Library Collections: Document: Full Text

Her teacher, Miss Mary Swift, has been faithful and industrious; and in the intellectual instruction she has shown great tact and ability. Had all others been as discreet and wise as she, we should not have to regret some impressions which the child has received, and which I shall presently mention.

Her bodily health has been very good during the whole year. She has increased in stature and her figure which is more fully unfolded, is well proportioned in all its parts, and strong and graceful. She continues to improve in the knowledge and use of language, as will be shown by the following letters which were written solely by her; and by the extracts from her teacher's journal, in which were recorded at the moment, and with great exactitude, the very words she used.

24TH MARCH, 1844.

MY DEAR MRS. HOWE:

I want to see you very much, I hope you are very well. Miss J. is very well and happy, I think of you very very often. I was very much pleased to receive a letter from you, and I liked it very much. When you come home, I shall shake your hands and hug and kiss you very hard because I love you and am your dear friend. Miss J. is making a nice worsted chair for you to please you very much for a new house. I send much love to you and a kiss. Are you very glad to receive letters from me? One night I dreamed that I was very glad to see you again and that I slept with you all night. I hope that you do not forget to talk with your fingers. I am sad that people are very idle and dirty and poor. I write many letters to you because I love you very much. My mother wrote a letter to Miss J. that she was very sick and my little sister was quite sick, but they are getting well. I am very well. I am your dear friend. I try very hard about America and Europe and Asia and many other things. I can say ship, paper, Dr. baby, tea, mother, and father with my mouth. My teacher always reads a story to me: she is kind to me: she sets me a good example.

My dear friend good bye.

LAURA BRIDGMAN

In another letter written soon after, she said:

"I am happy that your baby is so happy to see the bright light. I want you to come here now; if you do not come quick, then I must send a long string to pull you over the sea to South Boston. I thought of you and Julia, and Dr. many times; that they would love me very much, because I love them and you so much."

The following are extracts from the teacher's journal:

April 3d, 1844. At nine when Laura came down, she said "my heart beats very quick, it is sick." I asked what made it so, "Long ago when Drew was my teacher, my heart beat quick and ached, because I felt very sad that Adeline died, and I did not know about going to Heaven." I asked her if that made her heart ache now? She said, "Monday I thought much about my dear best Friend, and why I should die, and it made my heart beat quick and I thought if I should know when he took my breath, and I tried to draw breath and could not. Do you ever lose breath?" To change the conversation I said yes, when I run up stairs quickly. "I have lost part of the heart, said she; it is not so large as it was when I was small." I asked when she lost it? "I think it went to my lungs. My blood ran quickly and made my heart beat quickly."

April 8th. At nine commenced the lesson by telling Laura about the Rail Road from St. Petersburg to Moscow, and that they were going to have a man from the United States to build it, and about the expense, distance, &c. She asked how the people could get $4,000,000 to pay for it. This introduced the Emperor Nicholas, his rank, office, &c., and from that she asked what the man was called who took care of Americans; told her about the President of the United States, his name and residence. I asked her if she remembered Harrison? At the time of his death, she saw several ladies with crape on their arms, and she made one for herself. When I recalled this to her mind she asked why the people wore it. This introduced the subject of wearing black in mourning, which she has never known any thing about before. While talking of Harrison I told her the people were sad because they could not have him to take care of them. She said, "were they sad that he went to Heaven and was very happy there?" Promised her a continuance of the lesson to-morrow.

One of her exercises consists in having a simple story read to her, of which she is to give a version the next day in her own language. Her first original composition, however, gives a better idea of her use of language than her letters, in writing which she has adopted too formal a style. The whole story is of her own invention.

"There was a little girl named Jane Damon who lived in the country with Mrs. Damon. She was a very good and amiable, and was never cross any. Jane always obeyed her mother. One day she went with her mother to see her friends and they went to see beautiful flowers in the garden. When Mrs. Damon told Jane, you must go to school, she got ready as fast as she could. She had the books and writing in her own desk. Her teacher was very kind to her scholars. Her name was Miss Charlotte. Mrs. Damon gave Jane a beautiful present. Her sister asked what it was and her mother said it was a ring called diamond stone in it. After a few days her mother took Jane to see her Grandmother and staid for one week. She had a very pleasant visit. Mrs. Damon had a little girl named Clara Damon, and Jane took good care of Clara, while her mother was away a little while. It did not cry any for some milk, but Jane fed Clara with a spoon she loved her so much, &c."