The Arkansaw traveler., 1886-03-20

self by actual experience with its out ward shape. It would thus seem that the faculty we call imagination de- bends nearly altogether on the sense of sight. If we have seen a hill we may have an idea of what a mountain is like by seeing lake we get notion Of the sea {; but if we never saw either tree or the picture of one, not all the word-paint- ing that was ever penned would convey any tue or adequate idea of an ordinary wood, much less of the wondrous beauty and bewiidering grandeur of tropical forest. We should be so far blind and the blind can imagine to themselves only that which they can feel with their hands. All the same, thanks to the innate love of rhythm and regularity, they can be taught through the sense of touch to ap- preciate shapeliness, to find an aesthetic pleasure in sculptures, in certain of the decorative arts, and in raised pictures They may even learn not only to recog- nize their friends by feeling their features, but to single out pretty woman and handsome man. As to this, Prof. Soret relates an amusing and suggestive anec dote. Some time ago three professors made a visit to the Lausanne asylum One was stalwart and handsome Swede with a splendid head the second, an exceptionally ugly Swiss, with a head "that left good deal to be desired !" the third, an average mortal of ordinary appearance. Among the inmates of the asylum was poor deaf mute of the name of Meystre, blind from his birth, but fighly lmpressionable, and quick to dis tinguish between shapes that conformed to his ideal of the beautiful and those that did not. The feeling of deformed or mutilated man, for instance, would sometimes draw from him signs of com passion and sympathy at others strange grimaces and mockipg laughter. ca be- ing told to examine the three visitors, Meystre showed great admiration for the Swede, but on passing to the Swiss he seemed greatly amused, indulged in his usual mocking laughter, and by his gest- ures made it understood that he thought the man had no back to his head, which he seemed to consider an excellent joke The result of the third examination was negative. It produced no sign either of dissatisfaction or displeasure.
 These facts seem to show, and in Prot SoIet's opinion proved beyond doubt, that, SO far as the "human form divine is concerned the blind possess the same ideal of beauty as those who see, and that this ideal is innate; and he is anx- ious that those who have charge of the sightless should make every effort to cul- tivate their asthetic tastes, that by means of cardboard models in relief and other expedients they should be familiarized with the highest types of human beauty, which occupy so large a place in all lit- eratures. By this widening of their con- captions, they would be enabled to un- derstand allusions and descriptions in poetry and elsewhere which at present they must find utterly incomprehensible The better to accomplish this object, Prof. Sorte has drawn up a complete programme; and seeing how hard life is for the blind, and from how many pleas ures they are debarred, we may heartily applaud this effort to ameliorate their sutferings by opening to them new hori- zons, and wish it every success.