Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1853-05-07
0be Dailp aoireiniau.
Mr.. Prescotts Mode ofWriting.

1t may not be gen rally known that Mr..
Prescott, the historian. is deprived of the use
of his eyes. and that in his extensive research.
es into the sources of history, as well as in the
preparation of his manuscript, he is obliged TO
resort 10 an artificial process, which he thus
describes in letter TO Mr.. Putr am:
"As you desire,I send you specimen of my
autograph. Ii is in the concluding page of one
OF The chapters of the'Conquest of Peru, book
3, chapter 3. The writing is not, as you i'm.
agine, made by pencil, but is indehhle, being
made with an apparatus used by the blind
This is very simple affair, consisting of a
frame of the size ola common sheet Of letter
paper, with brass wires inserted in it to CORE
spond with the number oflincs wanted On
one side of this frame is pasted leaf of thin
carbonated paper.such as used to obtain dupi
Gates. Instead ofa pen the wri'er makes use
of stylus, of ivory or agate, the last better or
harder The great difficulties in the way ofa
blind mans writing in the usual manner arise
from his not knowing when the ink is exhaust
ed in his pen, and when his lines run into one
another. Both difficulties are obviated by this
simple wiring case, which enables one to do
his work as well in the dark as in the light
Though my trouble is not blindness, but a dis
order of the nerve of the eye, the effect, so far
as this is concerned, is the same, and | am
wholly incapacitated for writing in the ordina
ry way. In this mannerI have written every
word ofmy historcas.
"Ths m0d0S oper0ndt exposes one TO some
embarrassments; for as one cannot see what
he is doing on the other side Of the paper, any
more than the performer in Z trcadmill can
see what he is grinding on the other side oil
the wall, it becomes very difficult to make any
corrections. This requires the subject to be
pretty thoroughly canvassed in the mind, and
all the blots and erasures to be made there be.
fore taking up the pen or stylus. This com
pes me TO go over my composition to the ex
tent of whole chapter however long i, may
be. several times in my mind, before sitting
down TO my desk. When there the work be-
comes one of memory rather than of creation
and the writing is apt to run off gliby enough.
A letter which | received sonc years ago
from the French historian, Thierry, WHO'S 10
tally blind, urged me by,all means to cultivate
the habit Of dictation, TO which he had resort
ed and James the novelist, who has also adop-
ted this habit, frds it favorable TO facility OF
composition. | have too long been accustomed
to my own way to changc;and to say the truth
| never dictated sentence in my life forpub
caton, without its falling so fiat on my ear
that felt almost ashamed TO send it TO the
press. suppose it is habit. One thing may
add; my manuscript is usually too ilegble Il
have sent you favorable specmen) for the
press, and it is always fairly copied by aman-
uenses before ii is consigned to the printer
have accompanied the autograph with these
explanations, which are at your service, ifyou
think they will have interest for your readers.
My modus operandi has the merit of novelty;
at least have never heard ofany history mon
ger who has adopted it besides myself