BRIDGEMAN, LAURA. This famous blind mute was b. in Hanover, N. H., United States, on the 21st Dec., 1829. She was a bright, intelligent child, but at two years of age was seized with a violent fever, which utterly destroyed both sight and hearing. For a time this so shattered her system, that there seemed no hope of recovery; but she rallied, and soon learned to find her way about the house and neighborhood, and even learned to sew and to knit a little. A strong passion for imitation began to develop itself, and by assiduously cultivating this power, she was at last enabled to emerge out of her life of unbroken darkness and silence, and take her place among the educated people of the day. In 1839, Dr. Howe of Boston undertook her care and education at the deaf and dumb school. The first attempt was to give her a knowledge of arbitrary signs, by which she could interchange thoughts with others. Then she learned to read embossed letters by the touch; next, embossed words were attached to different articles, and she learned to associate each word with its corresponding object. A pat on the head told her when she was right in her spelling-lesson. Thus far, however, the work was only an exercise of imitation and memory, roused into exertion by the motive of love of approbation, but seemingly without intellectual perception of the relation between words and things. It was like teaching a clever dog a variety of tricks. But at last the truth flashed upon her, that by this means she could communicate to others a sign of what was passing in her own mind. Her whole being seemed changed. The next step was to procure a set of metal types, with the letters cast at the ends, and a board with square holes for their insertion, so as to be read by the finger. In six
months, she could write down the name of most common objects, and in two years had made great bodily and mental improvement. She grew happier, and enjoyed play like other children, amusing herself with imaginary dialogues, spelling old ana new words, and with her left hand slapping the fingers of her right, if they spelled a word wrong; or giving herself a pat of approval, as the teacher did, when correct. Her touch grew in accuracy as its power increased; she learned to know people almost instantly by the touch alone. In a year or two more, she was able to receive lessons in geography, alge bra, and history. She received and answered letters from all parts of the world, and was always employed, and therefore always happy. Her brain seems to have been unduly excited for a blind person; she not only held imaginary dialogues with herself, but dreamed incessantly by night; and during these dreams, while asleep, talked much on her fingers. She learned to write a fair, legible, square hand, and to read with great dexterity, and at last, even to think deeply, and to reason with good sense and discrimi nation. Keen, sensitive, and lively , in various occupation, her days now pass rapidly and pleasantly, mainly owing to the unremitting skill and kindness of Dr. Howe. She was saved by him from a life of hopeless, helpless darkness; educated and trained to take her part in the world; and now, as a teacher of the blind and deaf and dumb, is conferring on them the blessings she has herself received. She is probably among the most skillful of blind teachers.