Page 221 - The Story of My Lif

…As to the braille question, I cannot tell how deeply it distresses me to hear that

my statement with regard to the examinations has been doubted. Ignorance
seems to be at the bottom of all these contradictions. Why, you yourself seem to
think that I taught you American braille, when you do not know a single letter in
the system! I could not help laughing when you said you had been writing to me
in American braille—and there you were writing your letter in English braille!

The facts about the braille examinations are as follows: How I passed my
Entrance Examinations for Radcliffe College.

On the 29th and 30th of June, 1899, I took my examinations for Radcliffe
College. The first day I had elementary Greek and advanced Latin, and the
second day Geometry, Algebra and advanced Greek.

The college authorities would not permit Miss Sullivan to read the examination
papers to me; so Mr. Eugene C. Vining, one of the instructors at the Perkins
Institution for the Blind, was employed to copy the papers for me in braille. Mr.
Vining was a perfect stranger to me, and could not communicate with me except
by writing in braille. The Proctor also was a stranger, and did not attempt to

communicate with me in any way; and, as they were both unfamiliar with my
speech, they could not readily understand what I said to them.

However, the braille worked well enough in the languages; but when it came to
Geometry and Algebra, it was different. I was sorely perplexed, and felt quite

discouraged, and wasted much precious time, especially in Algebra. It is true
that I am perfectly familiar with all literary braille—English, American, and
New York Point; but the method of writing the various signs used in Geometry
and Algebra in the three systems is very different, and two days before the
examinations I knew only the English method. I had used it all through my
school work, and never any other system.