Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1866-12-08
Printing for the Blind.

| FhAhS IOr tne Mind.
The invention of printing for the blind
| forms new era in the history of literature
In European countries, one individual In
every 1900 or 400 of the entire population
is blind, and in America one in every 1000
To open up to this large and unfortunate
class such source of profit and pleasure as
reading could afford, was long considered
very desirable, and also very doubtful; but
while, of late years, embossed books have
rapidly increased it is exceedingly crafty
| ing to find that blind readers have far moro
rapidly multiplied. The credit of this in-
vention belongs to France. In 1884 Valen-
tine Hauy printed the first book at Paris
with raised letters, and proved to the world
that those for whom such books were inten
ded could easily be taught to read with their
fingers. He seems to have caught the hint
from blind pianist of Vienna. who distin.
guished the keys of her instrument by tho
sense of touch. After many experiments as
to the form of his raised letters lie at last
chose character little approaching the
ltaic. A new institution was at once es-
ablished-Institution Royales dee Jeunes
Areugtes-and Hauy was placed at the head
OF 1T. Twenty-four of his pupils exhibited
their attainments in reading, writing, arith-
metic, music, and geography, before the
king and the royal family at Versailles, on
the 29th December, 17s6, to the very great
delight of those high personages. In 1914,
when Hauy was pensioned of, DR.. Guillie
was chosen in his stead. This enterprising
directeur general modified Hauy's letters,
and prosecuted the publication of embossed
books with renewed vigor. Still, however,
very little progress was made toward the
extension of Hauy's system and their books
could only he read by those possessing q
very delicate touch. In 1906 NJ. Hauy
established schools for the blind in Ger.
many and st. Petersburg, but they havo
made very slow progress. 1t was in Scot
land and the United States that improve.
nlents were first made in embossed typo
graphy. To Mr.. James Gall of Edinburgh
belongs the merit of reviving and i'm.
proving this very useful art After canvas.
sing every form Of letter, he at last adopted
his angular alphabet. Before 1926, when
Mr.. Gall began bis experiments. not sin.
gle blind person using the English language
could read by embossed printing. On tho
2sth Of September, 1897, be published A
First Book for Teaching the Art of READING
to the Btind the first book printed for tho
blind in the English language. In October,
1884, this Jealous individual published in o
perfected alphabet THE Gospel by ST. John,
Jor the Blind. The text, which was en-
oossed, and, unlike his former effort, printed
not with wooden bu. with metallic types,
consisted OF l4l pages, with 81 lines on q
page OF 70 square inches This rook was
counted great improvement, but it was
objected that the types were too angular
de afterwards printed q number of books
with serrated edges. 1t is unquestionably
to Mr., Gall, more than any other man, that
the interest in the education of the blind
was awakened throughout Great Britain
and America. While Mr. Gall was engaged
in perfecting his plan in this country, DR..
3. u. Howe, OF the Perkins Institution, Bos-
ton, Mass, was busily engaged in develop.
ing his system. In 1888, DR.. Howe began,
like Gall, by taking Hauy's invention as the
basis OF his system, and soon effected those
improvements upon it which have given 80
wide fame to tine Boston press. He chose
the common Roman letter of the lower case,
reducing it by cutting of the fourishes, etc.,
until 1t occupied but a space and a half,
instead of three. This alphabet remains
unchanged. So rapid was his progress,
that in 1886 he printed in relief the whole
OF the New Testament for the first time In
any language, in small quarto volumes,
comprising 624 pages, for four dollars.
More than twelve times this amount has now
been printed, and seventeen of the Ameri.
can States have adopted DR.. Howes me.
thod.
The Society of Arts in Edinburgh awar-
ded medal, on tne 3lst of May, 1887, to
Dr. Fry, Of London, for the inrention of an
alphabet, which seems, however, to have
been in use in Philadelphia since 1885,
Mr.. Alston. of Glasgow, improved upon
Fry's alphabet, by reducing the size of the
letters, and sharpening the embossing. In
1S4O, Mr.. Aston published the entire Old
Testament in Is quaIto volumes. Of 1855
pages, and 81 lines to page, in double plea
type. Aiston, in his just pride. designated
this 'the first Bible ever printed for the
blind" in which he was wrong, however,
for Boston had claimed the honor years be.
fore. Some 20 distinct volumes have been
printed by the Glasgow press; but since
the death of Alston, on the goth of August.
1S46, it has almost ceased to work. Since
1887 it has supplied England, Ireland and
Scotland, with embossed books in Roman
type. The best of sll arbitrary systems 10
that of T. NJ. Lucas, of Bristol, who set il
on foot about 1885, and which "The Lon
don Society for Teaching the Blind to
Read" has been gradually improving since
its establishment in 1889. In May, 1888.
THE London and Blackheath Association
for Embossing the Scriptures" adopted ths
phonetic method of James Hartley Frerc.
A cheap plan Of enclosing or stereotyping
was devised by Mr.. Frere in 1889. IIis
books read from left to right, and back.
after the style of the ancient Greek writing.
Mr.. Moon, OF the Brighton Blind Asylum.
slightly improved on Mr.. Frere's method,
DIR. Howes typograpy is judged, hewever.
to be superior to the British both in cheap.
ness and in size. There are at pressrt ma
less than five different sYstems Of NhogrS-