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Helen has known for a long time that those around her communicated with each other in a different way from the one that she used, and she would sometimes try to imitate the motions of our lips; but she never seemed to realize until last winter that the deaf children were taught to speak, although she visited the Horace Mann school when she was here the first time. Ever since last March, when she was told that a deaf and blind girl in Norway had been taught to speak, she has been eager to learn, and would not give me a moment's peace until I took her to Miss Fuller for advice and help.

It was about the 26th of March when she received her first lesson in articulation, and so eager was she to learn this new means of communication, that in one hour she mastered perfectly six of the elements in m, p, a, s, t, i. Miss Fuller has given her eleven lessons in all. She has acquired all of the elements, -- not perfectly, for perfection must be the result of constant practice, but so well that she is easily understood. Her voice and pronunciation improve every day. Helen's great command of language and the ease with which she expresses her ideas have enabled her to learn speech more readily than ordinary deaf children do. Just as soon as she had mastered an element, the words in which it occurred presented themselves to her mind. Think of it! She achieved in less than two months what it takes the pupils of the schools for the deaf several years to accomplish, and then they do not speak as plainly as she does.

Helen's first articulate sentences were a paean of victory and a psalm of praise.

In the Academia delle Belle Arti of Bologna one beholds in the midst of numerous masterpieces the famous picture of St. Cecilia, surrounded by four other saints. It was painted by Raphael in 1513, on the commission of Cardinal Lorenzo Pucci, for the church of S. Giovanni in Monte, and is one of the finest works of the great master. It depicts most charmingly the impression produced by the celestial music. The youthful and beautiful patron saint of the divine art has just ceased playing the organ to her friends, and a heavenly echo falls upon their ears. Six angels, resting on the edge of a cloud, have caught up the melody and continue it by singing. So ravishing to them were the tones of an instrument touched by pure hands! Who can say that the unfettered voice of a blind and deaf-mute child, no longer fated to travel through life's long journey in perfect silence, is not as enchanting to the dwellers of the upper regions as were the solemn tones of St. Cecilia's organ?

The following letter, which I received from Helen on my arrival in Dresden, tells very interestingly and in a most accurate manner the story of the origin of her desire to learn to speak, and of her great delight in being able to use oral language: --

TUSCUMBIA, ALA., July 4, 1890.

MON TRES CHER AMI: -- I am spending my vacation at my beautiful sunny home, with my loving parents and my darling little sister. I was so eager to see my friends that I could hardly wait for cars to take me to them.

My father and mother were delighted to have their little daughter home again, and to hear her speak. It was a beautiful surprise, for I had not written to them that I was learning to speak. Are you very glad that I can talk, and that everybody understands me? It is very nice to speak like other people. I am so happy now! I never was so happy in my life before! When you come home you will take me in your lap and I will speak to you.

Teacher says she thinks you would like to hear how I first came to wish to speak with my mouth. I will tell you all about it, for I remember my thoughts distinctly.

When I was a little child a long time ago I was very sick indeed. Mother thought her little baby would not live, and she was very sorrowful. I did not die, but the cruel disease made me blind and deaf. It was very sad; do you not think so? But I do not remember about my illness, for I was only a wee infant. But after I got well I used to sit in my mother's lap nearly all the time, because I was very timid and did not like to be left alone for a moment. I would put my little hands on her face, because it amused me to feel her lips moving when she was talking, but I did not know then what she was doing. I did not know what talking was. I had forgotten all about it. I was very ignorant of all things. When I was a little older I used to play with some little negro children, and I noticed that they kept moving their lips just as mother did, and I would do it too; but sometimes it made me angry, and I would hold my playmates' mouths very hard. I did not know that it was wrong to do so. I could not understand why they did it. After that my dear teacher came to me, and taught me to spell with my fingers. Then I was overjoyed. You cannot imagine how happy we all were. I noticed that teacher moved her lips, and that everyone did the same, but it never made me angry any more, because I understood what my friends said to me, and I was very busy learning many wonderful things. Then I went to Boston to see you, and all of my dear friends; and you went with mother and teacher and me to the school for the deaf children. Teacher told me that they were learning to speak with their mouths. Then I was eager to learn myself, and I did learn to say mamma, papa, teacher and baby, but not very perfectly. I never thought that I should learn to talk like other people, until a very kind lady, who had taught Laura Bridgman when she was small, came to see me, and told me about a little deaf and blind girl she had seen in Norway, who had been taught to speak by a very good and patient gentleman. I was delighted to hear about my little friend Ragnhild Kaata, because I knew then that I should speak too. My dear teacher took me to see a lovely and patient lady named Miss Fuller. She began right away to teach me, and in a very short time I had learned all the sounds. I think Miss Fuller was very kind to teach me, and I love her a great deal. I practise constantly with teacher, and she says that my voice grows stronger and more sweet each day.