The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-01-24

nes4ly and heartily upon his work and
in a very short time had reorganized the
school and its methods
Mr.. Waits entrance on this field 81
years ago marked an epoch in the educa-
ton of the blind. He abolished the line
letter entirely and in its place put the
point. But he did more than this. After
many months Of patient study of the
various systems of printing and close
analysis of the Braille idea he decided
upon a radical change, fully as radical
as though teacher came forward today
and introduced reading from right to
left instead Of from left to right
William B. Waits Innovation.
Mr. Wait found that, while BrailIe's
principle was the true one and infinite
~ superior to the line letter, it wasted
a great deal OF space. In lingering the
dots the pupil read them vertically
that is, from the top Of the page down
to the bottom Mr. Wait decided to
place the characters so they might be
read with the fingers horizontally across
the page. This was bold innovation
and did not meet with favor. He per-
sisted. and in 1868 he tried to get the
Boston and Philadelphia institutions to
cooperate with him and decide upon
raised character which should be uni
form throughout the United States at
least. Boston was loath to abandon the
line letter, and Philadelphia likewise,
so that the strange spectacle was pre-
scented of three schools. each with a diff
ferent system, and the pupils of one I'M
able to communicate by tangible sym
bols with the pupils of the other.
There was so much common sense
about the Wait idea that it gradually
forced itself tc the front, and in 1871,
at the first meeting of the American As
ISOLATION Of Instructors of the Blind, in
indianapolis, a resolution was adopted
recommending that the New York point
letter. as it was then known, should
be taught in all institutions for the in
struction of the blind.
The writing is done on the Braiile
slate, or tablet, with a blunt stylus.
The points are known, for convenience
sake, in the upper row as /, 3, 8, z,
and in the lower row 2, 4, 6, s. Point /
is in the righs hand upper row in writ
ing and the left hand upper row in read
ing. One blank space is left between
letters and two spaces between words.
After page is filed with the points it
is coated on the back with a solution of
shellac and alcohol. This prevents the
points from being dattened by frequent
lingering.
The construction of the alphabet is
simple and easily learned The capital
letters are derived from the small letters
by suffixing to each Of them as many
points as will form a new character four
points in length. For instance, when
the small letter ends with a point in the
upper row, as in the letter ''a, - the suf-
fix in the lower row is added. When
the small letter ends with a point in the
lower row, as in &C. OF in both upper
and lower rows as in sd, - the suf1ix in
the upper row is added.
After Mr.. Wait had completed his
horizontal point alphabet he went to
work on authorizations and contractions
to be used in ordinary writing and in
that chief pastime, solace and study of
the blind--music. This was a labor of
patience and steady perseverance, but
when it was finished the gratifying re-
suits that followed amply repaid the su-
perintendent for his time and thought
The Photograph.
The contractions are made on the
same principle as in stenography, and
an apt pupil will run his finger tips
with incredible rapidity over the raised
dots, reading as he goes almost as fast
as person blessed with sight. The nee
essarily slow process Of punching out
letters with the blunt stylus suggested
to Mr.. Wait the idea of machine which
should take the place Of the Braille
frame and stylus as the typewriter has
taken the place Of the pen. He thought
it over for couple of years, and at last
brought forth a machine which he calls
the kleidograph. It is on the same prin-
ciple as the modern typewriter. Instead
of throwing a type arm against sheet
of paper, it throws up blunt point. or
two points, or six if necessary. There
are ID keys banked in three rows, and
the left hand is used in striking them.
AS each one represents the same charac-
ter-a point-they are not lettered. Aft
er pupil has learned the alphabet thor
oughly he can by the use Of contractions
and authorizations write faster with the
kleidograph than an expert operator can
with a typewriter.
The American Printing House is com
posed of the superintendents of the vari-
Gus state schools for the blind in the
United States There are 81 of them.
The revenue for the support of the print
ing house comes from the interest on
| $3.50. 900 worth Of government per
cent bonds, held in trust by the secretary
of the treasury
The building which it now occupies
| in Louisville was erected by the state of
Kentucky. An annual report is fur