The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1883-03-15
MISCELLANY
Tho HemafhabIe Achievements ~ Pro-
feaaUr Fawsett.

Tho Hemnthabie Achievements ~ PRO
fessvr Fawoeit.
II ia probable that Professor Fawoett will
live In history as the ideal blind man. The
expression Of blindness Is all over him and
In every smallest movement, contrasting at
every moment with the tokens OF his tri.
umph over H.. His habitual loud voice in
ConversatiOn--that Of one who cannot meas
ure the distances Of those 10 whom he is
speaking; his unaltered look as one APP
'proaches. until his hand Is touched or he
Is spoken to, and the suddenness of his
smile then; his intent air, as OF one
concentrating all other means of per-
ceptioH TO make up for the absence of sight,
and more than all, perhaps, the absence OF
all these small conventionalities or tricks OF
manner which people unconsciously copy
from one another these have more and
moe become the visible characteristics OF
Professor Fawcett as his real and intellect
ual mastery has increased. SO that he is as
unique among the blind in actual powers
as he is outwardly among the seeing. He
has few equals in fly fishing, is q capital
skater and knows all the flowers and veg
etables in his garden as we'll as his gar
dener, in all their stages OF growth. Not
long ago he was walking with Sir Joseph
Hooker, in Kew gardens. and talked about
the, trees ald ponds and paths with
such appreciation, expressing the wish
that the public might enjoy them
oftenor, that Sir Joseph forgot that be
was talking to a blind man, and told
him that he (FawcetD was welcome to enter
the gardens at any time of the night or day
His wife has been such eyes to HIM that he
constantly speaks of having "seen in the
papers" this and that. He goes home from
parliament, across many streets and turn
ings and, Ii the cabman drives a yard be-
yond the door, he is at once checked, He
rarely fails to name the person who speaks
to him, however long the time since their
meeting.
I remember as a very impressive occasion
one on which the pupils of the College for
the Blind were gathered at his mansion by
the Duke of Devonsh:re, where they and
their friends were addressed by Professor
Fawcett These afflicted youths Of all ages
and both sexes sat before the tall intellec
tual man, who seemed to be their natural
representative. His address was simple,
cheerful and in every way felicitous. He
said that he thought blind people received
an unnecessary amount of coincidence on
their loss. While 1t was right that they
should be speedily aided, the sympathy
with them need not be sorrowful. Thay
missed the dismal and ugly sight of the
world, and their powerfully stimulated
imaginations saw the world chiefly in its
beauty, if they were in health and comfort.
They constantly heard descriptions of
things and these especially if they had once
enjoyed sight, became to the blind so real
that they were apt to take their place in
memory as things actually seen. He said
that he himself often confused things he
had heard about with things
he had seen and was sometimes
astonished when it was proved
to him that he could never have seen GER
tain persons and objects of which he had
the vivid impressions of a witness. There
was in the blind statesmans speech
on this occasion hopeful and happy
view of the world aud an indirect testimony
to the od.heartedness and sympathy of
human nature, more convincing than the
pessimistic essays of Schopenhauer and
more poetic than the moody moaning OF
Byron. One had to question whether the
ancients may not have pictured love as
blind because they thought people could see
the fairest world better without eyes than
with them. Indeed. whenever l have con-
versed with Henry Fawcett have been i'm
pressed by the many beautiful myths which
preceded the word mystic CLOSING the
eyes,, though he is the least mystical of
men and have read deeper meaning In
Millions description of his blindness as
'the overshydowing of heavenly wings"
and as illumined with an interior light.
idure precious and more pure" Up to this
hour of illness, had / been asked to name
happy man, should PROBABLY have named
Henry Fawcett. [London Correspondent
Commercial Gazette,