Smyrna times., 1885-09-30
A Remarkable Blind Man.

We give elsewhere an account of a
meeting held at the Institution for the
Blind, on Boundary avenue, on Tues
day evening last. The pupils were all
present, together with number of cit
izens invited to hear the account given
by DR.. Campbell, himself a blind man,
of his efforts to establish the Royal
Normal College and Academy of Music
at Norwood, near London, and of the
singular way. after encOuntering many
difficulties, whereby he drew attention
on himself and also on the institution
in which he desired to interest persons
of means and benevOlence. 1t appears
that DIR. Campbell captivated the press
by undertaking successfully the ascent
of Mont Blanc, being the first blind man
that ever accomplished that great and
dangerous feat 1 made the ascent"
he says, and came down Il hero. l
found myself in every leading news
paper on the continent. The Times
gave me leader, IAN editorial on the
subject), and from that hour the press
has been glad to receive me-"
Royalty took him up. John Bright
made him a speech, and when he car
ried his musical scholars to Berlin they
opened to him salon heretofore de-
voted exclusively to art, literature and
music. His normal school for the
higher education of the blind is now
success. Il found my way to the
press" he said quantity, and the
public found their way to me-" and
after he had shown what he could do
in the way of developing musical
talent in the blind by his exhibition at
Berlin, 1.-THE English public became
ambitious to emulate the Germans and
to show their recognition of home en-
terprise" DIR. Campbell takes his pu-
pills young from among the poorest,
puts them first in the kindergarten and
the playground, gives them object les
sons, teaches them to make fruits,
flowers and other simple things, and,
lastly, when they have acquired deli
cacy and accuracy of touch, teaches
them u knowledge of music so thor
Oughly that he lean show among his
pupils, taken from the lowest classes,
not simply performers, but artists, to
whom a symphony of Beethoven is as
familiar as a Scotch ballad" Surely
this is good work, and it indicates
what method and skill and patience
can do in elevating the condition of the
blind and in developing in them a
spirit. This is the more remarkable
since it is the work of one who is him
self blind man. There are fifty-three
institutions for the blind i'll Great
Britain, in which, besides the ordinary
teaching to read from raised letters,
some of the pupils are educated in
various branches of labor. Something
of higher kind is done at the institu-
ton for blind children at Paris.
There the children are received at the
age of thirteen years and remain until
they are twenty-One years of age.
Some of them rise to the position OF
professors of music, others are simply
musicians or tuners of pianos, while
the remainder are taught such trades
as they appear to be fitted for. From
the success in these respects that DR.
Campbell has obtained at the Royal
Normal College it is evident that the
capacity of the blind has been under
estimated. But here, in Baltimore, the
managers of our Blind Asylum are
doing as much as they can with the
limited means at their disposal, and il
is one Of the facts of the time that the
public feel less sympathy with the
blind who are seeking the means tt
make themselves self-suppOrting thar
with the inmates of other institution
no more, and perhaps less, meritOriOus
A greater liberality toward our BlinC
Asylum would enable its managers t.
achieve greater results.-BdItimOr
Sun.