[Faith-talk] International Women's Day Recognition

[Paul]

Hello folks.  This is in addition to the Daily Thought message I'll be presenting to you later.

What follows are brief biographical snippets of notable blind women, but unfortunately little known in this day and age.  Sure, we all know of people like Helen Keller, Fanny Crosby and others, but I doubt there are very few, if any, who have ever heard of the people presented in this post.  Although they had one thing in common besides their blindness, and that is the propagation of Esperanto in their respective countries, they also contributed in other ways.  Each lady's biographical snippet will be indicated by all caps, and then the information about her.  Unfortunately my translation from Esperanto into English leaves much to be desired.  However I hope that there will be something of interest for you here.

HELENE GIROUD

She was born in December of 1864 in Chamoson, a village in the Swiss canton of Valais (Wallis) and in 1871 became blind caused by what was diagnosed as an attack of measles.  In 1874 she became a student in the school for the blind in Lausanne, Switzerland, where she taught mathematics to the students after she graduated and was attested to teach.  She taught there until 1887 when, for unknown reasons, returned to her home village, but in 1890 she was employed by the school for the blind in Villeurbanne near Lyon, France as a teacher and eventually became its director.  Helene continued in this position until September of 1907 when, because of poor health, again went to live in her home village.  In 1911 she was among those who founded the Swiss League of the Blind.  This organization both morally and financially helped Europe's blind before and after World War I.

Helene Giroud was also an author, writing in French stories and novels about the life in her home region of Switzerland.

Another thing worth noting is that the League, in cooperation with Swiss border guards during World War II, with Helene supervising, undertook the very risky task of smuggling blind folk and other "undesirables" that Germany and Italy considered such, over the border to safe houses through natural caverns that went under the borders of Germany, Italy, Austria and occupied France.

On June 19, 1950 after a long and fruitful life, Helene Giroud passed from this life into the eternity awaiting her.

AGNES MELCHIOR

If that last name sounds or reads familiarity to you, it could be from one of two sources.  In "The Story of the Other Wise Man," by Henry Van Dyke, his name is identified with Caspar and Belshazzar as the other two wise men who came to visit Jesus, or more probably you may associate the name with Laurits Melchior, a world-famous opera star.  Agnes in fact was his sister.  She was born on July 14, 1883 in Copenhagen, Denmark.  She was first educated as a singer, but after she became blind she decided on a career as a teacher of very young children.  In 1921 Agnes took up her task as teacher in the school for the Blind in Kalundborg, Denmark, and continued in her job for 24 years, known and loved by her young charges, who gave her the affectionate name of "Aunt Agge."  During Esperanto congresses of blind people, she would often tell about her work and even show them some of the handmade things she had made in order to more fully enlighten her students of the world around them..

On February 25, 1945, Agnes Melchior passed away caused by an insidious disease.  Information about her was gathered by her compatriot, Paul Glygard.

ANNA FRIMAN

This Finnish lady was born on July 14, 1878 and became blind as a child.  Not much information is given about her life outside of her involvement with Esperanto, except to say that in 1930 she founded "The Literary Association For the Blind," a somewhat risky venture for her co-compatriots, with the goal of introducing to the general public literary talents that blind people had in her home country.  Two short-lived but influential literary reviews came out of her fertile mind which in Finnish were "Varjojen Mailta" and "Finlands Blind-organ." Unfortunately these titles weren't translated into Esperanto, so I give you the Finnish names with the hope that someone here who knows that language can tell us what they mean.

Anna Friman died on April 20, 1937.

EUNICE HUGHES

This last biographical snippet is of a lady whom I personally corresponded with during the late 1970's and early 80's.  She was born on July 29, 1926 as Eunice Woodget.  When she was seven years old she became blind and partially deaf due to an attack of meningitis.  She was educated in schools for the blind, partially sighted and normally sighted.  After her education at the Royal Normal College for the Blind administered by the Royal National Institute for the Blind, she worked for several years in an industrial enterprise as a stenotypist.  Around 1949 she started teaching Braille stenography at the college administered by the RNIB, where students took a one-year course rather than the customary four-year one.  She was also a member of the commission which, from 1955-1959 revised the Braille stenographic system, a somewhat tedious occupation.

For several years she occupied her talents in a group of blind actors but, because of her gradual deafness, had to resign that post.  However her contributions did not go unnoticed in this field.

Eunice also organized the Esperanto Braille transcription service for the National Library for the Blind in Stockport, UK, with the result that this library has the world's largest collection of lendable books in this language.  In 1962 she married one of her colleagues in the service, John Hughes, but unfortunately that marriage lasted until 1974 when John died.

This stalwart lady also was instrumental in collecting money to support the British Guide Dog Association, as well as doing things for her local community., including organizing a care network for people with mental problems.

She died on January 30, 1985.  I can say without hesitation that in our correspondence together, we both treated each other with respect and dignity.

I hope that these biographical snippets, brief as they were, were of interest to you.  Admittedly, my translations from Esperanto into English leaves something to be desired, but I did my best, God helping me.  I'm much better doing this the other way around.  Paul