Evening star., 1901-04-20
CfnemateEraph for the Blind.

delicate sense of touch those Impressions
OF movement in natural things which we
receive through the sight.
Cfnemat"grnph for the blind
The mechanism by which this effect is
produced is exceedingly simple so siunple
that one cannot but wonder that the cine
matograph for the blind has not long since
been an established institution. There is.
To reduce the machine to it's clements, a
circular plate Of metal. which is set I'm mo-
ton 10y a pedal like tnat of a sewing ma
chlhe. Around the disc are engraved Curl
Gus curves and lines Just perceptEh Ehlp 70 the
.h ,ihnser Ups when the hand is passed over
tneIl, IN these lines lies all the meaning
or the new invention. They have bae1
tnade after long study of the forms Of
,ho'loh which each is to represent Thus
let US suppose for example that In * IN
tended TO set down for the pleasure ana In
structlon OF the blind the swaying OF a tree
Ih the summer breeze. Well a rninrtta
series OF observations Of this movement 10
Indue' a Dough, tossing and punging ris-
ing ana falling, is made to yield TO the Oh
server the secret of its line-that IS one az
@ e.Ie curves ana zig-zags it has described
ana the different places il has succassiIeIv
occupied during some five minutes ar sn
When all this has been patiently observed
ana exactly recorded In diagram the note
ldker 1ormulates long series of lines Ike
those which represent In scientific bo,i,S
the respiration OF a man or the aurae Of an
eiectrlclZed or magnetic bar OF metal This
NANSf III an It's minute tTarpTN fg on
sraEed on the disc. Then the blind man is
made to comprehend by means of \ ,,,oaai
tiit appearance of tree I'm "A state of rest
@ Mhen the disc is set In motion at a rate of
speed carefully regulated by various mo
cnanlcal devices, as to give an evact
Iuea OF the time occupied I'm each move
hleht' there is conveyed through the finger
ups TO the brain perfect reproduce ior OF
all the successive phases of the ho,t,I,,s
turning and twisting. Thus this ciuam5tn.
sraphlcai representation enables the sub
Ject to observe d tree almost as we see n
HNlnS, moving. playful thing
Many Phenomena Reprodue.J
1t is obvious that the principle. ox-
planned in detail in the case of the tree
nay be applied TO an infinite diversity of
natural phenomena. Already the inventor
has imprisoned on the magic disc the ex-
Quisite curves described by a bird rising
from Its nest, sweeping low near the
ground. darting after an insect. swooping
again Tor mere pleasure Of motion I'm the
SUM- then In a calm, peaceful level flight
With scarcely a ilutter Of its wings float
ing on IN search Of further pleasure And
he has set down the rising and march and
fall and break of the waves of the sea ON
the beach; the ripping Of the waters of a
tiny stream that plays over pebbles and
eddieS around the roots of a tree; the bend
ing Of a field of noddins corn in the wind
the steady tramp of a company of sol
dlers; the rapid, graceful play of a trot-
lJnS morse hOoHeS and kneeS-in fact, "A
great many curious forms of motion. very
ordinary and by not particularly in
teresting to us, but opening a new world
of delight to those who have never seen
them.
The joy of the hapless blind in the new
machine is one of the most pleasant spec-
tacles one can imagine. The apathetfc ex-
preston so characteristic of the sightless.
gives place in the twinkling of an eye to
one of absorbed interest, followed almost
ilIStantaneously by rapt delight.
Yet another curious and beneficent ap-
pficatfon of science to the help of the af-
flicted is NJ. DuSsaud's micro-phonograph
which enables the deaf-eyen those almost
hopeless cases, who have been deaf from
birth-to hear not only the voices of hui
man beings and the strains of music but
even the minor sounds of nature such as
the chirping of crickets or the whisper of
reeds in the wind. This result is achieved
by a delicate vibrating mechanism which
is connected by tubes with the deaf per-
sons head just in front of the ears.
The inventor of these wonders Is blond
giant of little more than thirty years, who
has lived, during all his short life the la
boriouS days that Milton counseled and
who has already been repeatedly CROWN
Science; quiet, simple and very serious,
with cold. absorbed look the look of the
born student. the man who cares little for
the things that interest the normal being.
If he had not happened to care for science
he might have been a religious enthusiast,
an ascetic, perhaps As things are, he is
married, very happily, IL one may Judge
by his young wife's adorng pride OF her
husbands rather sudden leap into fame.