on meeting the Superintendent, was, "are
you going to teach me to see?" How well he performed this task, how
wisely he guided my childish feet, how carefully he developed my eager
mind, stimulated my ambition, and renewed my faltering courage, I did
not realize until I was called upon to face life, with its trials and
opportunities. And here, where his work is so well known, I wish to pay
my tribute of love and gratitude to Dr. Warring Wilkinson. He was my
great-hearted, great-souled teacher, father and friend.

When I found myself in a place with children some of whom were, like
myself, blind from infancy, and others whose eyesight had been lost
through various accidents, and yet others who could see to go about, to
tell the color of our ribbons, and advise us of the approach of a matron
or teacher my wonder grew apace. This process of learning to see was
varied and absorbing, but I soon found that it had its limitations, and
that, after all, eyes were very useful possessions, and without them I
could know nothing of color, could not picture the sky, or any of the
heavenly bodies; nor could I distinguish different people, unless I
heard their voices or steps, though no two had faces alike. I found,
too, that some children who could see colors, could not recognize faces,
and I came to realize that vision, however slight, was greatly to be
desired. I could distinguish light from darkness, and this enabled me to
locate doors and windows; but color, with its varying shades, was then,
and is now, a mystery profound. But in my desire to see, to be just like
other children, I resolved to learn all I could about color, and so I
memorized the list of colors, which ones harmonized, which were most
pleasing to the eye, which were bright, which produced a sombre
impression. Thus I soon learned to speak of color with a degree of
intelligence, and to select my gowns with a view to pleasing the eyes of
my friends. I soon learned to associate certain phrases with certain
colors--for instance, blue as the sky, green as grass, yellow as gold,
black as night, red as fire, and brown as a berry. I also learned that a
color had a variety of shades, and that at times colors were changeable,
it being difficult to distinguish blue from green at night. The sky,
with its starred phenomena, was even harder to conceive, and I could not
understand how clouds obscured the sun, or how old Sol could put the
blackest clouds to rout.

My ears and finge