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But of course, it is notalone for their bright colors that we love the flowers.A gentleman asked me what BEAUTY meant to mymind.I must confess I was puzzled at first.But after a minute I answered that beauty was a form ofgoodness--and he went away.When the reception was over we went back to the hotel and teacher slept quite unconscious of the surprisewhich was in store for her.Mr.Bell and I planned it together, and Mr.Bell made all the arrangements beforewe told teacher anything about it.This was the surprise--I was to have the pleasure of taking my dear teacherto see Niagara Falls!.The hotel was so near the river that I could feel it rushing past by putting my hand on the window.The nextmorning the sun rose bright and warm, and we got up quickly for our hearts were full of pleasantexpectation.You can never imagine how I felt when I stood in the presence of Niagara until you have thesame mysterious sensations yourself.I could hardly realize that it was water that I felt rushing and plungingwith impetuous fury at my feet.It seemed as if it were some living thing rushing on to some terrible fate.Iwish I could describe the cataract as it is, its beauty and awful grandeur, and the fearful and irresistible plungeof its waters over the brow of the precipice.One feels helpless and overwhelmed in the presence of such avast force.I had the same feeling once before when I first stood by the great ocean and felt its waves beatingagainst the shore.I suppose you feel so, too, when you gaze up to the stars in the stillness of the night, do younot?.We went down a hundred and twenty feet in an elevator that we might see the violent eddies andwhirlpools in the deep gorge below the Falls.Within two miles of the Falls is a wonderful suspension bridge. Part II.Letters(1887-1901) 89It is thrown across the gorge at a height of two hundred and fifty-eight feet above the water and is supportedon each bank by towers of solid rock, which are eight hundred feet apart.When we crossed over to theCanadian side, I cried, "God save the Queen!" Teacher said I was a little traitor.But I do not think so.I wasonly doing as the Canadians do, while I was in their country, and besides I honor England's good queen.You will be pleased, dear Mother, to hear that a kind lady whose name is Miss Hooker is endeavoring toimprove my speech.Oh, I do so hope and pray that I shall speak well some day!.Mr.Munsell spent last Sunday evening with us.How you would have enjoyed hearing him tell about Venice!His beautiful word-pictures made us feel as if we were sitting in the shadow of San Marco, dreaming, orsailing upon the moonlit canal.I hope when I visit Venice, as I surely shall some day, that Mr.Munsell willgo with me.That is my castle in the air.You see, none of my friends describe things to me so vividly and sobeautifully as he does.Her visit to the World's Fair she described in a letter to Mr.John P.Spaulding, which was published in St.Nicholas, and is much like the following letter.In a prefatory note which Miss Sullivan wrote for St.Nicholas, she says that people frequently said to her, "Helen sees more with her fingers than we do with oureyes." The President of the Exposition gave her this letter:TO THE CHIEFS OF THE DEPARTMENTS AND OFFICERS IN CHARGE OF BUILDINGS ANDEXHIBITSGENTLEMEN--The bearer, Miss Helen Keller, accompanied by Miss Sullivan, is desirous of making acomplete inspection of the Exposition in all Departments.She is blind and deaf, but is able to converse, and isintroduced to me as one having a wonderful ability to understand the objects she visits, and as being possessedof a high order of intelligence and of culture beyond her years.Please favour her with every facility toexamine the exhibits in the several Departments, and extend to her such other courtesies as may be possible.Thanking you in advance for the same, I am, with respect, Very truly yours, (signed) H.N.HIGINBOTHAM,President.TO MISS CAROLINE DERBY Hulton, Penn., August 17, 1893.Every one at the Fair was very kind to me.Nearly all of the exhibitors seemed perfectly willing to let metouch the most delicate things, and they were very nice about explaining everything to me.A Frenchgentleman, whose name I cannot remember, showed me the great French bronzes.I believe they gave memore pleasure than anything else at the Fair: they were so lifelike and wonderful to my touch.Dr.Bell wentwith us himself to the electrical building, and showed us some of the historical telephones.I saw the onethrough which Emperor Dom Pedro listened to the words, "To be, or not to be," at the Centennial.Dr.Gillettof Illinois took us to the Liberal Arts and Woman's buildings.In the former I visited Tiffany's exhibit, andheld the beautiful Tiffany diamond, which is valued at one hundred thousand dollars, and touched many otherrare and costly things.I sat in King Ludwig's armchair and felt like a queen when Dr.Gillett remarked that Ihad many loyal subjects.At the Woman's building we met the Princess Maria Schaovskoy of Russia, and abeautiful Syrian lady.I liked them both very much.I went to the Japanese department with Prof
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