New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-04-16
The Blind
zso9Hderee # ne Tribune

BosTos March g. I5ij.
7 send you with this copy OF he Arnuai Re
-,o,t of me Perkins Institution and -MaSsqotnsen
dsulnm for the Blind. This document Is always
hooked for with great interest by the Public, ant
Won will doubtless be able 10 find place in you
osper for some extracts from It In the appendI2
YOU will fad an account of the case Q. Laurs
Bndgeman who you probably know Is deprived
Of sight, hearing, speech. and even taste anc
SMELL yet b. the aid OF her remaining sense they
have been enabled to impaE: 10 her some know"
ledge OF the world IN which she IS placed, .nd o
those by whom she is surrounded. Most OF yonl
readers have probably read The account OF her con
tanned in Dickens Notes Az account Of her pro-
gress during the last year, may not be altogether
uninteresring. This is furnished in the appendix
to the Report 10 which have already rei-F"d
shall occupy the remainder oi lhls lciteI WIN
few facts In relation 10 the Blind and their Edu-
cation.
TINS subject must continue TO be Of deep in
teresi 70 all those wAo have the good Of their TEL
low men at heart. 1t may seem surprising TO the
| Philanthropist that nothing was done 10 meIorate
the condition OF the bind until within about a
| half Century. The tact can only be accounted
| for UPON the superstition that society was never
conscious that II had IN iis bosom so many OF lis
| III fated children "To suppose il was and that it
| had done no more in lhelI bela! would BE- an I'M
parchment OF rs charity and lis justice; tor II
there be any class Of mankind Whose claims upon
the sympathy Of their more Fortunate icliow-mes,
cannot for d moment be denied, It Is surely those
who can never behold the light of Heaven or look
upoG the face Of friend. But an seneralizlng,
when Il was only my intention 10 give you facts
And first Will remark that blindness varies IN
different climates and upon different soils. In
Egypt there is one blind person TO every two hun
dred inhabitants, or between twenty and thirty
thousand bat the number OF those with partially
defective eyes, that is, with one eye. or distorted
eyes, is msch greater. The prevailing cause Of
blindness III Egypt Is OpthalInia, species OF IN
ilammation.
In Europe as a whole the proportion of blind is
one TO about fourteen hundred. 1t OF varies
In different parts OF Europe In Sweden ere TO
every III 10 Denmark one 10 every Sl7; III some
OF the Austrian Provinces one 10 every DO Further
North between the 50lh and 10Th degrees Of atl-
,ude the number of the blind decreases In Nor
way there is one to every 500, and IN Prussia one
To every 1908 The exact number IN the United
States is no; known: Ii has been vanously es,i-
mated AS from 10 10000. Il Is ! curious and In
stmctlve fact which we cannot omit here that not
only are the number OF those born bind decreed
by the statute Of the Governor of the Universe, but
the number of those becoming so by disease or BY
what are call accidents is governed by laws Just as
fixed and lmmutab!e. Thus blindness Is an evil
entaiIed upon man, aud nothing can be more clear
tlal Tie GUY OF sOtict} W IL 'htCiss
This of course can only be accomplished by giving
the blind an education This so far as we have
any accounts was fist attempted in Japan =" AGA
DENIES SAYS an old writer were early esab.
lished in Jdpan for the education oil the blind,
where they were instructed orally" Their edu-
cation consisted in their beng required to transmit
from one generation 10 another the acts o. then
government and the exploits ol their great men.
The first attempt made IN Europe to educate the
blind, and which was lar more successful, was
made by Able Houy, an eminent French Phllan-
throplst He succeeded IN devsIns method by
which touch in the blind was made 10 subserve the
want Of sight. He Invented raised letters by which
they could be taught TO read, and also methods By
which they could be taught 10 write, cypher, nc.
We cannot OF course here occupy the space winch
would oe necessary ~ eieitue iuiy .I '' 80, -
opcrand, by winch the bind are Instructed ms
can be best understood by visiting the oliierrnt
Institutions when nave oeeh es'aoiisiitu IN "iI9
county, where Inc me'hou can ne eApidhieu IN oil
It's details:
hone i'ouS .staoH9'' = Ms - ~" :,n
were soon alter established IN oillerent parts Oh u
rope Most Oh tles, are S'' u ~ ,n
one Ill raihouiSu' Se'.'a.''' - l. 49, d
because concs ii w OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
that OIL ie1uelsns 'i'e r;u '.e - rIJ ,h
IN some degree. oeheu0i " '.i'sI
Inc nist ins''tiJ -
lhcorpoFaeu y! uT =. ,inS
IN lS@o ~ u.u mos ,,arJ I, &c lncnted ~,
nnlil some lou. en'S Snu,b R"s,on This lusrin
Noun. ' ~ 5TeSnnenc, over similar establish
uon Wv ,ba UNITY IN The interchangeable ey,rrions
mems III ~ .s,e noc,or s G. How, gentleman
ho S Ii he esteemed and loved SO long as respect
or worth and intelligence shall exist with us Ths
Ins,;ntion in York was established about the
n,. ,,n,c !. th. one Al Boston. and ii has conri-
S,,,nd n,mcb r. ameorae The condition of those
LUZ; .rsnrs ,bo have enioved lis advantages
T In sd9;on 10 the institutions we have ALREADY
III ouui''n" " 49, ~
menlloheu we may I'D ,bn"ob u has bnG to
wnich mas e1i'e uo. SCI f'i,;S ,b,, ,r, F ,b
cIn,ehu m,,a ~ Columbns ONO and Al Louis
LII Kennedy have been recently established
tn nroSnects ARE fair: and we have no doubt
thai they will soon be able TO compete with the
oider lnslltu,lous' a. r
thus We nave gwen YOU di dCSoun. VI '''' -
forts which have been made by Inc Fhlian'nropiS'S
nj This and other countries 10 mitigate IN some &C.
,, -, al III. arsuiest dpnrya Of which our
S'ee ols Va '"s ~. f,r INV b,v.. enc.