The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-01-30
LIVING BY IMAGINATION.
Many Strange PecullarIties OF Blind
People.
Marion r. CLARK il, Philadelphia Times. ]

Marion r. Clark IN Philadelphia Times.
Some day I shall write a book and
tell all about the feelings of blind
man, how different things affect him
and other interesting facts, procured
from sad experience, and the moral
shall be wholly impregnated with a
caution not to do just what people are
now doing, and although [ feel conf
dent that, as in the past, they were
careless of consequences in their mad
rush to excess and to keep up with
the times, SO it will be in the future.
I shall make a strong endeavor to re-
strain them from rushing headlong
into more than Egyptian darkness,
from whence there can be no Moses
to lead them out into the light Of day.
It would be big book which would
contain succinct remarks upon the
many peculiarities of the blind, the
imaginings that deceive, the sounds
which lead astray, the wonderful likes
and dislikes, the strangely mechanical
motions, the orderly arrangement of
things, the effect of loss Of confidence
and the hatred of persons who deceive,
and thousand other peculiarities ap-
plicable as truths only to the blind.
Of course I speak from experience
when I say that to no one comes home
the truth Of the saying that "sound
is deceptive" more emphatically than
to the blind. The result Of depend
ing upon sound, in most cases, to
locate objects and judge of appear
ances, is ludicrous in the extreme,
even to the victim himself. Naturally
I expect big man must possess an
appropriately big voice and a little
man an appropriately small voice, in
order that each may be properly fitted.
| I would as soon choose to put a big
shoe on little man, and small shoe
upon the foot of big man, as to con-
slider that big man possesses or could
possess, under any circumstances, a
small voice, or small man big voice.
Yet, it seems to me from large ex-
perience and a long study of this
popularity in humanity, that the
small voice is more frequently found
in the big man and the voice that
would appear to fit the big man is,
mostinconsiderately, the atheistwould
say, placed in the little man. In con-
sequence of this wonderful provision
Of nature I am constantly being led
astray in my sizing up Of people who
address me. When I hear big voice
I say that this man is stout and tall,
with bushy whiskers and brusque
manner. AS general thing l am en-
tirely wrong. Whenever the voice is
low, soft and gentle in the man who
addresses me 1 say to myself this man
is short Of stature, gentle in his move
ments, natty in his dress, cleanly in
his habits, considerate and kind. As
to his stature am almost always wide
of the truth. I cannot help laughing
at my wrong conclusions, and yet l
cannot keep in my mind the fact that
must not continue to connect the
great voice with the big man and vice
versa if I desire to arrive at correct
conclusions.
But in another respect the human
voice, if naturally spoken and not to
deceive, is correctly recognizable as
being the voice Of some person have
met. have frequently been put to
the test in this matter and I have fre-
quently surprised myself at my recog-
nition of people whom I have not met
in many years, by their voices alone.
Many people have noticed this won
derful faculty in me and [ am confident
that the same faculty is possessed by
all who are totally blind. In making
my way about my room the ticking Of
several clocks guide me to a great
extent, and the singing Of my bird
warns me Of my approach and close
proximity to the windows, while a
peculiarly warning chirp tells me that
T will stir his cage if I am not careful.
These sounds and some others are not
deceptive to me, but cannot tell the
location of steam whistle, church
bell, voice in the street or horse
and cart approaching me. To locate
such sounds correctly is an impossi-
bility, but the recognition Of the char
acter and sound and distinction Of
what that sound pertains to is almost
always certainty.
From the fact that the blind must
in a great measure be dependent upon
those who can use their eyes to some
purpose, it becomes necessary that he
should be careful in his choice Of per-
sons and things adapted to serve that
purpose. You may readily allow that
he is careful in his selection and criti-
cal in his trial Of the person he may
select. I have found this forced de-
pondence upon others the most trying
of all things to bear. I am like all
blind people in the respect of having
a powerful and all-ruling desire to help
myself and avoid dependence upon
another. But even those who have
their eyesight are dependent one upon
the other, though not in such great
measure as are the blind upon those
| -bo o,n eoa r. hoo heen said th +