The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-12-05

free education simiilr to that enjoyed by
the other children Of The state. that illiteracy
might be reduced and the afflicted made IN
dependent. There were in the school the
first year Of its existence twenty-five pupils
this number was increased TO twenty-elgnt
IN 1913. and the attendance has steadily
grown since until now there rs pupils re-
ceiving instruction and care az the institut.
from a corps of eight competent teachers
and a force Of thirty-five attendants and
employees. The magnificent building which
Is now the home Of the Institution was
erected shortly after it was founded and Is
today one Of the ornaments of the city as
we'll as a grand monument 10 the beneVo-
lence Of the state
To be doomed TO endless night is a ter
rible affection. Were the choice of one
Of the five senses given to man to the eN
clusion Of the other four he would with
out exception retain his sight. No NOR.
bitter curse could be hurled upon the head
of a child than the awful words: Thou
shalt be born blind" 1t means tina
throughout life there shall be endless
darkness and gloom and that the victim
snail live in another world behind the
black veil. There shall be no flowers
there shall be no sunshine; there shall no
even be the beloved faces of near and
dear relatives; the sins Of the father shall
be visited upon the child and the world
so full of light and joy shah be but a
Stygian tomb.
Characteristics of the Blind.
Slghtless children who grow to ma
turity are necessarily a different people
and their characteristics are striIingly evil
denced by the manner in which they
grope their way down the pathway of life
with arms ou,stretched before them and
half-cOnfidng, half-supicious expression
upon their faces. Familiarity with the
pupils of the institute for the blind teaches
that they, as rule, are slow to confide.
and with the instinct of self-preservation
must be convinced beyond even the
shadow of a doubt of the good intentions
of those with whom they are thrown in
contact before they will throw aside their
reserve and accept human being as a
friend. Once their confidence is gained
however, and the reserve entirely vanishes
no remains Of suspicion can be detected.
The possibilities Of the human intellect
are best manifested in those who are born
blind. The idea that they are endowed
with superior powers as a recOmpense for
the absence Of sight cannot be intelligent
" maintained from a scientific standpoint
that they mercy mike use Of and develop
powers which through life lie dormant in
others is more in accordance with reason
and observation. Denied the aid of sight,
the blind person learns from infancy to de-
pend upon other assistance. and this cu,ti-
Yates organs and faculties which, if sup
planted by the optic nerve, would remain
undeVeopad and latent. Problems are
solved daily by children of ordinary capa-
bi.ities in the recitation rooms Of the in
stitution i'm which the memory alone is
brought into requlsition, which would
strike the visitor with amaZement and ri
val the so-called hypnotic feats of a Bishop
or a Kel.ar. The course in mathematics
reaches into Algebra and geometry and in
these abstruse studies those bind children
are given long and intricate problems with
which TO battle. And il is with eagerness
and pleasure, as wei as ease, that their
keen memories and sharpened inte-lects
seize each element, ana.yze it, follow it
through a., the intricate combinations Of
calculation, and although unaided by
slate. paper or pencil, arrive at
the proper solution. Such exhibitions as
these make the thoughtful observer feel
ashamed of himself and he realizes prob
ably for the first time how little he really
employs his brain and how he has Allowed
himself to neglect its proper cultivation and
development through pure .aziness. The
thought naturally comes up, what a power
one of these benighted beings would be if
he could but give TO that keen intellect and
intuitive faculty the benefit Of sight.
Some Distressing Tendencies.
But, while the blind are able to develop
wonderful perceptive faculties, while their
intuition is most acute. their brains more