The Benton record. [volume] (Benton, M.T. [Mont.]) 1875-1879, 1879-06-13
VOL. Y.

/ the Tribune building and the statue
in Central Park, can you lay your han'
! on your conscience and affirm that | an
material loser through my inability t
enjoy like masterpieces. Mansard roofs
sham fronts, and statues III impossible
cloaks or on horses stumbling over can
fnon balls ?"
@aWell, really, -
! "Music, you will admit, we enjoy twice
as much as you, for our attention is not
distracted, and the fact that one sense i
lost renders the others more acute and
increases the appreciation Of the senses
that remain.
"But literature ?"
'Literature, my dear sir, may for all
practicable purposes, be considered from
TWO standpoints-those of the producer
md consumer. The chances are that
he blind man who turns author will not
produce book as stupid as-WelL, let US
mention no names-tor, in the first place,
e will need no amauuensis, which is the
irst salutary check to prevent him from
making an ass of himself; and, secondly
his thought will have an opportunity to
elaborate and perfect itself in the leisure
# perpetual darkness. On the other
land, if the blind man stands in the
position of mere consumer, either be
loes not read at all, and so, as in the
-ase of art, is on the whole pro6tted-
he proportion Of poor books to good
mes being, say, as one to a hundred-or
.lse he enjoys through the medium Of a
..eader the cream of current literature,
Tor you unfortunate folks with eyes have
o dive into oceans of slush and find and
all attention to the few pearls it contains
or his benefit"
II must admit that you SO arrange your
acts that -
pardon me, | do not arrange them;
hey present themselves. Only the blind
rave the privilege ofnot being compelled
0 witness that which is sorrowful, revolt
Dg, hateful in the world. They are
xempt from irritating necessity Of CON
the arrogance Of the great,
le meanness Of the pretty, the guile Of ?
le hypocrite. I assure you, sir, that # 9
1ch a thing were possible as q commun- !
y Of blind people, matters would run 7
lore easily and nationally than they do
4 communities whose members labor
nder the infrmities of vision. In such 9
n ideal realm, people would live for
be realities oflife, not for its shows.
"You mean that"--
~ mean this; instead of fashions
where the human mind is racked to bring
bout The union Of idiocy and inconyen-
ence, every individual would array him
elf and comport himself as seemed most
and natural to him to do. In
sad Of living dolls and milliners' show
gures we should have girls and women
Tho would consecrate to home and the
ousehold the long hours wasted at the
nirror and upon the promenade. Fare
,ell, then, long farewell, to rouge, pad
ing, false hair, pearl powder No more
oung fops, no more snperannuated +
eaus No more gliding and fresco, but
Il for comfort and use. In one word :
or must not run forever on this theme,
ttractive though it is--there would be no
truth. ,
VI {
"You have, indeed" said I, "painted !
le subject with a masters hand, but
sill"-
"But. still you do not care to enter just
ct upon q state of cecity. Pardon. me,
or / have not the pleausurs Of an. init |
1ate acquaintance with you, but are you
ute certain, sir, that you are not /
lind ~
"Certain that am not blind / should
hink | was! ~
"Happy man ! I fancied every one in
he world was blind-this one to other
,eople's defects, that one to his own. Is
lot yonder youth blind, who lets the
mistress he loves madlY but who does
lot care for him, squander his fortune
md sully his name? Is not that hus-
oand blind who-but ! have already
ouched upon this subject. Is not yon
ain man blind who takes the compii-
nent paid him in society at hundred
ents to the dollar? Blind is that fool
vho rushes into wall street to barter the
ortune he has for that he will never
make? Blind is that big hearted good
elbow whom his pseudo friends pillage
nd ridicule? There is blindness right
f Is, blindness left Of Us. and arraying
nfrmity against infrmity do you know
hat / prefer my variation Of blindness
/ is for this reason, sir, that I said at
he beginning Of the conversation which !
ave uniustifably monopolized that you
Ii /