The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-23
eoNQUEEoa AGAINST HARD ODDS.
Marvin Clark, the Bind Newspaper
Writer of New York City.
ZION the Nel0 York Sun.

ks
Writer of New York City.
From the New York sun.
Any afternoon Of the week one may see In the
reading room of the Press Club middle aged
man with slight gray mustache sitting at
table, smoking cigar and listening with an air
Of close attention to boy who is reading
newspaper in an undertone. If member Of
the CLUB lounges up to the table and says,
Hello, Marvin the listener will turn his head
with a smile and say: why, how are you!"
adding the name of the man, whether Smith,
Jones, or Robinson.
Unless you are better Judge of such matters
than the ordinary human being you will not
notice that the man addressed as Marvin Is
blind. The longer you watch him the less
likely you will be to gee it. But the man is
blind and has oeen blind for nearly five years,
so blind that he can only distine uish hight from
darkness and cannot in the least make out
form or color. He IL Marvin K CLARKE, VINO
although blind, yet writes newspaper articles
that are bought and printed and read, that
command more attention than the efforts Of
hundreds OF men who hover about the New
York press.
For over thirty years Marvin Clark was
newspaper man with as good pair OF eyes as
any of them. He was reporter, copy reader,
managing editor. in the very heart of the rush
that surges about that busiest OF places. the
modern newspaper office. Then his sight
began to fail II was gradual dimming, first
O blur, that fades into mere idea OF colored
form. into form without color, into the faintest
of lights and shadows into total darkness.
Then after long period of rest the mere per-
ception of night and day and darkness and
light came back to him. like the first faint flicker
of struggling light seen far back in the depths
of a cave With this the Improvement stopped,
and, aside from the hope this little improve
ment gave. the darkness might as well have
been complete.
OF all the misfortunes that can befall hu-
man being, that which came upon Clark is the
worst. From being an actor in the most varied,
least monotonous, most breathless life man
can lead, he became man in the midst Of the
pitchy darkness Of O night that is unpierced by
iight that has no dawning. He could hear.
with an acuteness painfully sharpened, the
noise the tumult of the rush about him. But
he was helpless. must sit with folded hands.
must RELY utterly upon those about hin.
His training had all been for newspaper work.
There was no occupation 10 which be could
turn his attention He was not rich and he
vas not the sort OF man TO sit content use
less burden upon others So he set 70 work 20
adapt himself 70 his changed conditions. He
resolved 10 continue bis newspaper wore,
accept the handicap fate had put upon him aud
continue In the race. He boughs typewriter
and 10 a few minutes learned the keyboard so
mat with a little care he could strike whatever
letter he wished not through having the letters
rniaed bscausae raised letters would have cut
the ends Of his II gers, but BY learning the Qls'
tsresa between each key and the edge Of TIE
board Then he hired boy 70 retd 70 MN anu
was ready 70 begin newspaper Nofk.
Zach day thls bog reads tie neespspefS~