The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-06-21

As tn. fubica is difficult, from ssnt Of experiments
upon it. ! mua requea the readers indulgence on
Tome OF my opinions, particularly as in forming them
| l have taken guide. Indeed it is generally more
advantageous tothe caufe of trufh to exptefs
fentiments than to repeat thofe of oilers Mine,
however, n,usl he con6dered merely as an attempt.
In 1t three queiiions come under our confederation.
l. Is an artificial cultivation of the fenies praai.
cable In other words the fenies be cultivated
in degree more than is common !!
| 9. Is it productive of any benefit
| 5. In what the ienfes be cultivated!
Hence this efiay divides itielf into three parts
| J. On he fyaS7iea5Rity or erifiva,ins The Jaes.
| The manner, in which mpreilions made upon the
organs of fenfe convey ideas the mind, is Of no
Importance in our inquiry. On our coming into the
world. either the organs dull, tie mind is de-
hcient in the faculty Of perceiving the npreos they
receive. Be this it may, the fenie OF feeling APP
pears to b. the ir, that is excited in U.S. it is fome
time perhaps before acquire that of hearing &
that offmell is probably ai la.er. AT fra all our
enfes appear to be very imperfect, and the mpref-
ons received by them very obfcure. BY degrees, as
they are more exercifed, and acquire expert
ence they improve feeming!y in proportion. How
far this Improvement may be carried, is difficult
conjecture. We fee daily, that man, whole
euPaton has required the exercife of his fight, of
| his feeling in particular way, has obtained great
uperiority other men in the accuracy of it and
] there have been blind men, who, by applying the
ienie ct feeling with attention to .hs. obeS, have
acquired the capacity of distinguishing colours by
/ the touch. The infances indeed of thofe, who
have carried one fene fuch degree of perfection,
nearly to fupPy the place of another they had loft
are too numerous to be related here; yet muf not
pals them over, without quoting example or two.
In Puiiaux lived a chemiit and muGeian, who had
been born blind. He learned to read by means Of let
| tiers cut in relief, and taught his fon to read ALTO.
6rah x,t h,
OF heat It gave: and could tell when he any
| thing, BY the impreflion the air made on his face.
| he could dhtiuguifh open ftreet from one which
was not thoroughfare his face being fenfible the
ihghteit change i'll the atmosphere. The weight Of a
body, or the capacity of veiIe, lie cop,d climate
very nicely; his hand being balance, and
mfaliible meafure. He could detect the iliahtea ire
guiarty in imooth furface, variation in the tone
voices. Saunderfon, the blind protector of mathe-
matcs at Cambridge, had fuch nice feeling, that by
1t he could detect purous coins, among any number
OF genuine ones, though they executed 10 nice
ly, as to deceive the acuteh eye The blind fculptor
too, mutt not be forgotten, who, afrer, having loft
ms light for ten years, modelled the figure Of the
great duke Cofmo in clay with the utnoa accuracy,
as he did that Of pope Urban the eighth and that of
the duke Braccisni in dark cellar.
Keriting, who died few years ago, is more re-
cent and hriking inaance. This man, in his youth,
was often obliged to go through dark paifage late
| az hShs. from rear ne often inut ms eyes On
this occaion he made remark, that proved of great
Importance to him in his fubiequent blindnefs when
ever he came near any fold body, he felt certain
warmth al over him. Onthis he made frequent
practice of walking with his eyes fut, and uniform
~ perceived the fame feniation approaching, any
Object This he carried e. far rs never TO run ae amt
any thing After this Re LOFT both his fight and hear
ing, when the faculty he had acquired enabled him
to go any where without danger. When blind he
not only wrote treatile fhoeng horfes but carri-
ed his enle of feeling to fuch degree of perfection
as to be able to read any book in large print by pa
fling the ends OF his fingers over the letters. By way
OF amuiement he cultivated garden; grated and
oudded his frut-trees planted his tulips and hyacnt
roots laid his carnations sc. Every morning he
examined his plants aud flowers, could diftneuiih
them accurately by his feeling, and knew every eye
and bud on his trees. Still his deafnefs appeared to
be misfortune, for which remedy could be ho-
ped. One morning however, his wife lying acct
dentally with her mouth againft his fhoulder, while
fhe gave fome directions to the maid, who came into
the room. he felt ferries of Orange fenfatons in hi.
arm This exciting his attention, he laid his hand on
her mouth, while ihe pronounced all the letters Of
the alphabet in their order At each letter he per-
eeived different fenatiop, which he carefully noted
finding it always the fame at the repetition of the
fame letter and by practice he acquired fuch readi-
neis at difinguhing POUNDS in this MANNER that hi:
wife had nothing to do but carry his hand to her
him as readily when he po1efed his hearing. When
his wife frlt pronounced the alphabet in this way
loudly, as foon e the letter. (R he felt as
If he fhonld be franged his heart was oppreIed
he Murdered and trerbed in every limb, fcrearned
out with anguiNh and fad to his wife: my God
what are you doing to me ? in confequence fhe ever
afrer avoided this letter as much as poIible and
when it was inddpenGble, pronounced it as fofly
as fhe could. It is faid of this man, that while he
was blind and deaf. he was alnoh always happy &
content extremely cheerful and extraordinarily clear
and luminous in his ideas
To convince myfelf Of the pofIibty Of cpltivatine
the fenfes lhave fevera times exereifed fevera Of
the pupils Of our academy, and received convincing
proof, oft. I.aftly that my obfervaton might be
more precfe, feetfed two, Ws*of Langenfalz
and l.. Won. H'of Copenhagen, and ekercifsd them
three fucce1ive Sundays an hour two in the even
ing each time. From fueb Mort trials wonders are
to be expected, but the following journal of what
was done will ow, that the want % one fene is not
absolutely nece1ary to the Improvement Of another
January 81, W's and H- being completely blind
folded, learned to-day, ]: to di(lingui(h gold from
FLYER coins with great facility Pruan from thofe
OF Bruniwick, new French double loufd'or, from,
lfuflian and Saxon. Among number of new dou-
bic louiid'cr, they learned to pick out the Saxon
PruiIian and French. All this they did readily 9 :
tell with accuracy the number of pieces of cold as