Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-07-06
BLIND, BUT LEARNED.
REMARKABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS or
A sl0HTLEss YOUTH.
He IL . Fine Msshematicisn Abiiity "a
Carry Problems In HLs Mind Reads and
Writes Gsrmsn--ycry Alert senses--In-
: stances of His Powers.

over III berkeley, Cal, at the state uni
vcrsity, and among It's most successful
students, In young man who has 20 rely
upon four VI the five avenues by which
men gain information Of the outer world
yet he has not only acquired grca& power
an mathematician, reasoner and q
teacher, but he has actually gained more
knowledge OF external nature than great
share OF people possess.
Newell Perry IL now "a years of age and
has been totally blind since the age OF o,
when bad case Of poison oak left him
sightless. His childhood had been that OF
the average healthy boy, except that his
powers OF observation were uncommonly
exercised and his MINI was well stored with
pictures OF sea and sky and hill and valley.
These rccollections Of early years have been
OF inestimable value To him since his loss
OF sight, serving 10 guide and correct his
conception OF things which maturer studies
have brought him.
After his blindness young Perry was
sent 10 the state institution for the blind,
whoce he soon distinguished himself az q
student. He had before acquired the abil-
ity 20 read and to handle simple figures.
In his work under tho teachers Of the blind
his misfortune served to intensity the
senses left him. II he could now read with
much less facility than formerly, still read
ing came To mean much more TO him. His
mind was free to throw all its power into
forming the conceptions suggested by the
words. IL he could not now manage large
numbers SO readily by the use of written
figures, he soon acquired the ability to
carry and manipulate comparatively large
numbers in his mind with marvellous ac-
curacy and rapidity.
Young Perry's advance from the insti-
tuition for the blind to city high school
and thence to the State university was
rapid. In his later studies he has always
employed reader to save time. He selects
for this Office person who Is willing to be
guided, who will be passive instrument,
and literally lend his eyes" In these
years his rank as student has always
been good-among the best, in fact, and
In mathematics especially it has been ex-
trcmely high. The construction for the
most complex eeometrical problem can be
drawn In his mind and held there while
the comparisons are being made which
lead to the solution. The profundities of
the 'diferential and integral calculus, so
full OF dread to most minds, are pleasures
to a, mentality Of his grasp and concentra-
ton
An n.instance may illustrate young Per-
rvs power. He requested a student to
read to him several logarithms which he
wished to use and three or four were read
OF 10 figures each. Perry requested that
they be read . second time after which he
went to his room to use the go figures,
each in its proper place 1t is an ordinary
thing with him to work with an algebraic
expression OF 90 terms, carrying it in his
mind through all the changes of a mathe-
matical computation.
But not only in mathematics is Perry'a
wonderful ability displayed. He speaks
reads and writes the German language
He is exceedingly well read in history and
English literature. He is q thorough stu
dent OF the natural sciences, possessing the
spirit OF an investigator and the habit Of
strlct reasoning. He is an excellent mu.
sacian and, strange to say fair dancer.
one OF the surprising powers possessed
by Perry is his ability to direct his move
ments nearly or quite as well as can the
average man. Many persons who meet
him upon his rambles over the Berkeley
hills or see him take the train for SAP
Francisco or pass him upon crowded Mar
ket street do not realize that he has not
eN%S
accurate are his movements Oh
the street In jostling crowd, in descend
Ing stairway two steps at time, in en-
bering a crowded lodging house and find
Ing the room of his friend and selecting
the book he wishes to borrow in his friends
absence, in traversing new paths with as
much ease. and confidence as those well
known, In riding upon his bicycle along
mr. hot &c
the much talked of sixth sense
DC not here beautifully exemplified; IL
some szind of spiritual vision more reliable
han ordinary sight be not his fortunate |
He himself does not know how |
% account for his success in moving !
'round. He just goes where he wishes |
without ANY attention to how he does it;
without realizing that he is in any respect |
lifferent from other men until the realiza-
lon is forced upon him by somebody's re-
mark.
Perry has already demonstrated his great
bility in teaching. Among those students
Who are seeking the services of a private
utor either to prepare for the university
r to remedy some backwardness in uni.
ersity studies Perry|s success is well
nown, and his instruction is widely
ought. The same intensity of vision. or
erly arrangement of ideas and fullness of
aformation which have made his own
reat success as student admirably fit
i'm to help other students And SO relia-
10 Is his wonderful memory that he can
irect student to the exact page of his
'xtbook where . required piece of infor-
lation Is to be found. When Mr.. Perry is
arsuing his own studies his reader is re-
uested to announce the number of each
ew page, and thereafter the blind man
nows where that information can be
und.
Among those who have watched the ca.
er OF Perry there Ii no doubt that great
lngs are ut some day to be written
'out him. Among his plans is one for
% study of the higher mathematics in
and, as he is very courageous
Id hopeful, he will no doubt carry il out.
eanwhile those persons who live and
ork without the aid Of one or more of the
nses, who accomplish great things in