Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1888-12-27
LIGHT FOR THE BLIND.
A Luxury That Gives Great Satisfaction
to the Inmates of Asylums.

A Luxury That Gives Great Satisfaction
to the Inmates of Asylums.
You have probably often seen blind
asylums brilliantly lighted at night,
and you have probably just as often
wondered why the blind required such
a luxury. An inquisitive reporter re-
Gently ascertained that the blind are
not deprived of their sight to such an
extent as is generally supposed. Super
intendents and managers of asylums
are aware of this fact and know all the
little foibles and petty tricks of their
wards. The blind are most mischiev-
Gus at the very time when one would
think them to be the least troublesome
that is, in the evening. The super
intendents in this city understand this
and order all the gas jets in the insti-
tuition to be lighted promptly at sun
down. All the tricky ones are then
watched by the janitors as carefully as
Tabby does the mouse. Most of the
blind have some powers of eyesight,
and light rays, as rule, can be readily
perceived by them They know that
when all the lights are going at full
blaze they can not cut up any pranks,
and that all the books with heavy
print, which they can take to bed and
read far into the night, are taken away
from them. These are the principal
reasons why the passers-by sees all the
lights burning in the rooms of the blind
asylum. But there is another and
special reason. Guardians of the blind
state that the latter derive a great
amount of comfort from the light.
Many of them can perceive rays. and
that is the only qualification left to
their impaired vision. As soon as
night comes on they wait patiently for
the gas or lamps to be lighted and then
muse under the illumination that is
sensible to their optics.
Superintendent find it hard to d.
vide the blind into distinct classes, ac-
cording to the degrees of blindness.
There is one continuous graduation
from the totally blind to those who can
see to read large type. The blind are
divided into three classes by those who
come in daily contact with them. The
first class is composed of those who can
not perceive light of the greatest inten-
sity. They are devoid of the comfort
which light gives. The highest test to
prove total lack of vision is to place
the blind person in the direction of
lightning during thunder storm, and
if the flash is not perceived this proves
that the sense of vision is entirely gone.
In the second class are those who
can perceive and appreciate light and
can see only the barest outline of the
forms of persons. These are fed with
illumination and want it most. Regu-
larly at shutdown, they seek the chairs
nearest to the light, and draw ineffa-
BILE comfort from it.
The third class can not only dis
tinguish light, but can also partially
read and discern the features of their
friends. This class is by far the most
troublesome. They do not especially
care for gas light, sometimes because
it interferes with their little plans of
mischief. The janitors always make it
a point to light the gas in their rooms
and keep their idle brains out OF mis-
chief.
Light and music are the blind per-
sons chief delights. All the lost pow
ers of vision are alnsost compensated
for by the extraordinary sense of har-
mony and time. A peculiar musical
talent and gift are apportioned to the
blind, and secure for them positions of
note. Many piano tuners are blind. In
Paris nearly all the head piano tuners
are blind persons. The same is true in
Boston, where all of the pianos in the
public schools are tuned by the blind.
Albany IN. T. Argus.