, 1889-10-17
FAMOUS BLIND MEN.
Vidal, tho wonderful French scuip-
tor, Chaplain Milburn and Inventor
HerreshOn.

Vidal, tho wonderful French Sculp-
tor, Chaplain AIiiburn and Inventor
Hcrreshonr.
From tho st. Louis Republic.l
Vidal, the blind sculptor, Is one Of the
wonders of the French capital. He has
been blind since his 21st year. We can
quito easily understand how blind
farmer would cultivate the ground with
the plough, spade and hoe. How he
would feel around the tender plants and
gently loosen the dirt from their roots,
or how the blind Birmingham Gala.
miner tells, with the sense of touch
alone, the direction and to what depthto
drill his holes before putting In blast,
but the work of Vidal stands out In bold
relief, unique. wonderful ana y. ineomparr,a.
supposed that one must have tho
"niechanic's eye" and the artists taste
and perspicuity. The later faculties
Vidal has to an exceptional degree
even more acute, he believes, than If the
former were not lost to him forever. BY
slowly passing his hands over an object
he notes its external proportions, and
initiates them in clay in a manner which
strikes the beholder dumb with surprise.
A dog, horse, human face or anything
alive or dead, he models with as much
ease as any of the dozen of Partisan
sculptors who still rctnin the faculty oi
sight.
From 1856 to 1875 Vidal received more
medals than any other exhibitor oi
works in the Paris art exhibition. Many
of his works, made In the solitude OF his
perpetual midnight, are now on the
shelves of the great exposition. where
the blind wonder contends In friendly
rivalry with his less unfortunate brother
artists. He never complains, Is always
genial and festive when 9mopg his
friends, who always speak of and to him
as though he could see, and well may
they do SO, for he is ono of the best art
critics in all Paris.
Rev. w. III. Milburn, known through.
out the civilized world rs "the blind
preacher" and who Is actively in the
Held ut the present time Is one OF the
most remarkable men of the age. lie
was born In Philadelphia in 1928 lie
totally lost the sight of one eye when
quite young, the other became badly
impaired from sympathy, so much 50
| that IL soon darkenod forever. With
spirit undaunted he studied and was
ordained as q minister at the age OF 20
and, ii Is claimed, Travelled over 2OOV
miles filling nppointinents In the south
ern states. Within the last thirty years
/
the Union and some European countries
lie has been chaplain IN the house o.
representatives at Washington, and be
sides filling many other positions. As I
writer he is known AS the author of "Tel
Years of Preachers Life" Rifle, Axe
and Saddlebags," and "Pioneer Preach
ors and People OF the Mississippi Val
ley"
Mr.. Herreshoh, the blind president o.
the Herreshoh Manufacturing Company
of Bristol, X. l., seems as much out o
his element in his present capacity a
the blind sculptor. Aside from Edison
the government has recognized him IA
being one of the greatest inventors o
the times. Many of the torpedo-boat
and steam launches now used by thi
and all the civilized governments ON th'
globe, are the inventions of this sight
less genius. His steam launches hav'
made the highest speed with but few
exceptions, and his torpedo-boats arr
ranked among the most efficient In use
He works on his models in the quiet. o
the night shut up in the darkness of hi
room, but this is all the same to HERE
shoti-the brightest midday would be t.
him as black as the darkest midnight.