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Tenth Annual Report Of The Trustees Of The Perkins Institution And Massachusetts Asylum For The Blind

Creator: Samuel Gridley Howe (author)
Date: 1842
Source: Perkins School for the Blind

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134  

"Her ideas of the rights of property were very strong. When any thing is presented to her, she will not retain it until she has given it back, and by its being returned, or by some sign of property, she is convinced that it is given to her. Her countenance then exhibits marks of pleasure; she remembers it for months, and will bring forth the present whenever the giver comes. It has been remarked, that notwithstanding the state of poverty in which she passed her childhood, when she was subsequently brought into houses where tempting articles of food and dress were constantly thrown in her way, she has never been known to take the most trifling object without leave. She was equally tenacious of her own property, and felt deeply any invasion of her rights.

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"From a child she entertained the idea that the tallest ought to rule; and when shorter persons than herself in the houses where she has lived, bade her to do, or not to do any thing, she would respectfully let them know that she was the tallest. This idea, it is supposed, she entertained till she was grown taller than her mother the; but she has now given up this childish notion."

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Dr. Spurzheim, who saw her, says: "From the above-mentioned facts we perceive her love and care of children, her combativeness in punishing her brothers and sisters; her love of approbation, her cautiousness, her acquisitiveness, conscientiousness, reverence, benevolence, order, time, and reflection. She knows the inmates of the institution, and has chosen one girl for her particular friend. She was always fond of childish sports, and of playing tricks on others, in concealing things, or in shutting them up in rooms. When fatigued of being exhibited to strangers, she endeavors to get out of the way. She delights in order, cleanliness, and dress. At the day of my visit, her head-dress was most carefully arranged, and it was her own doing. She examines with her hands the hair dress of other ladies she meets with, and imitates the fashion. Since she has been in the American Institution, only once she was disobedient to the Superintendent, the Rev. Mr. Weld; but being put into a narrow room, she was completely corrected."

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She arrived here the 9th of April, 1842, being nearly thirty-five years old. She seemed to understand perfectly the object of her coming, and to the desirous of learning something in the school with the blind girls. The intelligent matron of the Hartford school accompanied her, and was able to make her comprehend many things by using natural signs. She had a sign for yesterday, to-morrow, for approbation and disapprobation, for a friend, for the low numbers, and perhaps as high as ten, but about this I am not quite satisfied; at any rate, she was possessed of the means of intercourse with deaf and dumb persons, to an extent which must be highly advantageous to her, living, as she does, in a community of them. There is, however, about her inexpressive face, and her attitude and demeanor, a certain passivity denoting habitual inattention to external objects, which is a very unfavorable symptom, and which contrasts strongly with the appearance of Laura Bridgman, and Oliver Caswell; they are always on the alert; their spirits seem to be striving to get abroad, -- to go out and examine the relations of external things; while Julia's is content to sit within, and receive impressions made upon the surface of her body. When left alone she loses consciousness, and lies flat upon her face, sleeping or dozing for hours together. This makes her case very unfavorable; for long inactivity of the perceptive faculties not only prevents their attaining an vigor, but disinclines to mental activity, and incapacitates for its long continuance.

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Besides, she is past the age which nature destines for acquiring and storing up knowledge; few people learn much after they are thirty-five; they continue to grow wiser, but it is mainly by reflecting upon, and digesting what they have learned, by "chewing the cud of sweet and bitter fancy:" not only must people reap in age as they have sown in youth, but if they have not sown at all, neither can they reap. I fear that the time has gone by for the active operation of Julia's mental faculties; nor is this the worst; for the social and moral affections are subject to the same law of exercise as the intellectual powers; and as they were neglected in youth, they cannot yield their harvest of love in age.

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She has begun the work of learning the arbitrary names of things as a substitute for the vague signs, by which she now expresses herself so imperfectly. She has already overcome the main difficulty, and conceived the relation between objects and their names; she has even learned the letters composing the names of half a dozen objects. What I fear is, that the present interest which she manifests arises from the novelty of the subject, and will not continue long enough to secure permanent good effects. Numerous, however, as are the odds against a successful issue, the stake is so precious and important a one, that a hearty and persevering attempt should be made, and will be made to win it.

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