Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-04-07
A BLIND EDITOR.
How He Manages TO DO His Work Without
Eyesight-His Varied Experiences.


EyesiGht-IIis Varied Experiences.
Many times we have been solicited
by numerous friends and individuals,
says the blind editor of The Cherokee
(lowa) Enterprise, TO tell how it is that
we manage t. find our way about town
so readily without assistance; and ma
ny erroneous ideas are entertained of
us by most pe0ple-ideas which do IN
justice 10 the blind as class. We
cheerfully comply, and to the best of
our ability and in accordance with our
own experience, give the desired in
formation. First, ii is u mistake to
suppose that we are governed by in
stinct, as this gift belongs only to the
brute creation. The human family is
endowed with the power of reason,
and does not need it nor can it be ac.
quired by the loss of sight or any other
faculty. We know of no student or
author of mental philosophy bold
enough to assert that instinct ever
governed reasonable being under any
circumstances, and our eXperienceand
the experience Of others similarly at.
flicted bear us out in the statement
| Then what il it enables us to .ehve onr
| home and come down town alone,
| distance of several blocks, and find al
most any house or store At pleasure
| Remember that man Is reasonable
creature, and that n protracted appli-
cation of reason will sometimes work
wonders even with persons who can
see. 1t is the keenest application of
reason and the constant use of judg-
ment, rendered possible only by the
strictest attention to what we hear and
/, feel, tccether with the memory trained
70 retain the minutest things with the
utmost readiness. This can be only
acquired by the most patient training
snd a strong determination to make
the best of bad and inevitable stun.
| tion in spite of the many bumps and
mishaps which attend the beginning.
Thus, in leaving our door we note the
lay of the lond, the direction Of the
wind If there be any, which, If not
blowing gale, viii enable US to keep
the general d. cc..i.5n. BY careful
! practice we are able to feel the peculiar
condition of The atmosphere, and note
the difference in sound of footsteps on
the earth in the vicinity OF q building
or any large body, which is quite
noticeable. With a cane along the
edge of the sidewalk we find eyerS
which the memory must retain. In
can detect q dliIerend sound
or feeling in the atmosphere. IN
front of every place Of business. me
difference is probably due TO the FACT
that no two stores are built alike o.
contain the same class of goods
: Hence, by forming a mental picture o.
, the city. ami making mental calcula
ton of the distance, we are enapi.-a II
, some measure tooyercome the difficul
: ties that beset us, and wit, but small
Icistake now and tsen, manage to iin'
: out objective points with comparativ
!, ease. There are many people, now
u ever, who seem to entertain doup
/ about our editorial work, noticeaoi
d among our exchanges. In this, now
ever, we do Just as and other editor
l. get our news by the devious mean
e know to Journalism, aud write, VII,
o cur own hands what cannot beclipped
d Reading exchanges is the only pal
D. OF our editorial work that we cannot ds
r. but as the very best little woman o
II ca, Tia does that for us (but don't mel
as ton that 10 her please, 1t is done Ju'
u as well. :,
ne Many things occur which, Will
II amusing TO ms, are matter 81 wona'
nc to others. One year ago, while ran
'n on the Northwestern road be'wee
ne Cedar Rapids and Clinton, when nea
~ ing small station the whistle SCUM
~, ed, and the peculiar reverberaiin
M eehoing sound told us IA plainly
ne though we had seen il that we we
VI passing large body Of water an
ss- when we inquired how large II W.
as those with whom we were conyefsil
ig- wonderingly asked. How In Y
" world DO you know there II BODY
po- wafer therep' Many times, wh
IRE walking In the streets In the evenil'
~ we have passed the dear iauies ~