OCR Text |
Show Work Done by Optimists Helen Keller, who, though blind and deaf, Is a college gradubto and a cultured cul-tured young woman, writes in hor book, "My Key to Life," aa follows: "Wo havo seen that tho world's philosophers phi-losophers th6 shyers of tho word aro optimists; so also aro tho men of action and achievement tho doors of tho word. Dr. Howo found his way to Laura Brldgman's soul becauso ho began' with tho belief t,hat ho could reach it. English Jurists had said that tho deaf-blind wero idiots In tho oyos of tho law. Behold what tho optimist does. Ho controverts a hard legal axiom; ho looks behind tho dull, lm--passivo clay and sees a human soul In bondage, and quietly, resolutoly sets about Its deliverance His efforts nro victorious. "Ho creates Intelligence out of Idiocy, and proves to tho law that tho deaf-blind man is a responsible bolng. When .Hauy offered to teach tho blind to read .ho was mot by pessimism that laughed at his folly. Had ho not bo-lloved bo-lloved that, tho soul of man is mlghtior than tho Ignoranco that fetters fet-ters it, had ho uot been' nn optimist, ho would not havo turned the fingers of tho blind into new Instruments. "No" pessimist ever discovered tho secrets ot the stars, or sailed to an uncharted1 Innd, or , opefcod' a now hoavon to tho human spirjt. St. Bernard Ber-nard was so dooply an optimist thnt ho bolloved 250 enlightened men could illuminnto the darkness which over-wfiolmod'tho over-wfiolmod'tho period of -the'erusades; and tlio light of his faith broke liko a now day upon wostern Europe." |