The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-06-10
READING KOOM ZOE BLIND.
Fitted Up in Congressional Library
Reading Aloud There.


Reading Aloud There.
BY an act Of congress passed
in 1879 entitled IAN act to
promote the education Of the
blind, S250000 was set apart to be per
manertly invested in securities Of the
United States. the proceeds Of which
were to be applied. through the Ameri-
can Printing house for the blind at
Louisville to the making Of books ana
apparatus used in the education Of the
blind, to be annually distributed to the
schools for the blind in the several
states in proportion to attendance or
almost quarter of a century this Dene-
faction has been available Tor the
youthful blind Of the country in the
schools and the books in embossed
characters have multiplied amazingly.
The catalogue now embraces nearly on
quite every title in popular literature
and technical subjects, and as only the
best books are printed in raised letters
the entire catalogue constitutes the
finest and best library Of equal num-
bers in the world
In the United states there are 10000
blind people.
There is steady increase in the
number of visitors in the reading room
FOR the blind in the library of congress.
This Is the first place the &c Wis
itor to the library wishes to see Ore
part Of the room is reserved for the use
OF the blind who come to read; the other
kr4A ~ AOL Nl@4lDIS 10 WHOM the Nd-
Ilous Kinds of books prepared for the
blind are shown, the point and Braills
writing machines, writing sla ties ana
other inventions to enable the blind to
write script. From time to time there
are also exhibitions Of telegraph i'm
Etruments, typewriters and printing
presses especially adapted to the use Of
the blind.
To Helen MARI Campbell is given by
many the credit of having taken the
initial steps to procure this reading
room The blind girl was a frequent
visitor to the crowded rooms of the old
Congressional Library, and often found
the experiences there far from agree
able. The few books for the blind were
often difficult to obtain and equally
qtfhcuit to read in cramped rooms, and
Zoo often under the scrutiny of curious
and annoying strangers. With ali the
talk of the new and greater building the
thought burned in her brain. why
cannot the blind have just a tiny corner
for their own?" The more she thought
about it the more earnestly she longed
Tor it, and after talking the plan over
with her friends, she summoned all of
her courage and went to John Russell
d oune then librarian, and made her
request in behalf Of the blind readers of
Washington. Mr.. Young was quick to
see the justice of the request, and at
once placed the fitting up of Pavilion
No. IN charge of the second assistant
librarian, David Hutchinson. This pa
corner Of the ground floor of the great
building and is a large and well APP
pointed room, with square bay windows
and q groined ceiling resting upon mas
Eive pillars. Flowers bloom in the VIM
dows and are grouped about effectively.
while the alcoEes along the eastern wall
are filled with the specially prepared
books for the blind. Fat. cumbersome
books they are, too the Bible. making
so many large volumes that it complete
ly fills one of the alcoVe shelves.
Then there are the typewriters that
print the raised letters, and which are
skilfuny operated by many of the blind.
There are also the periodicals, three
Weeklies and four monthlies, which find
many eager readers, and there are al
ways groups about the music tables.
One way Of printing the music is by
raised notes on raised staff but this
is not so frequently used as the one in
which each octave is numbered and each
note spelled out by name in the Braille
or New York point system, and each
phrase written as paragraph, the
notes for the right and left hands writ
ten separately. The blind musician
reads the notes for the right hand and
memories them, and then does the
same with those for the left Each
phrase is thus learned, and by the time
the end of the piece is reached the aver
age pupil has the music by heart Some
almost incredible instances of memory
are found among the blind this faculty
being developed abnOrmally with the
loss Of sight. Daily readings aloud last
an hour every afternoon and the long
list of volunteers is seldom exhausted.
Authors. statesmen, painters, poets doc
tors of divinity and doctors Of medicine,
actors and great musicians have been
glad to give many hours. and the long
autograph list is a most interesting one.
which Miss Gihin, the superintendent,
carefully preserves. a few of the names
are WI Ting-fang. Thomas Nelson
Page, Senator Mason, +. HopkinsOn
Smith. Jessie Bartlett Davis, Bishop
Whitehead, Miss Helen Hay, now Mrs.
Whitney. who could never escape with
out being made to read some of her
own verses; Mrs. Reginald de Koven,
Joaquin Miller, Senator DOlliver. DR..
Mackay- Smith Paul Laurence Dunbar.
Miss Ellen Terry, Marquis de Sousa and
Minister Quesada- And the joy and ap-
probation of the listeners is something
beautiful to see, and every one who has
ever read or sung or talked for them
has found it a great happiness-New
York Tribune.