Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-05-05
BLIND, DEAF or DUMB.
which Is the Worst of These Three
AnIictionsf

II blind man were asked this ques-
tion he would probably answer-blind-
ness; IL deaf man-deafness; and II
a dumb man-dumbness. To those of
US who can see and hear and speak,
the only method of getting a decisive
answer to the question is to compare
the disadvantages under which the
blind, the deaf. and the dumb respec-
lively labor.
Take the case of the man who Is
born blind. The position Of Fuch u
man, 1t Is obvious, is altogether differ
ent from that Of man who has be-
come blind early or late in life. Homer
could not have written the 'Iliad' and
the odyssey" nor could Milton have
written paradise Lost" and Paradise
Regained," II they had been blind.
The memory OF what they had seen re-
manned with them as treasure in
their blind old age. But the man who
is born blind has no such treasures of
memory He has never looked up into
the heavens. nor abroad upon the earth
and sea. He has never seen the noble
monuments of human skill and power
in city or country OF color he has no
conception and no description of n
rainbow conveys amy clear Idea to his
mind. OF form, all his knowledge is
gained from those things he can touch
and handle. His sense of touch may be
finer and his sense Of hearing more
acute than those OF a man who can see,
but from what Il world of grandeur
and beauty Is the man born blind shut
Quit He lives In world of perpetual
darkness.
The blind. It is evident, require more
assistance from others than either
the deaf or the dumb. A blind man
aYta 60. Oh I.HL
sense Of touch and feeling for locality.
But everything must be kept always
in the same place. In strange house
or room he Is quite at sea. Alone, he
cannot walk abroad In town or coun-
try. He cannot dress or eat without
assistance, He can read books special
ly prepared for the blind. but he can
not read book or newspaper in ordi-
nary type.
Milton's daughters used to read ia
him and to write FOR him, and some.
one must do these things for every
blind man, II they are done at all
The blind are fortunate who can com
mand renders and secretaries, The
case Of the late Mr.. Fawcett we'll II.
illustrates what blind man can dc
with the necessary help from Others
that his condition requires. BY an &C.
cident, Mr.. Fawcett lost his sight when
he was twenty-five years of age. Not.
withstandlng his loss he wrote a great
book on political economy. and becam,
in turn professor of mathematics M
Cambridge, a member of Parllamcn
and British minister. His career as
postmaster-general was indeed re
markable. He made himself familiar
with every detail of postofice work
and introduced the parcel post. posta
| orders and siXpenny kilograms. II,
could ride. skate, swim and go a-nsh
ing-always,o course, with the aeces
sary help. But Mr. FawCett was no
born blind. The man who is borl
blind has very little chance of suCl
usefulness or distinction.
Then take the case of the man who
is born deaf. His eye is open to al
/ the beauty Of the world--tha starry
/ heavens, the green earth, the restless
| sea and all the marvellous monument,
/ of human ingenuity and power. III
/ secs the flash of the lightning, but h,
| hears not the peal of the thunder. II,
may look on the Falls Of Niagara, bu
| he hears not their multitulinuus roar
| To him the traffic Of our streets ant
| the swift railway train seem to NOV,
on In silence. He lives In a silent uni
verse. He has never heard the rrattl,
of children. the dear voice of father