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

I ly from perceiving the volume, the density,
and the direction of surrounding objects, but
also from the everchanging, ncver-ending Sc
ries of impressions which the motion among
them makes upon the ear.
Now that part of the aesthetic nature, which
gives us knowledge and love of the beauti-
full in external nature, can be cultivated only
by the exercise of the senses but OF no one
of them in particular The man who has
merely the external organ OF sight goes about
and all things are to him i'll motion or at rest
near or remote large or small, black or white
green or blue, but nothing more ; but the man
with a cultivated eye walks abroad in nature
and sees grace in every motion, from the
treading Of an animal upon the ground, to the
floating of a cloud upon the air he sees beau
ty in the symmetry of every resting or grow
! ing thing, from the rounded pebble, to the
spreading oak-harmony in every combina-
ton of colors from their wild diversity in the
evening sky, to their perfect blending in the
lily's leaf; to him the world is succession Of
pictures of wondrous beauty, and in every one
he sees marks of the beneicence as we'll as
the skill Of the great Limner such man is
not likely to be an irreligi ,us man.
| The blind man, who has merely an ear for
hearing sounds, goes about, and all things are
to him noisy or still, close at hand or farther
off, sonorous or dull and nothing more but
the blind man with a trained ear and cult
waited mind finds an cxhaustless source of
pleasure in tracing out the thread of harmony
which runs through all natural sounds; to
him there is music not only in the human
voice, but in the language of animals, in the
breath of the wind, in the patter of the rain,
in the rush of the brook, in the play Of the
leaves; in everything, from the hum Of the
insect, to the peal of the thunder, he rerceiv-
es harmony,-he feels that the voice of nature
! is filling the temple of the world with per-
petual hymn of praise to its great Author =
such man is not likely to be an irrcligious
man.
Believing that the tendency ofproper cult
walton of the musical sense is not only to sharp
en- the discriminating power of the ear, and to
make it better substitute for the eye, but al
so to elevate the sentiments and to refine the
moral nature, we do not ask whether pupil
can do any thing toward earning his liveli-
| hood by playing on an instrument, but we try
| to give him a knowledge at least of the rudi
ments of music, in the assurance that it will
| aid in developing an important part OF his ma
ture, and making him better as well as a
happier man.
The work department has been in thirty
idg condition A particular statement of the
shop account, with the Auditors certificate
and the vouchers, is herewith submitted
We may remark here generally that the
amount of sales during the year was $780,
765 SO, being more than any preceding year
The cost Of carrying on the department,
over and above its income, has been $780,
BY its means, however, we have been enabled
to pay the sum of So, 043 II to the blind men
and women,-not in aims, but in wages, which
they have earned by steady and industrious
labor Besides this, there has been paid the
sum Of $500 to former pupils Of the Insttu-
ton, who are now engaged in the domestic part
of the establishment; making the sum of
S2,3I3 II, which thirty-one blind persons
have earned The persons so employed are
adults, and most of them are estitute of any
means Of support but their own labor; and
without some such facilities as are given them
by the Institution, they would probably be
living in state of idlencss and painful de-
pendence upon others. Now they work in
dustriously and cheerfully they rejoice in
the bread which they cat, because it is sweet
ened by the toll that earnedit; they are proud
Of the simple garments which they wear, be-
cause by the labor of their own hands have
they comfortably clad their bodies they val
ue the little surplus ofmoney in their pockets
because it was not placed there by the hand
of charity; and they fear nothing but dis
continuance of the work which makes them
independent
We regret that they are not able to earn
enough to warrant us in giving them higher
wages, so that they may be al l. to pay for
their board themselves, and thus live in diff
ferent families in the neighbourhood. 1t is
impossible to give them the advantages and
the pleasures of social and domestic life, while
living as they now do, In an establishment
like ours, the workmen must live separate
from the young pupils, and for the most part
associate only with each other. Now all his
tory and experience show that adults cannot
live and congregate together exclusively, for
a long time, without great tijadvantage to
their moral and social nature, without stunt
ing, on one side, the development of natural
and healthtul feelings, and promoting, on the
other, the growth of prejudice and selGshnesS.
These evils are felt as yet with us only in
slight degree, because the number of adults is
still SMALL and the necessity of their strict
separation from the main family is not urgent,
but when, instead of twenty, there shall be, !
as there will be, from fifty to one hundred, |
who will require to be supplied with work,
then more strict separation from the young
family will be cxpcdient, -then an esprit de
corps will be formed, and moral deteriora-
ton must follow 1t is time, therefore, that |
some measures should be taken to provide the
means by which those blind persons who have
been taught in our school, and who cannot
quite earn their own livelihood, may receive ,
q little indirect aid, to counteract in some
measure the disadvantage under which they
labor through want of sight, and may be sup i
piled with work. In order to illustrate our ,
we will mention two cases.
A. is man who was many years an inmate |
of our establishment; he is not stone blind
he has light enough to guide himself about
he is a very Industrious man, and familiar
with all the trades that we carry on He is