The record-union., 1893-02-20
AGAINST HARD Odds.
Marvin Clark, the Blind Newspaper
Writer of New York City.
How He Manages to Gain Livelihood
Notwithstanding His
Misfortune.

ANY afternoon of the week one may
see in the reading-room of the Press Club
middle-aged man with a slight gray
mustache sitting at a table smoking a
cigar and listening with an air of close
attention to boy who is reading news
paper in an undertone. If a member of
the club lounges up to the table and says,
Hello, Marvin" /" the listener will turn
his head with 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 ad-
dressed as Marvin is blind. The longer
you watch him the less likely you will be
to see it. But the man is blind, and has
been blind for nearly five years, so blind
that he can only distinguish light from
darkness and cannot in the least make
out form or color. He is Marvin r.
Clark, who although blind vet 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
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. 1t
was gradual dimming, first blur, that
lades into a mere idea of colored form,
INTO form without color, into the iaintest
OF lights, and shadowing into total dark
ness. Then alter long period of rest
the mere perception 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 improvement gave, the 0arkpess
might as well have been complete.
Ot all the misfortunes that can befall
human being that which came upon Clark
Is the worst. From being an actor in the
most varied, least monotonous, most
breathless lie man can lead, he became
man in the midst of the pitchy dark
ness OF night that is unpierced by light,
That has no dawning. He could hear,
with an acuteness painfully snarpened;
the noise, the tumult of the rush about
him. But be was helpless, must sit with
1olded hands, must rely entirely upon
those about him.
His training had all been for newspaper
work. There was no occupation to which
he could turn his attention. He was not
itch, and he was not the sort of man to sit
content useless burden on others. SO
he set to work to adapt himself to his
changed conditions. He resolved to con-
tlnue his newspaper work, accept the
handicap fate had put upon him and con-
llnue In the race. He bought type
writer, and III a few minutes learned the
keyboard 80 that with little care he
could strike whatever letter he wished,
not through having the letters raised, be-
cause raised letters would have cut the
ends OF his fingers, but by learning the
distances between each key and the edge
OF the board. Then he hired boy to read
to him and was ready to begin newspaper
work. 1
Each day this boy reads the newspapers
TO hlm-the headlines of all articles, the
fuu text OF some, few paragraphs of
many. Thus he keeps himself perfectly
informed of what is happening in the
world each day. Added to this is the
gossip he hears from his friends, the
newspaper men. He is thus able to COM
ment upon the news or to store up what
he has learned 1or future use. In his
thirty years OF experience in New York
newspaper work he has gathered a vast
amount of information about men and
things. Further, he has a still greater
amount OF knowledge of where things
are to be got, if he does not know the de-
tails or remember accurately.
Through these sources he is ready to
furnish special articles upon all sorts of
is most important feature OF the news
paper, especially of the Sunday edition.
Mr.. Clark can write interesting specials
upon things that were and also upon
things that are. He has only to think of
Il good subject If there is a reading to
be done, his boy can do it for him. IF a
man is TO be interviewed, his bow can
lead him to the man. Were it not that
this roundabout method took too much
time he could do the routine newspaper
news work.
He has learned the typewriter so well
that he makes it turn off for him copy
that is clean and clear and most legibie.
lncomparably better than the copy that
formerly flowed from the end of his
pencil. At first the newspaper editors
were bit shy of his writings, because
it seemed incongruous for blind man TO
do newspaper work, when the newspaper
is above all things record of things
seen. But latterly they are getting used
TO him, and now his articles appear reg
ularly in many New York and BROOKLYN
papers.
He has borne his affection with a cour-
age and cheertulness that are amazing,
that show the resources of his character.
From the first he faced the situation as if
he could see it, and he has never STAG
gered under the several blows that have
struck hlm-the beginning of the failure
of his sight, the total darkness, the an
SRSSieaAASS
would never see again. what is the
use of complaining" he said. mo one
but blind man can begin to understand
what this darkness means-this total de-
pendence upon others. But must work.
have to keep my mind occupied with
my work and that passes my days. Lat
terly l have been troubled with insom-
MIA Each morning at O'Clock wake
up and can sleep no more. What can /
do? / cannot read. No one can come
and talk to me at that time. must lie
there in the darkness, helpless and alone.
waiting for daylight and the boy who is
eyes to me. That is my greatest hard
ship, and l must confess that sometimes
my philosophy is not equal to it.'
Mr.. Clark has also turned his attention
to the writing of fiction stories He has
written several and has good success
with them, and he hopes, as he gets ac-
customed to thinking in that line, to inn
prove his work up to a good standard
lie has necessary equipments OF good
style and good imagination. and he can
evolve his plots out of the storehouse of
his excellent memory, which is full ofthe
life of former days.-New York Sun.
A WONDERFUL CLOCK.