St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-01-17
Amusemen,s of the Blind.

AnuSemenIs of the Blind.
"What are the amusements of tn,
blind 2" This was asked of Superin
tendent William b. Wait, who ha,
been in the New York Institution fol
the blind more than thirty years.
lie aIIuseilents of Ulle blind" Mr.
Wait replied, 'vary like those of per.
sons who have sight, according to the
tastes and capacities of the individual.
! They are always circumscribed bv the
absence of sight, and are necessarily
made difficult by the necessity of sub
| stituting the nse of one faculty for an
other. Education will, of course.
change the general character and ca
pacity of the blind in about the same
degree as it does persons with sight.
But blind person is always afraid to
move unless he has learned the ground.
He is, as you would be in the dark, on
his guard. He must move cautiously
unless he is certain that he can move
with safety. Many persons wonder ut
the outdoor sports of our inmates, but
it must be remembered that all are not
totally blind. Many have faint glim-
merings of light that enable them to
guide one another by voice and touch.
SO you may see them in the yard
wrestle, jump, form a line, and play
leap-frog, because that depends mainly
on the touch, but they cannot play
hop-scOtch. They cannot play ball or
marbles or billiards, but they can Jump
the rope and swing. They can skate
or swim with a guide, they can row u
boat or dance, because these require
chiefly the sense of touch. The dancing
is easily managed, because but Il small
space is required, and they can easily
keep within that and guide each other
or be guided by one or two in Il set
who can see. 1t is, of course, more
difficult for them than for persons with
sight to learn the steps, but some of
them, especially the females, learn to
dance gracefully. | have known them
to be fond of fishing, but they must 90
with Il guide.
''At indoor games the blind are often
very expert. Checkers or draughts is
a favorite game. They play on u
board that has alternate squares de
pressed. Instead of white and black
pieces, they have round and square.
" "Iii'I Nv lllt
touch. Some of them are very expert
checker players, but they are ALWAYS
hampered by the necessity for feeling
for the pieces To keep the position in
mind. have known blind persons to
play chess but very few. The mental
process is somewhat the same that
persons with sight have who play what
are called blimdfold games but the
blind chess players have the advantage
of lingering the pieces to keep their
positions in mind. The pieces are
usually distinguished 10y numbers. But
they are seldom good players of chess,
because, unlike most blindfold players,
they never see the board, and must
practice with difficulty. 1t is COM
mon thing for the blind to play cards,
and they can learn all games of cards.
1t is easy to mark the cards with cut
corners, or with needles which prick
up burrs, as Is sometimes done with
court cards by card sharpers. They
play with the same qualities of mind
that sighted persons have. Blind per
sons are very fond of domin0es. They
can as easily count the spots as they
can read raised writing. | have seen
the blind roll ninepins; but, although
they use the ordinary implements, it is
very much Il game of chance.
''The difficulty in teaching the blind
arises from the fact that most of those
who come to us are not of the most
favorable age to learn. | find that l3
per cent. are between the ages of I0I
and 20; about 30 per cent. are between
the ages of 20 and 30, Z per cent. are
lN.alnU- IN and half
80. 1t is easier to learn in the lower
decades of life, but most of those we
get to teach are in the other decades.
should say that only Is per cent. are
of sch0olable age. The old have first
to unlearn old habits before they can
learn new ones. estimate that there
are now i'll New York city about one
thousand blind persons. Music is un-
doubtedly the chief amusement of the |
blind. Handel, the great composer
was blind but lie was a great musician
before blindness came upon him. |
McFarren, also Il composer of emi-
nence, was blind. Everybody has
heard of Blind Tom, the pianist. 1t |
is almost universally the case that the |
blind find great amusement and conso- |
lation in music, and may become pro- |
ticient enough to teach music. | have
devoted sixteen Years to the subject of
the musical education of the blind. and I
have now a system of musical notation, |
combined with point writing and print |
ing, that makes it possible to teach |
music not only in the lower, but in the |
higher branches, to all the blind. They |
take hold of it with eagerness they
learn rapidly, and are able to read and
write music and compose it.
'What we call the New York sys-
TEN of point writing has been adopted
in all the institutions for the blind in
this country except those of Boston
and Philadelphia. | found by expert
ence that the old system of making
raised letters by type composed of
straight lines was with difficulty ac-
quired by the blind, and that but IA
small. proportion could learn to read
with facility. This has been remedied
by the substitution of points for lines
i hese points are embossed and can
readily be learned, not only by those
whose sense Of touch is exquisiteiy
nice, but by the great mass of blind
persons without selection. The ex-
pertinent of taking whole classes has
been successfully tried. The new sys-
tenn has proved beyond question tg he
adaptable for writing or printing every
dynamic, rythmic aud har-
iDonic design found in the staff nota
ton. First the pupils are tanght to
read the literary point system with
facility. Then they learn to write it.
Music is begun by reading the musical
signs, their formation and use Then
they write music from dictation- at,
little at Il time, continually criticising
what they have written Thus they
can put down their lessons in their +