History of a Blind Deaf-Mute: Life of Anna Timmermans

ISBN-13: 9781541125650 / Angielski / Miękka / 2016 / 86 str.

Cecilia Caddell

Opis

Life of Anna Timmermans Anna, the deaf, dumb, and blind girl, whose story I am about to relate, was born at Ostend of poor, but honest parents, in the year 1818. She was blind from her birth, but during the first years of her infancy appeared to have some sense of hearing. This unfortunately, soon vanished, leaving her blind, deaf, and dumb; one of the three persons thus trebly afflicted existing at this moment in the province of West Flanders. Losing both her parents while still an infant, she was brought up by her grandmother, who received aid for the purpose from the "Commission des Hospices" of the town. To the good offices of these gentlemen she is likewise indebted for the education she has since received for when I first proposed taking her into my establishment, both her aunt and her grandmother were most unwilling to part with her, fearing, very naturally that strangers would never give her the affectionate care which in her helpless condition, she so abundantly required. They only yielded at last to the representations and entreaties of their charitable friends. Their love for this poor child who could never have been anything but an anxiety and expense to them was indeed most touching, and they wept bitterly when they parted from her, declaring in their simple, but expressive language that I was taking away from them the blessing of their house. They were soon satisfied; however, that they had acted for the best, and having once convinced themselves of her improvement both in health and happiness, they never to the day of their death ceased to rejoice at the decision which they had come to in her regard. When Anna was first entrusted to my care, her relations, and everyone else who knew her, supposed her to be an idiot, and this had been their principal reason for opposing me in my first efforts for her instruction. Poor themselves and ignorant, and earning their bread by the labor of their own hands, they had had neither time nor thought to bestow on the development of this intellect, closed as it was against all the more ordinary methods of instruction, and the child had been left of necessity to her own resources for occupation and amusement. Few indeed, and trivial these resources were Blind, and fearing even to move without assistance; deaf, and incapable of hearing a syllable of the conversation that was going on around her; dumb, and unable to communicate her most pressing wants save by that unearthly and unwilling cry which the deaf mutes are compelled to resort to, like animals in the moment of their utmost need, -the child had remained day after day seated in the same corner of the cottage. Knowing nothing of the bright sunshine, or the green field, or the sweet smell of flowers; nothing of the sports of childhood or its tasks; night the same as day in her estimation, excepting for its sleep; winter only distinguished from summer by the sharper air without, and the increased heat of the wood-piled fire within-no wonder that she seemed an idiot. Her only amusement-the only thing approaching to occupation which her friends had been able to procure her-consisted at first in a string of glass beads.

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