The Story of My Life

TheStoryofMyLife.PartsI&IIbyHelenKeller(1880-1968);PartIIIfromthelettersandreportsofAnneMansfieldSullivan(ca.1867-1936);EditedbyJohnAlbertMacy.NewYork:Doubleday,Page&Company,1905.[Page]TheStoryofMyLife[Page][Page][Frontispiece]PhotographbyFalk,1895HELENKELLERANDMISSSULLIVAN[TitlePage]THESTORYOFMYLIFEByHELENKELLERWITHHERLETTERS(1887-1901)ANDASUPPLEMENTARYACCOUNTOFHEREDUCATION,INCLUDINGPASSAGESFROMTHEREPORTSANDLETTERSOFHERTEACHER,ANNEMANSFIELDSULLIVANByJOHNALBERTMACYILLUSTRATEDNEWYORKDOUBLEDAY,PAGE&COMPANY1905[Page]Copyright,1904,byTheCenturyCompanyCopyright,1902,1903,1905,byHelenKeller[Page]ToALEXANDERGRAHAMBELLWHOhastaughtthedeaftospeakandenabledthelisteningeartohearspeechfromtheAtlantictotheRockies,IDedicatethisStoryofMyLife.[Page][Page]EDITOR'SPREFACETHISbookisinthreeparts.Thefirsttwo,MissKeller'sstoryandtheextractsfromherletters,formacompleteaccountofherlifeasfarasshecangiveit.Muchofhereducationshecannotexplainherself,andsinceaknowledgeofthatisnecessarytoanunderstandingofwhatshehaswritten,itwasthoughtbesttosupplementherautobiographywiththereportsandlettersofherteacher,MissAnneMansfieldSullivan.TheadditionofafurtheraccountofMissKeller'spersonalityandachievementsmaybeunnecessary;yetitwillhelptomakeclearsomeofthetraitsofhercharacterandthenatureoftheworkwhichsheandherteacherhavedone.ForthethirdpartofthebooktheEditorisresponsible,thoughallthatisvalidinitheowestoauthenticrecordsandtotheadviceofMissSullivan.TheEditordesirestoexpresshisgratitudeandthegratitudeofMissKellerandMissSullivantoTheLadies'HomeJournalandtoitseditors,Mr.EdwardBokandMr.WilliamV.Alexander,whohavebeenunfailinglykindandhavegivenforuseinthisbookallthephotographswhichweretakenexpresslyfortheJournal;andtheEditorthanksMissKeller'smanyfriendswhohavelenthimherletterstothemandgivenhimvaluableinformation;especiallyMrs.LaurenceHutton,whosuppliedhimwithherlargecollectionofnotesandanecdotes;Mr.JohnHitz,SuperintendentoftheVoltaBureaufortheIncreaseandDiffusionofKnowledgerelatingtotheDeaf;andMrs.SophiaC.Hopkins,towhomMissSullivanwrotethoseilluminatingletters,theextractsfromwhichgiveabetterideaofhermethodswithherpupilthananythingheretoforepublished.Messrs.Houghton,MifflinandCompanyhavecourteouslypermittedthereprintingofMissKeller'slettertoDr.Holmes,whichappearedinOvertheTeacups,andoneofWhittier'sletterstoMissKeller.Mr.S.T.Pickard,Whittier'sliteraryexecutor,kindlysenttheoriginalofanotherletterfromMissKellertoWhittier.JOHNALBERTMACYCambridge,Massachusetts,February1,1903.[Page]TABLEOFCONTENTSPAGEEditor'sPrefaceVIIPARTITHESTORYOFMYLIFEPAGEChaptersI-XXIII3PARTIIPAGEIntroductiontoLetters143Letters145PARTIIIASUPPLEMENTARYACCOUNTOFHELENKELLER'SLIFEANDEDUCATION.CHAPTERPAGEI.TheWritingoftheBook283II.Personality286III.Education297IV.Speech384V.LiteraryStyle394Index433[Page][Page]LISTOFILLUSTRATIONSHelenKellerandMissSullivanFrontispieceFACINGPAGEIvyGreen,theKellerHomestead(ShowingalsothesmallhousewhereHelenKellerwasborn)4HelenKellerattheAgeofSeven22HelenKellerandJumbo32MissKellerandDr.AlexanderGrahamBell76MissKelleratWorkinHerStudy88MissKellerandPhiz126MissKeller,MissSullivan,andMr.JosephJefferson130MissKeller,MissSullivan,andDr.EdwardEverettHale136MissKellerandMarkTwain138IntheStudyatCambridge250HelenKellerin1899258ReadingRaisedPrint292MissSullivanReadingtoMissKeller396[Page][Page]FACSIMILEOFPARTOFLETTERTOPHILLIPSBROOKS[Page][Page]Facsimileofthebraillemanuscriptofthepassageonpage24,withequivalents–slightlyreduced.(Underlinedcombinationsoflettershaveonesigninbraille.Notetheomissionofthevowelsbeforerinlearn,andthejoiningofthesignfortowiththewordthatfollowsit.)PARTITHESTORYOFMYLIFETHESTORYOFMYLIFECHAPTERIITiswithakindoffearthatIbegintowritethehistoryofmylife.Ihave,asitwere,asuperstitioushesitationinliftingtheveilthatclingsaboutmychildhoodlikeagoldenmist.Thetaskofwritinganautobiographyisadifficultone.WhenItrytoclassifymyearliestimpressions,Ifindthatfactandfancylookalikeacrosstheyearsthatlinkthepastwiththepresent.Thewomanpaintsthechild'sexperiencesinherownfantasy.Afewimpressionsstandoutvividlyfromthefirstyearsofmylife;buttheshadowsoftheprison-houseareontherest.Besides,manyofthejoysandsorrowsofchildhoodhavelosttheirpoignancy;andmanyincidentsofvitalimportanceinmyearlyeducationhavebeenforgottenintheexcitementofgreatdiscoveries.Inorder,therefore,nottobetediousIshalltrytopresentinaseriesofsketchesonlytheepisodesthatseemtometobethemostinterestingandimportant.IwasbornonJune27,1880,inTuscumbia,alittletownofnorthernAlabama.Thefamilyonmyfather'ssideisdescendedfromCasparKeller,anativeofSwitzerland,whosettledinMaryland.OneofmySwissancestorswasthefirstteacherofthedeafinZurichandwroteabookonthesubjectoftheireducation-ratherasingularcoincidence;thoughitistruethatthereisnokingwhohasnothadaslaveamonghisancestors,andnoslavewhohasnothadakingamonghis.Mygrandfather,CasparKeller'sson,enteredlargetractsoflandinAlabamaandfinallysettledthere.IhavebeentoldthatonceayearhewentfromTuscumbiatoPhiladelphiaonhorsebacktopurchasesuppliesfortheplantation,andmyaunthasinherpossessionmanyoftheletterstohisfamil