The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-03
PLEASURES OF THE BLIND
MORE JOY THAN SORROW IN THEIR
LIVES, SAYS ONE OF THEM.
Increased Enjoyment from Other
Senses-They Go to the Theater, the
Opera and Enjoy Travel.
New York Sun.

er perhaps, because he is deprived of the
great one of looking at people at things.
Marvin r. Clark, who is known among his
friends as the blind journalist, believes that
the joys far outweigh the sorrows in the
lives of those born blind or deprived of
sight.
"A general opinion prevails among people
who can see" he said ''that when per-
son becomes blind he becomes helpless.
That idea is the greatest handicap blind
man has to contend against and his great
est task is to wear it away. Blind people
are just as self-reliSnt and just as brave as
people who can sec. AS a class they work
just as hard and enjoy themselves just as
keenly. There is a work for every human
being to do, it matters not what sense he
lacks and / wish that it could be brought
to the mind of everybody that the blind
are helpful, not helpless.
You ask me how the blind man amuses
himself what joy he finds in life. blind
man amuses himself just like one who can
see-according to his tastes, provided he has
the money. 1t will he nine years this COM
ing Thanksgiving since l became totally
blind, and in all that time / have found my
greatest source of recreation in my literary
work. I have continued to write fiction and
special stories for papers in and out Of
town. Since I returned from the Bermudas
last November I've written two comedies
and a novel of 10000 words and in all of
this work I've found the keenest pleasure.
Another blind man might have found it irk-
some and have been compelled to turn to
other things to rest his mind and to amuse
him, and don't pretend to say that don't
enjoy other things.
Many blind men are very fond of the
fhpafer- / seldom
health, but when do ] enjoy it thoroughly.
OF course, / can't see the beautiful scenery
and costumes or watch the facial express
sions of the players. but I get much pleas
ure from the play just the same though |
wouldn't if went alone. | always go with
friend, and obtain my enjoyment almost
entirely through him, just as a person who
can see partakeS of the enjoyment 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 get a sense of enjoyment out of that
all my own. which can never come from
play or any speaking part
OTHER SENSES ALERT.
A blind man usually possesses all of his
other senses, and they improve to a degree
that compensates in a 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 appreciate the texture of objects. The
hearing 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 / had it, 1
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. l can't see anything that is beautiful.
A flower is given to me and am told that
it is beautiful, but / cannot see its beauties
for myself. ] can only touch and smell it.
Some one tells me that a magnificent build
ing is going up. / can only ask what style
of architecture it 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 beautiful bit of seen
cry, vessel on the water, the facial ex-
pressons of those to whom / talk. can
only be told about these things, and see
them in imagination, which is more often
wrong than right.
1--WE blind people make great many mis-
takes. especially concerning the person
atty of those we meet. OF course, we judge
a man largely by his voice. For instance.
if ] meet a man with q full, deep voice. L
Immediately picture him to myself as be-
ing a tall, stout fellow, middle-aged, with
black hair full black beard and very well
dressed Nine times out of ten If / ask for
a description of him after he is gone, some
one says, oh, he's a little chap with little
sandy mustache about twenty-five years
old and very shabbily dressed.
'"There are three sources from which a
blind man can derive almost as much pleas
ure as one who sees. They are walking.
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. l am
II know a blind man who can see just
trifle, just enough, in fact, to know when
large object is about to come upon him,
because the breeze it creates warns him,
= o1Nr hxrh fTa1cp on fnNf i'm
the cars to the homes of his pupils and at
tends to his other business. And he enjoys
it, too. Nearly every blind man enjoys
long walk through the park in summer or
along one of the avenues in winter. He feels
the beauty and life and motion about him,
and that is more than a 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 can afford to
keep his own turnout or hire one every day
is much better in health and spirits.
LIKE TO TRAVEL.
''It will be hard for you who see to be-
lieve that blind man can get any pleasure
out of travelling in strange countries, / sup
pose Well he can. spent eight months in
Bermuda, returning here last November,
and / never enjoyed a stay anywhere as I
did that trip. It was far more beautiful to
me than any place l ever visited before I
lost my sight. The descriptions / had read
of the place were not equal to nature in
any way. My enjoyment was in the climate
and in the peculiarities of the people. I
knew that they We're out of the usual by
their conversation and by the descriptions
that ] heard. I was much interested in
comparing the negroes there with those
here and in noting their refinement and edu-
ucation and in studying their relation to
the whites
ssWhen / was tired of this I reveled i'm
drives over the smooth white roads or sails
over tho water with it's beautiful chromatic
tints / could feel those moonlight nights,
and knew without any one telling me that
the moon hung low over the flowers and
trees. Yes. If a blind man had the money
necessary for extended travel he could get
a great deal of pleasure out of II. Henry
Ward Beecher usedN to say that ne knew
man who could do more with a jackknife
than some men could with whole chest of
tools. Since l became blind I've often
thought maybe his jaclxlznife man was
blind too, because when we have little
money we learn to get great deal of en-
joyment out of 1t. When we can't own
horses and travel we go on Shanks's mare,
and with an occasional lift on the cars,
manage TO get on first rate.
Next to his work the intelligent Dhnd
man gets most of his enjoyment out Of
reading If he cannot employ secretary,
there is always some one VINO is Wiling to
spare him an hour or two day and to be
ewes for him. Blindness increases ones in
terest in what is going on in the world. and
all blind people who have had educational
advantages, and many who have not, are
great newspaper readers. Inc newspaper IS
our mainstay in acquiring knowledge ] per-
sonally have read the Sun all my life, and
since I cannot see TO do so any longer i
have it sifted from stem to stern the first
thing every morning.
so it is with the average blind man; he
has his favorite daily paper. Then / read
the ma gazines and instructive works along
many lines, and do great deal Of study