Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-03-24
An Ideal Blind Man.

M. d. Conway writes to the Ciincin-
nati Commercial G0ze1ee from London:
It is probable hat Professor Fawcett
will live in history as the ideal blind
man. The expression of blindness is all
over him, and in every smallest move
ment, contrasting at every moment with
the tokens of his triumph over it. His
habitual loud voice in conversation, that
of one who car not measure the dis
tances of those to whom he is speaking;
his unaltered look as one approaches,
until his hand is touched OF he is spoken
to, and the %suddenness of his smile then;
his intent air, IS of n concentrating
all other means Or perception 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 uncon-
sciously copy from n another; these
have more and more become the visible
characteristics of Professor Fawcett as
his real and intellectual mastery has in
creased. So that he is as unique among
the blind in actual powers as he is out
wardly among the seeing. He has few
equals in %1y-fshing, is a capital skater,
and knows all the flowers and vegeta.
bles in his garden as well as his garden
er, in all their stages Of growth. Not
long ago he was walking with SirsJoa
seph Hooker in Kew Gardens and
talked about the trees and ponds and
paths with such appreciation, express
ing the wish that the public might enjoy
them o%ftener, that Sir Joseph forgot
that he was talking to a blind nan and
told him that he (Fawcett) 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 turnings, and
if the cabman drives . yard beyond 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.
remember as q very impressive &C
casion, n on which the pupils of the
College for the Blind were gathered at
his mansion by the Duke of Devonshire,
where they and their friends were ad-
dressed by Professor Fawcett. These af-
ficted youths of all ages and both sexes
sat before the tall intellectual man, who
seemed to be their natural representa-
tive. His address was simple, cheerful,
in every way felicitous. He said that
he thought blind people received an I'M
necessary amount of coincidence On
their loss. While it was right that they
should be speedily aided the sympathy
with them need not be sorrowful. They
missed the dismal and ugly sight of the
world, and their powerfully stimulated
imaginatlons saw the world chiefly in
its beauty. If they were in health and
comfort. They constantly heard de-
scriptions of things, and these, especie
ally if they had once enjoyed sight, be.
came 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 certain persons and
objects of which he had the vivid inn
pressions of q witness. There was in
the blind statesman's speech on this
occasion a hopeful and happy view of
the world, and an indirect testimony to
the good-heartedness and sympathy of
human nature, more convincing than
the pessimistic essays of Schopenhauer,
and more poetic than the moody moan.
ings 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 I have ION
versed with Henry Fawcett l have been
impressed by the many beautiful myths
which preceded the word mystic ('.clos-
ing the eyes'') though he is the least
mystical of men; and l have read a
deeper meaning in Milton's description 1
of his blindness as s'the overshadowing
OF heavenly wings" and as illumined
with Gan interior light, more precious
and more pure" Up to this hour of his
illness, had l been asked to name a
happy man. l should probably have
named Henry Fawcett.