What is Miss Keller’s age?
There is no age on the vaudeville stage.
Does Miss Keller think of marriage?
Yes. Are you proposing to me?
Does talking tire you?
Did you ever hear of a woman who tired of talking?
Do you close your eyes when you sleep?
I guess I do, but I never stayed awake to see.
What do you think of President Harding?
I have a fellow feeling for him. He seems as blind as I am.
Who is your favorite hero in real life?
Eugene V. Debs. He dared to do what other men were afraid to do.
What do you think of the Ku Klux Klan?
I like them about as much as I do a hornet’s nest.
What do you think of Harvard College’s discrimination against the Jews?
I think when any institution of learning applies any test other than scholarship, it has ceased to be a public service institution. Harvard, in discriminating against the Jew and the Negro on grounds other than intellectual qualifications, has proved unworthy of its traditions and covered itself with shame.
Can you enjoy trees?
Yes, they speak to me of the silent works of God.
Do you think women should go into politics?
Yes, if they want to.
Do you think women should hold office?
Yes, if they can get enough of their fellow citizens to vote for them.
Who are the three greatest men of our time?
Lenin, Edison, and Charlie Chaplin.
What do you think of Soviet Russia?
Soviet Russia is the first organized attempt of the workers to establish an order of society in which human life and happiness shall be of first importance, and not the conservation of property for a privileged class.
Who are your best pals?
Books.
What is your definition of a reformer?
One who tries to abolish everything his neighbor enjoys.
What is your conception of light?
It is like thought in the mind, a bright, amazing thing.
What do you think of capitalism?
I think it has outlived its usefulness.
What do you think of the League of Nations?
It looks like a league of bandits to me.
What did America gain by the war?
The “American Legion” and a bunch of other troubles.
Do you believe with Arthur Conan Doyle that spiritualism is the cure for the world’s troubles?
No. I think the world’s troubles are caused chiefly by wrong economic conditions, and the only cure for them is social reorganization.
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quoted from Dorothy Herrmann’s biography Helen Keller: A Life, which assures us that “Helen’s replies were not as spontaneous as they appeared. Some months before, she and Annie had compiled a seventeen-page list of questions that she might possibly be asked, and they had rehearsed the answers.” She tells us:
“Other topics included whether America had been true to her ideals (‘I am afraid to answer that; the Ku Klux Klan might give me a ducking’), her opinion of ex-president Wilson (‘I think he is the greatest individual disappointment the world has ever known’), her idea of unhappiness (‘Having nothing to do’), and could she really perceive colors (‘Sometimes I feel blue and sometimes I see red’).”
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For Helen’s thoughts on performing on vaudeville (1920-24) see The Play World.
