The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1886-02-13
A REMARKABLE BLIND MAN.
DR.. Campbell Tells of His College In
London-Climbing the Alps.

London-Climbing the Alps.
| One of the most remarkable blind men in
the world has just paid flying visit to
| Washington. He is DIR. Francis j. Camp
bell, LII. D., principal Of. the Royal Normal
College and Academy OF Music for the Blind
in London. A native Of Tennessee, for
many years resident of Boston, he went to
Europe, especially to Germany, in 1889, to
study, and he was mainly instrumental in
1872 in founding the great Institution Of
which he has ever since been, and still is,
the principal In the college, over which
DR.. Campbell presides, music is one of the
main objects, but the educ alton given is
general. The college embraces a prerara-
tory school, grammar and high school, a
technical school, a.d an academy of music.
A great deal of attention is paid to phys
ical training. The doctor is little man,
approaching 60 years Of age, wears dark
glasses to cover his empty eyecases, and
dark gray beard. In conversation he talks
qui kly, and there is q peculiar, childlike
cheerfulness in his tone that is only found
in blind men, and only in few of them.
physical exercise is most IS initial in the
education of the bind, said thu doctor: Il
have gen rally found in the college that it
has take n as much effort to over ONE thuir
habits Of idleness and Incidence as to give
them the training for their special avo a.
tions. As a rule sud he "the vitality of
the blind is below the average vitality Of
seeing persons. The lacs OF physical power
leads to Incidence, timidity, and discourage
ment. The blind must be reused from their
willingness to depcni upon othars, and
made to believe in the possibility of inde-
pendence and success We give our pupils
courage and vitality by gymnastic exer-
cises We have q very we'll appointed
gymnasium connected with the college We
teach the boys to swim, too, and skate
They don't have any mora falls in learning
to skate than seeing people do, and the falls
they necessarily receive give them Eardi
hood that is worth every thing to them"
ayes" said the doctors son, tive have
some boys who can play around on the ice
and describe fancy figures as neatly as yo.
o. or pei haps the most expert skater yo1
can find in Washington"
Does everyone get the ice all to himself
in turn or do they all skate at osee and to-
gether9' asked tho reporter. "If m;lny
sii sted at time would thore not be frequent
collisions"'
II he ice-pond is circular in shape" was
the reply, with small islet in the cent4r,
profusely set with trees and shrubbery that
overhang. This little islet i'll the center
gives an echo, by viii the boy knows
how far he is from the bank A dozen OF
them will often skate for half an hour
around that pond without single stumble.
The echo pie e its them from running into
tle bank. When thoy have skatel perhaps
half an hour in tie one direction bell is
ring, and then they turn and skate perhaps
for the same length Of time the other way
They SO round on the iea with just as freq
and easy a swing as the contestants in
skating match at Madison Square garden,
il New York"
doctor, you climbed the Alps once your
selfl'
"Ob, yes In 1880, I think it was, az,
rsnded to the 7topof Mont Blanc. NJ son,
who was then only 10 years old, accom-
panied me, and was the first Of his age who
ever rose to that heisnt. But Mont Blen,
is not by any means the most difficult
mountain to Climb. / never will forget be-
ing showed up for twenty -threa hours on the
Maittrlorn. That was in 1852. I thought
was nsve: going to get down. 1t rather
dulled my appetite for mountain air, but I
ain very fond OF travel and exercise. w ash
ington Pos