LITERARYSTYLENoonehavereadMissKellersautobiographywithoutfeelingthatshewritesunusuallyfineEnglish.Anyteapositionknowsthathebringhispupilstothepointofwritingwithouterrorsinsyntaxorinthechoiceofwords.ItisjustthisaccuracywhichMissKellersearlyeducatiohepointtowhiyhealthychildbebrought,andwhichtheanalysisofthateducationatsfor.Thosewhotrytomakeheraionnottobeexplainedbyanysualysisofherearlyeducation,fortifytheirpositionbyaotheremarkableexcellenceofheruseoflanguageevenwhenshewasachild.

    Thisappealistoacertaindegreevalid;for,ihoseadditionalharmoniesoflanguageaiesofthoughtwhichmakestylearethegiftsofthegods.NoteachercouldhavemadeHelenKellersensitivetothebeautiesoflanguageandtothefierplayofthoughtwhichdemandsexpressioninmelodiouswroupings.

    Atthesametimetheinbiftofstylebestarvedorstimulated.Noinnategeniusventfinelanguage.Thestuffofwhichgoodstyleismademustbegiventothemindfromwithoutandgivenskilfully.

    AchildofthemusesotwritefineEnglishunlessfineEnglishhasbeenitsnourishment.Inthis,asinallotherthings,MissSullivanhasbeenthewiseteacher.IfshehadnothadtasteahusiasmfoodEnglish,HelenKellermighthavebeenbroughtuponthe"Juveerature,"whichbelittlesthelanguageunderpretenseofbeingsimplyphrasedforchildren;asifachildsbookcouldnot,like"TreasureIsland"or"RobinsonCrusoe"orthe"JungleBook,"beingoodstyle.

    IfMissSullivanwrotefineEnglish,thebeautyofHelenKellersstylewould,inpart,beexplicableatonce.

    ButtheextractsfromMissSullivaersandfromhe