the wicked every day. I was angry this 
 year and last year, and I deceived Swift many times.” 
 Miss R. changed the subject, and got her interested in 
 something else, but when I came home she began on 
 the same subject ; she said, “ God will judge all people. 
 What is judge ? ” I told her she could not understand 
 all that book now, but that when Dr. Howe came home 
 she would learn more. Her countenance brightened, 
 and she said, “ When are you going to teach me about 
 God and heaven ? ” 
 
 March 12. Having walked to the city with Laura, 
 found I could take her on board a brig just arrived from 
 Lubec, Germany. While we were there the vessel 
 moved from one part of the wharf to another. She 
 expressed much fear that we should go too far, and 
 asked me to “ tell the men to throw the anchor.” ^ Had 
 a very good opportunity to teach her many new words. 
 The various parts of the ship, masts, ropes, cables, 
 cabin, etc., as we were allowed to go about as we chose. 
 
 16 
 
242 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 After getting home we talked it all over, so she might 
 write an account of her visit to-morrow. Reviewed 
 North America, which she remembers well. 
 
 March 13. Find she has forgotten more on South 
 America than on any other map ; but the wonder is 
 she remembers as much as she does. In her lesson 
 yesterday I told her we spoke of the sun as he, and to- 
 day she asked, “Does he shine?” thinking that the 
 improved way of asking the question. When telling 
 me about some punishments that she received long ago, 
 she said she was put in a closet, and asked, “ Wlty do 
 you not punish me so now? Why do my thoughts 
 punish me now?” She is very industrious, and has 
 knit four purses this week. 
 
 This is* not a forced industry ; indeed, it is hard to 
 induce her to rest when we think she is weary. She 
 takes up her work immediately on returning from a 
 long walk, when most girls would think they had a 
 good excuse for being idle, and even in the recesses, 
 between the hours of school, she occupies every mo- 
 ment. At the beginning of the week she delights in 
 making her plans, and wishes me to select the various 
 colors of silk she is to use, so that she may lose no 
 time in waiting for them. Once having told her how 
 they are to be arranged I leave it entirely to her, and 
 she rarely forgets, or has to ask me anything about 
 them. If there is any new pattern or the st3 T le of work 
 is to be changed, she learns it quickly, far more so than 
 many do who can see, and she enjoys a variety. 
 
 March 18. At nine this morning she brought me a 
 letter which she had written to Mrs. Morton, her old 
 teacher. She has so much to say to her, and feels so 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 243 
 
 sure that she will have no difficulty in understanding 
 it, that she is very careless about the writing, and it 
 took some time to correct all the mistakes. This I do, 
 not upon the letters, but merely as a good exercise for 
 her. When this was done, she produced a paper with 
 the following words upon it: “perish, example, prop- 
 erty, repeated, prince, lest, proverbs, afflicted, advice, 
 recommend, poverty, wretched, chapters, pervert, an 
 allusion, Jews, insensible, Romans, Saviour, offered, 
 mingled, crucified, disgraceful, writer. Will you tell 
 me what they mean?” she said. I told her I thought 
 it would be best for her to ask me those that she could 
 remember, rather than for me to read them from the 
 paper to her, as she would remember them longer. 
 Her custom is, after I give the definition, to frame a 
 sentence and introduce the word. She began with 
 “ perish ” ; was told it meant to die, and said, “ Betsy 
 Smith perished last summer.” Of “ poverty” she said 
 nothing in reply to the meaning given. “ Romans ” and 
 “Jews” she understood easily about, but “advice” 
 seemed to be harder for her. She asked, “Are 4 ad- 
 vice ’ and ‘ description’ the same ? ” Left it for another 
 time. “ Offered, writer, disgraceful, and afflicted” she 
 applied correctly at once. When told that I did not 
 think she could understand Proverbs now, she said, 
 “ The Harvey boys said it ” ; and that she thought a 
 reason that she should know it too. 
 
 I gave her the words “ setting a good example and a 
 bad example.” She was much pleased with them, and 
 said, “ Frank set Susan* a very bad example yester- 
 
 * Two little deaf-mute children. 
 
244 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 day ; he opened the drawers and Susan rubbed his hand 
 (a sign of wrong) and said he was wrong. That was a 
 very bad example.” This was one of the lessons that 
 has no stopping-place, and she presses her questions 
 upon me so rapidly that I am obliged to overstep the 
 bounds of prudence, though I think it does her more 
 injury to be held back than to gratify her desire for 
 knowledge. When writing in her journal she told me 
 she had used three new words, “ neither, nor, and 
 violently.” 
 
 March 19. Reviewed yesterday’s lesson, and found 
 that many of the words she understood correctly, while 
 of others, as “proverbs” and “ advice,” she got no 
 correct idea. She asked the meaning of ‘ ‘ prince,” and 
 wrote in her journal of the da}^, “ God is a prince, 
 because He takes care of his people.” Commenced th' > 
 maps of Asia, and she learned the boundaries of Sibe 
 ria, the large rivers, rise and course, bays, seas, moun 
 tains, and islands in the Arctic Ocean. 
 
 March 20. The whole hour was occupied in doin$ 
 one sum, but as so often happens, she did all the diffi- 
 cult part very easily, and then got puzzled on a simpk 
 thing. 
 
 March 21. She did two examples, frequently com- 
 plimenting herself on her uncommon acuteness. One 
 question was about the trees in an orchard : “ One half 
 the trees bear apples,” etc. ; she stopped to ask, “ Did 
 you ever eat any bear apples ? ” She had never hap- 
 pened to know any other use of that word but as the 
 name of an animal, and probably supposed that the 
 apples were a kind which bears liked to eat. Before 
 the arithmetic lesson could go on it was necessary to 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 245 
 
 explain, and give all the parts of the verb. Later in 
 the day she talked of a lady whom she much admired, 
 and thought she should like to be as graceful herself as 
 Miss L., and tried experiments to see how well she 
 could imitate her in bowing, courtesying, etc., but not 
 very successfully. 
 
 March 22. Occasionally still there comes a feeling 
 akin to jealousy, when she thinks of Dr. Howe’s new 
 relations; this morning she said, “Doctor loves his 
 wife best of any.” There was a cloud on her brow 
 when she asked, “Does he love you like her?” which 
 lifted considerably at my answer, though she said, 
 “ Why no, how do you know ? I love him best of any, 
 why does he not love me ? ” This feeling does not 
 extend to Mrs. H. at all, for she always speaks of 
 loving her very much, and is delighted with the letters 
 she writes to her. The following is a copy of a letter 
 written while she was anxiously waiting an answer to 
 hers of January 28th. 
 
 24th March, 1844. 
 
 My Dear Dr. Howe: 
 
 I want to see you very much, I hope that you will 
 come to South Boston in May. I have got a bad cough, 
 for I got cold when I came home, in much snow with 
 Miss Swift, but my cough is a little better. When you 
 come home I shall be very happy to have you teach me 
 in the Psalms Book,* about God and many new things 
 I read in the Harvey Boys book, every Sunday. I am 
 learning Asia now, I will tell you all about new things 
 to please you very much. Why do you not write a 
 
 * The Book of Psalms was printed for the blind and bound in one 
 
 volume. 
 
246 
 
 LAVRA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 letter to me often? Do you always pray to God to 
 bless me ? I think of you often. I send a great deal 
 of love to you & Mrs. Howe. I shall be very happy 
 to see you & her when you come home. I always 
 miss you much. All the girls & I & Lurena had a 
 very pleasant sleighing to a hotel. We had a nice 
 drink of lemon & sugar & mince pie & sponge 
 cake. Governor Briggs came twice to see us & the 
 blind scholars. We are all well & happy & strong. 
 I have not seen you for ten months, that is very long. 
 I wrote a letter to Governor & he wrote a letter to 
 me, long ago. Mr. Clifford is a doctor now to cure Ms 
 wife. I wrote a letter to her. I want you to write a 
 letter to me. Miss Swift sends her love to you. Are 
 you in a hurry to see me & J. again? I would like co 
 live with you & your wife in a new house, because I 
 love you the best. All folks are very well and happy. 
 I want you to answer my last letter to you about God 
 & heaven, & souls & many questions. 
 
 My dear friend, good bye. 
 
 Laura Bridgman. 
 
 March 27. Completed Colburn’s Mental Arithme- 
 tic. 
 
 At this time I did not realize what a remarkable 
 work she had accomplished in a few days over a 
 year, having commenced the hook March 17, 184d. 
 With the exception of two vacations of three weeks, 
 and some few days of illness, she had had a daily 
 lesson of three quarters of an hour. Having for 
 many years since watched carefully the progress 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 247 
 
 of other girls and boys of all grades of intellect, 
 in the study of this same book, I should be in- 
 clined to-day to doubt my own journal, did I not 
 find each day’s work registered, so that with the 
 book before me I can follow it step by step. 
 
 She was never allowed to leave any subject 
 until she thoroughly understood it, and this was 
 not accomplished by doing the work for her, but 
 by putting questions to her which she could 
 answer, and so gradually letting light in upon dif- 
 ficulties ; she always went from her lesson feel- 
 ing that she had performed the examples herself. 
 
 The effect of the mental discipline obtained from 
 this study has been perceptible through all her 
 life. Her feelings towards Mrs. Howe are shown 
 in the following letter, dated — 
 
 April 2 , 1844 . 
 
 My Dear Mrs. Howe: 
 
 I want to see you very much. I hope you are very 
 well. I think of you very, very often. I was very 
 much pleased to receive a letter from you and I liked it 
 very much. When you come home, I shall shake your 
 hands & hug & kiss j t ou very hard, because I love 
 you & am your dear friend. Are you very glad to 
 receive letters from me ? One night I dreamed that I 
 was very glad to see you again. I hope you do not 
 forget to talk with your fingers. 
 
 I am sad that people are very idle & dirty & poor 
 (in Home). My mother wrote a letter to Miss J. that 
 she was very sick & my little sister was quite sick, 
 but thej are getting well. I am very well. I am your 
 
248 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 very dear friend. I try very hard about America & 
 Europe & Asia & many other things. I learned 
 philosophy long ago. I can say ship, paper, doctor, 
 baby, tea, mother, father (mamma, papa), with my 
 mouth. My teacher always reads a story to me ; she 
 is kind to me ; she sets me a good example. 
 
 My dear friend, good bye. 
 
 April 3. When Laura came for her lesson she said, 
 4 4 My heart beats very quick, it is sick.” 44 Long ago, 
 when Miss Drew was my teacher, my heart beat quick 
 and ached because I felt very sad that Adeline died, 
 & I did not know about going to heaven.” 44 Does that 
 make your heart ache now ? ” 44 Monday I thought much 
 about my dear best friend and why I should die; it 
 made my heart beat quick, and I thought if I should 
 know when He took my breath, & I tried to draw 
 breath & could not. Do you lose your breath?” 
 To change the conversation I replied, 44 Yes, when I run 
 up stairs quickly.” 44 I have lost part of the heart, it 
 is not so large as it was when I was small.” 44 Where 
 did you lose it ? ” 44 1 think it went to lungs. My blood 
 ran quickly and made my heart beat very quickly.” 
 
 April 8. Conversed with Laura about the railroad 
 that is to be built from St. Petersburg to Moscow, tell- 
 ing her the Russians were going to have Americans to 
 build it, the distance, expense, etc. She asked how 
 the people could get four millions of dollars to pay for 
 it. This introduced the Emperor Nicholas, his rank, 
 office, and then she asked, “What is the man called 
 who takes care of Americans?” Told her about the 
 President, his name and residence, and asked her if 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 249 
 
 she remembered Harrison. At the time of his death, 
 seeing others with crape on their wrists, she made a 
 band for herself. She remembered this, and asked wh}’ 
 people wore it. This introduced the subject of wear- 
 ing black in mourning, which she had never known any- 
 thing about before. When speaking of Harrison I told 
 her that people were sad because they could not have 
 him to take care of them ; she said quickly, “ Were they 
 sad that he went to heaven and was very happy 
 there?” In geography her lesson was on China, and 
 she was delighted to hear of the strange customs of the 
 people, expressing much surprise, especially at their 
 manner of reading from right to left, the great wall, etc. 
 
 April 11 . Gave her a lesson on the discovery of 
 America by Columbus, the part of the continent which 
 he found, and commenced the account of the colonies ; 
 but history has so many dark pages that I find it diffi- 
 cult to tell her a connected story without alluding to 
 wars, and this would be so terrible to her that I can- 
 not think of beginning it at present. 
 
 April 18. She reviewed three sections in arithmetic 
 very successfully. She has been reviewing the last 
 miscellaneous examples, and had to study on some of 
 them some time before getting them right, having for- 
 gotten her former work, but this was not more notice- 
 able than with all the other girls. For a review of 
 Europe and Asia took her to the great globe, and as 
 before, she found all the localities readity. 
 
 April 19. She was in an ecstasy of delight, hugging 
 me almost to suffocation because she was to begin the 
 map of Africa. What the special attraction of this map 
 is, I cannot find, but she has been looking forward to 
 it with great anticipations. 
 
250 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Laura received to-day Dr. Howe’s reply to her 
 letter of January 28. 
 
 My Dear Little Laura: 
 
 Mrs. Howe has a sweet little baby ; — it is a little 
 girl ; we shall call her Julia ; she is very smooth and 
 soft and nice ; she does not cry much, and we love her 
 very, very much. You love her too, I think, do 3 r ou 
 not? But you never felt of her, and she never kissed 
 you, and how can you love her? It is not your hands, 
 nor your body, nor your head, which loves her and 
 loves me, but your soul. If your hand were to be cut 
 off, you would love me the same ; so it is not the body 
 which loves. Nobody knows what the soul is, but we 
 know it is not the bod^y, and cannot be hurt like the 
 body ; and when the body dies the soul cannot die. 
 You ask me in your letter a great many things about 
 the soul and about God ; but, my dear little girl, it 
 would take very much time and very many sheets of 
 paper to tell you all I think about it, and I am very 
 busy with taking care of my dear wife ; but I shall try 
 to tell you a little, and you must wait until I come 
 home, in June, we will talk very much about all these 
 things. You have been angry a few times, and you 
 have known others to be angry, and you know what I 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 251 
 
 mean by anger; you love me and many friends, and 
 you know what I mean by love. When I say there is a 
 spirit of love in the world, I mean that good people love 
 each other ; but you cannot feel the spirit of love with 
 your fingers ; it has no shape, no body ; it is not in one 
 place more than in another, yet wherever there are good 
 people there is a spirit of love. God is a spirit, the 
 spirit of love. If you go into a house, and the children 
 tell you that their father whips them, and will not feed 
 them ; if the house is cold an dirty, and everybody 
 is sad and frightened, because the father is bad and 
 angry and cruel, you will know that the father has no 
 spirit of love. You never felt of him, you never had 
 him strike you, you do not know what man he is, and 
 yet you know he has not the spirit of love ; that is, he 
 is not a good, kind father. If you go into another 
 house, and the children are all warm, and well fed, and 
 well taught, and are very happy, and everybody tells 
 you that the father did all this, and made them happy, 
 then 3 T ou know he has the spirit of love ; you never saw 
 him, and yet you know certainly that he is good, and 
 you may say that the spirit of love reigns in that house. 
 Now, my dear child, I go all about in this great world, 
 and I see it filled with beautiful things, and there are a 
 great many millions of people, and there is food for 
 ihem, and fire for them, and clothes for them, and they 
 can be happy if they have the mind to be, and if they 
 will love each other. All this world, and all these peo- 
 ple, and all the animals, and all things, were made by 
 God. He is not a man, nor like a man ; I cannot see 
 him, nor feel him, any more than j t ou saw and felt the 
 good father of that family ; but I know that he has the 
 
252 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 spirit of love, because he too provided everything to 
 make all the people happy. God wants everybody to 
 be happy all the time, every day, Sundays and all. and 
 to love one another ; and if they love one another they 
 will be happy ; and when their bodies die, their souls 
 will live On, and be happy, and then they will know 
 more about God. 
 
 The good father of the family I spoke to you about 
 let his children do as they wished to do, because he 
 loved to have them free ; but he let them know that he 
 wished them to love each other and to do good ; and if 
 they obeyed his will they were happy ; but if they did 
 not love each other, or if they did any wrong, they 
 were unhappy ; and if one child did wrong it made the 
 others unhappy too. So in the great world. God left 
 men and women and children to do as they wished, 
 and let them know if they love one another and do good 
 they will be happy ; but if they do wrong, they will be 
 unhappy, and make others unhappy likewise. 
 
 I will try to tell you why people have pain sometimes, 
 and are sick, and die ; but I cannot take so much time 
 and paper now. But you must be sure that God loves 
 you, and loves ever} r body, and wants you and every- 
 body to be happy ; and if you love everybody, and do 
 them all the good you can, and try to make them happy, 
 you will be very happy j’ourself, and will be much hap- 
 pier after your body dies than you are now. 
 
 Dear little Laura, I love you very much. I want you 
 to be happy and good. I want you to know many 
 things, but you must be patient and learn eas}^ things 
 first and hard ones afterwards. When you were a 
 little baby, you could not walk, and you learned first 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 253 
 
 to creep on your ,kands and knees, and then to walk a 
 little, and by and by you grew strong, and walked 
 much. It would be wrong for a little child to want to 
 walk ver} r far before it was strong. Your mind is 
 young and weak, and cannot understand hard things, 
 but by and by it will be stronger, and you will be able 
 to understand hard things, and I and my wife will help 
 Miss Swift to show you all about things that now you 
 do not know. Be patient, then, dear Laura ; be obe- 
 dient to your teacher, and to those older than you ; love 
 everybody and do not be afraid. 
 
 Good by ! I shall come soon, and we will talk and 
 be happy. Your true friend, 
 
 Doctor. 
 
 This letter was read twice to her, but she made 
 no conversation upon it, nor did she ever allude 
 to it afterwards. Although she understood each 
 separate word, I think the argument was beyond 
 her capacity. She was much excited on hearing 
 of the baby, and pleased with her name. 
 
 In four lessons she completed the tour of Africa. 
 For some time she has yielded to her inclination to 
 utter disagreeable sounds more frequently than before, 
 and I tried to have her understand the bad effects of 
 such noises on others. She argued in their favor, say- 
 ing, “ I have very much voice, God gave me much 
 voice.” We compromised the matter in this way: she 
 is to make no noises until half past one, and then, for 
 an hour, she is to shut herself in her room, and make 
 as many as she wishes to. 
 
254 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 April 29. Yesterday, Laura occupied herself in 
 writing letters, and I noticed that she had dated them 
 all wrong. She insisted upon its being the thirtieth to- 
 day, “ because April has thirty days, and Doctor went 
 a year ago the first day of May and that was Monday, 
 so Sunday was the last day of April.” Her process of 
 reasoning was very amusing, and would have been all 
 right if this year had not been Leap Year, which she had 
 never heard of before. One of our visitors wished me 
 to tell Laura that he was from Wales. She was very 
 ready in answering his questions, and telling him what 
 she knew about his country. 
 
 May SO. Many of the scholars were to go to Boston 
 to enjoy the sounds of the great temperance procession, 
 and I thought it a good time to give Laura a lesson on that 
 subject. She has been much interested in it since she 
 read u The Harvey Boys,” and found there was such a 
 thing as a drunkard. When I told her how many men 
 would walk, she remembered the celebration of the 17th 
 of June, and said, “ I can go and feel the drums.” 
 She asked if they had anything beside drums, and made 
 a sign of drawing the bow, not knowing the word violin, 
 and told me she thought the bow was made of the tail 
 of some animal. 6 1 Why do the people walk?” Told 
 her it was to show that they did not drink rum or 
 brandy. “ That is right, we cannot have any men that 
 love to drink such liquors.” It was a mystery to her 
 how so man}^ men happened to come to Boston at once. 
 Explained to her that the friends of temperance in Bos- 
 ton invited those from other towns to come, and have a 
 great meeting, and that Gov. Briggs would ride in a 
 carriage with four white horses. She was sure she 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 255 
 
 never knew there were white horses, and asked if they 
 would not get soiled quickly, lying on the ground. One 
 of her questions was, “Do poor people walk in the 
 procession ? How can they walk without any shoes ? ” 
 Some time ago I had told her about a poor family, and 
 that the children had no shoes, therefore she thinks that 
 all poor people have no shoes. When talking about 
 the Pyramids, I said the} 7 were made 2800 years ago. 
 “ They are in heaven now,” she said. Supposing she 
 referred to the Pyramids, I asked, £ - What are pyra- 
 mids ? ” “ Houses made of stone. I mean the men 
 
 who made them are in heaven.” 
 
 June 3. According to a promise made last week, I 
 took Laura into the music-room to let her examine 
 the various instruments. When shown the orphy- 
 clyde, she said she thought the mouth of it would 
 be a good bath-tub for baby Julia. Whenever she 
 struck the drums or triangles, she varied the time in 
 her beats, and her perception of this, through the effect 
 of the vibrations upon her sense of feeling, is evidently 
 what gives her pleasure. She showed much enjoyment 
 when the procession was passing, and talked as if she 
 could hear the music. She was talking with Miss 
 Jeannette about impatience, and said, “ I am impatient 
 with you and with my teacher, but I am never impatient 
 with Doctor.” “Why not?” she asked. “Because I 
 never like to let men see me impatient.” 
 
 June 7. She asked me, “ Why does it not rain in 
 Egypt?” I told her I thought she could not under- 
 stand about that now, and she said with a great deal of 
 feeling, “lam too old for you to tell me I cannot under 
 stand. I can understand hard things now.” 
 
256 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 June 10. At nine she was full of a project for her 
 doll, and in a great frolic over it. Little Frank has a 
 doll dressed as a boy, and Laura named him Mr. Deter ; 
 she says he is going to marry her doll. She told of the 
 plan this morning, and was in a great hurry to wash 
 her closet, which she calls “ Jcnner’s house,” so as to 
 have everything in order before Wednesday. “It is 
 so very nice to get all things ready. Do you not 
 think the doll will be much happier, because Dr. Howe 
 said he was much happier to be married? ” I laughed, 
 but she did not like it She gave me an invitation to 
 be present at the wedding. I asked who would marry 
 them, and this gave her a new idea, as she did not 
 know it was customary to have a minister. Finding 
 she did not know all about it, she said, “ I wish you 
 would be married, and then I would see you, and know 
 What the minister said.” I told her she must ask Jen- 
 ner if she would love and obey Mr. Deter, if she wanted 
 to say what the minister did. She laughed heartily at 
 this and said, “ I think she will, for she is always kind 
 and obedient.” She could hardly wait for recess to come 
 to commence her preparations, and all day has talked 
 to every one she met about it. For a long time she 
 had not cared at all for her doll, but now thinks of 
 nothing else. 
 
 June 11. Her writing is a source of much trouble, 
 for all her practising on separate letters seems to avail 
 so little ; as soon as she begins to write sentences, she 
 returns to the same bad style. Not so her geograph}^. 
 As she had completed all the maps, I led her to the 
 globe, put her hand on Lake Superior, and asked her to 
 find Cairo. She thought an instant, and said, “ Africa is 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 257 
 
 southeast from North America,” and her finger was on 
 the little pin denoting it. She answered every question 
 all over the world with perfect ease, while I looked on 
 with wonder. She was imagining herself in my position 
 to-day, and said, “ If I was teacher and you were a 
 little girl and you got angry, I should put you in the 
 closet, and I should be sad and have you sit alone.” 
 
 June 17. Finding my head bandaged when she 
 came for her lesson, she said, looking much troubled, 
 “Your head is so very hot I know you will have a 
 fever ” ; and she wanted me to promise her that I would 
 ask Dr. Fisher to let her come into the room if I was 
 sick. u I will be } r our nurse and take care of you, and 
 in the night sometimes I will sit up with you. Are 
 you willing?” This plan was so novel that she was 
 delighted with the prospect. In the recess, when she 
 was alone by herself, a company of soldiers passed, and 
 when she came for her lesson she asked what it was, 
 for she had felt them. We talked about military 
 uniforms, colors, etc. 
 
 June 19. We walked to the green-house at the 
 Point. This is the first season she has ever perceived 
 the smell of a rose or pink, and now she puts all flowers 
 to her nose, and is disappointed if they have no perfume. 
 The gardener gave her many flowers, and among them 
 some lemon verbena ; she smelled it and pushed it 
 from her, saying, “ It smells like varnish.” Explained 
 the word “ guilty” to her and she asked, u Did you not 
 see many little boys that looked guilty when you went to 
 the Correction House that you told me about long ago? ” 
 
 June 25. She completed to-da} r a letter to Mrs. 
 Howe in reply to one she had just received, describing 
 17 
 
258 
 
 1 AURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 her visit to Vesuvius. It is quite in advance of an^ 
 she has previously written, so I give it entire. 
 
 My Dear Mrs. Howe: 
 
 I was very much delighted to receive a very long 
 letter from you. I understood about lava & crater. 
 I was much surprised to hear about new things. I do 
 not know how to knit a pair of shoes for your dear little 
 Julia. I love your baby very much, & am your pre- 
 cious. (She is my precious.) I shall make a present for 
 you to remember me many years. I should like to live 
 with you and your husband & dear baby. While you 
 Were away one year I was in great misery, & had to 
 miss you many times. I did not like to have you go 
 away with Dr. Howe. As soon as you come home, I 
 shall run to you & kiss & hug you very hard, & 
 shall take my very dear baby & kiss it very softly 
 & take off her things. I shall always set her a good 
 example. I want to see her very much. I should' like 
 to make a very nice clothes to help you. I know Vesu- 
 vius very well, for Miss Swift taught me about it a long 
 time ago. I can smell roses much better than I did two 
 years ago, & it gives me much pleasure in smelling 
 roses. I like them very much. I am very happy that 
 you are coming very soon to see me. I shall walk with 
 you & talk about many things. Miss Jenner was 
 married to Mr. Deter (two dolls) two weeks ago, on 
 Thursday evening. I was a minister to marry them; 
 My friends vent to a wedding. Mrs. Deter had wed- 
 ding cake fo.* them after she was married. Mrs. Deter 
 loves her husband very much & best, & is very 
 happy with him. Did you like to ride on mule’s back 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 259 
 
 up the mountains? Were you afraid of them? You 
 will please to write a letter to me some time if you can. 
 Miss J. is very well & happy. I am happy that Julia 
 is so happy to see the bright light. I want you to come 
 back now ; if you do not come quick, then I must send 
 a long string to pull you over the sea to South Boston. 
 I thought of you & Julia & Doctor many times, that 
 they would love me very much, because I love them 
 & you so much. I always go to Boston with my 
 teacher for exercise. It makes my health more better 
 & strong. Did mule have saddle on his back ? Tell 
 Doctor that I cannot write another letter to him because 
 I have much to write to you, so I have not time to write 
 to him, but he can see what your letter says. Give my 
 love to him. I send a great deal of love to y ou & a kiss 
 for baby. On the fourth day of July we are going to 
 have dinner in the school-room. I am very sad not to 
 have you come & have a very nice dinner with me & 
 have some many pretty flowers. I wish you could come 
 very much. Please to kiss the baby for me many times 
 a day, every day. My best friend, good-bye. 
 
 June 28. Laura said this morning, “ How many 
 countries must send us things to make all the things in 
 this house ? ” She talked an hour, answering such ques- 
 tions as, What do the Southern States send us? What 
 the Western, South America, Russia, France, England, 
 China? etc. She is very quick in her replies 
 
 July 1. Laura examined an seolian harp which I 
 had had given me, and asked me to play upon it. 
 When told that the wind played upon it she was impa- 
 tient to have it play that she might feel it. I put it in 
 
260 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 the window and placed her hand on the wooden side, 
 but told her I thought there was nothing which she 
 could feel. She sat very still for several minutes ; when 
 a puff of wind gave the first note, she started, and said, 
 44 It is like the organ.” It happened to be a low note, 
 and was so much like the organ that I thought some 
 one must be playing in the room below. Next, the 
 wind struck a high note, and she said, “That is like 
 singing.” I tried to feel it, but told her I could only 
 feel a very , very little. She said, 44 Is it like very small 
 animals that you can only see with a spy-glass ? ” 
 
 July 8. Commenced a story called 44 Life in the 
 Desert.” It is much longer than those I have read to 
 her, and will take six readings to complete it. The 
 style is very different also, but I selected it on ac- 
 count of her great interest in Africa. When I read 
 to her about the tribe of Tuaricks killing the Tibboos, 
 she was horror-struck, and did not seem to know what 
 to say about it. It was the first time she had ever 
 heard of one man killing another. 
 
 A cotton-pod half opened, showing the cotton on the 
 seeds just ready to be gathered, led me to tell her some- 
 thing about the slaves in the Southern States. She 
 asked if they were Tibboo people that were brought 
 from Africa, but said nothing about the wrong of keep- 
 ing them as slaves, which I thought might occur to her. 
 
 Aug. 6. Laura was puzzled to find the interest for a 
 certain number of days, and assured me the only reason 
 she could not get it right was because there were Latin 
 words in the question, 44 per cent.” She has understood 
 this a long time. She is getting almost work-crazy, 
 she is so anxious to complete a certain number of purses 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 261 
 
 each week. She tells me each day how much she can 
 do, and is displeased if interrupted. 
 
 Aug. 19. In our hour for conversation, she asked 
 if she ever told me about her friends at home, and 
 gave me an account of the time she lived at home. It 
 consisted chiefly of a description of all the animals on 
 the farm. One was three feet high and covered with 
 hair, curled like a sheep. She was sure it could not be 
 a sheep. She said she was very much frightened when 
 her mother opened the cover of a hair trunk as she 
 thought it was an animal. I asked her what she used 
 to think about when she lived at home. She said, I 
 could not think or talk good then. I did not know any 
 of my friends in Pearl Street,* Boston then.” I asked 
 her if she thought how kind her mother was. She 
 said, “No, I did not think she was kind, for she 
 whipped me and shook me.” Explained to her why she 
 had to do it, and the trouble she caused her mother, 
 and in reply she told me how she used to pinch her 
 mother when she wanted anything. 
 
 Aug. 24. I told her she might write a story herself, 
 *just as gentlemen and ladies wrote in the books which 
 I had read to her. She was delighted and said she 
 would try, but I must not look at it until it was 
 finished. At the close of the hour she brought me the 
 following, being her first attempt : — 
 
 “There was a little girl named Jane Damon, who 
 lived in the country with Mrs. Damon. She was 
 very good & amiable, & was never cross any. Jane 
 Damon always obeyed her mother. One day she went 
 
 * At the time she came to the Institution it was in Pearl Street. 
 
2 62 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 with her mother to see her friends, and they went to see 
 beautiful flowers in the garden. When Mrs. Damon 
 told Jane, you must go to school, she got ready as fast 
 as she could. She had the books & writing in her 
 own desk. Her teacher was very kind to her scholars. 
 Her name was Miss Charlotte. Mrs. Damon gave Jane 
 a beautiful present. Her sister asked what it was, & 
 her mother said it was a ring called diamond stone. 
 After a few days her mother took Jane to see her grand- 
 mother, and staid for one week. She had a very pleas- 
 ant visit. Mrs. Damon had a little girl named Clara 
 Damon, & Jane took good care of Clara while her 
 mother was away a little while. She did not cry any 
 for some milk, but Jane fed Clara with a spoon ; she 
 loved her so very much.” 
 
 Aug. 26. Speaking of her health, she said, “I was 
 sick last year, and my mind was dizzy, and I was much 
 frightened in my head.” She asked the meaning of 44 in- 
 sensible ” and 44 crucified.” The latter I defined as mean- 
 ing to make a cross . II er application was ,“J ane Damon 
 crucifies the wires of her basket and winds the worsted 
 on them.” I was obliged to tell her that she did not 
 quite understand it, and had better not use it. The next 
 word was 44 mingle,” which I defined 44 mix,” but found 
 she did not know that word either. When explained, 
 she said, 44 The drunkard mixes sugar and rum to drink.” 
 The next was 44 mock.” From these words I knew she had 
 been reading about the crucifixion, but had failed to get 
 any idea of it on account of so many of the words used 
 being unintelligible to her. She wished to prove to me 
 she did not forget words, and said, 44 Perish is to die, you 
 told me last winter, and machine — my writing-board 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 263 
 
 is a machine to write with ; require, is when I tell you, 
 you must mend my stockings ; I require you to do them. 
 I require you to read my story to Jane Damon.” 
 
 In geography she is studying the zones on the globe. 
 
 Sept. 3. Completed the review of the last half of 
 Colburn’s Arithmetic, and now is to take up written 
 arithmetic. She was very happy in welcoming Dr. 
 Howe on his return from Europe, but was not so much 
 excited as she would have been if Mrs. Howe and the 
 baby had accompanied him from New York. 
 
 Sept. 5. Lesson on latitude, calculating it in miles 
 as well as degrees. She said, “ My mother lives one 
 hundred and twenty miles north of us, that is two 
 degrees,” and added, “ Hanover is by the Connecti- 
 cut River : why do I not go in a boat ? ” Asked her to 
 tell me how she could go. Her first thought was, that 
 she could get to the Merrimac, and in some way across 
 to the Connecticut. When told there was a way to go 
 by water, but she must get into the boat in Boston 
 Harbor, after much thinking, she said, “ I must go by 
 Cape Cod and then sail through Long Island Sound to 
 the Connecticut River.” 
 
 Sept. 12. The baby, which had just arrived with its 
 mother, Mrs. Howe, was her only thought. She took no 
 interest in her lessons, but could talk of nothing but 
 what she planned to do for little Julia, the first thing 
 being to give her all her playthings. 
 
264 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Nov. 1, 1844. A vacation of three weeks has just 
 passed, and Laura has much to tell of what she has seen, 
 “ so many new things.” Among these were a woollen 
 factory and a grist-mill, and of both she gave me very 
 good descriptions. I was surprised to find how much 
 she had understood and remembered. When she did 
 not know the name of any part of the work, she. made 
 signs imitating the people at work, so that I could guess 
 what it was. She asked why the meal was so hot after 
 it was ground, and we had a talk about friction, which I 
 illustrated, much to her satisfaction, by rubbing two 
 pieces of wood together. Her greatest exploit, however, 
 was that she had ridden on a donke} T , and this she told 
 of with great glee. 
 
 Nov. 15. Dr. Howe gave her a lesson last evening 
 on the use of “ ful” and “ less.” He thought she un- 
 derstood it perfectly, but her report of it to-day is a 
 good illustration of the difficulties we meet with. She 
 said, “ Doctor talked to me about ful and less. I am 
 motherful and sisterful ; you are brotherless. Rained is 
 a derivative word ; rain is a primitive. Is it derivative 
 to-day?” Told her I did not know what she meant. 
 She explained it, “ Is it rainy to-day?” 
 
 I taught her the force of the prefixes u un ” and “ in 
 and the new words u need ” and “ harm.” 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 265 
 
 Nov. 18. She came this morning for a lesson, bring- 
 ing a list of words written on a paper which she had 
 found in a book yesterday. Explained 44 security, crime, 
 commit, thus, propriety, constantly, character.” She 
 wished to have 4 4 profane ” explained ; I told her pro- 
 fane talking was when any one used bad words. She 
 thought a moment, and said, 44 Mr. T.” (an old man) 
 44 talks profane words, because his head is bad, and he 
 cannot know.” Told her he talked silly words, but 
 that 44 profane ” was not a good word for her to use, 
 because she did not understand it ; it did not seem 
 best that she should be told at present of any more of 
 the sins of man. Later in the day explained 44 fully, 
 satisfied, chance, opportunity, and immediately,” and 
 then talked with her about my plan of going home to 
 live in the spring. She said, 44 1 shall get a string and 
 tie your hands to prevent you from packing your trunk.” 
 She expressed her sorrow that I must ever go away, 
 and said, 44 1 must be with you all the time now; I 
 hope when you are in heaven you will be very glad to 
 see me. If we are very sick we must be patient, and 
 ask God to invite us. Dr. Howe told me that Orrin 
 was so very gentle God wanted him earlier, and Adeline 
 too.” 
 
 Nov. 20. Spent an hour in reviewing the 'fifty new 
 words she has learned in a week, and found she remem- 
 bered nearly all, and introduced them into sentences 
 very correctly. In defining “sunbeam” she said, 
 44 When I stand by the window and feel the end of the 
 sun it is a sunbeam.” 
 
 Nov. 25. Another long list of words, 44 pretend, 
 confess, conceal, conduct, diligent.” Of these 44 pre- 
 
266 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 tend ” was the most difficult. They occupied an hour, 
 and for another lesson, 44 appear, confidence, offending, 
 and encourage.” 
 
 Dec. 2. Laura said, 44 4 The Child’s Book’ says we 
 must turn our knowledge to some profit: what does 
 that mean ? ” There was so much in this idea that it 
 took a long conversation to explain it. “Possess” 
 was defined as 4 4 to have.” Example, that she pos- 
 sessed some knowledge now, and I hoped she would 
 possess much more at the end of a year. She said, 
 44 Yes, I hope I shall of English Reader and Psalms, 
 and the Bible.” 
 
 Dec. 9. She asked, 44 Do crazy people talk profanely 
 when they dream, but not think? ” Three weeks since 
 I had told her she would never have to use this word, 
 but she is determined to find what it means if possible, 
 and so whenever she meets with a word she thinks is 
 not good, she asks if it is profane. New words to-day 
 were 44 suspicious, suspect, anticipate, hateful.” She 
 counted the months that I should teach her, and 
 talked of her new teacher. 4 4 1 hope you will teach her 
 how to talk with her fingers, and what things to teach 
 me, and I hope Doctor will tell her what she must teach 
 me. She must not talk about heaven to me, because 
 he saj^s I must wait for him to tell me about that.” 
 
 In the geography lesson we had a long talk on the 
 subject of the Chinese ports being shut to foreigners. 
 She could not see why the Chinese should be suspicious 
 of Americans, though she thought they might be of the 
 Tartars or Siberians, but not of us. She was much 
 surprised to hear of the size of their cities, and asked, 
 tK How very long will it take to count them? ” 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 267 
 
 Dec. 12. Laura is enjoying imaginary shopping, with 
 a purse full of silver to pay for it, as an exercise in 
 arithmetic. She says, 44 It is much nicer than the book 
 was.” 
 
 She asked, “What do bescond and Matthew chap, 
 mean ? ” Taught her ‘ 4 abscond,” and about 4 4 chapters ” 
 and 44 verses,” also 44 possibly, prophets, text, occasion, 
 stumbling.” She said, “The drunkard’s brains are 
 dizzy so that he stumbles.” This subject, though 
 repulsive to her, seems to fascinate her so she is con- 
 stantly drawing her examples from it. 
 
 Dec. 19. As she is very prompt in settling her bills 
 in dollars and cents, I had her try to reckon in shil- 
 lings and pence. She is familiar with fractions, and so 
 will probably find little difficulty. She read the word 
 “ abound” in her lesson, and I asked if she knew it. 
 44 Yes, my head abounded when it struck the wall in my 
 mother’s house.” 
 
 We had a long discussion on the word 44 always,” 
 which she was so sure she understood correctly that 
 she was at first unwilling to accept my criticism on her 
 use of it. She insisted that she was “always in the 
 parlor” and 44 always in her closet,” meaning at some 
 time every day she was there. Probably when I first 
 gave her the word I defined it every day. 
 
 Jan. 21, 1845. Lafira knit a very pretty purse and 
 sent to the Mechanics’ Fair. The committee awarded 
 her a diploma and medal. I read it through to her and 
 she seemed frightened at the number of unknown 
 words, but was much pleased when she had learned 
 them all. 
 
 Jan. 22. Dr. Howe had been giving Laura some 
 
268 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 lessons in grammar on nouns and adjectives, and I took 
 up the subject for regular lessons to-day. She had 
 already learned nouns and adjectives so she rarely made 
 a mistake on them. I took up pronouns, and told her 
 “you” and “me” were pronouns, and I wanted she 
 should think of other words we used to mean herself and 
 m} T self, and she gave me very quickly all the cases of 
 the pronouns “I” and 4 4 you.” I then gave her an exam- 
 ple in which it occurred, and she named it as a pronoun. 
 In the sentence, “ The plants look very pretty, and 
 they must have much water to make them grow,” she 
 told correct^ the part of speech of all the words but 
 three, — the, ve^, and to. Gave her the sentence, “ The 
 sun is not shining,” to teach her articles and participles. 
 In the sentence, “It is not good weather,” she said, 
 “I do not know it , I think it does not stand for a 
 noun.” Another sentence was, “I hope you will be 
 able to go to the city to-day.” She gave all the words 
 correctly until she came to to-day, and first called it an 
 adjective and then a noun, but was not satisfied with 
 either. 
 
 Feb. 3. She finds quickly every place that is put 
 down on the raised map of Europe, cities, towns, rivers, 
 mountains, etc. In grammar she learned the kinds of 
 nouns and gender, having learned number in a previous 
 lesson. 
 
 Feb. 10. In parsing a sentence she gives the kind of 
 noun, its person, number, and gender, also of pronouns. 
 The new words to-day were “ elegant, apparel, exhibit, 
 plan, conveyance, cheerful, elevating, avoid, frivolous, 
 gloomy, desirable, style.” After I had explained the 
 last two she said, “ It is desirable for us to live in style ” 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 269 
 
 I asked her what style she thought most desirable. Her 
 answer was that 1 ‘ It makes us happier than to be killed 
 showing she appreciated the first words of the sentence, 
 but did not connect the last two understandingly. 
 
 Feb. 13. After a recess she came to me with her 
 apron unfastened, and said, turning to me to hook it, 
 “ Do something to deserve to be thanked.” I had lately 
 taught her the word “ deserve.” Gave her a review lesson 
 upon nouns She was very quick in her answers, and 
 wished me to be faster in telling her new things, 
 1 4 Because if you do not, you will not have time to teach 
 me all about grammar before you go away, and a new 
 teacher will not know how to teach grammar.” 
 
 Feb. 18. Gave Laura a ciphering-board, and had her 
 commence with numeration. It is two years since she 
 has done anything with the board, and she has forgotten 
 a good deal. She was troubled on account of a new 
 arrangement, by which part of my time is to be devoted 
 to teaching Oliver. It is not strange that she should 
 dislike it, she has so long had undivided attention, and 
 she finds her plans for accomplishing a certain amount in 
 her studies will be interfered with. This was made 
 necessary by the resignation of Miss Rogers, who has 
 been his teacher. 
 
 March 5. Oliver wished to remain with me while I 
 gave Laura a lesson. As soon as she perceived he was 
 in the room, she wanted to talk with him. She has 
 adopted lately a peculiar style of conversation. She 
 tells him a number of stories, all imaginary, but upon 
 subjects that she knows interest him, and when he ap- 
 pears to be sufficiently troubled, she tells him, “ I am 
 in fun, I say it for fun.” Although she has done it 
 
270 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 repeatedly he is deceived each time, but takes it in good 
 part, and is still willing to talk with her. 
 
 March 12. One of our visitors was going to the 
 Cape of Good Hope soon, and Laura sustained her part 
 in a conversation with him very creditably, asking the 
 length of voyage, about the climate, productions, etc. 
 
 March 24. The new words for to-day were “ ingrat- 
 itude, feeble, control, controllable, accomplish, instruct, 
 instructor, instructress. ” The effect of learnings many 
 new words is quite noticeable in her language. She is 
 very ambitious to use as many of them as possible, and 
 throws aside those which we are in the habit of using 
 in ordinary conversation to substitute others which she 
 finds in books. The consequence is that her language 
 to-day is more faulty than it was six months ago, and is 
 best described as language on stilts. Greater familiarity 
 with books and careful attention to her conversation 
 will do much to correct it, but I fear it will always have 
 many peculiarities. 
 
 Dr. Howe remarks on this subject in his Thir- 
 teenth Report : — 
 
 44 In truth, people seldom stop to reflect upon the 
 nature of arbitrary language, upon its essential impor- 
 tance to the development of the intellect, or upon the 
 wonderful process by which we gradually advance 
 from the power of naming single objects to that of con- 
 densing many of them into one complex term, — from 
 the alpha of language, mamma, up to its omega, uni- 
 verse ! 
 
 “ How much is asserted in the simplest sentence, as 
 this, for instance: 4 We might have been more truly 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 271 
 
 happy had our widowed father remained contentedly 
 with us.’ Here is the assertion of the plurality of 
 persons ; of their condition in past time ; of the fact 
 of their having been moderately happy in the society of 
 their father ; there is the negation of their entire happi- 
 ness ; the implied doubt whether after all they would 
 have been happier ; their relation as children ; their regret 
 at their father’s departure. Of the other person it is 
 directly affirmed that he had been with his children ; it 
 is implied that he had been married ; that he had lost his 
 wife, not by separation, but by death ; that he was not 
 contented to remain with his children ; that he had gone 
 away from them ; that he might have remained with 
 them, etc., etc. 
 
 14 When we reflect upon that principle of the mind 
 which requires that all possible objects, qualities, and 
 conditions must be linked so closely with signs that the 
 perception of the signs shall recall them necessarily and 
 instantly ; and when we consider how much is attained 
 b} r young persons, who a few years ago could hardly 
 master baby’s prattle, but who now have all the vast 
 sweep of thought, the great amount of knowledge, the 
 degree of reflection, of separation, and of generalization 
 necessary to comprehend such a phrase as, 
 
 ‘ Count all the advantage prosperous vice attains, 
 
 *T is but what virtue flies from, and disdains,’ 
 
 we may say with the ancient, i There is but one object 
 greater than the human soul, and that one is its 
 Creator.’ 
 
 “ The space between the starting-point of the infant 
 and that obtained by the mature man is immense ; but 
 
272 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 our minds, aided by language which gives to them wings, 
 skim swiftly and delightedly over the wfcole, as the wild 
 fowl flies from zone to zone ; while Laura is like one of 
 those birds shorn of its wings, and doomed to attempt 
 the vast distance on its weary feet. If persons will 
 only make these reflections they will be inclined rather 
 to wonder that she has gone so far than to feel surprised 
 at her not having gone farther.” 
 
 March 30. She repeated to me this morning the story 
 of the birth of Christ, and of his being carried away 
 because of a bad governor, which Dr. Howe had told 
 her yesterday. 
 
 April 22. In arithmetic she has advanced to reduc- 
 tion. One question was about duties in a custom-house, 
 a subject which was all new to her, and we spent an 
 hour in the explanation of freight, imports, exports, etc. 
 
 When shown a calla lily, she compared it to a horse’s 
 ear, and said the stamens had a very fine nap on them. 
 Counting the days before I was to leave her, she said, 
 44 Your time runs so very fast, like a balloon.” 
 
 April 30. Completed Abbott’s story of 44 Marco 
 Paul in Boston,” which we have been reading at inter- 
 vals for several months, much to her enjoyment, also 
 finished the seventh section of Colburn’s Sequel. 
 
 Dr. Howe gives in his Thirteenth Annual Report 
 some extracts from his own journal, showing his 
 method of conversing with her on religious sub- 
 jects. 
 
 44 In talking with Laura to-day on the subject of the 
 Deity, I said, 4 How do men make bread ? ’ 4 From 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 273 
 
 wheat/ ‘How do they make wheat?’ ‘They can- 
 not make wheat,’ said she. ‘ Then how do they get 
 it?’ said I. ‘God makes it grow.’ ‘Why?’ ‘For 
 man to eat/ said she. I then explained to her that 
 some birds and animals eat grain, and asked, ‘ Why 
 does God give it to them?’ She said, ‘To make 
 them happy.’ ‘ But does he love them?’ said I. ‘ No,’ 
 said she, ‘ they have no souls.’ 
 
 “ I then told her there are some beautiful islands on the 
 globe, where the sun shines clearly and warmly ; where 
 there are rich meadows and sweet flowers and tall 
 trees and shady groves ; where the brooks run merrily 
 down the hills, and where there is plenty of delicious 
 fruit and nutritive plants ; that these islands are never 
 visited by man, yet nevertheless that thousands of birds 
 are singing in the branches, and rejoicing over their 
 little ones ; that the young animals are frolicking on the 
 soft grass, and the old ones looking on them with 
 silent joy ; that the fishes are swimming briskly about 
 in the clear streams, and leaping out sportively into the 
 air, and that all this has been going on thousands of 
 years. 
 
 ‘ ‘ After thus trying to give her as vivid a picture as I 
 could of the happy inhabitants of these peaceful isles, 
 I asked her who made such beautiful places. She 
 said, ‘ God ’ ‘ But for what did he make them? ’ ‘ To 
 
 make the animals all happy,’ said she, and added of 
 her own accord, ‘ God is very good to make them hap- 
 py.’ She then meditated a little, and said, ‘ Can they 
 thank him?’ ‘Not in words/ said I. I then went 
 on to show her that he had no need of thanks in words ; 
 that he did not do these good things in order to be 
 18 
 
274 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 thanked, when she stopped me by asking, ‘ Why he did 
 not give them souls ? ’ I tried to explain how much of 
 reason and sense they really possess, and how grateful 
 all of God’s children should be for what they have with- 
 out asking why it was not more, when she said suddenly, 
 ‘Why is God never unkind or wrong?’ I tried, as 
 well as I could, to explain the perfection of God’s char- 
 acter, and its freedom from human frailties ; but alas^ 
 how vain is the effort, when neither teacher nor pupil hav? 
 any other standard than human littleness by which te 
 measure God’s greatness. 
 
 “ There is this constant difficulty with her (and is h 
 not one too much overlooked in the religious instruction 
 of other children ?) , that being unable to form any idea 
 of virtue and goodness in the abstract, she must seek it 
 in the concrete ; and her teachers and friends, frail and 
 imperfect beings like herself, furnish the poor imperson- 
 ations of the peerless attributes of God. 
 
 “ This difficulty might have been avoided, I think, bj 
 the plan which I had marked out for the orderly devel 
 opment of her intellectual faculties and moral senti- 
 ments, and which was simply to follow the natural 1 
 order ; but since that plan has been marred by the well- 
 meant officiousness of others, there remains only t<r 
 remedy, as far as we can, what we cannot cure entirely 
 — the bad effects of ill-timed direction of her thought? 
 to subjects too far above her comprehension. 
 
 “ After the conversation related above, I went on to 
 illustrate, as well as I could, the difference between 
 luman and divine care of animals. I said, ‘ Why does 
 man take care of a cow, and get hay into his barn 
 to feed her in wirter?’ ‘Oh!’ said she, ‘ to get her 
 
LAURA A RID GM AN. 
 
 275 
 
 milk/ 4 Why does he take care of his horse, and 
 keep him covered with a warm blanket, and feed him ? * 
 4 That is to ride him well/ said she. 4 Why do peo- 
 ple keep cats, and feed them?’ 4 To catch mice/ 
 4 Why do farmers take such good care of sheep ? ’ 
 4 To get wool/ 4 But when the cow and the sheep are 
 old, and cannot work, what does man do?’ 4 He kills 
 to get meat/ 4 W r ell,’ said I, 4 why does God make 
 the grass to grow in the meadow, and let the cow eat 
 it? Does he want her milk?’ 4 No,’ said she. 4 Does 
 he need the wool of the sheep?’ 4 No!’ replied 
 she vehemently, k he does not want anything.’ Pres- 
 ently she said, 4 How do men know whether cows 
 are willing to give them their milk?’ I said, 4 They 
 do not know and do not care.’ She mused awhile, as 
 is her wont when talking on a new subject, and said, 
 4 The little lambs and young animals play : why do not 
 sheep love to have their pleasure ? ’ I explained how 
 they had pleasure in giving milk to their young, how 
 they loved to eat the tender grass, and lie in the shade. 
 She seemed to have another difficulty, and said, 4 Why 
 do cats want to kill mice ? They have no love ! ’ ” 
 
 In closing the account of my stewardship, per- 
 haps it will not be considered out of place for 
 me to an? wer the question which has often been 
 asked, and to which an answer ought to be given. 
 It has been asked with great earnestness whether 
 I think that Laura could have been made ac- 
 quainted with the doctrines of the Bible at the 
 time of my instructing her. I do suppose that 
 
276 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 she could have understood them, and my opin- 
 ion is founded on the following reasons. 
 
 As soon as these doctrines were mentioned to 
 her, she received them very readily. It was far 
 more difficult to teach her many common things 
 of life than to teach these truths, which indeed 
 she learned so easily that we could not determine 
 when and how she obtained her knowledge of 
 them. Her soul seemed to be prepared for them, 
 receptive of them. Very many of the questions, 
 for answers to which I referred her to Dr. Howe, 
 could have been answered without difficulty at 
 the moment of her asking them. We could not 
 divine where she acquired much of the knowl- 
 edge she had ; hints from the blind girls seemed 
 to suffice as a clew, and then she worked out the 
 rest herself. She asked Dr. Howe, " What is a 
 soul ? ” and received the idea at once. Could 
 she not then have received the Biblical doctrines ? 
 A girl capable of asking such questions is capa- 
 ble of receiving the replies. It may be she 
 could not receive them all clearly ; neither did she 
 receive all clearly in her other studies, but we did 
 not delay the teaching on this account. 
 
 That the influence of my enforced reticence on 
 such subjects was disastrous, may readily be per- 
 ceived. While she entirely understood that it 
 was the wish of Dr. Howe, and therefore refrained 
 from asking me questions save when her soul was 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 277 
 
 so full it must find utterance, yet there was, es- 
 pecially in the last year of my intercourse with 
 her, an impatience in waiting that extended to 
 other things. Her mind was so full of these sub- 
 jects that the most interesting lesson could not 
 exclude them, and as has been seen in the pre- 
 vious pages, when I supposed she was absorbed in 
 our conversation on other topics, she surprised me 
 with questions on religious topics, for replies to 
 which she must wait. 
 
 In another direction the bad effects were ap- 
 parent. I was unable to appeal to the highest 
 motives. She was living under the old dispensa- 
 tion, and had not even the example of Christ as a 
 model ; for until my last month with her, she did 
 not even know his name. 
 
 Could Dr. Howe have anticipated her mental 
 development during his absence, he would doubt- 
 less have left her under the charge of some per- 
 son who sympathized with his views and who 
 could have satisfied her questionings ; but it was 
 my privilege only to give the intellectual training 
 which should prepare the way for my more 
 favored successor. 
 
 I make these statements with no design to cen- 
 sure Dr. Howe, but merely to answer questions 
 regarding the difference of my opinions from those 
 entertained by that eminent philanthropist. 
 
278 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Laura was without any regular instruction from 
 the 1st of May until the last of August, 1845. 
 At this time Miss Sarah Wight, who had taught 
 several years in the girls’ department of the Insti- 
 tution, took charge of her. For the report of the 
 next few years we are indebted to her journal, 
 which bears ample testimony to the faithfulness 
 with which she discharged her onerous duties. 
 
 New arrangements were made by which Laura 
 was kept constantly with her teacher, Dr. Howe 
 having selected two or three of the blind girls, who 
 were allowed to call upon her in her private room 
 occasionally, for a play or chat. 
 
 By this means she was prevented from receiv- 
 ing any new ideas, except through the medium 
 which he approved. 
 
 Miss Wight found that in the four months Laura 
 had forgotten much with which she had been quite 
 familiar, both in geography and arithmetic, which 
 was not a matter of surprise. 
 
 From this time no records of the details of her 
 lessons were kept, but we can judge of her intel- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 279 
 
 lectual improvement from the evidence of it which 
 we find in the reports of conversation, and in the 
 extracts from her own journal. Miss Wight’s 
 journal reports mainly her Bible study and the 
 development of her moral and religious charac- 
 ter. 
 
 We make the following extracts : — 
 
 44 One day, I remarked to her that the first settlers 
 of this country sometimes had difficulty in procuring 
 enough to eat ; whereupon she asked suddenly, 4 What 
 repast did one man eat?’ She explained herself by 
 adding, 4 When there was hut one man on the earth.’ 
 The answer was that there was fruit and berries. 
 4 But,’ said she, 4 when he was very small?’ She 
 paused awhile, and then added, 4 1 guess God took 
 care of him, and gave him some milk.’ 
 
 44 1 was reading something in which a compass was 
 mentioned ; upon which, she was desirous of knowing 
 all about it. I showed her a magnet, and applied it to 
 a toy in the shape of a swan floating upon the water. 
 When she felt that the bird was attracted by the mag- 
 net, her face grew very red, and she said, much sur- 
 prised, 4 It makes it live ; it is alive, for it moves.’ 
 I then asked her if the bird ate or slept or walked or 
 could feel. 4 No,’ she replied, hut still seemed hardly 
 convinced that the magnet did not give life to the bird, 
 until she was shown its effect upon a needle. 
 
 ‘‘This led to an explanation of attraction; and she 
 soon afterwards showed her disposition to apply all new 
 words in as many senses as she can, by suddenly 
 embracing me and saying, 4 1 am exceedingly attracted 
 to you, because you are always so kind.’ 
 
280 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN 
 
 44 In one of onr walks, after a long pause in the con- 
 versation, she asked me, while blushing and laughing, 
 4 Do you think I shall ever be married with a gentle- 
 man whom I love best and most?’ I said, 4 No.’ 
 When she had thought of all the objections, she said, 
 4 Mrs. Davis is married and she is blind. I can sweep 
 and fix things very nicely and do many things/ 
 
 44 Oct. 24. At eight o’clock to-day Laura came to 
 me and said, 4 Doctor wants you to teach me about 
 motives. What are motives?’ 
 
 44 After giving the meaning of the word, I referred her 
 to a story that I read to her last evening. It was of 
 a benevolent, kind-hearted little boy, who expended 
 his money in purchasing little comforts for those who 
 needed them, making it his happiness to do good to the 
 poor and unfortunate. She was very much interested 
 in talking of the character of the boy, and of his sister 
 and mother. It was a good motive for George to give 
 nice things to poor people. Doctor had a good motive 
 to give us this nice large room to be so warm and com- 
 fortable. He is very benevolent. But Jesus Christ 
 was the most benevolent ; we cannot be benevolent as 
 he was. I cannot be benevolent and do kind things to 
 crazy people, and blind and deaf people, and cure them. 
 God is very benevolent, he does so many things to make 
 people happy. I then tried to show her how she might 
 be truly benevolent in little things, every day. 4 1 
 give away many things,’ said she. I convinced her 
 that it was not alway a proof of benecolence to give 
 things away. During the whole lesson she was very 
 serious and thoughtful, pressing my fingers closety, so 
 that no letter should escape her. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 281 
 
 “ Oct. 25. Laura seemed to me rude and boisterous, 
 and not easily restrained as usiial. It was very dis- 
 couraging to me, and I gave myself up to sad thoughts. 
 Laura soon perceived it, and asked why. I told her 
 she did not try, so much as I wished, to grow still and 
 gentle, though we had talked so much about it. She 
 sat still some time, and then said, 4 I love Mrs. Smith 
 best, she is so gentle.’ This was evidently said to 
 trouble me, and did not relieve me any. This is one of 
 the very few instances where there seemed to be unkind- 
 ness in the child’s heart. But she soon repented. After 
 dinner she was up stairs, and was gone for some time ; 
 when at last she came down and found me, she said she 
 had a nice present for me to make me more happy, and 
 that she would try more to improve. She said this 
 very sadly. I took her present and exerted myself to 
 appear as cheerful as usual. The present she brought 
 was a pincushion, one of her choicest treasures. 
 
 44 Lessons as usual. Talking with Laura about being 
 kind and benevolent. She began to give me a long 
 account of little kind things that she had done. After 
 a time I told her that sometimes people did kind things 
 that their friends might praise them and think they 
 were very kind and benevolent. We talked of it some 
 time, Laura’s face growing more and more red, yet 
 half smiling. I could see she was applying the remark 
 to herself, as indeed she does everything that she hears 
 of this kind. 4 Why do I like to be praised ? ’ she soon 
 asked. I told her that every one did, and that it was 
 right for us to like to have our friends love us, and 
 praise us too, if we were good. Supposed the case of 
 two little children, one of whom was very kind to his 
 
282 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 sisters that his mother might call him good, and the 
 other did the same because he was glad to see all happy, 
 etc. Asked her which she thought was the best child. 
 She hesitated a moment, and replied, 4 The boy who 
 wanted to see other children happy / 
 
 “ Nov 4. Laura asked me, 4 Why do I have two 
 thoughts ? Why do- I not do what my conscience tells 
 me is right ? ’ Told her I thought when she began to do 
 wrong she was in play, and afterwards her firmness led 
 her to continue to do wrong, though her conscience was 
 telling her all the time she was wrong. 
 
 44 Nov. 10. Laura went to church with me in the 
 morning. In the afternoon, 1 left Jane with her, with 
 permission to stay a short time. When I returned, 
 Laura did not welcome me as usual, and made some 
 objection to a walk which I proposed ; but she was soon 
 ready for it. I learned from Jane that Laura had 
 done something that she (Jane) had promised not to 
 tell me. I asked Laura why she was not willing that 
 I should know everything that she did while I was 
 awa} r . She said, 4 I was afraid you would reprove me/ 
 I asked her if I ever spoke unkindly to her when she 
 had done wrong. 4 No/ replied she, very emphati- 
 cally, 4 you never blame me. Why did I pull the 
 wire ? ’ I answered that I thought curiosity and play- 
 fulness made her do it ; that it was not wrong to be 
 curious and playful, but that it was wrong to try to 
 conceal from me when she thought she had done mis- 
 chief. 4 1 did not know it was to conceal/ said she. 
 I told her that it was best for me to know what she did 
 and thought, that I might be able to advise her. 4 1 
 knew it was wrong to pull the wire.’ Jane had told me 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 283 
 
 also that Laura was unwilling that she should leave her, 
 and made several very unpleasant noises. I alluded to 
 this when talking to Laura, and she said, 4 1 was not 
 impatient.’ 4 But,’ said I, 4 Jane said you made some 
 bad noises.’ 4 1 did n — ,’ she began to say hesitatingly, 
 when I said, 4 Did you not make noises ? ’ and she replied, 
 4 1 believe I did not refrain from making bad noises.’ 
 I was now obliged to leave her for a short time. When 
 I came back, she was not inclined to say much, and 
 seemed trying to force a smile. By this time, the head- 
 ache which had followed me all day became quite 
 severe, and I left her again for a while to her reflec- 
 tions. It is the first time that she has attempted to 
 deceive me. She was afraid, perhaps, that she had 
 done some injury to something. She could have no fear 
 that I should speak severely to her, for I never blame 
 her in the least. Generally, when she is doing or saying 
 any little thing that I disapprove, I simply stop it at 
 the time, and afterwards speak of the thing abstractly. 
 She will apply my remarks to herself and to the cir- 
 cumstance, but without any unpleasant excitement of 
 feeling, and she remembers them a long time. 
 
 44 Many times she has said, 4 I cannot be perfectly 
 good, as Jesus Christ was.’ I have told her that every 
 one should try to be perfectly good, and never be will- 
 ing to do wrong even in a little thing ; explained to 
 her that perhaps it was a desire to appear perfectly good 
 which prompted her to conceal that which she was 
 afraid was wrong. 
 
 44 When I spoke to her again, she said, 4 1 was pray- 
 ing to God, and told him that I had been so wrong, and 
 I asked him to forgive me and send me better thoughts, 
 
284 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 I told him my motives were bad to conceal from you^ 
 and to tell you that I did not make impatient noises.’ 
 She then put her hand on my hot head and asked, 
 4 What made it worse?’ I answered, 4 Sad thoughts.’ 
 She said, 4 1 am sorry you were detained from being 
 happy by a sad circumstance. I have told God that 
 I will not do so wrong again.’ 
 
 44 Dec. 13. A good lesson in arithmetic, but Laura 
 was not in her usual spirits. I said nothing, hoping it 
 would wear off. After breakfast I told her that she 
 said last night that she felt unkindly towards me and 
 asked if she knew the cause of it, and if I said anything 
 that troubled her. 4 No, I think it was because I did 
 not refrain from bad thoughts.’ 4 Do you know what 
 made your thoughts bad? Was it because I showed 
 you how you shook my arm?’ 4 No, I think my con- 
 science was bad.’ 4 Our consciences are never bad, 
 they will never tell us to do what we know is wrong : 
 did you not know it was wrong?’ 4 Yes, but I did not 
 obey my conscience, and that was the reason that I 
 slapped you.’ A few moments after she said, 4 1 am 
 too old to be reproved.’ 4 But you are not too old to 
 do wrong.’ 4 My mind can reprove me,’ was her reply. 
 I said, 4 You do not wish to injure your teacher : why 
 do you not tell her that } r ou are sorry that you struck 
 her ? ’ She smiled and made no reply. I left her for 
 half an hour to her own thoughts, and on speaking to 
 her again, asked of what she had been thinking. 
 ‘Prajing to God, for he can help me best. I asked 
 him to send me good thoughts.’ She did not say this 
 with her usual seriousness, but as if repeating words 
 merely, and added, 4 People told me always to ask God 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 285 
 
 to help me.’ I said, 4 You struck your teacher who is 
 always kind to you: are you not sorry?’ No reply. 
 4 Do you think your thoughts are all good and your 
 feelings all kind now?’ Still no reply. Not liking to 
 force an unwilling expression of sorrow from her, by 
 depriving her of her lessons, and having often found 
 that showing her some mark of kindness, or allowing 
 her to do something for me, would completely subdue 
 her bad feelings, I allowed her to give some account of 
 the story read to her yesterday, and then to write in 
 her journal. She wrote, that 4 On Friday night she 
 struck her teacher and that it was very unkind,’ and 
 brought it to me. I then asked her again if she knew 
 that she had not told me she was sorry. She said, 
 4 Yes, I was just going to tell you that I am sorry, and 
 that I have resolved to control myself. I shall never 
 strike you again, I am so earnest to have my excellent 
 teacher happy always. I hope you will not think of the 
 bad thing any more, for you are my best teacher.’ 
 After dinner w r e did not stop as usual to speak to Mrs. 
 S., and she asked why. Told her it was better for 
 her to think than to talk, and besides my head ached 
 badly. When I spoke of my head, the poor child threw 
 her arm£ around my neck, and put her head on my 
 shoulder saying, 4 1 am so sorry that your head aches to 
 think so much about me. I promised Martha that I 
 would always be kind to you. Did I hurt you very 
 much?’ It was really painful to see her distress, and 
 I did the best I could to soothe her. 
 
 fc4 Dec. 15. Laura was very much perplexed by very 
 simple things, and I was obliged to repeat a simple 
 question many times at the risk of losing my own 
 
286 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 patience. When the difficulty was overcome, she said 
 with a triumphant air, 4 I have persevered in being 
 good, I have not been impatient any.’ 
 
 44 Dec. 24. She said this morning, ‘Last night I 
 dreamed so strangely. I thought I was but fifteen 
 years old and that I was very sick and was going to 
 die. At last you and Doctor put me in the ground, and 
 I was so happy to be in heaven : my soul was in heaven, 
 but when you put the earth on me, it gave me life again. 
 Who can tell me all about how I shall know when my 
 breaths are going, and I am going to die ? Did you go 
 to see Adeline in Cambridge ? She was dead and they 
 put her body in a box and put her in the ground. Why 
 do they put people in the ground ? * Told her they 
 could not use their bodies any longer ; but that only the 
 worn-out bodies were buried. She sat thinking some 
 time and then said, 4 Our souls do not die when our 
 bodies are dead/ We then talked about the importance 
 of taking good care of our minds if they lasted so long, 
 and tr}dng to make them good and honest and kind. 
 We know the necessity of taking good care of our bod- 
 ies, though they do not last long, etc. She added, 4 It 
 is very solemn to think soberly about death, and how 
 very good we ought to be.’ Several times in th£ day she 
 returned to the same subject. At one time she asked, 
 4 Are you sure that heaven is much larger than this 
 world?’ and said, 4 Mrs. C. told me all about heaven. 
 She said it was much larger and wider and higher 
 than this world, to make room for many souls Do 
 you know about it? ’ I answered that I did not know, 
 but that God was kind and good to every one, and that 
 if we were good we should be happy anywhere. With 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 2m 
 
 great apparent satisfaction she summed up the whole 
 subject in these words, 4 He is our Father ,’ and then 
 asked, 4 Why did Jesus come on the earth? ’ I told her 
 that he came to tell us how much God loved us, and to 
 teach us to become good. She said, 4 He made many 
 sacrifices for men, he was so kind.’ 
 
 44 Christmas morning she said, 4 We ought to remember 
 and think much about Christ to-day, how good he was,’ 
 etc. 
 
 44 She has often amused herself during the past year by 
 little exercises in composition. The following story, 
 written during the absence of her teacher, will serve as 
 a specimen of her use of language. The last sentence, 
 though not grammatical, maybe considered as the moral, 
 and a very good moral of the whole. 
 
 THE GOOD-NATURED GIRL. 
 
 Lucy was nearly nine years old. She had excellent 
 parents. She always did with alacrity what her mother 
 Requested her to do. She told Lucy when it was time 
 for her to go to school ; so Lucy ran and put on her 
 bonnet and shawl, and then she went back to her mamma. 
 She offered Lucy a basket containing some pie and cake 
 for luncheon. And Lucy went precisely at school-time 
 and when she got to the house she took her own seat 
 and began to study diligently with all the children. 
 And she alwa}’S conformed to her teacher’s wishes. In 
 recess she took luncheon out of her basket, but she gave 
 some of it to her mates. Lucy had some books with 
 pictures and slate in her desk. When she went home 
 she found that dinner was all read} 7 . Afterwards her 
 mother took her to take tea with her friends. Lucy 
 
288 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 was much delighted to play with her little cousins, Lucy 
 and Helen ; . and they let her see their playthings. 
 After tea Lucy was sorry to depart ; and when she 
 went to bed she thought she had made it pleasantl} 7 to 
 all her friends with little joyful heart. 
 
 “ Jan. 7, 1846. Laura was full of glee this morning. 
 4 1 am so very happy. I have resolved to be so good. 
 I am so happy to be alive.’ Yesterday I commenced 
 teaching her a Bible history. It will be exceedingly diffi- 
 cult to give her an idea of the history recorded in the 
 Old Testament without confusing all her ideas of right 
 and wrong, justice and humanity.” 
 
 In the latter part of February the journal speaks 
 of her as having been "obedient, generous, and 
 self-denying ; at times a little irritable for a mo- 
 ment, but soon recovering herself,” and again, "she 
 has learned many new words and phrases, but has 
 not done as much as I expected in school. I have 
 frequently omitted lessons when she seemed too 
 nervous to attend to them.” She continued to fail 
 in health, and in May went with Miss Wight to 
 Philadelphia to visit her former teacher. She had 
 voluntarily adopted a diet of bread and milk, to 
 which she strictly confined herself at each of her 
 three meals. No delicacies could tempt her, 
 although it seemed to all her friends that she was 
 rapidly growing weaker in consequence of her 
 persistence. She was interested in meeting old 
 friends and in making new acquaintances, but soon 
 became weary and languid. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN \ 
 
 289 
 
 It was decided on her return from the South to 
 try the effects of her native air, and she went with 
 her teacher to her home in Hanover. 
 
 From the journal of her visit there, we quote 
 the following : — 
 
 “ Laura appears very amiable and attentive to every 
 one’s wants, and exerts herself to do everything in her 
 power to add to my comfort and happiness. She some- 
 times asks me if she sets her brothers a good example. 
 She evidently feels that she is an older sister. 
 
 “It was pleasant to see her with Mr. Tenny ; she 
 seemed to have entire confidence in him. Each time 
 he visited her she wished to go to the barn in quest of 
 eggs as she was accustomed to do when a child. She 
 took his hand and would go alone with him with a con- 
 fidence I have rarely seen her manifest towards a gen- 
 tleman. Though they never found any eggs, she never 
 tired of the search. 
 
 “ One day she said, ‘ I will write some new things 
 for my brothers to make them more wise.’ She wrote 
 rapidly on a slate the following : 1 1 hope that you love 
 God very much, for he is so kind always, who supplies 
 us with such beautiful flowers, and many other things 
 in the world I love him extremely much, he is so 
 benevolent. You must exert yourselves to think of 
 him, how good and kind he is, and that he loves all of 
 his children and to have them do what he wishes them. 
 We will all be very happy with him, if we are always 
 good and right, as long as we live, always.’ 
 
 “ August , 1846 . Laura said, 4 1 dreamed last night 
 19 
 
290 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 that I must die. I was very much afraid.’ I talkeC 
 with her until she became quite cheerful. 
 
 44 Sept. 1. Talked with Laura about our mutual 
 dependence. Told her that God did not intend we 
 should think only of ourselves, because he had so made 
 us that we could not be comfortable and happy without 
 the assistance and sympathy of those about us. She 
 asked, 4 Why did God make me if he knew I should 
 have so many faults ? * I replied, I thought he wished 
 her to correct her faults, and enjoy a very happy life, 
 and asked her if she had not lived many happy hours. 
 4 Yes.’ 4 And why are you not always happy? ’ 4 I do 
 
 not always feel right and do right.’ 
 
 44 She has seemed very well and happy to-day. At 
 first she was unwilling to take the shower-bath (which 
 was a new thing to her) , but I told her it was thought 
 good for her and I hoped she had courage enough to 
 endure the disagreeable feeling for a minute. She 
 laughed and said she was very brave, and went in reso- 
 lutely. While we were walking she wished to tell me 
 some curious dreams she had had recently. 4 1 dreamed 
 I wrote a letter to God, and tried very hard to get 
 some one to carry it. I told him that I wanted to 
 come to visit him very much. I dreamed that I was in 
 heaven once, and saw God with my eyes.’” 
 
 She had been persuaded during the summer to 
 ride a little upon a donkey, and now overcame 
 her timidity sufficiently to mount a pony. She 
 rode frequently, having a person to accompany 
 her to hold the bridle, and enjoyed the exercise 
 Very much. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN \ 
 
 291 
 
 “ Sept. 11. After Laura’s ride on the pony, took her 
 to he weighed, and found her weight to he but seventy- 
 nine pounds. She seemed a little troubled by it, and I 
 told her I thought if she ate a little meat and some vege- 
 tables she would grow heavier and stronger also. ‘ I 
 do not like meat,’ was her reply. ‘ But will you not try 
 to eat a little and learn to like it, if you do it only to 
 please me?’ ‘No,’ she replied with a most unamiable 
 emphasis. I was no less surprised than grieved at such 
 an answer, for heretofore, although she has frequently 
 differed in opinion, she has been ready to yield to me. 
 In all little things she obeys me without hesitation, or, 
 ‘ with alacrity,’ as she often says. She is too old for 
 us to expect her to render the blind obedience of a 
 child, but her self-esteem will make her unhappy in her 
 future life unless checked now. Her situation has al- 
 ways been one adapted to strengthen this feeling. She 
 has a seat apart from the other pupils in the school- 
 room, and she knows that she is an object of more inter- 
 est than any of the other blind girls.” 
 
 During the autumn, with the return of cooler 
 weather, her health improved and she resumed her 
 lessons, and in December she was again at work 
 in arithmetic, having advanced as far as Interest. 
 She was also having lessons in grammar. 
 
 “ Dec. 23. Rev. Dr. Wayland came to see Laura, 
 and asked her many questions. He read a story which 
 she had written, as easily, he said, as if he had written 
 it himself. He asked if he might take a copy of it for 
 his son, and she told him she would send it to him for 
 
292 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 a Christmas present. Before leaving the doctor gave 
 her money to purchase a Christmas present for her- 
 self. She decided that it would give her more pleas- 
 ure to expend it in the purchase of presents for her 
 friends. The afternoon was spent in the selection of 
 presents. Among others she remembered a little girl 
 who was sick, Lizzie who was deaf, Mrs. C.’s little girl 
 who was lame. There is nothing more beautiful in 
 Laura’s character than the love and pity she shows for 
 all the afflicted, however uninteresting they may be in 
 other respects. When she met poor Harriet, the 
 negro, she shrank from the touch of her hand, 4 it was 
 so bonjr and strange,’ but when she knew that she was 
 sick, she would remind me to go and see her, and was 
 anxious that I should do everything I could for her, and 
 herself bought nice fruit to send her. 
 
 44 Dec. 30. In our walk to-day I checked her when 
 she was making one of her noises. She asked if I 
 remembered when she used to be impatient when she 
 was told not to make a noise ; she said, 4 I used to be 
 impatient and look cross and say unkind things. I can 
 be good and gentle so much easier than I coi^d a year 
 ago.’ I replied, 4 We are a great deal happier now, 
 that we do not have such things to trouble us.’ And 
 she said, 4 1 hope this (new) year we shall not have 
 one unkind, wrong thing to make us unhappy.’ Told 
 her I thought she had improved much and hoped she 
 would improve as much next year. 4 Yes, more/ was 
 her reply. She asked to-day, 4 How can I became dis- 
 tinguished ? ’ ” 
 
 At the close of the year 1846, Dr. Howe 
 writes : — 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 293 
 
 “ It was stated in the report of Laura Bridgman, 
 which was made in January last, that her health had 
 been failing during several months, and was then very 
 feeble. I am sorry to say that it continued to grow 
 weaker for some time, and has not yet become entirely 
 re-established. 
 
 “During most of the past year she has been weak 
 and sickly. In the spring especially*, she became very 
 much emaciated, her appetite failed almost entirety, 
 and she could hardty be persuaded to take nourishment 
 enough to keep her alive. 
 
 “She was placid and uncomplaining, and though 
 never gay as in former years, she was never gloomy. 
 She appeared to feel no fear or anxiety concerning her 
 health, and when questioned closely about it she would 
 answer that she was very well. Indeed, the change had 
 come over her so slowly and gradually that she seemed 
 to be hardty conscious of it, and showed surprise when 
 it was alluded to. Sometimes, indeed, when she found 
 that she was wearied by walking half a mile, she was 
 forced to remember her former long walks of five and 
 six miles, and to think about the change. 
 
 “As she grew thinner and paler and weaker, she 
 appeared to be laying aside the garments of the flesh, 
 and her spirit shone out brighter though its transparent 
 veil. Her countenance became more spiritualized, and 
 its pensive expression told truly that, though there was 
 no gloom, neither was there any gladness in the heart. 
 
 “ Her intellect was clear and active, and she would 
 fain have indulged in conversation and study about 
 subjects of a serious nature ; but she was sensitive and 
 excitable, and the mental activity and craving were 
 
294 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 perhaps morbid . Be that as it may, however, she was 
 at a fearful crisis in her life, and it seemed to be our 
 first duty to save that. She was therefore not only 
 diverted from all exciting trains of thought, but dis- 
 suaded from pursuing her usual course of study. Vf e 
 were very desirous not to alarm her by showing the 
 anxiety which was really felt about her ; and this object 
 was gained so effectually that she probably did not 
 discover her danger. She is always very observant, 
 however, and ascertains the state of mind of those about 
 her by reading parts of the natural language of the 
 emotions, which we never observe, but which are as 
 sure guides to her as the expression of the countenance 
 is to us. It is almost impossible that her companions 
 should feel particularly gay or sad, and withhold the 
 knowledge of it from Laura. The natural language of 
 the feelings is almost infinite. A common observer 
 reads only the page of the countenance, the keener one 
 finds meaning in tones of the voice, or, looking more 
 closely, reads signs in the very shaking of hands ; but 
 Laura not only observes the tones <f the finger language , 
 she finds meaning in every posture of the body and in 
 every movement of limb ; in the various play of the 
 muscles she observes the gentle pressure of affection, 
 the winning force of persuasion, the firm motion of 
 command, the quick jerk of impatience, the sudden 
 spasm of temper, and many other variations which she 
 interprets swiftly and correctly. 
 
 “ With all these means of ascertaining the state of 
 her teachers feelings, and with the certainty that an 
 untrue answer would never be given her, Laura would 
 surely have learned that her life was thought to be in 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 295 
 
 Rome danger if she had ever been accustomed to dwell 
 upon thoughts of sickness and death ; but she had not, 
 and therefore she walked without a shudder upon the 
 brink of the grave. 
 
 “ The result was as I had hoped and expected that 
 it would be, for I was more sanguine than others. The 
 natural strength of her constitution, which had tri- 
 umphed in that fearful struggle during her infancy, 
 though at the expense of two of the most important 
 organs of sense, had been carefully nurtured by con- 
 stant exercise, simple diet, and regular habits of mind 
 and body, and it carried her safely through this second 
 trial.. After she had been brought so low that it 
 seemed as if the tendency to disease could find no more 
 resistance to overcome, it yielded at last, and then the 
 vital powers began to rally slowly. 
 
 “ When the weather grew warmer, she began a course 
 of sea-bathing and of exercise upon horseback. These 
 occupied and amused her mind and strengthened her 
 bod}" ; and she continued to grow better through the 
 year, very slowly, indeed, but surely. She has now 
 recovered some portion of her lost flesh ; and her appe- 
 tite is so far restored that she eats a sufficient quantity 
 of bread and milk, but does not like anything else. 
 She does not wish to change her food at all, but when 
 meal-time arrives, she sits down cheerfully to her simple 
 bread and milk, morning, noon, and evening, and having 
 finished that, she disregards all the dainties and the 
 fruits with which the capricious appetite of invalids is 
 usually tempted. Her present diet is one of her own 
 choice, and though it is not the best, and its sameness 
 is unwise, we do not insist upon a change while she is 
 
296 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 manifestly thriving, because it might do more harm 
 than to indulge a caprice of appetite, not uncommon 
 with delicate persons. 
 
 44 But the best sign of returning health is the change 
 which has taken place in her animal spirits, nor is this 
 change uninteresting in a moral point of view. Before 
 her illness, she was not only a happy, but a merry child, 
 who tripped cheerfully along her dark and silent path 
 of life, bearing sportfully a burden of infirmity that 
 would have crushed a stout man, and regarding her 
 existence as a boon given in love, and to be expended 
 in joy ; since her illness, she seems to be a thoughtful 
 girl, from whom the spontaneous joy of childhood has 
 departed, and who is cheerful or sad in sympathy with 
 the feelings of those about her. 
 
 4 4 1 hope and believe that her health will be perfectly 
 restored, although it is still very frail, and easily de- 
 ranged by any over-exertion of body or mind. Per- 
 haps a complete change may take place in her physical 
 system, and her now slender form develop itself into 
 the proportions of a large woman ; such changes are 
 not unfrequent after such severe crises. At all events, 
 with restoration of health will come a return to those 
 studies and occupations which have been necessarily 
 suspended. 
 
 44 She was just beginning to understand that, as she 
 was getting freed from her obligations of unconditional 
 obedience to those who had directed her childhood, she 
 must come under no less unconditional obedience to the 
 new monitor and master, the conscience, that was as- 
 serting its rule within her ; and the veneration and 
 affection for human friends, which are the first objects 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 297 
 
 of the awakened germ of the religious feeling, were 
 gradually tending upwards and expanding into worship 
 and love of God. 
 
 “This transformation of her soul, this disinthral- 
 ment of its high and independent powers, was becom- 
 ing perfectly clear to her by means of instruction, and 
 would have changed what had been mere habit and 
 blind obedience into conscious duty and stern principle, 
 but the process was necessarily interrupted. Such in- 
 struction would of course require the consideration of 
 subjects which were to her of the most intensely excit- 
 ing interest, and might have cost her life. 
 
 “ I know that many will say that I had already com- 
 mitted a great error by deferring the consideration of 
 these subjects so long, and that I should have tried to 
 retrieve it by giving at once the knowledge which they 
 suppose necessary to eternal salvation, even at the ex- 
 pense of mortal life. To this I have only to answer, 
 that I have gratefully received and carefully weighed 
 all the counsel which has been given to me in the spirit 
 of kindness, but that it has failed to alter my views of 
 my duty. 
 
 “ A general review of her character and deportment 
 during the past year gives rise to some agreeable reflec- 
 tions. In former years, though she presented an ex- 
 traordinary example of gentleness, truthfulness, and 
 affection, she showed, like most children, occasional ex- 
 cesses of feeling, which required her conduct to be under 
 the regulation of others, so that she was not entirely 
 a free moral agent. During the last year the reins of 
 authority have been slackened ; she has been allowed to 
 follow more freely her own inclinations, and though her 
 
298 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 teacher has been, as in former years, her constant com 
 panion, and doubtless exercised great influence over hen J 
 yet her society and companionship have been ratherj 
 sought by Laura than imposed upon her. Opportunity j 
 has thus been given her to develop her individuality of j 
 character, and to exercise her moral powers by self- 
 guidance. 
 
 ‘ ‘ It would have been practicable to keep her in leading 
 strings still longer, and by taking advantage of habit 
 to require unconditional obedience for years to come,, 
 though this might have been difficult, for she evidently 
 inherits a strong self-will ; but the time had arrived when 
 she ought to begin to govern herself ; she showed con- 
 siderable capacity for doing so, and it would have been 
 wrong to keep her in subjection. 
 
 “Not only was it right to give her considerable free- 
 dom of action, but to have withheld it would have been 
 injurious to her moral growth, by the loss of that exer- 
 cise in self-government which prepares one for complete 
 independence of thought and action. The result of 1 
 leaving her in comparative freedom has shown that self- 
 government, when the proper age for it has arrived, and 
 the previous habits have been good, is as much better 
 than foreign government, as walking by the aid of its 
 own bones and muscles is better for a child than going 
 in leading-strings. 
 
 “ Her thoughts, as I remarked before, have been of a 
 more serious nature, and her conduct more sober, during 
 the past year, than in former times. This is probably the 
 natural consequence of the lowered tone of her physical 
 health, and not, as I have been able to discover, of any 
 thought or fear of death. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 299 
 
 “ Already with returning health and strength there 
 appear glimpses of her former gayety of heart ; and 
 though she may never again be the merry, thoughtless 
 girl that she was, we may hope to see in her a happy 
 and cheerful woman. She will no longer be the same 
 object of public curiosity and interest that she has been, 
 <&ut she will not be the object of less care and affection 
 to her friends so long as her frail life shall last.” 
 
300 
 
 LAURA S. RID G MAP. 
 
 u 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The only record of the year 1847, we find ini 
 Miss Wight’s journal, extending through the first; 
 six months. We select the following entries : — - 
 
 44 Jan. 4 , 1847. Laura said she should like to be 
 excused from the shower-bath on Sunday as she wanted i 
 more time. She wished she had a Bible to read in her- 
 self. I told her I could read to her from mine. Shei), 
 replied, 4 But it is much better to read the Bible our- 
 selves. ’ I soon. convinced her that she could not under- 
 stand it if she should attempt to read it alone, and she said, 
 
 4 I wish you would read to me every day in the Bible. 
 How did God tell the first man about himself?’ Told! 
 her I did not know exactly, but that God gave menir 
 minds capable of thinking of him, and some very good;; 
 men had many thoughts about God. She asked, 4 And ! 
 did they tell each other and each other, so that all the 
 young children might know about God? ’ I added that 
 at last Christ came, and he told the people much more 
 about God. 4 How long has God lived? ’ My answer 
 puzzled her apparently. She sat holding my hand while 
 thinking ; she was trying to grasp infinity, and then 
 asked, 4 Why can we not think how very long God has 
 lived ? ’ 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 301 
 
 4 4 Jan. 5. It was a bright, warm day, and as we walked 
 Laura stopped and turned her face upward toward the 
 sun, saying, ‘ It is very pleasant. Why does our heavenly 
 Father let his sun shine on us in our wrong days ? ’ I 
 do not know why she spoke of wrong days, unless 
 because, half an hour before, she told me half impatiently 
 that I spelled a word incorrectly. Of late she has not 
 shown any of those little impatient feelings that we used 
 to see so much when everything was not as she wished 
 it. It is seldom now that she gives me one troubled 
 thought. It seems as if she . had no wrong thoughts, 
 for she certainly does not express them in look, word, or 
 act. She has seemed more quietly happy than I have 
 ever known her before. 
 
 “Jan. 10. Laura asked me as usual about the 
 sermons that I had heard during the day, The sub- 
 ject of the afternoon was 4 forgiveness.’ On hearing 
 this, her first eager inquiry was, 4 How can I know if 
 God has forgiven me, for I used to do wrong so often? ’ 
 I gave her an account of the sermon, which seemed to 
 satisfy her. 
 
 44 Jan. 14. At noon commenced reading the second 
 chapter of Matthew to Laura. The first eight verses 
 occupied us closely for more than half an hour. She 
 asked question upon question At last she began to grow 
 nervous, and I took her to the school-room to divert 
 her mind. She said as I closed the book, 4 We shall be 
 so happy to meet Christ when we go to heaven. I 
 wish we could see him now here with us.’ 
 
 44 Jan. 15. Finished reading the second chapter of 
 Matthew. Laura was shocked at the perfidy of Herod 
 in pretending that he wished to worship Christ, when 
 
302 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 he wished to destroy him, and with his cruelty in order- 
 ing the destruction of the infant children of Bethlehem ; 
 she was much afraid that Herod would at last discover 
 where the infant Jesus had gone. 
 
 “ Jan. 18. She asked to hear again the chapter that 
 I had read, and in addition I read the account of 
 Christ’s visit to Jerusalem at the age of twelve years 
 as recorded in Luke. She asked if he did right to 
 stay away from his parents to make them sorrowful. 
 
 “ Jan. 29. Gave her a copy of the New Testament 
 that she might read herself the fifth chapter of Mat- 
 thew. It is a very slow process, for every sentence 
 must be explained. Almost every day when I have 
 been explaining something, she tells me, ‘Yes, I knew 
 before ; you have told me many times.’ Though she 
 knows little of the form in which the Scriptures are 
 written, she is familiar with their spirit. She was inter- 
 ested in the blessing promised to the pure in heart. 
 When I had told her what was meant by seeing God, 
 and that the pure and good were more like God, 
 could understand his character better, would think of 
 him more, and love him better, she asked, ‘ Is God 
 near our minds ? Could we be as happy if he was not 
 with us ? How do you know we could not live with- 
 out him?’ She read over two or three times, ‘Ye are 
 the salt of the earth.’ She asked, ‘ What did Christ 
 mean? We are not salt.’ 
 
 “ Feb. 1. Laura received a letter from her mother 
 containing intelligence of the death of her old friend, 
 Mr. Tenny. As I read the letter her face was first 
 red and then turned pale again. She said, ‘ I am very 
 sad that my oldest friend is dead, that I never can see 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 303 
 
 him again. But I think he is much happier now, for 
 he was always so good and kind to eveiybody. She sat 
 by me in silence, and then said half inquiringly, 4 1 
 think Mr Tenny can see us now.’ She called to mind 
 the many little kindnesses the poor old man had shown 
 her, and thought of nothing else until she prepared to 
 go to church with me. She had a crape badge which 
 had been worn at the time of President Harrison’s 
 death, and wished to wear it 
 
 44 Feb. 3. Laura still thinks much of Mr Tenny. 
 His death has sensibly affected her. Beside her regret 
 for him, she feels the reality of death more than ever 
 before. She asked, 4 Do you think I shall be afraid 
 when I am dying? I do not understand how people 
 feel when they are- dying.’ 
 
 44 Feb. 6. I read and explained the Lord’s Prayer. 
 After this she wanted me to tell her about prayer, how 
 we could pray, etc. I told her that we prayed for those 
 things that we desired most earnestly to receive, and 
 asked her what she thought we needed most, and should 
 be most anxious to receive. Her reply was, 4 To be 
 sorry when we have done wrong, and for God to for- 
 give us.’ 4 Do you think of anything else?’ 4 Good- 
 ness,’ she added with emphasis. 
 
 44 Feb. 8. Laura went to church with me, and asked 
 the subject of the sermon. I told her, Christ’s tempta- 
 tions. She said, 4 Christ was never tempted to do wrong ! 
 It is not true, I cannot credit it.’ 
 
 ^ Feb. 12. She went to a dentist to have a tooth 
 extracted, and attempted to take ether to produce 
 insensibility to pain, but she was much alarmed when 
 she perceived that it was depriving her of the power of 
 
304 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 motion and of thought ; she fancied she was dying, and 
 said she dreamed of God and heaven while she was 
 without the power of motion. It was finally decided to 
 take it out without the gas, and she bore it bravely. 
 
 “ Feb. 14. She wrote to her brother to-day, 4 Do 
 you like to endeavor to imitate Christ? Christ was 
 very perfect, & had such a very beautiful character. 
 My dearest teacher Wight teaches me six lessons every 
 day, arithmetic, history, Bible & reading stories, 
 grammar & writing journal, & other different things. 
 I like- to hear of Christ & his character, & our 
 Father, the best of all in the world. Do you both learn 
 to comprehend the Bible much better than last summer ? 
 I should like you to write to me all about your imitat- 
 ing Christ. I am ver}^ sad not to see my oldest & 
 dearest friend, Mr. Tenny, ever on this earth. I used 
 to love & respect him very much. When I am in 
 Hanover again I should miss him. It would appear 
 very lonely to me also. I have the pin which he gave 
 me when I visited you all. I used to wear it every day, 
 & remember him by it constantly. Where is his body 
 buried ? ’ 
 
 “ Feb. 16. Dr. Howe spoke to-day of the improve- 
 ment in Laura’s character that has taken place the last 
 year. This may be ascribed in part to the quiet life 
 that she has led, and in part to the rule that I have 
 always observed, of never allowing even the slightest 
 fault to pass without some notice, at the time or after- 
 ward. She has learned 4 that it is more blessed to give 
 than to receive,’ for she is evidently more pleased when 
 she can bestow a present than when she receives one. 
 Another reason for her improvement may perhaps be 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 305 
 
 found in a remark she made to me the last time she 
 manifested any impatience. 4 1 thought quickly about 
 Jesus Christ, how good he was, and then my good feel- 
 ings came again.’ 
 
 44 March 24. To-day, for the first time, she seemed 
 to be struck with wonder at the account of the miracles 
 recorded as performed by Christ. Before this time she 
 received all as a matter of fact, but to-day in reading 
 the eighth chapter of Matthew she asked, 4 How did 
 Christ heal the sick? Did he give them medicine? 
 How could they get well so quickly? ’ I replied that I 
 could not tell how, that some good people thought that 
 Matthew was mistaken, but that Christ was so much 
 purer and better than any one else, he might have 
 power that we do not know of. This seemed to satisfy 
 her. Her implicit faith in what she is told makes me 
 tremble lest I should mislead her. 4 If Christ had been 
 here when Jane Damon was sick, do you think he would 
 have cured her? Would he have cured me when I was 
 sick, so that I should not have been deaf and blind ? * 
 I tried to show her how Christ would do much more for 
 us now than to cure our sickness of body, if we loved 
 his character and tried to imitate it. 
 
 44 April 1. Laura asked, 4 Why did God make us to 
 be sick and suffer pain if he loved us?’ I reminded 
 her of the pain she had suffered from a slight burn, and 
 told her that this pain might have saved her from much 
 greater injury. Then we talked of the various ways in 
 which life might be saved by attending to the warning 
 that speaks to us so loudly through physical suffering ; 
 of the effects of eating improper food, of neglecting 
 exercise, bathing, exposure to cold air, etc. 
 
 20 
 
306 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 “ April 2. While Laura was reading, I asked her 
 to repeat twice a word that she had spelled incorrectly, 
 and that I did not understand. She seized my hand 
 and in her impatience put my finger between her teeth 
 as if she would have bitten it, but suddenly recollecting 
 herself, she kissed it and turned away her face, which, 
 from being pale, became very red. In an instant she 
 turned to me, saying, 4 Will you please to forgive me, 
 for I shall never do such a thing again. It is so natu. 
 ral for all people to be impatient sometimes, except 
 some very kind people who are never impatient. I 
 think they try to imitate Christ. I feel impatient in my 
 mind sometimes, but I do not let you know it.’ I told 
 her that probably every one felt it sometimes, but when 
 we had learned to control the expression of it, the feel- 
 ing could not last long. 4 Are 3 T ou ever impatient? 
 But you never let your impatience act/ 
 
 44 Easter Sunday. Talking of the sermon that I had 
 heard, I was led for the first time to speak to Laura of 
 the manner of Christ’s death. 4 Were the people not very 
 unkind ? Why did not Christ escape ? ’ were her questions. 
 Tried to show her how Christ had manifested his love for 
 men b} 7 persisting in teaching the truth, though he knew 
 that the end of it must be a cruel death ; also that 
 while Christ lived his disciples hoped that he would 
 help them to be free from the Romans, and that it was 
 only after his ignominious death that they could realize 
 that he was a teacher, and not a governor. 
 
 “April 4. We read, 4 But if ye forgive not men 
 their trespasses, neither will you Heavenly Father for- 
 give you.’ She said, 4 But I am sure our benevolent 
 Father will forgive us if we do not forgive others/ This 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 307 
 
 led to a long conversation on the subject of forgiveness, 
 in what it consists, etc. She said, 4 We shall be with God 
 when we die.’ ‘Yes/ 4 But heaven is an immense place, 
 much larger than this earth, for one of my friends told me 
 so many years ago.’ She clings to this idea of a place of 
 habitation for happy spirits. I convinced her that the 
 situation in which we were placed did not of itself make 
 us happy or miserable, lay appealing to her own experi- 
 ence and that of others around her. She asked, 4 How 
 can I be sure that God is always with us ? ’ 
 
 44 May 1. Dr. Howe has decided to take Laura’s 
 religious instruction entirely into his own hands. She 
 returned from her lesson to-day very eager to talk with 
 me. 4 Doctor says I must remember when I read the 
 Bible that there are many mistakes in it. Do you 
 believe there is any revelation? Doctor says some 
 people do not believe it, but there surely is. Why do 
 you not teach me as Doctor does about the Bible ? ’ I 
 replied that we did not think exactly alike about all 
 things. 4 Why not?’ she asked, and seemed a little 
 troubled. Her color changed and she looked very 
 serious for a few moments, and then said, 4 Why is 
 your manner more diffident and timid than Doctor’s 
 when you talk to me about God and the Bible ? And 
 when you talk about wrong things you speak more 
 gently and sadly, and not so firmly, as other people 
 do.’ 
 
 4 4 June 1 . We left Boston for a visit to Hanover, 
 and met Laura’s father in Concord. In the course of 
 the journey she made many inquiries about her old 
 friend, Mr. Tenny. She asked me, 4 Would you like 
 to go with me to see the place where he was buried, for 
 
308 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 I should like to go ? Do you think he was sad not to 
 see me again before he died ? I shall miss him con- 
 stantly. Do you think he can see us now, and know 
 what we are thinking about?’ I tried to give her 
 pleasant thoughts and told her that her friend, who 
 was so kind to her, was not in the ground, that he 
 was still living, more loving than ever, and much hap- 
 pier than when he was in his poor sick body. Again 
 she asked, ‘ How can I know when I am going to die ? ’ 
 and with a shudder said, ‘ I hope I shall not be sick.’ 
 I talked quietly and gently with her of God’s love and 
 care for all things he had made ; told her how He took 
 care of the birds and the bees, and all living things, and 
 how sure we might be that he would do all that was 
 best for us. She grew calm and even cheerful by 
 degrees. I do not intend to talk with her now on such 
 subjects, but under such circumstances it was unavoid- 
 able. In the course of the conversation she said, 
 ‘ Heaven is above us over the sky. Can you see into 
 heaven? Look, up — up.’ I told her, ‘We were in 
 heaven now, when we were good and doing good.’ 
 ‘ And about the bad ? How will God prevent the bad 
 from going to heaven ? ’ I replied that those who had 
 bad feelings could not be happy anywhere, and con- 
 vinced her that no place or circumstances could make 
 her happy, if she were conscious of doing or desiring 
 any wrong thing. 
 
 “ Mr. Tenny remembered her to the last, and only 
 a few weeks before his death he tried to write to her, but 
 was unable to finish the letter. A day or two before he 
 died he wished that he had money to buy a basket of 
 an Indian woman for the deaf, dumb, and blincT child. 
 
LAVRA BRIDGMAN 
 
 309 
 
 “ Almost all the pleasant remembrances which Laura 
 has of the first part of her life seem to be associated 
 with Uncle Asa, as he was familiarly known through the 
 village. While her mother was absorbed in her house- 
 hold duties, he carried or led her gently from one neigh- 
 bor’s to another ; over the hills in search of berries and 
 nuts ; to the fields for apples ; to the barn for eggs ; to 
 the brook to show her the running water ; in short, he 
 seemed to have found his happiness in trying to amuse 
 this afflicted child. 
 
 “ The sight of Laura seems to recall him to the minds 
 of all the people, and almost every one has some story 
 to tell of ‘ the time when she was a little thing, and 
 came to see them with Uncle Asa.’ 
 
 4 1 June 29 We returned from Hanover to Boston. 
 Laura enjoyed her visit very much, but made her prep- 
 arations for leaving with great cheerfulness. 
 
 “ July 11. Laura remained at home writing. After 
 church I found her unusually nervous, even sad. Yester- 
 day, as well as to-daj", her mind has been full of thoughts 
 of sickness, of death, of heaven, etc. For every one 
 whom she meets she has a question ready. This seems 
 to me unfortunate for her, as she is now I am afraid 
 this uncomfortable state of mind has been brought on in 
 part by the change which she has probably noticed ‘in 
 me. I have rather avoided such subjects instead of 
 talking freely and naturally as formerly with her. I am 
 sure it is best for Laura to be with one whose thoughts 
 and feelings are so nearly right that the child can feel 
 that they are not intentionally concealed from her. I 
 am sure that Dr. Howe can teach her infinitely better 
 than I can, yet important as his instructions may be to 
 
310 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 her, they cannot take the place of the words that she 
 craves daily and hourly from a friend who is constantly 
 with her. It is almost overwhelming when one thinks 
 of all that is needed for the judicious training of one 
 child, so much wisdom and so much goodness ! 
 
 44 July 12. Doctor tells me it is better that I should 
 answer her questions upon all subjects, and not try to 
 avoid conversing with her on any. 
 
 44 July 13. Laura’s lesson in history was upon 
 Thebes. She expressed her surprise that the people 
 were so fond of fighting. ‘ Did the Thebans and Spar- 
 tans and Persians know about our Father ? I do not 
 think they did, for they would not fight so much.* 
 When speaking of God now she always says 4 our 
 Father.’ When we talk of a beautiful flower, a pleasant 
 day, a little infant, or a^thing that interests her, it is 
 not uncommon for her to ask, ‘ Does it remind you of 
 our kind Father in heaven?’ She asked, 4 Are there 
 any people on the earth who are afraid to leave their 
 bodies ? ’ I reminded her again of that part of Christ’s 
 teachings that interested her so much when she read it, 
 of God’s care even for the sparrows. She asked, 4 How 
 long shall you live? I shall be very sad when you 
 die.’ 4 Why did God clothe our spirits with flesh? 
 Why did he give us eyes and ears and hands ? I want 
 to read the Psalms, I can understand them so much 
 better now. I wish you would resume your reading to 
 me in the Bible, it makes me the happiest to know 
 about Christ and God. I am very happy now, much 
 happier than three years ago. I thank you very much 
 for your good influence on me.’ 
 
 44 Talking one day about the ancient Greeks, she 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 311 
 
 said, 4 I am glad we are so much better and happier than 
 barbarians. We shall be much happier in heaven/ 
 
 4 4 I have observed several times of late a feeling of 
 satisfaction with herself at her own improvement. I 
 have tried to remove this in part by giving her exam- 
 ples of the greatest goodness and excellence, that she 
 may feel that there is yet something above her that she 
 may attain, but her natural self-esteem, joined to the 
 consciousness of possessing many right and kind feel- 
 ings, often fills her heart with thankfulness that she is 
 4 not as other men are/ ” 
 
 " Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed 
 lest he fall,” was verified in Laura’s case, for after 
 months of exemption, she yielded again on two or 
 three occasions to her besetting sin of anger, only, 
 however, to reach greater depths of penitence, and 
 to make new resolves never to be overcome again. 
 
 From July, 1847, we find no notes by Miss 
 Wight until October, 1847, but fill the gap by 
 extracts from Laura’s own journal, which she was 
 in the habit of writing daily. 
 
 Under date of Jan. 6, 1848, after noting the 
 occupations of the morning, she writes : — 
 
 44 In the p. m. we had a pleasant conversation for 
 a while. As Miss W. was talking to me very kindty, I 
 was so reckless as to disobey my best impulse. I felt 
 an impatient feeling in my heart which made me wring 
 my poor teacher’s delicate hand. At last she left me 
 alone. I took my work to occupy myself. I meditated 
 
312 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 upon Christ who accomplished much good for every 
 one. I now owned that I had done wrong. At length 
 I went to W. & kissed her, for her to know how sad 
 I felt ; I assured her that I would exert myself to culti- 
 vate patience, & not have such bad feelings in the 
 future. She was very kind to soothe me. I finished 
 the basket, & then she taught me two lessons as 
 usual.” 
 
 She knew that her journal was read by Dr. 
 Howe, but although always ambitious to appear 
 well to him, and to do nothing to incur his disap- 
 probation, she does not accompany this simple 
 story of her fault by one word of extenuation. 
 In this she was certainly superior to most children. 
 
 At this time a little girl totally deaf and par- 
 tially blind was a member of the school, and as 
 much of her instruction was given by the finger 
 alphabet, it was thought that it might be well for 
 Laura to have an opportunity to help some one, and 
 so she was appointed her teacher for an hour a 
 day. How she performed the duties of her new 
 office will be seen from her own reports. 
 
 •“ Jan. 19. I instructed Lizzie a lesson from arith- 
 metic with much pleasure. It seemed very funny and 
 queer that I could teach a pupil so successfully.” 
 
 This was probably her first lesson. One day 
 she wrote, — 
 
 “ When I was teaching her very earnestly, she men- 
 tioned that she wished to have sport so much, but I 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 313 
 
 insisted upon her studying till the recess arrived. She 
 conversed with me about her comical dreams of Mis9 
 W. & I & her mother.” 
 
 Again, — 
 
 “ As I spoke to my favorite pupil she would not 
 reply to me, for she did not have a pleasant feeling in 
 her own heart. It appeared to me that she did not 
 feel inclined to have her lesson at first, but in a little 
 time she was evidently willing to recite her lesson to 
 me.” 
 
 Another entry is, — 
 
 “ At twelve I instructed my dear pupil. As I ap- 
 proached her, she denoted a very sweet and earnest 
 expression upon her countenance to me, and it grati- 
 fied my heart much.” 
 
 Still another is, — 
 
 “ As I approached my little pupil she did not feel in- 
 clined to be studious and diligent. I taught her about 
 England for a while. When I mentioned to her that 
 Miss W. considered that it would be the best plan for 
 me to teach her a lesson in arithmetic, she said eagerly 
 that I had promised to teach her geography. Lizzy 
 was discontented & disappointed that I delayed teaching 
 her geography.” 
 
 Her journal entry for Feb. 25 is copied entire. 
 It is the only time in which she speaks of her pri- 
 vate devotions. 
 
 “ Maria came & entered to call me. As soon as I 
 rose, I delayed the shower-bath, for the room seemed 
 
314 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 excessively cold so that I felt a little apprehensive of 
 being frozen. After I was thoroughly dressed I came 
 into our tranquil parlour before I took my prayer. I 
 took the precaution of locking the door, so that no one 
 could come in to annoy me during my prayer. I knelt 
 down by a chair to pray to God. I recited my lessons 
 very diligently. At ten I taught my favorite pupil 
 Lizzy a lesson in arithmetic, she appeared much more 
 attentive and studious than usual in my opinion. After 
 her lesson I communicated to her about my heavenly 
 Father, with much pleasure and anxiety. She loved 
 to make many inquiries of me about him. I have had 
 a very pleasant meditation. I thought much about God 
 constantly ; that when I do a sin in the least, my heav- 
 enly Father is tormented & disapproves of me, & likewise 
 rebukes me for doing an error. When I am doing 
 any thing wrong he remonstrate (s) or warn (s) with me. 
 When I think of him I feel as though that he would 
 forgive me, & send me a pure loving heart and happi- 
 ness ; then I feel reverent, & love him. When I am 
 released from my body, I should be much happier to be 
 with God forever, than on earth. I should love to see 
 his best son Christ with him incessantly. I shall be 
 much wiser and better when I die, than I am in the 
 world. When I think of him, it causes me to have 
 much happiness, & love, & to have the best of feelings, 
 and reflections, & impulses, & qualities, & to do the 
 duty of my heavenly Father.” 
 
 She reports insubordination of her pupil and 
 its punishment. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 315 
 
 u March 1. I taught Lizzy a lesson at ten o’clock. 
 She studied very industriously for a while. She then 
 became so sportive that I was compelled to defer my 
 instruction. As I assured Miss W. that L. said that 
 she should not study, Miss W. considered that L. had 
 better sit silently, for she was not faithful and innocent. 
 I was obliged to read in my book by myself. I was 
 very sorry to deprive L. of her long lesson.” 
 
 The unceasing care and attention bestowed on 
 Laura had so prostrated Miss Wight that she was 
 obliged to leave her for a rest of some weeks. In 
 her entry May 11, Laura writes a very tender and 
 loving tribute to her. 
 
 “ I thought if W. had a whole vacation as regularly as 
 the (other) teachers & their pupils do, then she would 
 regain her health & strength, so that she could have such 
 a good resolution to instruct me much. I am sorry & 
 anxious that she should have a vacation every time the 
 other people do. It is likely that she would have en- 
 joyed her instruction much afterwards. I do not trust 
 (suppose) that she would have so perfect health, & so 
 much strength as myself, for it is very unnatural to her. 
 She can be very calm & cheerful instead of manifest- 
 ing her activity & gaj T ety : but I cannot tell how she 
 looks in her sweet countenance. I wish I could discern 
 her expression. I am willing that she should be sedate 
 & much less emphatic, but I love to caress her very 
 much indeed. My heavenly Father was so very kind to 
 give me such a nice, beautiful friend, who has a very 
 warm, affectionate, loving, humble, sociable, sympa* 
 
316 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 thizing heart. I should love to have her visit me as 
 frequentfy as she could, when we are separated from each 
 other.” 
 
 She writes, — 
 
 July 10. “I made many inquiries of W. about the 
 Lord and his only beloved Son. I cannot be as perfect 
 as the Lord, because it is impossible for anybody to imi- 
 tate (equal?) him. I should be the happiest if I could 
 strive to do as much good to every one as possible, when 
 I am 20ty years old. I am extremely hopeful that my 
 heart or mind will retain much love, & benevolence, & 
 confidence, & faith, as long as I live. I should feel in 
 my own heart that God was pleased to see how much T 
 could strive to do the volition of him. I fear that I 
 could not bear so much, when any one should be much 
 vexed or irritable to me. How could I make them feel 
 better and happier ? I should make an effort to comfort 
 them by my patience & smiles. If they would not 
 submit to follow my best example, or appreciate my 
 character (intentions) for some time, I should not 
 know what I could do. How could I acquire the art of 
 making them cultivate their humility & patience ? It is 
 very likely that they might cultivate them by seeing how 
 patient & smiling I should be. I hope that I shall 
 not be likely to find any one who is unkind, & too hard- 
 hearted and prejudiced against me. I could not utter 
 (speak) to them or talk with them with my own fingers. 
 I could not teach any ignorant people about goodness 
 & love & humility, &c. 
 
 “ Aug. 3. Miss W. ceased to instruct me at quarter 
 past 2 o’clock because I hit her face & also pinched her 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 317 
 
 thumb backward. I was a very wrong and unjust 
 scholar to hurt her so much. I did not obey my best 
 impulse, which was so very good not to allow me to do 
 two wrong things I was exceedingly abashed, & guilty 
 in my own heart. I felt that God had inflicted a great 
 punishment upon me. It made me feel much ashamed & 
 alarmed. I was afraid because I was so very (wrong) to 
 disregard God, who was much displeased to see my bad 
 feelings. He was very angry to see me do very wrong. 
 My conscience was very great and strong ; it kept 
 reproaching me for many hours. I have been thinking 
 much of God who was right & merciful to punish me 
 for doing wrong. My poor heart was overwhelmed 
 & tormented all day. When I repented much, my 
 heart felt that God would forgive me much more than 
 Miss W. could. I am very hopeful that I shall not be 
 likely to do her any harm so long as she is with me. I 
 am so much ashamed & sad that I should do very wrong 
 in the sight of W. She cannot trust me that I shall 
 strive to cultivate patience & love as long as I live. I 
 did not mean to hurt my lovely teacher so many times 
 while I was her scholar. God can do me much good 
 himself. He can forgive me more than any one.” 
 
 A day or two later she writes, — 
 
 u I have been thinking about our only creator, who 
 made the earth, sun, animals, fruits, &c., which are very 
 wonderful to us all. I am very glad that my mind was 
 made to live forever in heaven with God. Why was it 
 not made to die as the body ? 
 
 “Aug. 7. I have been thinking of God & Christ 
 this p. m. I am highly delighted that God sent Christ 
 
318 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 to reside on the earth, so that he might communicate 
 many things to all the people. He was very religious 
 to command the people to do right, & to do so much 
 good to all. I cannot realize that Christ lived on the 
 earth to do the will of God I shall have reverence 
 toward God, if I think as much as it is possible of him. 
 I feel in my own heart that he is coming to see me from 
 heaven, when I am thinking so earnestly of him. It 
 helps my heart to have much love & respect for him. I 
 hope to love & respect him the more & more as long as 
 my life. It is impossible for me to appreciate his 
 character & his only beloved son. I love to think of 
 hi*n so very much better than anything else. I am 
 extremely glad to know that he cannot forsake me, & 
 that he can love me much more than I can love him. I 
 ought to be very grateful to him who is so kind to 
 chastise me for a sin, for he loves to do me good. I can- 
 not conceive how much merc}^ & love, & kindness he 
 has, because he is so very perfect. 
 
 “ Aug. 11. There is a very poor woman who has 
 lost her husband. She has four or five children. They 
 are not all very well. Her husband was working 
 beneath the earth a few weeks ; who (he) was terribly 
 hurt by the falling of the earth. The earth broke very 
 suddenly, that hurt some of the laborers exceedingly 
 indeed. I have much compassion upon the poor woman 
 and her children. I am fearful that they have a scanty 
 food or clothes. I rejoice much that it is so very warm 
 that they do not need much clothing. I say to myself, 
 if it was a cold season then the poor family would have 
 suffered very much from the cold & storm. How could 
 the woman procure some wood to make a large fire. 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 319 
 
 & a plenty of new clothes to protect her children from 
 the cold? I suppose that some benevolent people 
 would be very charming & bountiful, to give the poor 
 so many necessaries as they could. I am grateful & 
 happy that we have such quantity of food, & a great 
 supply of clothes here. My heavenly Father is the 
 most benevolent of any one in the world, who bestows 
 everything upon us continually. I cannot conceive how 
 very benevolent & kind he is, in my life.’’ 
 
 Occasionally she indulged in pleasant anticipa- 
 tions both for herself and her teacher. Aug. 23 
 she writes, — 
 
 “ This p. m. I have been thinking about Miss Wight 
 & her little nice house. I shall be very hopeful that 
 she will have a very nice house in her life. I cannot 
 imagine who can console her whilst she dwells in her 
 tiny house. If I should fulfil my promise in residing 
 with her, I could give her all my aid. I could help her 
 wash & wipe & put away all her dishes so very nicely. 
 I could sweep my little chamber, & dust & fix it very 
 nicely every day. I should love to assist her to select 
 all the necessaries, much light furnishture, & many nice 
 delicate dishes. She would have some small cups for 
 the very best.” 
 
 Another day her anticipations are not so bright ; 
 she writes, — 
 
 ‘ 4 Who could have all of my precious things when I 
 die ? I may probably have many new friends as long 
 as I live. I hope that they would endear themselves 
 to me by love, kindness & benevolence. I cannot 
 
320 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 imagine bow much I could love & respect them. Could 
 it not be very (in) convenient for them to make the 
 letters with their fingers ? Could they have as much 
 time to converse with me as my old friends now? 
 Could I anticipate much pleasure, & that I should be 
 so very sociable & happy, & contented, & loving, when 
 I lose all of my old friends ? I should really mourn, & 
 miss many of my very dear old friends very much. 
 
 “ Sept. 7. I have been thinking about my mother & 
 brother A. I wish that I could dine with them to-day. 
 I could probably have a better appetite with my dear 
 family. We should find at mother’s house a great pro- 
 fusion of pies & pumpkins & squashes & baked sweet 
 apples & other nice victuals.” 
 
 Occasionally she indulged in jokes, as in the 
 entry for Jan. 19, 1849. She says, — 
 
 “ I think that the rat ought to be imprisoned for 
 stealing my beautiful apple the other day. He ought 
 to have a conscience on purpose to reprove himself very 
 much. I must ask W. to please to teach him about 
 doing right & wrong & (being) honest in the night. 
 He would love her very much for her good influence. 
 She must exert herself to devote her time to instruct 
 the rat about goodness, etc.” 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 321 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 After the lapse of more than a year, Miss Wight 
 resumes her journal, and continues it at intervals 
 until near the close of 1849. 
 
 “ Oct. 12 , 1848. While Mrs. F. was sitting with 
 us this evening Laura said to her, 4 Your voice sounds 
 like a man’s.’ On being asked her reasons for thinking 
 so, she replied that she saw , putting her hand on her 
 throat. The lady has a deep voice.” 
 
 Speaking of her health, Miss Wight says : — 
 
 44 She has a good appetite and is in excellent spirits, 
 or as she told me to-day, 4 1 have a hundred good 
 spirits, but you have only ten.’ 
 
 44 Nov. 4. In giving her a lesson to-day upon the 
 origin of laws and government, and the penalties 
 attached by men to the breaking of these laws, she 
 asked with great earnestness, 4 Why did our Father make 
 men to do wrong and to suffer so much ? ’ 
 
 44 She says much lately of being independent and 
 earning her own living when she leaves school, but the 
 thought of going home to live seems to have no place 
 in her plans for the future. She grows continually 
 more affectionate, more lovely, and at the same time more 
 sensitive. 
 
 21 
 
322 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 “ Nov. 10. I had a very pleasant conversation with 
 Laura this morning. She told me of her prayers ; how 
 calm and happy it made her to pray. Her prayer, as 
 she repeated it to me, was beautiful from its simplicity 
 and fitness. I wish I could recall her words, for the form! 
 of expression was very perfect, but I could not ask her 
 to repeat it. She asked, ‘Can you realize that God is 
 with us and takes care of us constantly ? ’ She spoke 
 of death : ‘ I cannot imagine how my spirit can feel: 
 without my body. I do not know why I should not 
 feel willing to die, but I do not feel willing.’ But not- 
 withstanding all these misgivings which arise in her mind 
 occasionally as she thinks of the future, she feels that 
 existence is a great blessing. She said, as often; 
 before, ‘ I am so glad that I was created ! ’ Indeed, 
 when in health there is not a happier being in existence 
 than she. She asked, ‘ Can we conceive how great and 
 good God is ? ’ ‘ How industrious he is ! * she exclaimed 
 when we had been talking of his goodness as mani- 
 fested in the creation of all things around us. ‘ Did you 
 know that my heart has much more love for everybody 
 than last year? I am very much happier. When I 
 meet people and they kiss me so hard, they are so very 
 kind to me and I laugh and feel so much more kind and 
 loving.’ ” 
 
 Under another date she says : — 
 
 “Laura has become much interested in Free Soil 
 principles, and few voters have made more earnest 
 inquiries into the character of the candidates for the 
 Presidency. It was with difficult}" that I convinced her 
 that a man might have some good qualities even though 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 323 
 
 he were a slave-holder and were willing to fight, and 
 indeed, I doubt whether I did really succeed. She 
 asked why her father should not be a slave as well as 
 the negroes. She could see no reason why one man 
 who worked hard should not be a slave as well as 
 another. 
 
 44 Nov. 16. She made a remark that made me real- 
 ize, more then ever, her privations. 4 I want to do 
 right, but I cannot hear with my ears what everybody 
 sa\^s about it ; what they think is right and best to do.’ 
 She said this more seriously than she usually speaks of 
 her own peculiarities. 
 
 4 4 Reading in Laura’s journal that her heart was almost 
 broken by the loss of a dear friend who had gone away, 
 I asked her if I should get some glue to mend it. With 
 a half-serious, half-comic expression she replied, 4 Time 
 will be the best glue.’ 
 
 44 Jan. 29 , 1849. . This morning I read one' of Dr. 
 Peabody’s sermons to Laura, 4 We know but in part.’ 
 She was much pleased that she could understand it so 
 readily. She clasped the book with delight, and said, 
 4 1 wish it was mine, for it would always fill my heart 
 with love and goodness. I am so glad that Dr. (Howe) 
 took so much trouble to find out how to teach me to 
 i give me the best education. If I had studied all the time 
 I should have made more progress. Why did you not 
 | teach me when I was poor (thin) and had a cough ? ’ 
 
 44 April 10. She said to-day, 4 How glad I am that 
 , our minds are made to go thousands of miles to see 
 : our friends and be with them, though they are so 
 s remote.’ (She had just parted with a friend to whom 
 she was much attached and who was going to reside in 
 
324 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 California.) A few moments after she asked, ‘Will 
 our minds all be alike, when they go to heaven away 
 from our bodies? I think they will be exactly alike. 
 How hard it is to think God has lived forever! If 
 we were all alike we could not know each other. I 
 think we shall know our friends and much better than 
 we do here, but I have not naturally much confidence 
 in God. Christ had the most confidence in God, he 
 was willing to be killed. Do you think he feels like 
 himself now in heaven ? Do we think as much of our 
 only Father as we ought to? Does it not give you 
 more love in your heart to think much of him? It 
 does me/ 
 
 “ For a few weeks past I have been often struck 
 with her apparent appreciation of unexpressed thoughts. 
 Anything that interests me deeply seems to suggest a 
 corresponding train of thought in her. It is so often 
 the case that I can scarcely believe it to be the effect 
 of accident merely. Her parting advice to her friend, 
 Mrs. F., was, ‘ I hope you will be very happy & use- 
 ful & loving & kind always ; & also that you will 
 have reverence & respect for all human beings. I 
 feel in my heart that you will strive to do your duty to 
 God, & it will please him so much to see you doing 
 the most good to all in the world. I shall wish to hear 
 of your happiness, & of the country, etc., so much. 
 You must think of me & ask for my sympathy & 
 confidence when you are troubled and homesick in 
 mind & heart. You must not think I shall forget 
 you in my life if I do not write to you frequently/ 
 
 “ April 26. She attended a wedding for the first 
 time. She conducted her r *elf with the most perfect pro- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 325 
 
 priety and expressed her good wishes very gracefully, 
 giving as well as receiving much pleasure. 
 
 “ This afternoon she alluded to the incident in her 
 early childhood of throwing the cat into the fire. I 
 asked her if she knew she was doing wrong at the time. 
 She said, ‘ Not till my mother punished me, then I 
 knew it was wrong.’ ” 
 
 In August she spent some weeks with her dear 
 friends in Billerica, and while there, wrote a long 
 letter to her brother Addison to whom she was 
 much attached. She sympathized with him in his 
 love of study, and indulged in dreams of a future 
 time coming when she would be able to study with 
 him. She appreciated her superiority in age, and 
 occasionally assumed the position of adviser. 
 She had just heard that he enjoyed using a gun 
 sometimes. 
 
 The following is a copy of the letter : — 
 
 Billerica, Aug. 26, 1849. 
 My Dearest Brother Addison: 
 
 I wish you a very happy Sunday. I came to Bil- 
 lerica last Friday, p. m. I was highly delighted to get 
 a kind note from you. My little heart was filled with 
 numerous delightful emotions. I did not approve of 
 your killing the most huge bird. But he was so 
 intensely cruel as to kill those poultry which existed 
 very happily. If I were you I would hate to hurt any 
 living thing, because my heavenly father is so infinitely 
 kind & benevolent as to have all things in order. 1 
 am very grateful to him, for he presented my brothers 
 
326 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 & sisters & numerous great blessings. God is al- 
 ways very much displeased to see any one hurt birds, 
 or anything that lives very happily. I am positively 
 sure that it is very wrong for you & John to like to 
 hurt or kill the happy creatures. I am extremely sad 
 that you love such cruel fun so dearly in that way. I j 
 am very sure you would be much happier during your 
 existence if you will only not be selfish & cruel to 
 hurt or do any wrong thing in the world. I am very 
 kind & amiable in my own heart. I wish to give you ! 
 some very good instruction with all my heart. I love | 
 goodness very much. I wish you would strive to 
 resist such temptations in hunting & hurting. Will 
 you exert yourself to regard my great wishes ? I do 
 not doubt in the least it will increase your happiness if 
 you would cultivate your benevolence and patience very 
 resolutely. You must learn to control your bad habits 
 entirely. It will strengthen your mind greatly. Did 
 you ever feel unkind or unamiable towards me in your 
 heart while you staid with me ? I never allow myself 
 to be vexed or impatient or unamiable. I hope you will 
 always have much love and sympathy for your dear j 
 eldest sister & all human beings. I do not really ; 
 censure you, but I wish to give you very good influence 
 or instruction. I hope that you will be so very grate- 
 ful to me for my advice. 
 
 God is so infinitely good who sends us a very im- 
 mense number of beautiful flowers, etc. I had very 
 many roses, etc., this summer. They were so very 
 sweet & elegant, that my desire was very great to 
 fly & exhibit them to you all. I considered that ! 
 you would admire them very much. I love beau- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 327 
 
 ties very dearly. I do not think you love beauties & 
 goodness. I am very sad more frequently this year 
 than I used to be. It is hard to explain the causes 
 or cases. My mind seems rather weak and sad. I 
 like sympathy very much in sorrow and joys. Did 
 you have much confidence in me that I would fulfil my 
 promise of writing jmu a letter? I knit you a chain 
 with great pleasure last month, & hope you will like it. 
 Will you please to wear it to remember me very kindly? 
 I recite seven or eight lessons to Miss Wight regularly. 
 Wight reads to me in the Bible for a while. Then she 
 reads to me from my precious book, the title is “ The 
 King’s Messengers.” I have an hour to study till break- 
 fast ; at quarter of seven. I study Algebra, Geometry, 
 Physiology, N. Philosophy, History. Last month I 
 implored Wight to please to teach me Algebra & 
 Geometry. She said that it was very difficult for me 
 to study them. G. seems very difficult for me to com- 
 prehend it perfectly. I have a great deal of persever- 
 ance & patience. I love to study G. & A. with very 
 great zeal & alacrity continually. When I first studied 
 G., Wight was very kind & patient to explain to me 
 the meaning of all of those things so repeatedly for a 
 week. I thought that it was impossible to understand 
 G., but I rejoice very much to be able to puzzle out at 
 last. You & I love studies so very much. I should 
 love to come & study with you much, alone sometimes. 
 I fear that you would drive me out of your presence. 
 For I think you did not like to sit & commune with me 
 in the least. You used to avoid me many times when 
 I wished to be with you with my heart. All of my 
 friends are very sociable & affectionate to me. It gives 
 
328 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 me great pleasure to see them around me. I think you 
 like to receive letters from me better than to see or talk 
 with me. ... I shall delight much to have a long 
 & full letter from you as soon as } t ou are at leisure to 
 reply to my letter. I send my very best love to you. 
 Do write to me spry. I wish you a very sweet •& 
 happy eve. 
 
 L. D. Bridqjaah. 
 
 If any one avoid her or dislike to talk with her, 
 she notices it very quickly, but in this respect hex 
 brothers, when young, were not unlike most 
 children, who instinctively shrink from any one 
 whom they perceive to have a natural defect or to 
 be peculiar in any way, and she was at home with 
 them so little they did not have time to overcome 
 this feeling. 
 
 In September we find her resuming her studies. 
 
 44 Sept. 17. Speaking of the importation of tea, coffee, 
 and spices, she asked, Do you think they are impor- 
 tant?’ 4 Not to me, I do not like to use them.’ Looking, 
 very thoughtful she said, 4 But they were made: why 
 were they created if they were not meant to be used ? * 
 At another time she inquired why her mother was not 
 so fond of adorning her house as I was, and said, 4 I am 
 more fond of beauties than of anything else in the world.’ 
 4 Except goodness,’ I suggested. With a smile she 
 said, 4 I meant goodness was the greatest beauty of all.’ 
 
 44 Sept. 18. She asked, 4 Do you think we shall be 
 homesick when we leave this earth as we are when we 
 leave our homes ? ’ 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 329 
 
 “ Sept. 19. She was very quick in algebra this morn- 
 jig. There is a great difference in her at different times, 
 and without any apparent reason. One morning the 
 most trifling thing will be a stumbling-block in her way, 
 and the very next day she will seem to grasp a diffi- 
 culty of the same nature with ease. 
 
 “Nov. 1. Her arithmetic lesson was not very good. 
 From the beginning she has disliked this study. I told 
 her that everything which gives the mind strength, even 
 the study of arithmetic, increases our power to appre- 
 ciate goodness, and will make our lives more useful and 
 happy. To remind her of Jesus seldom fails to bring 
 her into a right frame of mind. After this conversa- 
 tion, I gave her another question, which she solved suc- 
 cessfully. She asked why she was not naturally as 
 good as other people. I told her we all had faults, and 
 that I could see in her many good qualities. She re- 
 plied, ‘ But you do not know how unamiable I am, for 
 often when I try to smile, and you think I am amiable, 
 I have impatient feelings in my heart.’ Later in the 
 day we talked of the difference between reason and in- 
 stinct. I told her that reason could see the connection 
 between cause and effect which instinct could not. She 
 reminded me of the story of the elephant, who, on 
 being pricked by a tailor, filled his trunk with water 
 which he discharged upon the tailor. This seemed to 
 her to show reason. 
 
 “ Nov. 6. She was very successful in arithmetic, 
 and I asked how it was she was so bright. She said, 
 ‘ I think an angel came from heaven and made my 
 mind more bright.’ 
 
 “ Nov. 8. I aura is certainly improving. She has 
 
330 
 
 LAVRA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 surprised me all day by her quickness of apprehension 
 and power of application. She has waked up, though 
 it can hardly be said of such a mind as hers that it is 
 ever asleep ; but to-day, as I was talking to her about 
 active and passive states of mind, she laughed , and said 
 she could understand the difference very easily, for she 
 knew it by experience. 
 
 “ Nov. 10. Finished the reading of Jarvis’s Physiol- 
 og}^, and now lay it aside for a few months, as I have 
 found best to do with other books. After an interval 
 of time she seems to look at the subjects in a new light, 
 and things once difficult become easy to her.” 
 
 With these extracts we close the journal of 
 Miss Wight. 
 
 We add one more leaf from Laura’s journal of 
 December, in which she tells of her plans for a 
 Christmas party : — 
 
 “ I have had many very pleasant and comical thoughts 
 to-day. I anticipate having (an) extremely pleasant 
 festival time on Christmas. I should be most delighted 
 to celebrate the day. I would send a very cordial invi- 
 tation to my dear family. I should wish Miss Wight 
 to assist me to write many notes, for the purpose of 
 inviting them, two days before. I can bear such exhil- 
 aration with all my heart and mind. I must purchase 
 a very big and elegant Christmas tree. I should be 
 very much absorbed in business. I could suspend 
 fruits & very tiny baskets containing sweetmeats on the 
 branches of the trees. I shall wish to promote the hap- 
 piness of my visitors as much as I could. I think that if 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 331 
 
 one hundred of my friends assembled to our new spa- 
 cious parlor, the room would be so very full indeed, & 
 the air would be scanty or breathed up totally. I could 
 have a very big table & have it set very richly. I 
 could have all kinds of pies, & cake, & fruit on the 
 table. Afterward I should like to make my visitors laugh 
 very heartily by my most comical remarks. I could ask 
 Mr. P. to loan me his musical box, that my friends 
 may have the pleasure of hearing very sweet & loud & 
 soft sounds, as long as they liked We shall sit up till 
 eleven or twelve in the eve. How can I assign a plenty 
 of beds to them? I shall be impelled (compelled) to 
 deposit some bed clothes on the floors for them to repose 
 themselves upon. One of them might be compelled to 
 immerse into my little bathing closet. She will be very 
 much exhausted from standing so long a time. She will 
 be apt to nod her head all night. She would not find 
 herself half so much refreshed in the morning, as if she 
 had slept in bed. Some of the friends will have to 
 sleep on my shelves. I should be very sad to compel 
 them to sleep so uncomfortably and uneasily. I am 
 enjoying this castle in the air very much. I am natu- 
 rally very fond of mirthfulness.” 
 
 In the above extract she alludes to a music box. 
 She sometimes had this box loaned to her and took 
 much pleasure in placing it in a chair, and then 
 putting her feet upon the rounds of the chair so 
 that she ' could feel it play.’ 
 
 Miss Wight continued to teach Laura until the 
 spring of 1850. Five years of uninterrupted 
 teaching, of a kind which drew most heavily upon 
 
832 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 the nervous system, had so prostrated her that 
 she was obliged to resign her charge. That it was 
 a sad trial to both teacher and pupil need not be 
 told after the preceding record. 
 
 Some months later Laura was obliged to bid her 
 a long farewell as she sailed for a new home in 
 the Sandwich Islands, and to relinquish also the 
 bright hopes she had so long cherished of helping 
 her take care of " some nice little house,” and 
 living always with her. 
 
 In Dr. Howe’s Eighteenth Report, made Jan- 
 uary, 1850, he speaks of the position which Laura 
 held before the world at this time, as follows : — 
 
 “ Her progress has been a curious and an interesting 
 spectacle. She has come into human society with a 
 sort of triumphal march ; her course has been a per- 
 petual ovation. Thousands have been watching her 
 with eager eyes, and applauding each successful step, 
 while she, all unconscious of their gaze, holding on to 
 the slender thread, and feeling her way along, has 
 advanced with faith and courage towards those who 
 awaited her with trembling hope. Nothing shows more 
 than her case the importance which, despite their useless 
 waste of human life and human capacity, men really 
 attach to a human soul. They owe to her something 
 for furnishing an opportunity of showing how much of 
 goodness there is in them ; for surely the way in which 
 she has been regarded is creditable to humanity. Per- 
 haps there are not three living women whose names are 
 more widely known than hers ; and there is not one who 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 333 
 
 has excited so much sympathy and interest. There 
 are thousands of women in the world who are striving 
 to attract its notice and gain its admiration, some by 
 the natural magic of beauty and grace, some by high 
 nobility of talent, some by the low ?r nobility of rank 
 and title, some by the vulgar show of wealth ; but none 
 of them has done it so effectually as this poor blind, deaf, 
 and dumb girl, by the silent show of her misfortunes, 
 and her successful efforts to surmount them. 
 
 “ The treatment she has received shows something 
 of human progress too ; for the time was, when a child, 
 bereaved of senses as she is, would have been regarded 
 as a monster and treated as a burden and a curse, even 
 among the most civilized people of the world ; she 
 would, perhaps, have been thrown into the river, or ex- 
 posed upon the mountain to wild beasts. But now 
 there are millions of people by whom it is recognized as 
 a duty and esteemed as a privilege to protect and 
 cherish her, or any one in like situation. 
 
 “ There is something, perhaps, in the rarity of such 
 cases of manifold bereavement, something in the fact 
 that she is the first person who ever came out of such a 
 dark and silent prison to tell us plainly of its condition, 
 something of pride in the proof which she gives in 
 the native power of the human soul ; but still, bating 
 all this, the amount of tender sympathy in her misfor- 
 tunes and of real interest in the attempt to lighten them, 
 which has been shown by thousands of sensit' ve hearts, 
 is most gratifying to reflect upon.” 
 
334 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 We depart from our chronological order to re- 
 late some items of interest occurring during the 
 last few years which have not been reported in the 
 journals. We shall be able to give only a frag- 
 mentary history of her subsequent life, no further 
 record having been kept. 
 
 In the summer of 1846, after an absence of a 
 year, I returned to Boston to reside, and Laura 
 was made happy by having another place to visit. 
 Nothing ever gave her more pleasure than to be 
 left alone and allowed to examine things at leis- 
 ure ; and having once been led through my house, 
 she required no further assistance in her explora- 
 tions, but was soon familiar not only with the 
 rooms, but with closets and bureaus. Her great 
 gentleness and delicacy of touch made it entirely 
 safe to trust her with the most valued treasures, 
 and I never knew her to injure anything. 
 
 One day she proved to me that she knew more 
 about my possessions than I did myself. She 
 asked me to give her a piece of silk for some pur- 
 pose, and when told I had only a few pieces that 
 were like my dresses, and cruld not spare them, 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 335 
 
 said, "You are mistaken, in the closet in the 
 third story there is a box, and it has Li it some 
 pieces that are not like your dresses.” I sent her 
 to find them, and to my surprise she was right. 
 Nothing could be misplaced in the house without 
 her perceiving it. 
 
 She was always pleased with children and liked 
 to hold an infant in her arms, and her joy was 
 great when she was told there was a baby in our 
 house. She watched its growth and development 
 with the greatest interest, and was very happy to 
 bring a present of the tiniest shoes to be found. 
 In her journal of Jan. 23, she writes of baby’s 
 first visit to her : " I was very pleasantly detained 
 by visitors. Mrs. L. and little Mary came to spend 
 the p. m. with us. I was so highly delighted to 
 have such pleasant company. I derived so much 
 pleasure from giving so constant attention to my 
 cunning pet. I led her about the work room and 
 our room. I loved to carry the child in my arms 
 about very much. I willingly let her hear my 
 musical box play for a while. When I took it away 
 from her it caused her to cry instantly, because 
 she disliked to give the music up. We went to 
 the shop to put the child on the scales and to let 
 the blind boys see her. I was very sorry to have 
 her go home.” 
 
 After hearing of the death of little Mary, she 
 wrote in her journal : "I had a great many sad 
 
336 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 thoughts in my mind to-day, my dear friend’s only 
 little daughter has died. I used to love & caress 
 her when she was a very little jabe very much, as 
 if she was my own child. I u&od to call her my 
 little pet, etc.” She wrote the following letter 
 without suggestion from any one : — 
 
 Sept. 28, 1849. 
 
 My Dear Mrs. L. : 
 
 I was very much surprised to hear of the decease of 
 your darling last Tuesdaj^. I hoped she would recover 
 very soon. I trust that your little Mary is much 
 happier at her new home than she was on earth. I am 
 very positive God and His beloved Son, Christ, will 
 educate your child much better than men could in this 
 world. I can scarcely realize that the school is so 
 excessively beautiful in heaven. I can sympathize with 
 you in your great affliction. I cannot help think- 
 ing of your trouble and little Mary’s illness. I know 
 very certainly that God will promote her happiness for- 
 ever. I loved her very dearly, as if she were my own 
 daughter. I shall miss her very much every time I 
 come to see you. I send my best love to j t ou and a 
 kiss. I am very sad for you. 
 
 Yours, L. B. 
 
 After Miss Wight left, she had no regular les- 
 sons. Some of the blind girls were asked to talk 
 with her at certain hours, but, with the oversight 
 of the matron, she was left to occupy her time as 
 she liked. She had reached the age of twenty-one, 
 and her intellectual development was such that it 
 
LAUR^l BRIDGMAN. 
 
 337 
 
 was not considered necessary she should have a 
 person entirely devoted to her. At one time 
 the experiment was tried of employing a young 
 person about her own age as companion, but 
 without satisfactory result; she preferred to be 
 alone. The books in raised type were her com- 
 panions, and the Bible was her special delight. 
 She found more time now to devote to her work, 
 and as there was always a ready sale for everything 
 she could make, she was stimulated to do even 
 more than was best for her health. She enjoyed 
 visiting her old teachers and a few other friends, 
 with whom she carried on a regular correspond- 
 ence. 
 
 She sympathized warmly with her friends in 
 affliction, and her letters written on such occasions 
 are very touching. Some of these are kindly 
 loaned me for publication. The extracts are cop- 
 ied as they came from her pencil, save that the 
 punctuation is somewhat changed to make the 
 sense more apparent. 
 
 Sunny Home, Jan. 25th, 1853. 
 My Dear Sister, Miss Rogers: 
 
 I received your most kind letter last Thursday, with 
 the greatest of pleasure. ... I was so sadly & 
 violently surprised to hear of (the death of) your 
 lovely sister Mary, last Nov., the same day of my 
 arrival from my dear home. I sympathize with you 
 very truly in your greatest afflictions. I wish very 
 much to console you. I rejoice so greatly for your 
 22 
 
338 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 heart’s sake that Harriet is with you. She is in E’s 
 place now. She will be your own constant companion, I 
 hope. She will be of such a great comfort to you as the 
 sun (that) shines. I did not dream that you would be 
 attacked by an other loss so suddenly. (Alluding to 
 the death of a little sister previously.) I know of 
 course that your darling Mary is much happier in see- 
 ing her own little Ella, at a new home which belongs to 
 God. M. loves you so much more than while she dwelt 
 on this big world. Mary watches you much more, & 
 knows how you feel in her loss. She will however 
 smile upon you like an Angel. 
 
 God will educate her with much more love & 
 beauty & meekness, than these men (could do) who are 
 most religious & benevolent on the earth. 
 
 Christ will treat M & E so very justly & with great- 
 est refinement, & also will have such a beautiful influ- 
 ence upon them both forever. M. is very truly happy 
 to live with Ella & other friends You will always miss 
 Mary very sorrowfully, but I delight so highly in the 
 thought of her being delivered from her sufferings, by 
 God, who was absolutely merciful & lovely. Mary 
 used to smile upon you very sweetly always. I love 
 her excessively, as if she were my own Sister. I can- 
 not believe of the idea that you wish Mary to return 
 back for your own comfort & pleasure. . . . 
 
 It was her habit, after she was without a teacher, 
 to keep in her mind long lists of words, and bring 
 tfhem to me for explanation. On the occasion of 
 her visits she was jealous of every interruption, 
 whether from children or visitors, and often rec- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 339 
 
 ommended that the former should remain in the 
 nursery, and the laiter be told I was engaged. 
 She could not afford to lose a moment from con- 
 versation. Those who were now about her at the 
 Institution had had comparatively little experi- 
 ence in talking with the fingers ; she was always 
 patient with the slowest talker, yet it was a pleas- 
 ure to her that she could make her fingers fly once 
 more, and be understood. She liked to consult 
 me about her clothing, and in brief to come as a 
 daughter to a mother. On one occasion I had led 
 her to her chamber and bade her good night. Hear- 
 ing her moving about for an hour after, I went to 
 see what she was doing. On opening the door 
 cautiously I saw that bed, chairs, and table were 
 covered with the articles of a wedding trousseau 
 which she had found in the bureau drawers. I 
 said to her, " It is eleven o’clock. Why have you 
 so many clothes about?” She replied, "I was 
 going to ask you to-morrow to go with me and buy 
 a great many yards of cotton, and I want you to 
 cut it into many things. I do not like the pat- 
 terns I have, and I knew your nice things were in 
 these drawers, so I have been trying them all on ; 
 those that I like are on the table, and I will put 
 the others away.” It was with difficulty that I 
 could answer her as seriously as she felt the occa- 
 sion required, but I promised to do as she wished 
 the next day if she would go quickly to bed. 
 
340 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 On another occasion a clergyman arrived unex- 
 pectedly as we were leaving the tea-table. I left 
 Laura abruptly, to prepare a cup of tea for him 
 before he went to perform a Wedding service, for 
 which he had travelled some distance. When I 
 returned to her, I explained to her the cause of my 
 absence, saying, "Prof. P. has gone to marry a 
 couple.” She was standing, and at once raised 
 herself on her toes, and with a look of the great- 
 est disgust on her face, thrust out her arm to its 
 full length, and spelled with her fingers "f-o-o-1.” 
 For an instant I was puzzled to find a reason for 
 such severe condemnation and unusual display of 
 feeling, but on thinking of my sentence, I per- 
 ceived that while I had made use of a common 
 expression, it was one with which, perhaps, she 
 had never met before, and therefore had under- 
 stood me that he had come to Boston to be mar- 
 ried himself, and to a couple of wives. It was 
 not strange that her sense of propriety should be 
 outraged. 
 
 In the summer of 1852 she returned to her 
 father’s house in Hanover with the understanding 
 that this was to be her permanent home. She had 
 always enjoyed her visits there, but now, when 
 the novelty had worn off, she became very lonely, 
 and missed ^adly her old surroundings. In the 
 large family m which the greater part of her life 
 had been passed, there was always some one 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 341 
 
 with whom she could have a social chat. She was 
 interested in everybody, and to an incredible 
 extent knew what was passing about her. The 
 transition to the quiet life of a small family was 
 more than her sensitive nature could bear. In the 
 winter following she lost all inclination for food, 
 but complained of nothing, and probably diet not 
 know the cause of her increasing debility. At 
 last she was confined to her bed, and Dr. Howe 
 was notified of her condition. He found her 
 almost at death’s door, but with no disease save 
 homesickness. He sent a lady to bring her back 
 to the Institution, which was accomplished with 
 difficulty, and as she was carried into her old room, 
 and laid upon her bed, she looked as though her 
 spirit had already fled. She began to improve 
 immediately, but required much care for a long 
 time. For many years she continued to occupy 
 the same room, and was a happy member of the 
 family. She went into the school-room at certain 
 hours, when she could share the instruction in 
 writing, etc., given to the blind girls. 
 
 She has always manifested strong likes and dis- 
 likes. A pleasing young girl of sixteen, who had 
 become temporarily blind, was carried to the 
 Institution. Laura conceived a violent affection 
 for her which developed singularly. She ap- 
 pointed herself both guardian and nurse, and 
 refused to allow any one else to do anything for 
 
342 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 her, showing much jealousy if it was attempted. 
 At last, to make sure of no interruption, she locked 
 herself into the room with her, and for many hours 
 no one could gain admittance. She is especially 
 attracted to those who have a gentle, timid nature, 
 which she discovers at once. Her ability to read 
 character is very remarkable, and she is rarely 
 mistaken. When it is remembered that this is 
 done at the fingers’ ends, it would not be strange 
 if this statement were received with incredulity, 
 but every one who has known her intimately will 
 attest its truth. As has been said, " She observes 
 the tones of the finger language,” and these are as 
 pronounced to her as those of the voice are to our 
 ears. She knows how different people laugh, and 
 often speaks of the sweet smile of one and another. 
 It may be thought that she must be always feeling 
 of the face, and thus make herself disagreeable ; 
 but this is not so, she rarely touches it, and yet 
 judges correctly. There w r as at one time in the 
 house a very gentlemanly young man who was not 
 blind. He was well dressed, and his appearance 
 did not betray the deficiency of intellect which 
 really existed. Laura had not met him until the 
 day he was introduced to her. He could not speak 
 with his fingers, so it was merely a shaking of 
 hands that passed between them. Instantly after 
 she dropped his hand she raised hers, letting the 
 fingers hang down, and said to the person who 
 introduced her, t? Is he a fool ? ” 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 343 
 
 One day she called to see a friend to whom she 
 was attached and met her husband for the lirst 
 time. He was a man highly esteemed, but very 
 reserved and distant in manner. She shook hands 
 with him and asked, "Has he many friends? Is he 
 greatly beloved in his own family ? Is he severe ? ” 
 
 It was a cause of surprise to those who wers 
 constantly with her that it so often happened that 
 while sitting quietly at work, apparently absorbed 
 by her own thoughts, she should ask some question 
 directly bearing upon the subject of general con- 
 versation, to which no one had given her any clew. 
 This led to the remark, " Laura always knows our 
 thoughts.” 
 
 She takes notice of dress, and likes to examine 
 it sufficiently to get an idea of the pattern, but 
 shows her good taste by choosing for herself both 
 material and style which are appropriate. She had 
 desired to have a silk dress, and was much pleased 
 on receiving one from a friend on her return from 
 Europe, its value being enhanced from the fact 
 that she could speak of it as her " dress from 
 Paris.” This was not because Paris is the head- 
 quarters of fashion, but because there was, to her 
 mind, something akin to romance pertaining to 
 everything she had learned in geography. She 
 had wished also for a watch. This may seem to 
 be a superfluity for a deaf and dumb and blind per- 
 son, but she easily learned to tell the time, and 
 
344 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 enjoyed using one which was loaned to her, always 
 placing it under her pillow at night, and claiming 
 that it waked her at the right time in the morning. 
 A few years since, through the generosity of a 
 couple of friends, she was presented with a watch 
 in a hunter’s case, the crystal being removed that 
 she might have more ready access to the hands. 
 She has derived much enjoyment as well as com- 
 panionship from it. 
 
 From the fact of her having been the recipient 
 of such special care and attention during all her 
 life, we should hardly think her blameworthy if 
 she should be thoughtless of others and careful to 
 guard her own interests ; but on the contrary, she 
 has an affectionate disposition, and nothing has 
 delighted her more throughout her life than to be 
 able to assist a friend or to send some comfort to 
 a poor person. At the time of the famine in Ire- 
 land her sympathies were much moved, and she 
 purchased, with the proceeds of her own industry, 
 a barrel of flour, which was sent to the sufferers. 
 
 About the year 1855 it was suggested to Laura 
 that she write an account of events which she 
 could remember in her life at home, before she 
 came to the Institution. We copy extracts from 
 this paper, trusting that the quaintness of her style 
 will give interest even to a twice-told tale : — 
 
 “ I shall like very much indeed to write the life of my 
 childhood. I can remember of a great many circum- 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 Ml 
 
 stances & events which occurred in my earliest days. 
 I was born in Hanover, N. H., the 21st of Dec. 1829. 
 I had one brother named Milo, & two first sisters 
 Mary & Frances Collina. They all left my lovely home, 
 & went to a spiritual land to live with my heavenly 
 Father. I never knew them except what I have heard 
 about since then. Mary & Frances were attacked by 
 the perilous fever scarlet, which was a cause of their 
 death. Little Milo was born with the nature of great 
 weakness ; he was carried from his dear mother’s sight 
 in the arms of an angel, when three months old. 
 . . . I was two years & a few months old when I 
 
 was in the calamity of a raging fever, which was scar- 
 let, I was very sorely ill for three long weeks. . . . 
 
 I could not take a morsel of bread or cracker, neither 
 could swallow throughin my little throat for a few long 
 weeks, except that I drank some very nourishing liquid, 
 crust coffee. I was not conveyed in one’s arms out of 
 doors, even for an instant, for three or four months. I 
 recollect very distinctly how much I used to lay (lie) 
 in a nice old cradle on account of the illness & weak- 
 ness. I liked to have some one rock me along in it 
 extremely continually. . . . One day I was repos- 
 
 ing my little body in that snug cradle, a spark of coals 
 with fire flew very lightly upon my neck, & the flame 
 of fire spread to my chin (so) that it rendered (made) 
 both of my neck & chin grow closely, but the inflamma- 
 tion went off, & it caused a scar on the skin. My dear 
 mother kept watching over me in another person’s 
 lap on the occasion of suffering. I kept sobbing very 
 hard unconsciously. I took some sugar saturated with 
 some peppermint, I liked very much, for a sort of 
 
346 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 medicine. ... I was born in fragile health. 1 
 was very fond of all sorts of tricks in my childhood. 
 I had a good deal of distress with my eyes for months, 
 they would not bear the rays of light an instant, from 
 which I tried to prevent. I put up my hands over my 
 ill eyes, & rush(ed) into a very snug bedroom for a 
 bit of darkness. The nerve was painful that effectually 
 made a great shower of tears in my eyes, which finally 
 gushed out at once. It was from ignorance of the fact, 
 that I imagined, that the sun always shone beneath, 
 through the floor in my mother’s kitchen upon which I 
 reflect with my eye, near her right window. I was 
 perfectly unwise, & very unfortunate about the wisdom 
 of God & his beloved Son Jesus. I did not have such 
 a doll at the earliest period of my childhood. My 
 mother knew nothing about dolls for many long years. 
 I never had play-toys for amusements, or a pleasure 
 except what I contrived to find in her house for myself 
 to play. I had many pleasant times in sporting. I 
 could not articulate, or see, or hear. (Afterwards) I 
 had a very funny doll made of a lot of rags, which 
 pleased me very much indeed, that homely doll was 
 bound very nicely & smoothk . I had some neat 
 clothes for the doll to dress in. I never gave the doll 
 a name, for I did not know of tne fact that such dolls 
 could receive any name, & also, I was not educated 
 how to use my little fingers. My mother was not 
 capable of learning the finger alphabet for numer- 
 ous long years. We never had a dream of the inven- 
 tion for a way to spell a shortest or easiest word with 
 the fingers in the world. I used to make some signs 
 for my mother, what I wished her to know of, it was 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 347 
 
 not a least shadow between her and I, as she could 
 comprehend all signs I made. ... I had a small 
 thin plate for my own, it was a gift from an old man 
 named Mr. Asa Tenny whom I always loved & 
 respected so greatly, my first and old benefactor. The 
 nice tin plate has the finger alphabet printed in raised 
 letters around on the edge. I occupied my plate at the 
 table frequently. I could not have practised in reading 
 the blind (raised) letters with my fingers for various 
 reasons, until I was brought up to an education, when 
 I was almost eight years old. , . Mr. Tenny was 
 
 always very patient and kind and gentle to me. He 
 used to stroke my face with his finger for caress, & also 
 let me know him. He had a most original manner of 
 taking hold of my arms before I could have touched his 
 hands & recognized him. As I felt his hat upon his 
 head, I knew him instantly always. The hat was very 
 common, so plain & sleek & durable, it seems to have 
 felt to my fingers like a piece of paste board. Mr. T. 
 always dressed in most simple & refugal (frugal) 
 clothes. I had two little chairs, one of those chairs had 
 rockers & they both had arms. I sat in them a good 
 deal which I enjoyed exceedingly. ... I derived 
 a great pleasure from walking & rambling & sporting 
 with Mr. T. daily. He used to go with me out of the 
 doors in search of eggs very frequently. I liked so 
 much to grope in hollowed nests with my little hands, 
 seeking for a single egg. Mr. T. commanded me not 
 to rob the poor hen of her very last egg, by a gesture 
 which I understood so clearly, but I did not know the 
 reason why he left one egg remaining undisturbed in 
 the position. He influenced me with something like 
 
348 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 geography, which was, that I Hinged sand, stones & 
 gravels & branches of aged trees into the brook. I 
 enjoyed that game extremely. He would conduct me 
 to call on his friends as often as was his conven- 
 ience, or my mother approved of my going with him. 
 He was my first benefactor on this earth. He was stout 
 & firm to lift me up in his big arms a long distance 
 from place to place. I admired very much to be 
 carried in his arms like a babe. We went out to pluck 
 lots of different berries at an}^ rate (to any amount?) 
 that we pleased. I was always disposed to subsist on 
 them, mixed with most luxurious milk & white or 
 brown-bread or crackers. Mr. T. never liked to scold 
 me for doing a little thing which was really wrong 
 according to his opinion. He never inflict (ed) a pun- 
 ishment upon me in his life.” 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 349 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 In' 1855 she made the acquaintance of Katie 
 Hill, a blind girl who had just arrived from Ger- 
 many, and had become a member of the school. 
 She was especially attracted to her because, in her 
 early years, she had been much attached to the 
 wife and children of our German music-teacher. 
 They had returned to the Fatherland, and this 
 girl was a*t once received with affection for their 
 sake. 
 
 At this time Laura was in the habit of convers 
 mg with the blind girls freely, and very soon taught 
 her the finger alphabet. Katie had had little 
 opportunity for acquiring knowledge of books, not 
 having been at any school for the blind, but she 
 had learned to love the Saviour, and "had done,” 
 as she expressed it, "some missionary work.” In 
 conversing with Laura it was very natural to her 
 to talk of Christ, and the ideas which she gave 
 her were different from any she had previously 
 received. In her visits to me she talked much 
 about her "new sister Katie,” and told me of what 
 she was learning from her. She wrote a very 
 interesting letter to her old friend Mrs. H. in 
 
350 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 Germany, telling her how much she loved her new 
 German friend and of what she had taught her. 
 Unfortunately this letter, which she brought to 
 me to forward, was not copied, and the original 
 has not been preserved, but several persons to 
 whom it was read by me, remember it distinctly 
 as a very remarkable letter. 
 
 In her occasional visits to me she always spoke 
 freely of her interest in reading the Bible, but the 
 great Teacher led her to an appropriation of its 
 truths through deep sorrow. 
 
 In 1860 she heard of the sudden death of her 
 eldest sister. I did not see her at this time, and 
 know of her experience only through others. 
 There seems to have arisen first a spirit of rebel- 
 lion against God, and she continued for months to 
 cherish bitter feelings, and to shun conversation 
 on religious topics, which had previously been 
 her delight. Just how long this state of mind 
 lasted we have no knowledge, but the following 
 letter shows the conflict ended, and an entire 
 change of feeling : — 
 
 Sunny Home, Mar. 10 , 61 . 
 
 My very dear Miss Rogers : 
 
 I am so happy to devote a little time to write you a 
 letter this lovely day. Behold what manner of glory & 
 love & grace our holy God hath bestowed upon us. 
 We can appreciate his kindness. Let us thank him for 
 whatsoever he gives us with all our hearts. May the 
 
LAURA BRID1MAN. 
 
 351 
 
 Lord be with you forever & ever. Grace be with you. 
 Amen. 
 
 This is a prayer for my true friend from me. 1 «,m 
 better this morn. I have not been well much of the 
 time this Winter & in the Fall But I am much hap- 
 pier in mind concerning God & his begotten Son, Jesus 
 Christ. I profess religion since last spring mcst fer- 
 vently. I devote a great deal of my time to studying 
 the sacred Bible. I rejoice so highly that God has 
 helped me how to comprehend his works in many ways. 
 I can not comprehend some of his works, but a part of 
 his gracious work. I read in the blessed Bible daily, 
 which I prize the most of all books in this world. My 
 spirit is much stronger than my bodily strength. . . . 
 I wish much to meet you once more. I would be so 
 joyful to pass many long weeks with you. Please to 
 let me know about your leisure for a visit from your old 
 pupil L. B. 
 
 I am in such raptures on account af my chosen friend 
 Wight, who is expected home in July with her family. 
 Miss M. saw Mr. Wight in town last week ; he pro- 
 posed to her that I should go to Wayland & visit Mrs. 
 Bond as soon as she recruited her rest. He longs foi 
 her. Yours truly. 
 
 L. Bridgman. 
 
 Her old teacher, Miss Wight (Mrs. Bond), 
 returned from the Sandwich Islands with her fam- 
 ily in 1861, after an absence of five years. Laura 
 was not told of her arrival, but was summoned 
 from the dinner-table to see a friend. She shook 
 hands with her, not recognizing her for an instant, 
 
352 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 but the next moment she sprang from the floor in 
 her delight, and fell nearly fainting into her arms. 
 
 During a visit to Hanover in the summer of 
 1863, she was baptized and received to member- 
 ship in the Baptist Church, with which her parents 
 were connected. Later in the year, while visiting 
 her friends in Billerica, she talked much about her 
 recent baptism, and was asked to write an account 
 of it. She complied with this request, prefacing 
 it with an account of her feelings on the death of 
 her sister. 
 
 My very dear Friend: 
 
 Jan. 8, 1864. 
 
 I am most happy to have the utmost pleasure to 
 write you a sketch concerning n^self. 
 
 One Sabbath day of February 4th long years ago 
 (1860), I heard from my old homestead by the interpre- 
 - tation of my dear friend, Miss Moulton. She received a 
 letter concerning my oldest sister Mary from my dear 
 mother. As Miss Moulton had reported a fate of death 
 of my precious sister Mary, I burst into a bad cry, my 
 heart ached so painfully ; it was broken with a great 
 crush. Many tears rushed with a heayy shower from 
 my eyes. I could hardly spell a word with my fingers 
 for many hours. My soul was cumbered and cast 
 down. In spirit I was unable to bear such vast affiic- 
 tions, it was the great torment of my heart, wnich 
 caused me a great trial, to suffer the loss of my aear 
 sister Mary. Miss Moulton was so kind & attentive to 
 me in such distressing pain & sorrow in spirit. She 
 took me with all her strength from her sitting room up 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN . 
 
 353 
 
 to my cozy room. It was hard for me to guide myself 
 alone, fori trembled of great agitation and pain, but the 
 Lord was good & merciful, & a firm staff to my comfort. 
 He was my gracious and holy guide. I was not a Chris- 
 tian at that time. Miss Moulton put me on my cozy bed, 
 and did so much for my comfort. She wiped the tears 
 from my face, though they ran so freely from my eyes. 
 ... I had a very sorrowful Sunday, contemplating the 
 piosoect of death of my dear sister Mary all the day 
 long. I was indisposed to relish my meals, on account 
 of the ?.dea ot my suffering sorrow & affliction for weeks. 
 It seems as if there could never be peace or hap- 
 piness in the vast world, that I might obtain to my 
 soul for a great while. I did not feel reconciliation to 
 my Heavenly Father or his blest son Jesus, whose 
 grace, & mercy, & love (was shown) in calling Mary 
 forth unto a land of bliss & glory, I loved my sister so 
 dearly. I could not trust in God and Jesus, as much 
 as I do now. I dwelt in a condition of unhappiness & 
 despair, many weeks.. My head was laid upon a pillow 
 of grief and lamentation many nights. My slumber was 
 brittle and frail, as my head was heavy laden with vari- 
 ous notions concerning my loved Mary. I wrote a let- 
 ter to my poor mother consoling her in her anguish, etc. 
 While I wrote it my tears gently rolled from my eyes, 
 & my heart ached sadly. Miss Moulton came to com- 
 fort my broken heart, by repeating some verses of 
 the fourteenth chapter of John, one Sabbath in April, 
 after the death of Mary. I began to review a (the) 
 subject of my Saviour Jesus & baptism. I aid not feel 
 inclined to ask my mamma any questions concerning 
 baptism. I only asked mother, how a person was bap- 
 23 
 
354 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 tized with water. In May, it came to pass that I thought 
 more and more of my Redeemer & baptism. I abode 
 with my mother a month in a new house, and then I 
 departed from my poor mother. My dear brother John 
 escorted me to Thetford, Vt. I staid with my dear 
 cousin Emily for more than three months. I attained 
 much enjoyment of conversing with my cousin about 
 such sacred things. I thought how delightful it might 
 have been to my soul if I could be baptized in the pure 
 water by the minister who usually preached the Holy 
 Ghost to the blest church in Thetford, Vt. But my 
 dear God did not approve of my doing that away from 
 my home. I felt fearful at times from these thoughts 
 concerning the performance of baptism. I thought that 
 there was danger of sinking my head bf neath the water, 
 & I might be drowned in the depth of water. I did 
 not feel strong and confident sufficiently for being in a 
 grave. In June three years ago (1860), on my abode 
 with cousin Emily I was permitted to meet a certain 
 woman by the loving kindness of my Saviour. My 
 heart promptly received her in the holy name of my 
 Saviour Jesus Christ, who opened my heart, & illu- 
 mined it with his light. He put his nature upon me so 
 that I should leave all evil things, & love good things 
 by the spirit of the grace of Jesus our Saviour. I felt 
 so cold & impure in heart, I wished to run away from 
 my cousin, one day when the woman was present with 
 her. My cousin claimed (wished) me to remain with 
 her on purpose to get acquainted with that beloved wo- 
 man. By mercy & love of God, he ordained that pious 
 lady & I to be true friends. She is my blessed and 
 adopted grandmother now. In the fall I had much 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 355 
 
 delight in a religions conversation with my dear 
 adopted sister, & her husband, & my dear mother. 
 One sunny p. m. in July two years ago, I visited my 
 adopted sister Mrs. H. We had a very solemn happi- 
 ness with a talk in the library with Mr. H. , a most excel- 
 lent minister. We transacted some business concerning 
 the sacred ordinance. My sister Mrs. Herrick called 
 upon me the first Saturday of July (1863), she inter- 
 preted some sentiments to me for the reverend. Shortly 
 after dinner I accompanied my mother to his house a 
 few rods from my home. I had a happy call there, 
 till it was time for us all to go to the holy sanctuary, 
 to attribute prayers & holy communion to the Almighty 
 Father. The holy church agreed to vote me a member. 
 The 6th of July, the first Sabbath, my cousin Mary 
 called to see me once or twice Sunday. I went with her 
 & my mother to Mr. Herrick’s house at noon. I was 
 so glad to meet a few ladies there, I was waited upon 
 by those ladies in preparation for baptism. I could 
 hardly help myself undress, & dress myself. Mr. H. 
 welcomed me so gladly at his house. I was guided 
 to the brookside by my mamma & Mrs. Huntington. 
 Mr. H. sent for me one of his chairs to sit by the side 
 of the brook, while holy prayer was being addressed. 
 Two students sang a hymn 112. I believe that the 
 first line of the hymn is 
 
 “ In all my God’s appointed ways.” 
 
 I did not feel inclined to talk with my fingers at the 
 blessed ordinance, but I was so happy to have my 
 mother or any person speak to me. My soul was over- 
 whelmed with spiritual joy and light in the presence of 
 God and his blest son Jesus Christ. I could hardly 
 
356 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 smile, for I felt solemnly happy. I could reflect (upon) 
 the victor}" of God & my Saviour. Therefore a glo- 
 rious light shone in my head. My soul was cast 
 into the hand of my dear Saviour by faith. As Mr. 
 H. took me by the hand crossing the pure water, I felt 
 a thrill of crying for joy, though not one drop of a tear 
 fell in sight from my eyes. I acknowledged the hand of 
 my God was laid upon my trembling soul, also how 
 merciful & loving he was within me. I did not have 
 any fear nor trouble in the least, because my trust & 
 hope were in my Redeemer. My dear father & a gentle- 
 man aided me up out of the water, & I sat in the chair 
 with the wet clothes, on utterance of another prayer. 
 I went to church & the holy communion. Mr. H. gave 
 me the right hand of fellowship in God. It was a most 
 glorious & pious Sunday, ever more for me to retain 
 (remember). I have written this for you, my dear 
 friends, Eliza & Elvira Rogers. 
 
 After the death of her father and the consequent 
 breaking up of the family, she had some anxious 
 thoughts about her future support, but was relieved 
 by an arrangement which Dr. Howe made, where- 
 by a home in the Institution was secured to her. 
 On my return to this country, after an absence of 
 two years and a half, she wrote me the following 
 letter, expressing her gratitude : — 
 
 Hanover, Nov. 26 , 1871 . 
 My Dear Friend Mrs. Lamson: 
 
 I had a long letter from Miss R. two weeks since, & 
 2va& highly delighted to hear about your return. I have 
 
L AURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 357 
 
 planned for departing for Lebanon next Saturday, to 
 visit my sisters. I rejoice in the mercy of God for 
 his kind providence, that a home at the Inst, is de- 
 signed for my abode as long as I would like. Mother 
 had a cordial & welcome letter from Dr H. last winter. 
 I shall be entirely welcome to the Institution, & devolve 
 upon their kind care & so it is no pay for my board, but 
 it is an expressive ( ?) home for me since my dear father 
 is above the heavens. Next Tuesday is three years of 
 his death in peace of our Savior, so he has been in a 
 glorious world three years long. My home here is 
 broken up. I cannot enjoy this life so much. I wish 
 much to see you & talk constantly with you. Do be 
 prompt to call on my birthday 21st of December or 
 sooner. I long to see you at Inst. I dread the cold 
 climate of N. H. Give my best regards to Mr. L. & 
 love to the dear ones. God bless you. Believe me 
 y our ever loving friend, 
 
 Laura. 
 
 Until 1876 she had lost by death no one who 
 had ever stood in the relation of teacher to her, 
 and I doubt if she had ever thought that any of 
 us might die before herself. Dr. Howe had foi 
 months been in failing health, and she had seen 
 but little of him for a year. He had been absent 
 from Boston much of the time, and when at home 
 was too weak to bear the excitement of talking 
 with her. She was told that he was very ill and 
 that it was feared he could not *ive. A few hours 
 before his death it was thought that it might be a 
 
358 
 
 LATJRA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 comfort to her to visit him, and she was led beside 
 the bed on which he lay unconscious. Very gently 
 she passed her hand over his face ; her tears flowed 
 freely, but she did not allow herself to make a 
 sound. She realized fully the loss she was to sus- 
 tain. For many years of her early life in Boston 
 she had been a member of his private family, and 
 had felt as if she were his child, and when in later 
 years her home was with the blind, she had 
 daily expected his kind greeting and words of 
 cheer, and now, as she took leave of him, she knew 
 that she had lost her best earthly friend and 
 greatest benefactor. 
 
 A few days after she wrote to me as follows : — 
 
 S. Boston, Jan. 30, ’76. 
 
 My Dear friend : 
 
 I am sitting in the love of our heavenly Father who 
 is ever good to bless us with his sun to-day. I am in 
 my sunny cosy room this a. m. Your letter came to 
 me with much welcome & joy. There is a good deal 
 (of) comfort in much sunshine, though it tries my feel- 
 ings in thought of never meeting & grasping my best 
 & noble friend Dr. Howe on earth. The path seems 
 so desolate & void without sight of him to us all. But 
 Jesus is all & in all. He fills our way with light & sun- 
 shine. I think much of Dr. H. day & night, with 
 sorrow, & gratitude, & love, & sincerity. . . . 
 
 Her health was seriously affected by her sorrow, 
 and when she left us the following summer to go 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 359 
 
 to her mother, it seemed doubtful if she lived to 
 return. 
 
 Another sorrow followed closely, in the loss of 
 her beloved friend and teacher, Miss Rogers. 
 With characteristic thoughtfulness of others, she 
 requested me, on my last visit to her, to write 
 Laura of her extreme illness, and thus prevent the 
 shock of the sudden announcement of her death. 
 In my letter, which was accidentally delayed a fort- 
 night on its way, I suggested to Laura that she 
 should send a last message to her dear friend. She 
 wrote at once the following letter, which was only 
 received by her friend a few days before her 
 decease : — 
 
 Hanover, June 25, 1876. 
 
 My very dear Miss Rogers: 
 
 I received a letter from Mrs. Lamson yesterday, but 
 it was forgotten since its arrival, several weeks ago. I 
 was at Lebanon visiting my dear sisters for more than 
 two weeks then. I am very sorrowful for your dear 
 sisters and parents, who feel so grievously afflicted with 
 the idea of missing you at the gracious calling of the 
 loving Father. You shall receive a crown of eternal 
 life from heaven. You will have a holy home forever. 
 Your sisters & parents will be comforted by the God of 
 comfort. God is very gentle in all his dealings with 
 those who love & hope & trust him. 
 
 We shall all meet in a glorious world where there is 
 no sorrow nor pain nor parting. I joy of meeting Dr. 
 Howe & my dear father & friends. My mother & I join 
 m ardent love & sympathy to you & the family. I 
 
360 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN 
 
 should like to have a little token from you, for its sake 
 in remembrance of my dearly loved friend & teacher. 
 
 Truly your loving friend, 
 
 L. D. Bridgman. 
 
 To a sister of Miss Rogers she wrote the follow- 
 ing letter : — 
 
 S. Boston, April 22, 1877. 
 
 My Dear Friend Elvira: 
 
 It is a rainy & languid morning. I thank you truly 
 for a nice letter which you wrote to me last summer. 
 You must come to see me shortly, as I anticipate to 
 leave here first week of June, & go to Troy, N. H., to 
 visit the wife of my parents’ old & excellent minister 
 for some weeks. I ought to have replied to your wel- 
 come letter long, long ago, but have been so procrasti- 
 nate, & also so ambitiously busy, & had many ill spells 
 too. I do not enjoy strong health as I am growing old. 
 I long to fly to my everlasting home with God. It is 
 life’s weary journey for me to bear until death take 
 place. You & I shall be happy to meet dear Miss 
 Rogers in a hoty home which is heaven. ... I 
 presume, of course, that you call on your poor & lonely 
 parents very frequently. Who is with them in the 
 absence of their dear daughter, E. R. ? I realize how 
 hard it is for them to miss her during their old age. 
 But it is short ere they will go to the glorious world 
 above. You may like to dwell in their house & keep 
 house for your own, & console the old people with your 
 society. Pleas? to remember me kindly to Mr. G. & 
 your relatives. I should be so happy to call on you & 
 friends in Billerica. Let me hear from you as soon as 
 you get my letter. I feel so tired continually beyond 
 
, LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 361 
 
 my strength. I was sickly last spring until in Aug. I 
 was much more like my own self, although it seems as 
 if I might not live many years, I feel so frail. God 
 cares for me & I trust in his loving providence & in his 
 tender mercy. I shall be hoping to see you soon. I 
 miss Dr. Howe so sadly & loved him as a father. 
 
 Truly your loving friend, 
 
 Laura Bridgman. 
 
 One more incident showing her kindness of heart 
 deserves mention. She was invited to visit some 
 friends, and on arriving at their house, found 
 them away from home. On their return, they ex- 
 plained what had seemed to her discourteous, say- 
 ing they had been to visit a little boy, the son of 
 a clergyman, who had lately met with a sad acci- 
 dent ; while jumping on a car he had had both feet 
 taken off. Her sympathies were so much excited 
 that she could think of little else. On returning 
 home she interested the blind pupils, and a contri- 
 bution of ten dollars was sent by them to the little 
 sufferer, to assist in the purchase of artificial feet. 
 She wrote to him a note of sympathy. 
 
 Jan. 2, 1877. 
 
 Dear Little Fellow, 
 
 Whom I pity most sorrowfully. God is gentle in his 
 dealings towards them who are sorely afflicted. Cast- 
 ing your care on God for he cares for you. Be of good 
 cheer. I hope that you may be blessed with a kind 
 providence as long as you live. God will make your 
 
362 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 life his care. You will promote much happiness of 
 others by the Holy Spirit You will be a devout disci- 
 ple of our blest Savior. He will redeem you from evil 
 & cleanse you with His precious blood. I heard of you 
 with grief & sympathy, last evening. I came to visit 
 Mr. & Mrs. Ileywood yesterday. I wish you many 
 happy new Years. 
 
 Laura D. Bridgman - . 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 363 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 In a life so quiet as that of Laura has been for 
 the last eight years, there is little to furnish fur- 
 ther material for the journalist. She spends the 
 summer and early autumn with her relatives and 
 friends in New Hampshire, and for the remainder 
 of the year her home is at the Institution, in one 
 of the four cottages which are occupied by the 
 blind girls. Here she is under the kind care of 
 Miss Wood, and enjoys making herself useful by 
 assisting in some light work about the house. 
 Her room has a window towards the south, and 
 she often dates her letters "Sunny Home,” show- 
 ing her appreciation of the blessing of sunshine. 
 She takes pleasure in decorating it with the little 
 things which have been given her, and in asking 
 her intimate friends to make their visits there, so 
 that she can display them. 
 
 Her habits of industry which were formed in 
 childhood are a blessing to her now, and she never 
 finds time hang heavily upon her hands. 
 
 Through the kindness of friends she has received 
 gifts of books and magazines printed in raised 
 
364 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 type at the different presses of the country, and 
 these, with the Bible and Memoir of Dr. Howe, 
 form her little library, and are a source of great 
 enjoyment to her. She has made many friends, 
 chiefly ladies who have been so much interested 
 in her as to learn to converse in the manual alpha- 
 bet. Occasional calls from them and an exten- 
 sive correspondence add much to her pleasure. 
 She sews, knits, crochets lace, mats, and other 
 fancy articles, which she sells to visitors with her 
 autograph attached, thereby increasing her in- 
 come. 
 
 Her appearance is that of a very delicate per- 
 son, and she impresses all who see her by her ap- 
 parent frailness, though for the last year she has 
 been in better health than for some time previous. 
 The regular life she leads, with its freedom from 
 care and anxiety and excitement, has given her 
 strength to overcome sickness which threatened to 
 be serious. She has never been a sound sleeper. 
 
 Some of her expressions previously quoted may 
 lead the reader to think that she is inclined to 
 despondency, and thus convey a false impression 
 of her mental condition. 
 
 It is true that she has, even from the days of 
 her childhood, enjoyed telling of her illnesses, 
 and receiving the sympathy of her friends, but 
 with so few subjects for thought as she has in 
 comparison with others, it would be remarkable 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 365 
 
 if her own feelings did not form the first topic of 
 conversation. She turns afterward to other sub- 
 jects of mutual interest, enjoys a joke, and 
 appreciates a witty remark. 
 
 She speaks sometimes of the long walks we used 
 to take, and the thought that she has not equal 
 strength now causes her to utter a sound indicating 
 regret, but she does not seem to dwell upon it, or 
 to be made unhappy by it for any length of time. 
 
 The remainder of her life will be shadowed by 
 her late bereavement, but we have seen in her 
 letters the light of her earnest faith shining 
 through the darkness. 
 
 Those who have constant intercourse with her 
 bear testimony to the great change that has taken 
 place in her character. She never manifests 
 anger now and is always kind and gentle. In 
 speaking with me lately of her former experience 
 and of the frequency with which she gave way to 
 passion, she said, "Sometimes I feel tempted to 
 anger, but I can resist it now. God gives me 
 strength.” 
 
 She has written, within a few years, two compo- 
 sitions which she calls "poems.” The first is on 
 "Light and Darkness.” As she has access to very 
 little poetry in the books she can read herself, 
 and she seems not to have aimed at any imitation 
 of this, we think she must have taken the general 
 idea from some parts of the Bible. 
 
366 
 
 LAURA BRIDGMAN \ 
 
 Light represents da} . 
 
 Light is more brilliant than ruby, even diamond. 
 
 Light is whiter than snow. 
 
 Darkness is night like. 
 
 It looks as black as iron. 
 
 Darkness is a sorrow. 
 
 Joy is a thrilling rapture. 
 
 Light yields a shooting joy through the human (heart) . 
 
 Light is sweet as honey, but 
 
 Darkness is bitter as salt, and more than vinegar. 
 
 Light is finer than gold and even finest gold. 
 
 Joy is a real light. 
 
 Joy is a blazing flame. 
 
 Darkness is frosty. 
 
 A good sleep is a white curtain, 
 
 A bad sleep is a black curtain. 
 
 In bringing these notes to a close, let me ex- 
 press the hope that they will be the means of 
 gaining for Laura many appreciative friends. Few 
 lives of men or women could bear the test of such 
 scrutiny as hers has received, which indeed would 
 not have been justifiable for the satisfaction of 
 curiosity, but only for its value to the scholar. 
 
 In her declining years she will be tenderly cared 
 for by those to whose trust she was committed by 
 him who was so many years her friend and protec- 
 tor ; and when the arm of an earthly friend can no 
 longer be her support and guide, and she walks 
 " through the valley of the shadow of death,” may 
 she " fear no evil,” but rest on the arm of Him 
 
V 
 
 ,r Sr K. t. <i V t » 
 
 Vl a l i W 
 
 VM \ l k h uf 
 
 VV t a r u 
 
V ts nv 
 
 l 
 
 lr % 
 
 uu. c,e 
 
 
 ~ lr L 
 
 i n. k , 
 
 n. <1 5 «» 
 
 
 } a 
 
 u. r mi 
 
 n & 
 
 5 • 
 
 
 Vl » i 
 
 or 
 
 
 ri a n ^ 
 
 u 
 
 w 
 
 fi ff m 
 
 i c,< 
 
 % 
 
 i 
 
 ll rn & 
 
 T * 
 
 vl. 
 
 n. a 
 
 V VI 
 
 *n 
 
 •f 
 
 5 u. n • 
 
 
 
 
 
 vv 
 
 E f 
 
 'tv S^E-r 
 
 ft Q ^ 
 
 \L 
 
 m u 
 
 
 
 & CL *r 5 
 
 &lj 5. 
 
 r 
 
 
 * V 
 
 t t n 
 
 . £ ^ 
 
 
 
 'S K 
 
 t 
 
 tj V T i 
 
 n ^ of 
 
 m l 
 
 Vo a 
 
 ^ IL ^ 
 
 fcVl Q. 
 
 li 
 
 Vt 
 
 Iff O Id 1 
 
 \. 
 
 
 W,U 
 
 *3 Uf 
 
 t e l e T 
 
 P 1 
 
 i 5 
 
 i a 
 
 W <£ 
 
 a y 
 
 ? a 
 
 ^ <ili i 
 
 l l < 
 
 L 
 
 T - fii 
 
 i a It «. 
 
 
— Autograph Poem Fac - Simile Copy.- 
 
 V * V Wm t. 
 
 tn t t n. \ s V ft V V o m t 
 
 Ifl U m t i% |toih ETT6T. 
 
 Vo. s V i n. ^ U etetU sli 
 ^ftli^ time t c, inam et l 
 ^ Wt\> Uni!. 
 
 V'sitftT^ ^ \_i ij_ Vl t 'tiftm t- 
 W tW 1 ha m e si. a 1 1 Jieti'cA, 
 'ftu 1 - V.\ It s hi t «jii a. V L mi. 
 
 u. t e pft r t ir e. t, 
 
 \.s.TVhL^Vam.E i 5 VV i a V- e t* i| . 
 
 V\. i t \ 1 1 i t a 0 | V n a |i ji te D 
 
VV i \ Vi V 
 
 4TI 1 
 
 u. % 
 
 T*a 
 
 
 U T 
 
 : i a 
 
 V a V V 
 
 q m 
 
 t. ^ i 
 
 t m 
 
 e. 
 
 [■ u k 
 
 *■ a r 
 
 V k e A- a 
 
 i ? 1 
 
 ?> t, i a n 
 
 
 Jl E T 
 
 f d r m. 
 
 u Jt o v. 
 
 1 n % )• 
 
 T U. 
 
 m s 
 
 A 
 
 t. . 
 
 
 A t «> » 
 
 U.t ‘i 
 
 co. a 
 
 <r 
 
 r It 1 
 
 V A 
 
 Ui t V t ^ 
 
 u. 1- l 
 
 “1 
 
 : Vt 
 
 Hr DL 
 
 irt i 
 
 V ^ 
 
 
 1 
 
 h * m t, 
 
 
 
 
 'll b a t, 
 
 f 
 
 ( *1“ 
 
 \i a 
 
 5 
 
 V r 
 
 \ & 
 
 Vo kT*k 
 
 DvT t a 
 
 Jl 1 0. 
 
 c t 
 
 f» 1 
 
 r 
 
 M * % t . ur V i 
 
 \_^ T C • ‘tt V 
 
 A( 
 
 ^ IT £ 
 
 Vi t tn. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 VY\ a.* 
 
 n L ^ 
 
 
 k o j 
 
 t & 
 
 !* * 
 
 tk a V 
 
 1i » ri t 
 
 r & m i n 
 
 w 
 
 l-u 
 
 t a 
 
 V k £ rn. 
 
9 • V V 
 - 
 
 m 
 
 jti a. ^ 
 
 '“W 
 
 ^ ur i « 
 \\ a i 
 
 •4 % 5t 
 
 W nr k 
 
 Tom. 
 
 t n- 
 
 k * 
 
 ft u 
 L V t T 
 
 T V\l 
 
 ill i jl 
 
 a u [ r t 
 
 n s ^ S il il i n V I a k [ 
 
 l.i ; 
 
 0 l If \ ri £, 
 
 ^ j A l fc . ^ * i VJT i [ V 
 
 t K i Ji Ji y 
 
 ( i 
 
 t J il rtiu^»t i ^ 
 
 ^ l a n li a n i y , 
 
 Qn &. 1 1 i m u n 1 • 
 
 ^L- V) t I A y ra, a a. 
 
t q m. 
 
 Hi i |l 
 
 a UT f • 
 
 
 Vi 
 
 J I *lf \ n. c , 
 
 J A i a . ^ ^ I w i 
 
 it h a ji Ji ' 
 
 - 51 L mu 11 t 1 s 
 1 1 a n k a ti 1 i| , 
 an. 1 il 1 m a n S 
 4 £.. V) r f A y m^a 
 
 u 
 
 a 
 
 t 
 
 ix ♦ 
 
LAURA BRIDGMAN. 
 
 367 
 
 whom she sincerely loves and who has promised to 
 
 be her leader to the heavenly home of which she 
 
 writes in the following poem : — 
 
 HOLY HOME. 
 
 Heaven is holy home. 
 
 Holy home is from everlasting to everlasting. 
 
 Holy home is summerly. 
 
 I pass this dark home toward a light home. 
 
 Earthly home shall perish, 
 
 But holy home shall endure forever. 
 
 Earthly home is winter} 7 . 
 
 Hard it is for us to appreciate the radiance of holy 
 home because of blindness of our minds. 
 
 How glorious holy home is, and still more than a beam 
 of sun ! 
 
 By the finger of God my eyes and ears shall be opened. 
 
 The string of my tongue shall be loosed. 
 
 With sweeter joys in heaven I shall hear and speak and 
 see. 
 
 With glorious rapture in holy home for me to hear the 
 Angels sing and perform upon instruments. 
 
 Also that I can behold the beauty of Heavenly home. 
 
 Jesus Christ has gone to prepare a place for those who 
 love and believe him. 
 
 My zealous hope is that sinners might turn themselves 
 from the power of darkness unto light divine. 
 
 When I die, God will make me happy. 
 
 In Heaven music is sweeter than honey, and finer than 
 a diamond. 
 
 L. D. Bridgman. 
 

APPENDIX. 
 
 Oliver Caswell’s first lesson. 
 
 For the benefit of any future case of similar afflic- 
 tion, I have thought it desirable to describe minutely 
 the first lesson given to Oliver Caswell, a deaf, dumb, 
 and blind boy who entered the Institution at South 
 Boston, Sept. 30, 1841, at the age of twelve years, hav- 
 ing lost his senses when three years and four months 
 old by scarlet fever. Lucy Reed, also deaf, dumb, and 
 blind, had been received in the previous February, but 
 remained only five months, having returned to her 
 home two months previous to Oliver’s arrival. 
 
 Not having become acquainted with Laura until she 
 had been two years and a half under instruction, I was 
 much interested in watching Lucy’s progress, the 
 course of training being the same as that which was 
 adopted for Laura, and which has been described in 
 the preceding pages. Four months elapsed before 
 Lucy attached any significance to the process she was 
 required to go through several times a day, of feeling 
 the letters in raised type composing the various labels, 
 which were placed upon a few common objects, and 
 moving her fingers in certain directions to correspond 
 with them. Her ungoverned will and stolid indiffer- 
 ence were undoubtedly serious obstacles to her progress, 
 but it had taken more than two months before Laura 
 
 24 
 
370 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 received the idea, although she was a most interested 
 scholar. After a careful study of our work with Lucy, 
 it seemed to me that the introduction of the raised let- 
 ters at the beginning of the training was entirely use- 
 less, and resulted only in a serious complication of the 
 whole matter. No one would teach a little child to 
 read until it had learned to talk, so the deaf and blind 
 child should only be taught to spell the names of ob- 
 jects on the fingers, and not to read the raised letters 
 at the same time ; the attention being thus concentrated 
 on this one point, I believe the desired result would be 
 far more speedily attained. 
 
 I had often expressed the wish that one more such 
 child might be brought to us, that my theory might be 
 tested, and on this Sept. 30th I was made happy by a 
 summons from Dr. Howe, and the announcement that 
 such a child had arrived, and I might begin my experi- 
 ment at once, while he was absent in the city. 
 
 That there need be nothing to distract attention, I led 
 the boy into a room where we could be undisturbed, 
 and seated myself beside him upon a sofa. He first 
 wished to find what manner of person I was, and I 
 gave him all the opportunity he desired to examine the 
 arrangement of my hair, to feel of my face, dress, chain, 
 breastpin, rings, etc., until his curiosity^was satisfied. 
 Next he examined the sofa on which we were seated, 
 and then rested quietly. Now was my time to attract 
 his attention. I led him to a door, and placed his hand 
 upon the key which was in the lock. He made the mo- % 
 tion of turning it, nodding with a quizzical look, all 
 which meant plainty, Yes, I know what a key is for, did 
 you suppose I did not ? Taking the key from the door, 
 
APPENDIX . 
 
 371 
 
 we returned to the sofa. Now he was curious to know 
 what was to come next. I placed his hand upon the 
 key, then lifting it, moved the fingers in the positions 
 for the letters k-e-y, repeating it several times. Then 
 I placed my hand in his and let him feel that I moved 
 my fingers in the same way. B} r tapping his hand he 
 understood that he was to repeat it himself ; he succeed- 
 ed in making k, but needed assistance on the other 
 letters, which was given by letting him feel me make 
 them again. On the second trial he spelled the word 
 without assistance. The expression on his face now 
 indicated, I wonder, what all this means. Next I took 
 a mug from a table near by, and placed it in his hand. 
 Again he nodded and raised it to his lips, tipping it as 
 a sign of drinking. Lajdng his hand upon it, as I had 
 done before with the key, I moved his fingers to make 
 the letters m-u-g, repeating it with my own fingers, his 
 hand resting on mine so that he could feel the motions, 
 and then asked him by a sign to do it himself. After 
 three efforts he was successful, and showed pleasure in 
 receiving a pat upon his head as a sign of approbation. 
 Then I returned to the key. He had forgotten those 
 letters, but after feeling me make them once, succeeded 
 in spelling it. Turning back to the mug, he remembered 
 two letters, and after a few trials more, spelled each 
 correctly without assistance. All this time his face 
 wore a puzzled look mingled with indifference, which 
 would perhaps have triumphed at this point but for his 
 spirit of obedience, which prompted him to do as he 
 perceived I. wished. These two words learned, he sat 
 back upon the sofa as if to say, This is enough of such 
 nonsense. Just then I drew a pin from my dress and 
 
372 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 handed it to him. He made the sign of sticking it into 
 his coat, and listlessly returned it to me. I lifted his 
 hand, which he had lain quietly on his knee, and 
 spelled with my fingers p-i-n. With a nervous movement 
 and an expression of face quite unlike anything he 
 had exhibited before, he tapped my hand, showing his 
 wish that I should repeat it, and then, without waiting 
 to make the letters himself, with a look of intense ear- 
 nestness, he sprung from the sofa and drew me to the 
 table, placing his hands upon it, and then rapping my 
 fingers. As I made the letters t-a-b-l-e, he perceived 
 that they were unlike those he had learned for the key, 
 mug, and pin. His countenance became radiant. He led 
 me rapidly about the room, putting my hands on differ- 
 ent objects, and feeling me spell the names. A half- 
 hour had passed since we took the key from the door, 
 and he had received the idea which it had taken four 
 months to give to Lucy Reed and nearly three months 
 to Laura. The success of the experiment was far be- 
 yond my expectations. Had we saved a month’s time 
 it would have been a great gain ; but the work was done, 
 when I supposed it only commenced. Once having 
 received the idea that objects have names, and that by 
 movements of our fingers we can communicate them, 
 the remaining work is simply to acquire a knowledge of 
 those movements. In teaching a deaf, dumb, and 
 blind person, the Frenchman’s maxim is eminently 
 true, “ C’est le premier pas qui coute.” 
 
 It will be noticed that in selecting the words to be 
 taught, care was taken that they should be as short as 
 possible, and that no letter used in the name of one ob- 
 ject should be repeated in that of another. This is 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 373 
 
 very important, as the first idea which the mind receives 
 is probably the difference in the words, and by making 
 any part of them similar we make this less striking. 
 
 Let no one who undertakes a similar work be dis- 
 couraged, if, in following the steps above described, it 
 takes weeks or even months to attain the desired result, 
 but in no case can the labels be of assistance.