Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1854-06-09
The Blind Girl and her Bible.

Prom the Boston Traveller.
Many years ago, said the Rev.
Monsieur v, when a student IN
the University of Geneva, | was ac-
customed to spend the long summer
vacations, travelling from village to
village in my native France, preach
ing in the open squares the king
dom Of God, distributing His holy
word to those who would accept it,
and teaching from house to house.
On such an excursion in the sum
mer of 1873. entered little vine
hung cabin in the environs of Di-
Jon. H. It's low, wide kitchen,
saw a middle aged woman busily
ironing, a boy yet too young for la
Dor, and a girl of some seventeen or
eighteen years, of sweet, serious
aspect plating straw. She did not
raise her eyes as entered, and, on
a nearer approach, | perceived that
she was blind.
Saying that | was one sent to
bring glad tidings of good things, |
began to tell them the story OF
Christ, his love, his suffering, his
death. They listened attentlvely,
IL was indeed tidlngs, new and won
derful, TO them, like others of the
simple peaSantry Of France. The
next day, and the next, visited the
widows poor cottage.
Poor sightless Marie how was
she affected when told her of Him
who opened the eyes of the blind
and read to her how blind Barlimus
sat by the wayside begging, when
he cried unto Jesus of Nazareth pas.
sing by, and received sight. Then
an lrrepressible longing, such as she
had never known before, a longing
for Gods blessed gift of vision, seiz-
ed upon the poor blind girl F; not thai
she sighed to behold the blue heav.
en-, or the golden light, or to look up
on her mothers smile, or gaze in heI
brothers. laughing eyes. No, moi
these but she longed to read the
blessed words of Jesus, how he said
Come unto me, and | will give you
rest
There dweIt then in Dion mar
of God, who had gathered around
him a few blind, whom he had
taught to read and work. | sought
him out, told him OF Marie, interes-
ted him in her, arranged that she
should come an hour every morning
to learn to read, and procured fol
her a Bible with raised letters for the
Blind.
You should have seen her deiigh
as she started off next morning;
warm, bright August morning-ont
hand locked in her little brothers.
aud the other fondly clasping tn,
precious Bible, TO take her first les
son.
Alas, poor Marie it requires I
delicate touch TO distinguish tn,
slightly raised surface and nice out
line of the letters, and her finger
were hard and callous with the con
slant plating of straw. Again ant
again was the effort made, but to NJ
purpose. But one day, as she sa
alone, sorowfully chipping with he
little knife the rough edges of tn,
straw, a happy thought occurred t
her. Could not she cut away tn
thick, hard skin from her fingers
and then it would grow anew
smooth and soft, like the rosy fin
gers of a child? And so she whit
tied the skin from the poor fingers
needing not the pain; was it no
that she might read the word O
Godl But the straw work coul,
not cease it bought bread, and tn
wounded fingers were slow to heal
When the reading lesson was trie'
again, warm drops trickled from tn
bleeding fingers along the sacre'
line. 1t was all in vain.
After the first bitterness of her di.
appointment, Marie strove hard to b
cheerful. God had opened tn
eyes of her SOUL she said, IAN
ought she not to praise Him p
: And the new Bible All, surel
she must carry it back some haT