The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-11-26


little kindly encouragement on the part Of community
Notwithstanding the magnanmous efforts that have
been made TO elevate the social moral and intellectual
condition Of this class find an appeal to sympathy
painfully prevalent in almost all their transactions with
society.
need but turn to the prcfaces Of most Of the lite
productions Of the blind 10 discover how much they
have the Ignorance and prejudice so pre-
Naeat the public for the sake OF obtaining sym
Jathy where the, despared Of inspiring confidence,
though eninenily deserving Tor example we quote the
folowin-:-"Any frmiiiar with the process of
rosing and particularly of writing will under
stand how great the advantage Of being able 10 commit
10 paner for preservation or c. rrccton the passages
terupted from day day and how the labor
of bearing them, In Fragments in whole, In the
morv through al delays and Interruptions Such
thoughts dsaym criticism, where seeming haste
has married the rhythm or measure ola ne or left some
link Of fancy loose
ing Had not Homer Ossan, Milton, Blackjack, and
scores Of others, composed and sung their immortal
verses while their vision muiied, deep and dark
tie drapery of night, we might be constrained 10
metaphysical arguments 10 expose the inconsistency and
yagueness Of such methods 10 obtain favor and ward of
criticism But they uncalled for. Those WAC
hew and carve poetry toymaker whistles out his
articles, may fnd supply of stationery sine qua non
But q true poetic spirit genius to have
depended upon such agents. We utterly abomnste and
detst every remark insnuaton that tends to hold
in the light Of sympathy the literary efforts of class
who have in every age the fairest aures and
riched the commonwealth Of letters 1t has been our
object in the present work To point out to the blind and
the public in general the achieving abilities OF our
order.
Reason we'll experience proclaims to in tones
weighed in the balance of merit ii is impossible for
to succeed in any undertaking. sympathy, like the
atmosphere surrounds on every side, but like this
il L too Tight to sustain life To acknowledge that
present work have faults and imperfections is only
ut We certainty cannot ask TO have them excused or
loved ~ consequence Of peculiar condition. Mo- a.
tribute Item to our ignorance carelessness stupidity,
ply we pray hce reader or critic attribute them not TO
blindness for this we must deem rather an advantage
than an Inconvenience in the art of composition.
The folio irg will. we think, contribute to diss'-
pate at oftSe prej1dces that prevail with regard
70 TIE difficuts of employing persons deprived Of
81; 81 IL hapdic,afts requiring nice and delicate
n9pit Dlsiiop:-
necessary for to act where sight Is necessary
~ The manual labor pursuits In rude stages Of society
when mechanical operations all performed by hand
il may have been more possible for blind person, in
some branches to compete with the seeing. But in
age IKE the present when steam and other natural
agents have usurped the place of muscular power and
the manufacture of all articles Of profit is monopslized
by large apalSts this possibility seems almost entirely
10 have vanished.
The facility with which seeing person will manufac-
ture articles by the aid OF machinery, from which those
without sight have been entirely excluded appears to
have left this class of borers utterly without hope Of
gaining livelihood But it seems to that with
little kindly aid this inequality might, in great
sure be remedied That The blind have sufficient nge-
nuy and can also acquire the requisite knowledge of
any mechanical pursuit necessary success will not
questioned by in the least acquainted with their
history
But in any branch requiring the use of numerous
tools change Of position, and bringing together many
parts into whole, they must necessarily lose
time in feeling their work selecting using and
placins their implements, than one who has his eyes.
Here then, arises their only nabiityto compete with
other aboers Facility is what they have lost and not
skill II seems TO that in those manufacturing estab
lshmsnts where labor is so divided among the opera
tvcs that each person has but distinct part of the
mho'e 10 PERFORM and where no change OF position is
requisite the blind might perform portions of the
process with but little no inconvenience. should
manufacturing establishments of this kind be erected,
connection with our institutions where machinery
would facilitate labor, think, with the aid of few
seeing persons to perform the most difficult parts,
profitable and honorable operation might
he conducted than in the few simple present.
selected for and taught to, the blind Complex mocha
other hand when left to their own inclination in this
respect they have almost uniformly selected those pur
suits in which great ingenuity and dccacy perception
William Hunilcy, native Of Barnstable, in Devon,
who was born blind, spent the PRINCIPAL portion of his
life IN watch and clock making. His father
to have possessed great skill in this bu ness and brought
up his son to the same craft He considered by the
Inhabitants OF bis native place very superior hand in
his profession especially in repairing musical clocks aud
watches. 1t L said that he seldom met with any Diff
occurred that when others failed in repairing cock
wntch Huy found trouble in discovering the nature
nostrum Had not our experience aud observation
taught us to what astonishing degree The of
touch may he cultivated the idea OF making il supply
the place Of the eye ana powerful magnfying glass,
(Which i generally used BY jewelers., might ~,
wen as 70 others, seem preposerous. Besides, these
facts VIII appear sin more reconcileable when il is
membcred that Hunty lived in the days Of huge wooden
clocks and watches about the size of Moravia biscuit
Neither Il he the only blind person who turned his at
tenion 10 this art William Kennedy, who becanl,
srhtless in childhood, had the reputation of being
OF tho best clock builder both common and ,jca OF
his time. This mechanical genius a native Of Tan
deragee Armagh, and lived In the latter part Of the
venteenth century, When boy he was master builder
and protector for all the children in his native town,
did maturer years relax his desire to engage in useful
emlloymen When at the age OF thirteen, having been
sent to Armagh FOR the purpose of receiving lessons in
music and while there residing with cabnetmaker his
mechanical propensites newly awakened, and he
made himself acquainted with tho tools Of his host
and the or working them. Although this
eongenial employment occupied much OF his time, lie
also made very satisfactory progress in music; but on
his return home his FIRST was to tools with
which he fabricated many articles of household furni
ture He also constructed Irish bagppes of very inn
proved patent, together with other wind and sringed
instruments and perfect his knowledge in this
art that he was by sort OF common consent, elected
repaer and budergenera for the entire musica order
large section of country In the alternate
pations of clock and cabinet making building looms.
with Their various tackings and his other mechanca,
accomplishments he maintained and raised large and
respectable family.
Another genius OF the kind not altogether with
out fame, was Thomas Wilson, native OF Dumfres,
who lost his sight in very early infancy His ntuitive
fondness for mechanical pursuits early entced him to
eeeapaon he oss Of hs life 90 we
did he succeed in this business that his roing-pins
AMI potatoe shers gained great reputation among
the good wives OF both town and country; and
IN making tinsniths' mailcts, nt-breaks, and buck
sters stands, honest Tom was Acknowledged every
side TO be without rival He also made lathe suited
TO his purpose, and the tools which this bust
requires lie had arranged that he could take from
his shelf any he might need, without the least diff
Guilty.
Iii related OF Cesar the ambitious Roman. that on
passing through small country village day, in
pany with OF his courtiers, he turned to Of
them and said. Believc me, had rather he the first
man in this small town than the second in Rome II
Wilson inspired with such desires Of superiority
he had the good fortune to have them early gratiied
for in addition TO the honor arising from his mechanical
genius lie was elected principal not Of college uni
versy. for why should he have his peace of mind dis
turbed by tie impairment ,rckery Of miscellaneous stu
dents but principal OF the high situation of bell
ringer IN the mid steepie of Dumfrie And TO prove to
all future generations that blind man he true to
high situations well any other he died nj hs
post in the nSsfeepe at the Of seventy FIVE years
and the Sxtvthir,i year OF his bclringership He
respected and beloved during the whole o his life by his
fellow citizens and all who knew him. II appears that
hc vas married hut Lived the enviable life OF ba
cheor. doing his cooking making his bed rnis