Page 256 - The Story of My Lif

been a severe tax on her eyes to write, and she was early discouraged from

publishing data by the inaccurate use made of what she at first supplied.

When she first wrote from Tuscumbia to Mr. Michael Anagnos, Dr.

Howes son-in-law and his successor as Director of the Perkins Institution, about
her work with her pupil, the Boston papers began at once to publish exaggerated
accounts of Helen Keller.

Miss Sullivan protested. In a letter dated April 10, 1887, only five weeks after
she went to Helen Keller, she wrote to a friend: “— sent me a Boston Herald
containing a stupid article about Helen. How perfectly absurd to say that Helen
is ‘already talking fluently!’ Why, one might just as well say that a two-year-old
child converses fluently when he says ‘apple give,’ or ‘baby walk go.’ I suppose
if you included his screaming, crowing, whimpering, grunting, squalling, with

occasional kicks, in his conversation, it might be regarded as fluent—even
eloquent. Then it is amusing to read of the elaborate preparation I underwent to
fit me for the great task my friends entrusted to me. I am sorry that preparation
didn’t include spelling, it would have saved me such a lot of trouble.”

On March 4, 1888, she writes in a letter: “Indeed, I am heartily glad that I don’t

know all that is being said and written about Helen and myself. I assure you I
know quite enough. Nearly every mail brings some absurd statement, printed or
written. The truth is not wonderful enough to suit the newspapers; so they
enlarge upon it and invent ridiculous embellishments. One paper has Helen
demonstrating problems in geometry by means of her playing blocks. I expect to
hear next that she has written a treatise on the origin and future of the planets!”

In December, 1887, appeared the first report of the Director of the Perkins
Institution, which deals with Helen Keller. For this report Miss Sullivan
prepared, in reluctant compliance with the request of Mr. Anagnos, an account of
her work. This with the extracts from her letters, scattered through the report, is
the first valid source of information about Helen Keller. Of this report Miss
Sullivan wrote in a letter dated October 30, 1887: “Have you seen the paper I