The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-24 00:00:00

Society for Teaching the Blind.

The 29th anniversary meeting of the London
Society for Teaching the Blind to read, and for
training them in industrial occupations, was held
yesterday at the Hanover-square Rooms. The
Bishop of Ely presided, and there were present on
the platform, besides others, the Revs. Joshirt
Kirkman, C. B. Mayhew, J. B. Coles, and W.
Wright ; Mr. J. G. Avery, Mr. F. P. Ward, Mr.
J. Gale, Mr. E. P. C. Hanson, pro hon. secretary,
and Mr. J. H. Wright, treasurer. The objects of
the society are to instruct the blind in reading by
Mr. Lucas's method, and in such other useful
branches of education as may qualify them for in-
dustrial or professional occupations, and to assist
such schools as may be established for any of the
same purposes within five miles of St. Paul's.
The school is situate in Upper Avenue-road, Re-
gent's-park, but the committee complain of the very
serious nature of the evils arising from the inade-
quacy of the existing buildings, and appeal to the
public for donations to enable them to complete the
entire sCheme for the enlargement of the premise;
the more costly part of which has already been ac-
complished by the addition of new wings to the
building. The Chairman, in opening the proceed-
ings of the day, said he believed that no portion of
the Gospel struck Christians more forcibly than the
accounts given of the miracles of their Saviour in
restoring sight to the blind. Since that day sight
had never been miraculously restored to the blind,
but no work could come much nearer to that blessed
work of their Saviour while upon earth than the
work of those who taught the blind, as it were, to
see without their eyes. To work without vision, to
teach them to read for themselves, was something
approaching as nearly as any human act could ap-
proach that wonderful deed of restoring sight to the
blind. They would all recollect the words of the
Saviour after having p_lforrned one of these miracles
—" A greater work than this shall you do, because
Igo to the Father." This was a very remarkable
saying of our Lord, and he always thought that
what the Saviour meant was that the working upo❑
the human mind—the spiritual working upon the
human soul—was even greater than the physic 11
work which he himself had wrought upon the human
body. This society in first teaching the blind chil-
dren to supply their want of sight by reading with
their fingers, and then endeavouring to impress upon
their souls the spiritual truths necessary for their
salvation, appeared to him to be following the steps
of the Saviour in his great work of restoring sight
to the blind, and to be also carrying out his promises
to his disciples that they would do even greater
works than he himself had done. Mr. Hanson then
read the report, which stated that the institution had
gradually advanced in prosperity during the past
year, the income had maintained its average, and the
number ofsubscribers had considerably increased. The
number of pupils at present resident in the school
amounted to 52—boys, 27 ; girls, 25 ; there were
also 13 blind persons reviving instruction as day
scholars. The report spoke very highly of Lucas's
system of embossed characters, and stated that the
committee had adopted the use of stereotyped plates
for all their principal publications in place of the
movable type hitherto employed. The Gospel
of St.. John had been thus printed. The commit-
tee had during the past year gratuitously distribu-
ted upwards of 80 copies of portions of the Bible
and devotional books to deserving persons. Pupils'
concerts and evening lectures on scientific and other
popular subjects are given at frequent intervals at
the school. The total sum that came to the hand s
of the treasurer for the year ending the 31st of De-
cember, 1866, was £2,531 14s. Id, and the amount
disbursed by him for the same period was
£2,416 145. Bd., leaving a balance in hand of
£ll4 19s. 4d. Various addresses were then deli-
vered in support of the institution, and the pupils
read and sang at intervals during the meeting, and
performed on the pianoforte pieces from Beethoven,
Haydn, Mendelssohn, Meyerbeer, and Costa, under
the direction of their professional instructor, Mr.
E. Barnes, and the proceedings closed as usual by
singing the National Anthem.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

LONDON, May 21. —Wind this day at noon—North-
Easterly ; moderate breeze, and rather cloudy weather,
and cold. .
. .

FORT§MOUT.H., Wind N.E.—Arrived—Ma-
rietta, from Catauia for Antwerp. May 23—Arrived— Sir
Jamestjee, from Bombay.
FALMOUTH, May 22.—Wind N.E.—Arrived—Fulton,
steamer, from New York. May 23—Sailed—Englishman,
for Hong Kong.
LivEarooL, May 22.—Wind S.W.—Sailed—Helvetia,
screw steamer, for Now York; North American, screw
steamer, for Quebec ; Francis B. Cuthing for New York;
Isabella, for Singapore. May 23—Arrived—Buautiful
Star, from Rio Grande.
CLYDE, May 22.—Wind N.W—Arrived—Margaret,
from Havannah ; Charles Watt, from Huelva. Sailed—
Hibernia, screw steamer, for New York; Caban, for
Ha vannah. May 23—Sailed—Fleetwood, for Mauritius;
Margaret Smith, for Havannah.
NEWPORT, May 23.—Wind N.W.—Arrived—Alice
Todd, from London for St. Thomas ; Sailor Prince, from
London for St. Thomas. Sailed—Wild Hunter, fur
Calcutta.
SWANSEA, May 22.—Wind N.W.—Sailed—Columba,
fOr Guayaquil. May 23—Sailed—Koningen, for Monte
Video.
SHIELDS, May 23. —Wind N.E.7-Sailed—Asia, for San
Francisco.

OFF PORTLAND, May 24.—Arrived—Harvest Queen,
from Buenos Ayres
OFF FALMOUTH, May 21.—Wind N.N.E.—Arrived—
Elvira, from Valparaiso.

(By Electrie Telegraph.)
GRAVESEND, Friday Morning.

Arrived, May 24—Pioneer, from Alexaueria; Earl of
Aberdeen, steamer, from Hamburg; Sarah Jane, from
Dautzic; Grace Robert, from Memel; Citizen, steamer,
from Bordeaux; Seine, steamer, from Boulogne ;
from Memel, _

----- -
Sailed—Great Victoria, for Bombay.
DEAL, Friday Morning.

Passed, May 23—William, from London for Honolulu;
Stamboul, from Shields for Genoa; Teaser, of Jersey, from
the west for the north.
Arrived, May 24—Arrived—Cornucopia, froze st. Vin-
cent; Caprera, from New York.