Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-12-25
BLIND woSENs WORK.
Laura Er.dgmsp, The wsaaes or the Cen.
tuy-The Peesry Of Dsrknes, &c.
st. Touls Ds,nfch'


Hsb Pcstmaster.( General. Mr. Fsweetf. q 10.
eel daily comments on the number OF blind
men who have attained to an astounding
usesulnsss despite the terrible drawback
thew suffered from. The Dispatch has AZ
J, adv given the rolLcaIl Of these eminent
rtniuses Of darkness TO the public. but
we csnnot. recall that any paper has done
similar Justice 10 the blind women VINO
have won their way to fame, though no
smsll number have deserved II.
The mos, famous blind woman IN the
world ,scertainly Laura Bridgman. Born
in Hsnover, y. H.. on December u. 1923,
she was a brigh., intelligent child till. at the
age Of two years. an attack Of scarlet-fever
rendered her blind. deaf, and dumb. HAv-
ing thus transformed her into an automa-
ton. nature left her TO herself, and she be-
cane healthy girl In body. She taught
herself TO knit aud sew. aud, by some To-
stIuct akin 10 an animals, to make known
her wants. In 1880 DIR. Howe. OF Boston,
undertook her care aud education q. the
deaf and dumb school, The account Of her
education Il one Of the marvels OF philan-
thropic ingenuity too long 10 repeat here.
Suffice II 10 say that II left her an intelligent
and educated woman, who, In spite OF ber
lie OF darkness and silence, can read-with
her fingers OF course-wrfte, and. what II
more. became one Of the best teachers OF the
blind, deaf. and dumb in the world. Dick
ems records bis establishment and admlra-
ton of her in his " American Notes. and
| she Is yet alive and useful, in spite Of her
| awful affection.
Less wonderful but none the less inter-
| sstipg are the records OF the numerous wo-
men whom blindness alone has smitten
| without the kindred terrors poor Laura
Bridgman suffers from. II IS in literature
that thew have chiefly shone, though there
are exceptions, ike Nine. Paradis, whose
concerts astonished and delighted Paris 10
| 1884. Mime. Psradis was born in Vienna
She lost her sight through excessive fear.
Her friends, who were tolerabiy well-to-do,
placed her nj very tender age under
competent instructors, and she developed
strong,taent for music, which was wisely
cultivated. Ateleyen years she performed
a "Stdbdt Mater" at II. Augustine's
chur, b, accompanying herself on the or
Gan. to the satisfaction OF the Empress
| Queen, who settled iife-pension on her
| After completing her musical educlfion,
| she. in company with her mother. visited
| the principal courts and cities OF Germany.
| France. and England, where her talents
never failed 10 engage the admiration OF
| the royal families.
All who have read the life OF Or. John
son recall bis blind protfqf, Miss Williams.
Ann Williams was the daughter Of Welsh
surgeon. aud came TO London in 1880. She
did nothing TO distinguish herself until
sitter she lost ber sight by a cataract, at the
age Of thirtv-iour. Then she went into
literary labors.
In l746. after six years OF blindness, she
published translation from the French OF
| lie Bleterie's Life OF the Emperor .ju-
| han." and twenty years after she appeared
again az an authoress Of volume entitled
Miscelanies in Prose and Verse" Her
| literary a,tsinments recommended her 10
| the notice Of DIR. johnson, in whose house
| she lived for several years, and died in 1888.
! OF the age OF seventy-seyen. Her grabbed
temper, il history goes for anything. led
| her q ncrous friend dogs lie.
A blind authOress, who achieved still
| higher literary distinction, was Hiss Fran
ces Brown, OF whom DR.. krtto writes at
| length in his Lost Senses.' She was born
In Strauoar, County Donegal. IN 1916, her
father Icing the village postmaster. She
lost her sight by smallpox when she was
| eighteen months old, and, rs was usual with
blind children in Ireland at the time. was
left pretty much 10 herself. no hope OF ed
ucating her 10 usefulness being entertained
by the family. Nevertheless. she received
some instruction from charitable neigh
Dor. and at seven years began 10 write poe
/ try. She first became a contributor to the
Irish Penny journal, and In lSii sent some
small poems TO the London ltteaGam.
They were printed, and thus her literary
life began. Miss Brown was woman OF
rare intelligence and dwide knowledge for
one afflicted a. she was
An eminent blind authoress of the same
epoch In this country WAS Miss Frances
Jane Crosby. She was born IN 1870, and
educated In the New York Institution for
the Blind, having lost her sight at six weeks
Of age. Her first book OF poems was pub
| lished in 1874. She contributed 10 all our
periodicals, being in particular a fayorite
verse-w ritter for Grdhdm'S Magazine. Her
"Monterey and Other Poems" had au ex-
tended success, and made ber a great deal
Of money. She was valued teacher at the
blind asylum during her life, il indeed.
she Is not still alive and busy improving the
condition of her smitten sex.
Another poetess aud teacher at the same
institution was Miss Cynthia Bullock. born
blind at Lyons, Wayne county, \. Y,
March !, 1921. In 1898 she was sent 10 the
blind asylum here, and in 1852 published
her first poems, and became 4 popular
iavOrile.
In 1915 n work called Female Influ-
enct." written by Daphne 5. Giles, at
tracted the attention Of the American pub
he and enjoyed large sale. Ii was series
( Of well-written ESSAYS, quite Temarkablef for
purity Of LANGUAGE and chastity OF style.
The author was a blind New Hampshire
/ girl, born in 1912, and rendered slghtless at
fourteen. She was a resident Of Michigan,
but educated at the New York asylum.
Another American writer Of somewhat
similar character was Alice Holmes. She
was born in Norfolk England, in Febru-
/ ary, 1S2s. Her father. an enterprising me-
cbanic. emigrated TO New York when she
was little girl.
The vessel set sail in 1880. ON the pass
! age smallpox made its appearance among
! the passengers, and among it, subjects WAS
little Alice. When the passengers disem-
barked she was taken to the City Hospital.
and when medical skill bad broken the fet-
! ters Of The disease il was found 'that her
sight was irrecOyerably lost. Her parents
took up their residence In Jersey City. In
1887. through the generosity Of a friend OF
whom she speaks in the most glowing
terms Of gratitude, Alice became pupil OF
the New York Institute for the Blind.
where she remained till 1874. Thenceiorth
She lived and wrote in jersey CITY.
The list could be extended lar beyond
the limits Of such an article a. this. One
Of the strongest Of the band OF blind poet
e.ses was Miss Margaret Belcbes, Of Inf-
ana. OF whom il Is said that she dictated her
writings to a deaf and dumb sister by
means OF a manual alphabet.
More extraordinary than any OF these
cases, however, save perhaps that OF Laura
| Bridgman. are those OF the women who
have actually become successful IN the field
OF art without being able 20 see the work
they did The blind seem 10 develop an
especial proficiency in embroidery, and
there are wonderful examples OF their skill
in this line In existence. How they can,
merely by the sense OF touch, acquire an
accuracy IN so difficult branch OF labor is
inc0uceiyable. But they can do il, a. the
examples OF their work prove. One OF the
most expert wood-caTyers in this country Is
blind girl out in Cincinnati.
Blind lawyers, blind doctors, blind me.
chanics and inventors are numerous among
the other sex. There j. monument al
Carlisle. England. to 40 extraordinary
blind physician, Hugh James. and one at
Brussels TO DR.. Nicholas Bacon, advocate OF
the Council OF Brabant. 4 career very like
that Of Mr.. Fawcett was Alexander David
sons. Davidson was born in the middle
IL. Let nj H. trhf