The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-07-29


FoucAULr's PRINTING MACHINE. FoR THE BLIND in a
recent notice oil the proceedings OF the PARIS Society for
the Encourag ement OF Arts &c, mentioned that a
medal had been awarded Foucaal Tor invention by
which the blind are enabled TO communicate their ideas
by writing, or rather printing gold medal also
awarded TO M Foucault by the jury al the Paris Exposi
ton in ls4s, which occasion the instrument first
exhibited
In ORDER fully appreciate" say the jury in their re
port this machine, the great importance OF this valu
able invention, have but 10 think of the great length
OF time which has elapsed since the want OF such
chneba been elt, and the number OF experiments which
NJ Foucaalt must have performed 10 have enabled him
TO overcome the numerous difficulties with which be had
10 contend.
Many enors--and those too deserving of the high.
est prase-bave fror time TO time been made in order TO
enable the blind to correspond with those to whom the
faculty of sight has been grained
" The dependence, sometimes dangerous, and always
embarrassing, on the hand OF another, 10 communicate
their eas in writing, is thanks TO the discovery Of
NJ roucau rendered unnecessary. VI all the methods
adopted 10 give graphic expression 10 the ideas OF the
blind, NJ Foucault has chosen the which may be
sldered as The simplest and most perfect In fact by the
use OF this machine, the blind are even more favoraby
cIrcumsanced than hose who able 10 See nasmucs
as they are enabled TO write without having learned how
to form single letter All that Is required is 10 know
how to read by the touch in order to be capable Of
pressing their ideas in emnently legbe manner, since
all the letters are in typographical characters.
The process employed TO obtain this necessary re-
suit as follows All the letters Of the alphabet, ex
ecu'ed in relief, and of large dimensions liked the
upper extremity OF metallic rod, made slide longitu
dnally with suitable contiguous canal they are
placed on the same plane and IN the form OF vane, each
oil them exhibiting on its lower part the same letter as
on ITS upper pa, this letter, Of small SIZE, is exact
ly that OF printing character The mechanical arrange
meni IL such tina, all the letters converge towards the
same point, and on being successfully pressed by the
fingers the impress of each becomes placed above form
ing only black mass but whenever letter Is touched
the paper by the movement changes its place, and
thus the writing, rather printing, is produced which
is, at the lme distinct, well arranged and properly
spaced When the line is finished, the paper changes
place in perpendicular direction to the former and the
operation is renewed.
In addition to this, series OF types forming cphes,
and all the supplementary marks used IN writing placed
IN the same way and in plane convergen, with the
formers the general arrangement being that all the types
whatever their order may have been FIRST set their i'm.
preston the point NJ Foucaul, prefers the use
Of tracing paper. such is employed in copying machines
The manipulation ia extremely simple, and admits Of
great rapidly OF execution"
The jury concluded by complimenting M. Foucault
(pho himseV - bf,nd) the great which has
crowned his long continued efforts TO promote the great
phiianthropc object OF teaching the blind to write. II ap
pears that he has been engaged for several in the
construction and perecng OF his machine. which, by
his latest improvements. appears 10 have attaned de-
gree OF perfection almost unlocked for. M. Foucauts
machine is shown in the French department OF the Lon
don Exbibi,ion.--.Nsw York Tribune