Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-08

1 -
Rapid Progress.
1 So many were the applications for en-
pieyment from the blind. and so rapidly did
| the school develop, that twice within the
year they were compelled to move into
| larger and more commodious quarters. and
Platter the undertaking became so extensive
| in its operations that Bessie's father, Their
1 a bishop of the established church, urged
| that committee be appointed to share her
| responsibilities.
Being the daughter of bishop. and &C.
! auainted with many noted and influential
personages, she readily obtained their CO.
| operation and assistance.
An association was formed. styled the
| British Association for Promoting the Gen.
| eral Welfare of the Blind
| 1t was conceded from the start that, while
| the members would do all in their power to
! assist, the knowledge, experience and judg-
| ment of Bessie should be relied upon In
carrying on the work.
| Bessie and her manager, Mr.. Levy. had
both started in with the idea that ii would
DC pc better that blind people should do all
| the work and that nothing should be UNI
dertaken that the blind people could not &C.
| complish unaided by the seeing.
| They argued that. If seeing people were
seeing, and not the blind. would receive
| credit for what was accomplished. This
! idea, however, was subsequently abandoned
| Inc change not only made their work less
/
were thus enabled to accomplish much
| more.
In the closing years of Miss Bessie's lice
| ner health became so impaired that she
| was active and her heart was still in the
| work. But from the room of the invalid
| continued to go forth directions and sug-
gestfons that were implicitly followed.
Her Dying Directions.
During her life her strength and her
| means were at the service of the blind
| and at her death was found as her last
| will and testament, written document
which embodied rules and suggestions for
| those who should succeed her in the work
| to which she had devoted her life,
The suggestions and rules referred TO are
as follows:
| In the endeavor to promote the welfare
| OF the blind 1t is essential that some i'm
portant facts should be borne in mind viz
| First. That many blind persons al
| lhough instructed in some trade are either
| reduced to begging or driven to the poor
| house. not through their own fault, but
SIMPLY Tor the want Of any regular employ
ment in their trade
| second. That children constitute but a
| small proportion of the blind, as about
nine-tenths of the 10000 blind in the United
| ty-one.
Third. That about half the sightless non
| ulation live in rural districts.
| Fourth. That the health of persons with
| of others.
Fifth. That this cause operates. in ad-
| d1tion to loss of sight. to bring about the
slow rate at which the blind work, as COM
| pared with the sighted.
| Sixth. That social ties are even more es-
| sendal to the blind than to Others
Objects to Be Aimed At
First. To foster self-reliance and to en-
| able the blind to help themselves.
| Second. To eradicate the habit of sus-
picion, by promoting friendly intercourse
| between the blind and the sighted.
| Third. To develop the faculties of the
blind in every direction
| Fourth. To improve their physical con-
| dition.
Fifth. In industrial training, to endeavor
| to lessen, as far as possible, the difference
| in speed in the work between the work of
| the blind and that of the sighted, while
making it the first object to secure good
and efficient work.
Means Toward These Ends.
| First. Endeavor to enable the blind to
earn their own living and with this view
seek out and send children to existing blind
schools.
Second. Promote establishments for pro-
viding the blind on leaving the school with
regular employment and for teaching trades
| to persons ineligible for admission to the
| schools, which Is the case. as rule with
| those above twenty-one years of age.
| Third. When practicable supply blind
| persons with regular employment at their
| own homes and encourage them to do any
! thing they can on their own account in
| dependenuy Of any institution.
| Fourth. Try to introduce trades hither-
| to not carried on by the blind giving the
| precedence to such as can be practiced
without sighted aid.
| Fifth. Cultivate methods of habit and
precision in the blind, which will all tend
| to improve the rate at which they work
| Sixth. Make the training of efficient
| blind teachers special object.
Seventh. Encourage residence in the
country rather than in the towns by Civ
| ing employment at home, thus cementing
4 family ties and promoting health.
Eighth. Form lending libraries of en-
| bossed books in all the various systems in
| use and establish classes for religious and
other Instruction"
Like Our Deaf and Dumb.
| The outgrowth of the work instituted by
| Elizabeth Gilbert has so improved the
| chances in life of the blind throughout
Great Britain that the public have already
| come to look upon blindness much as the
| American people look upon the misfortune
| OF being deaf and dumb. In other words,
| thanks to the progressive work by those
| interested in the education and employ
| ment of the deaf and dumb, they-the deaf
ana QumD-are expected to enter upon some
useful occupation by means of which they
are enabled to preserve their self-respect
| and maintain themselves, ofttimes beeom-
! ing useful and helpful members of society
Possible to Be Self-Sustaining.
Mr.. Cleaveland, after an experience OF
| more than twenty-five years of blindness,
| during which time he has led an active
| professional and business life, and more
! than eight years of careful study of the
conditions, opportunities and chances in
| life of the blind has been able to point out
! that it Is possible for every able-bodied
| adult blind person to become self-sustain-
| ing and to enter many avocations which
are not even open to the deaf and dumb
and he asks the people of Washington to
stand by him in his attempt to provide en-
| ployment for the blind of the District of
Columbia, and by so doing create an OBJ
ject lesson which, like lamp set on a hill
will shed rays of light along the pathway
of the thousands of blind throughout the
country whose prayers for an opportunity
to reach higher plane of life are as yet
unanswered.
To properly establish a necessary insti-
tuition in the District the sum of about
5000 will be required. Contributions in
this behalf are being received by Mr. H r
W. Miles, the treasurer of the association.
nd he ypf11 he Of a.