Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1851-12-03
For the Lcwisburg Chronicle
Dissemination, Invincible.

The account given in the Chronicle OF
the 10Th of Nov, of the literary attain
meuts of the blind man, Rev. DIR. WooD-
BRIDGE, challenges the attention OF young
men in particular. There are in every
community, hundreds Of persons in every
way inferior to Dr. Woodbridge, who have
had advantages superior to bis. We oo-
serve students for example, who like Puny
children abandon the acquisition Of that
most valuable of all earthly possessions
a liberal edueation-on account of some
trouble in procuring means, because OF
some dislike to places or persons, from
slight indisposition, from WEAKNESS. from
want of perseverance, or from the attract
iveness of some other pursuit that may
promise more ease or advantages, imuiedi-
ate or remote. Instead of perceiving the
superiority of slow present aud sure
future, tLey gra P the shadow and neglect
much of the substance. Instead of meet
ing manflly every difficulty, aud conquer
ing every persuasive OF rcpulsive attendant
on the way, they surrender to the first OF
second obstacle or allurement, and turn
their backs Oh the Hi of Science for ever.
Instead Of strengthening their hearts and
minds by wrestling with and overcoming
evils real or imaginary, they give way TO
the very trial designed to test their worth,
and, enervated and disheartened, yield the
prize to others less favored but more reso-
lutte and daring.
Permit me to add to this general per-
suasive to "neyer derpair," Il notice of a
gentleman who married and for some time
resided in town on the West Branch
LIS. BEEcHER, Esq, now of Sandusky City,
Ohio. After entering upon the profe; Son
of law, he was seized with disorder of
the eyes, which terminated in total blind
ness For some months. he submitted in
inaction to what seemed an irreme, ,ble
infiction. After time, however, lie re-
sumed the practice of his profession, his
f,ithful wife exer;ing herself, in addition
to her family cares, to procuring for him
books, reading the authorities, and prepa-
ring the evidence necessary fcr use. In a
short time, his entire availability" was
acknowledged, business Increased, and by
years of devotion t. his work, competency
was obtained. The facuity Of memory,
when nothing which the eye now presents
can divert its operations, must grow stron-
ger, and become more obcdient to the will :
and as the blindness of Milton opened to
him seraphic sights never viewed by NOR
tai eye, so in this instance the close and
undivided attention of the lawyer to his
"knotty points" and tangled skeins," of
ten led him to dissect the knot and restore
to order the mesh which piercing eyes had
utterly failed to manage Thus, in COM
plicated case affecting the validity of the
titles TO large portion Of the City, after
days Of research, inquiry, reading, compar-
ison and argument, his own clear mind
detected points and advanced neglected OF
Inexperienced facts, which made bis tri-
umph in the case as complete as it involved
interests important. In another instance,
when about .tory witnesses were examined,
he arose and reviewed and applied the tes
timopy Of each in order, with correctness
unexcclled by those who had their notes
before them. His clcarness, force and
beauty Of expression in speaking, mani
festly increased under the deprivation Of
sight.-Should this tribute meet his notice,
his noble heart will excuse our quoting his
name as an eminen: example Of what
man can do, when he has the wiN.
Another instance Of the triumph of rcs-
olution over an impedlmen, apparently
insurmountable, is afforded in the case of
the publisher of the paper of county in
Indiana, whose name we can not now re-
call. lie has been blind for seven wears
or more: and yet, he not only conducts
his paper, and carries on his Office, but he
works at the setting up of type, doing each
day about 1900 ems, or near an average
days work. He puts bis editorials in
type without the intervention of paper.
When he conposcs selected matter, he has
it read to him, sentence by sentence and
from reading also he selects his articles,
aud corrects the proof. Practice has
doubtless taught him the distances in his
case Of types from one box to another and
by the nicks his Increased dclicacy of feel
ing would readily fix their proper position;
while the size OF the type, and the running
Of delicate, weil-traiaed hand over their
faces, must have made them as plain to
him as raised letters are to the blind. We
hazard not to assert that this careful, blind
printer, makes "cleaner proof" than
many blundering, careless hands who live
L.