The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-10-23
TOYS OF THE BLIND.
-ueee ARE MANY PLEASURES IN
-ue,R LIVES, SAYS ONE OF THEM.
Increased Enjoyment From Other Senses.
r,ov Go - the Theater. the Opera and
a.. Parks, and Some of Them Travel.
,, Clark, the Blind Journalist.


Hind mans life is by no means with
q ,ts lows. His days arc not spent In
o a'h.less sorrow He has his pleasures, all
s sus Loener perhaps because he is deprived
I W .ho great one of looking at people and
~ .a,,os Marvin II. Clark, who is known
nm, ong his friends as the blind journalist,
believes that the joys far outweigh the sor-
US Tvs in the lives of those born blind or de-
prived OF sight u,,,s
Ia Who can see, :" he SAIL, THAT when u
iporson becomes blind he becomes helpless.
PRhot idea is the greatest handicap blind
80, has 10 contend against and his great
nst task is to wear it away. Blind people
oro inst as self reliant and just as brave us
neople who can see.
,tYou ask me how the blind man anus
90 himself. what JOY he finds in life. A
Hind man amuses himself just like one
,Tho can see-according to his tastes, pro-
,ided he has the money. 1t is nine years
since | became totally blind and in all
chat time have found my greatest source
~ recreation in my literary work. l have
continued to write fiction and special sto-
ries for papers in and out of town. Since
returned from the Bermudas I've writ
ION two comedies and novel of 100, 900
words and in all of this work I've found
the keenest pleasure.
"Many blind men are very fond of the
tbeater seldom go on account of my i'll
health. but when do l enjoy it thorough
lv OF course l can't see the beautiful
scenery and costumes or watch the facial
expressions of the players, but 1 get much
Measure from the play just the same,
though wouldn't if went alone. / al
WAYS 90 with friend and obtain my en-
ioyment almost entirely through him, just
rs person who can see partakes of the
endowment of companion. There is a
bond OF sympathy between two persons
who are friends, and the pleasure felt by
one communicates itself to the other. 1t
is different with the opera, and l get q
sense of enjoyment out of that, all my
own. which can never come from play
or any speaking part A blind man usual
" possesses all of his other senses, and
they improve to degree that compensates
in measure for the loss of sight. His
sense of taste grows stronger, and he is
able TO enjoy his food more. The touch
becomes finer, and he is better able to ap-
precate the texture of objects The hear
ing is rendered more acute, and have not
the slightest doubt that people who are
blind hear sweet sounds that are never
heard by men who can see. However, the
other senses are never so strengthened as
to offset the loss of sight. If l had it, /
would willingly, eagerly give the wealth of
all the world to recover my sight, and any
other blind man will tell you the same
thing. can't see anything that is beau
tiful. A flower is given to me, and am
told that it is beautiful, but l cannot see
its beauties for myself / can only touch
and smell it. Some one tells me that a
magnificent building is going up. can
only ask what style of architecture 1T is,
how many stories high, what material is
being used, and so on, and then picture in
my mind what it looks like. / can't enjoy
a beautiful bit of scenery, vessel on the
water, the facial expressions of those to
whom l talk. l can only be told about
these things and see them in imagination,
which is more often wrong than right.
''We blind people make great many
mistakes, especially concerning the per-
sonality of those we meet. or course we
Judge a man largely by his voice. For in
stance, if l meet man with full, deep
voice, Immediately picture him to myself
as being tall, stout fellow, middle aged,
with black hair, full black beard and
very well dressed. Nine times out Of ten
If ask for description of him after he is
gone some one says, oh, he's little chap,
with little sandy mustache, about 20
years old and very shabbily dressed.
There are. three sources from which q
blind man can derive almost as much
pleasure as one who sees. They are walk
ing, driving and travelling. None OF Us is
too poor to walk and many blind men are
brave enough to walk about the city
streets alone. Others, who are totally
blind, are too nervous to do this. The
great majority of persons said to be blind
are not totally blind. am.
Nearly every blind man enjoys long
walk through the park in summer OF
along one of the avenues in winter. lie
feels the beauty and life and motion about
him, and that is more than great many
who see these things do The blind enjoy
driving just as much as they do walking
and am sure that the blind man who car
afford to keep his own turnout or hire one
every day is much better in health anc
spirits.
1T will be hard for you who see to be
heye that a blind man can get any pleas
ure out of travelling in strange countries
suppOSe. WE'LL nc can. spcHU ciSh
months in Bermuda, and l never enjoyed
a stay anywhere as l did that trip. Il
was far more beautiful to me than any
place / ever visited before lost my sight
The descriptions L had read of the place
were not equal to nature in any way. M.
enjoyment was in the climate and in TIT
peculiaritics of the people l knew tina
they were out of the usual by their CONVEX
sation and by the descriptions that l heard
Most people think that the blind are in
cllned TO draw themselves into their shells
10 grow morosc and cynical. / am mem
Der OF the Press club and used to go Their
q great deal once When Colonel Cockcril
was president, nc often said to me:
Marvin, you are the happiest man
Know, and he wondered MT it. One ola.
ne said TO me, How do your thought
Uendy We're you never downhcartedY'
Yes, colonel, / answered. NO hu
man being was ever so downhearted as
was during the five years | felt my sigh
gong from me It was like passing
through the dark valley of the shadow
ueath. When L looked at things, woul
say, This may be my last look" wen
ABOUT the city looking at certain house