The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1847-04-29

it is nevertheless as true, that they must de-
vote much greater amount of labor than 9th
or men, in order to make equal progress and
that when all is done, they cannot make then
knowledge SO profitable to themselves, prof
table, that is, III pecuniary point OF view.
1t has been enormously thought, and the
early Reports of this Institution may have
contributed to the error, that many blind FER
sons could be found who would make good
teachers even Of seeing persons, in various
branches of study. This belief, which if not
the offspring Of hope, was nurtured by 1t, has
not as yet been ripened into certainty by ex-
perience. To say nothing of his inability to
avail himself of many mechanical aids, now
deemed necessary for instruction, such as the
blackboard, diagrams, engravings, expert
great disadvantage of being obliged to depend
upon another persons eyes in all his studies
and references 10 books. All these disadvan-
tages may be, and have been, overcome by
some blind men of uncommon ability but it
is for common, and not uncommon cases that
we are to provide.
1t would be curious subject Of inquiry for
the metaphysician, whether, if man born
blind possessed great natural abilities and en-
inent literary attachments, he would not still
encounter a difficulty, arising from the very
nature of language, which no effort could over
come, and which would prevent his ever at
tanning the perfect use oft.
To person who is born deaf, and who is
consequently dumb, language invented by
common men can hardly be said to be vernac-
s,lar; it will always be to him as a foreign
tongue, which he may use with great skill but
never with perfect correctness. A person
born blind learns common language,as COM
mon men learn it, by the ear, and it is his
vernacular tongue nevertheless, it must con-
tain many words and forms of expression
which he cannot fully understand, because he
has never experienced the sensations which
they are intended to express. The body of
every language is made Of words significative
of sensations which arise in the mind in con-
sequence of the action of the external senses.
Now, as sight is the most important of the
senses, it will be found that multitude of
words in every tongue are directly or indi-
rectly signifcative of impressions made upon
the scnsorium through its agency. The blind
learn these words and figures Of speech, and
attach to them some kind Of meaning, but not
precisely such as other men do-certainly not
such as those do who have the rare power of
associating clear and definite ideas with every
word and the habit Of using them with pro-
priety and precision, such men as compose
the very small class of good speakers and wri-
ters
A deaf mute might be brought to read and
understand work on the law of acoustics, as
Saunderson, the blind mathematician, was
able to understand, and even to teach the
principles and laws of optics; but the first
would be as completely lost in a simple trea-
Use on melody and rythm as the second would
DC in Sir Joshua Reynolds lectures on paint
ing.
Acoustics and optics both treat of laws
which may be called mechanical, and they
may both be Illustrated by comparison with
impressions made upon the mind by the sense
Of touch; but not SO with the subjects Of har-
mony and color they are intangible and in
appreciablc by other senses than those of sight
and hearing. No kind of writing tests more
severely the writer's power over language
than that of poetry. Had Milton been born
blind, he probably could never have left such
raviShing pictures of visible objects. There
has been a great deal of rhymed prose writ
ten and published by deaf mutes and by per-
sons born blind but there is hardly to be
found an original stanza of tolerablc poetry
among Che productions Of the first class, and
not one Of high order Of merit in those of
the second Blackjack of Scotland has usual
ly been considered as the most gifted writer
among the blind, and he was spoken of by
Burke and other men of his day as prodigy;
but his writings will be searched in vain for
poetry of q very high order. lie says of him
self, what is doubtless true of all persons sim
ilarly situated, that he always associated some
moral quality with visible objects.
Doubtless, if person born blind were en-
dowed with that rare combination of faculties
which constitutes the highest poetical temper
ament, he would make some ofthose beautiful
revelations which genius gives, from time to
time, as the result of its intuitiye perception
of the harmonies of nature, but he would nev-
ertheless be always trammellcd in his ex-
pressioAs by the difficulties above alluded to.
The poems of Blackjack would furnish an
subject of speculation to the met !
aphyscian who studies the nature oflanguage !
and its Agency in developing the human fac .
ulties, but such speculations would be out of
place here, and we return to say that in all |
ordinary cases our course Of instruction is
confined to the common branches of an En- ,
glish education. In addition to these, how
ever, the pupils are all t aught the elements of
vocal and instrumental music and those who !
have much musical talent have an opportuni- !
ty of cultivating it, and of practising upon the
organ or other Instruments, under the direc-
ton of an able and accomplished teacher
The instruction in music, and the provision
Of musical instrume nts, are a source of con-
expense, and it may at first thought
seem that we are paying for mere luxury;
but when the whole advantages of it are con-
sidered, it will be approved by every humane
The blind, " from the cheerful ways of men
cut off," deprived Of that exhaustless source
Of pleasure which the sense of sight affords,
bat feeling still as strong desire as others for
that kind of stimulus which exercise of the
senses furnishes to the mind by putting it in
contamination with external nature, devote
themselves with double zeal to the cultivation
of the sense of hearing. The result of this
exercise is, like that of all other exercise. an