The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-07

From the Baltimore Herald.
P1rTsBURG, Sept. Rev. E. R. Done
moo. secretary of the Pittsburg association
which proposes to erect an institution for
the instruction of the blind, has received
remarkable letter from Alden F. Hays, a
nrominent blind citizen of Sewickley. The
letter is in the clear and pretty charac 'ers of
the typewriter, and was written upon the
machine by that gentleman himself. In
II Mr.. Hays briefly tells Mr.. Donehoo his
own history to show what wonders may be
worked among the blind people by educa-
ton.
He was for eight years pupil in the Phil
sdelphia institution for the blind, where SO
many blind boys and girls from Allegheny
were trained. de is now man of about IS
vears of age. His career since leaving
school and his present mode of life present
some marvellous facts. A few of these he
relates to Mr.. Donehoo as an evidence of the
bright future that is possible for every blind
person if schooling advantages were only
more common.
Mr.. HAYS is a son of the brilliant Gen.
Alexander Hays, whose heroic services in
the late war ended with death in the wilder
ness He is now, and has been for several
wears past, a coal merchant, supplying most
of Sewickley with fuel He conducts the
entire business himself-without clerical as
siStance
he is totally blind yet he writes all his
own orders by typewriter for coal from the
mine operators; takes the car numbers
when the coal arrives; weighs the coal by
the wagon-load for customers: gives the
drivers properly filled out tickets or makes
out the receipts; receives money, counts it
and makes change; keeps a set of books;
walks to and from his homo without COM
pany and, in fact, goes anywhere in Sewick-
lev bv himself and without a cane
He is an accomplished musician. For
eighteen years past he has been
oRGANIST IN THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,
and he still takes every Friday afternoon
from his business to rehearse the music for
this church on Sabbaths. He PLAYS the
piano with even more versatility than the
organ, and has handled the clarionet and
cher instruments for the Sewickley brass
hand frequently.
One would mover suspect that Mr.. Hays
was blind to see him in his office near the
gewicl1lev station. While the Globe CORE
ipondent was present he left his desk to get
day book. He crossed the large room to
book case, fitted small key in the door
without hesitation and found the right
aperture in moment returning with the
book. Opening it at random, he stopped at
an entry made in February, 1887 about
several business transactions These he
read aloud to the writer, rapidly but cor
'ectly
This book is of white blotting paper. By
means of the Braille system-a French idea
he can "writen in this book faster than
penmen who are in full possession of their
sight. He takes double ruler. which is
made of brass, about two inches wide. This
is perforated with narrow slots. A page of
the book is slipped between the two rulers,
and with a small awl Mr. Hays, with the
speed of an expert, pricks so many dots in
each slot, moving rapidly from one to the
other. A combination alphabet of dots
something like the telegraph system-is the
underlying principle of the method, and,
removing the rulers he reads from the in
dentations on the reverse side of the paper
by running his fingers along each line of
dots. Files of scratch paper on his desk
enable him to use the system for anything.
By his manner of bookkeeping he keeps a
completed schedule of car numbers, and
once he discovered by checking off the rail
road company's monthly statement by his
accounts that the corporation had made
serious mistake in charges. The matter
was investigated, and il was actually found
that
THE BLIND MANS ACCOUNTS
were more correct than the sharp-sghted
railroad clerks. Not only that, but the loss
of misShipment of two cars which the mis-
take disclosed were traced up, and found
through the deft discovery made by Mr..
Hays figures.
The blind coal dealer does all his own cor
respondence, using the typewriter. He is SO
expert with this machine that few profess
sional typewriter operatives can pass him in
speed. His lingering is different from that
of most writers. It is by the systematic
use of eight fingers that he knows the exact
position OF every letters key. Writers who
sce use only two, four or six fingers. He
fits his paper, postal cards, envelopes, ETC.,
to the machine perfectly, the lining being
beautiful. Mr.. Hays says the typewriter is
much easier TO operate than piano, be-
cause there are fewer keys.
In weighing coal by the wagon load the
gentleman runs his fingers along the scale
bar from figure TO figure, and knowing the
size of each iron weight, he is able to arrive
at the exact amount of the burden even to
the smallest fraction. Yesterday, while a
wagon was on the platform, the scale would
not settle.
TON, your horse is pulling against the
breast strap" he called to the driver.
Quiet him down"
SO slight was the horses movement that
the driver beside the animal had not no
tIced it. Yet the blind man inside the office
did.
A customer entered at that moment to
pay a bill of SO 80. He gave Mr.. Hays So
in coins of all denominations. Not a word
was spoken Mr.. Hays quickly counted
the money-by the sense of touch-made
the exact change, ratified off
A RECEIPT ON THE TYPEWRITER,
and the customer left the building in four
minutes from the time no entered it.
Mr.. Hays musical methods are entirely
different from those of the celebrated blind
Tom" The latter learns by air. Mr.. Hays
does not, although he has fine ear for
IN sic. He was a natural-born musician.
He handled instruments when a child. By
an accident, when years old, he lost one
eye. Sympathetic influence ruined the
other eye by the time he was IS years of
age, and he went totally blind. For eight
years he was an inmate of the Philadelphia
institution. His special line of study lay
IN the direction of music. In those eight
years he received a most thorough course
IN classic music by the best teachers. He
came home as thorough a pianist as lived
In the Sewackley valley. His technique was
pronounced by the critics faultless. For ten
years he taught music. and only gave up
tne profession when commercial business
pressed him too hard
de plays selections from all the masters,
Mozart, Beethoven and Mendelssohn. He
could, 1t is said, after ordinary rehearsal,
slt down at the grand organ of any of the
Guy churches and without hesitation, per-
me wnvzl1. Al. -. IT, tn,