22.

Write a character sketch of Bishop Brooks as he appears in Helen Keller's ‘The Story of My Life’.

Bishop Brooks was in Helen's words, one among many of the 'men of genius' with whom she had had the pleasure of acquaintance. As a child, Helen used to love sitting on his knee and clasping the great hand in her own as Miss Sullivan spelt out his beautiful words about God and the spiritual world. She would listen with the wondrous delight of a child, her spirit could not reach up to his but he would give her a real sense of joy in life. Once, when she had been puzzled by the existence of so many religions in the world, Bishop Brooks had told her that there was one universal religion, the religion of love, the love owed to their Heavenly Father with whole heart and soul and to love every child of god, remembering that the possibilities of good were far greater than that of evil. Bishop Brooks' life was an illustration of his philosophy, love and the widest knowledge blended with faith in his noble soul giving him an insight into life. Bishop Brooks had not taught Helen any special creed or dogma. He had impressed upon her the two great ideas of the fatherhood of god and the brotherhood of man, which she came to believe as the overarching truths of her life. Bishop Brooks had taught her the creed of love.