New-York tribune., 1903-01-11
READING ROOM FOR BLIND.
FITTED Up IN CONGRESSIONAL LIBRARY
READING ALOUD THERE.

in 1873, enuIEe0 ACl 10 fIOLliONe NA4e
F6ucation Of the Blind, s2yo,oco was set apart
- he permanently invested in securities Of the |
T-nfted States, the proceeds Of which were to |
:. anrlied. through the American Printing |
z1onse for The Blind at Louisville, TO the max
- oT books and apparatus used II the eou-
,s+ior of the blind. TO be annually distributed |
+ he schools for the blind in the several states
=, -7-oro-tion TO attendance For almost i
-s--a- Of q century this benefaction has oeen
s,-sazb5e for the youthful blind Of the country |
: =. s.rools. and the books in embossed char
actors lave multiplied amazingly Inc caOa-
loq-,e now embraces nearly or quite every uIie |
.,-,,ra- literature and technical subjects, ana 1
: ,-,v the best books printed IN raised /
,--a-e The entire catalogue constitutes the hnest /
sd best library of equal numbers IN the "orio-
u -7a United States there are sixty thousano /
blind people.
There Is 2 steady increase ID the nunper u /
zs-,-s in the reading room for the bind ID the
7.,,-s-v Of Congress This is the first place me |
sze-ace visitor TO the library wishes 10 see one
- NJ The room is reserved for the use OF the |
bIard who come to read; the other part Is for |
visitors TO whom the various kinds OF DOCKS |
--s= for the blind are shown, the point and |
p5r1a writing machines, writing states and /
- 4-ven+ious 70 enable the blind to write |
SCRIPT From tine to time there are alSo eA
b5bt,ions Of telegraph instruments type"r1'els
snd printing presses especially adapted 10 NE
use Of the blind
T, Helen Marr Campbell is given by many lne
--a7f- Of having taken the initial steps 10 p1O-
cu-s this reading room This bind gll was
4-e-r,e-lt visitor TO the crowded rooms OF tne /
old Congressional Library, and often 1ouho 1ne
ezpe-iences there far from agreeaple- Inc
6svr bools for the blind were often difficult 70 /
,b-ain and equally difficult TO read II cTaInpeo |
-oo-7s and too often under the scrutiny OF /
c--io11s and annoying strangers Win al INC
tzIk Of the new and greater bullolng the llousH
bu-ned IN her brain: Why cannot the D4llo /
have just a tiny corner for their own Inc
more she thought about il the more earnestly
sbe longed for II, and after talking Ine Pl@n
over with her friends she summoned an oi he1
.,--.ea and went TO John Russell Young, then
Fr,-a-fan and made her request ii pehah u Ihe
h1,,a leaders of Washington MI Young was
ict n see the Justice Of the request, ana al
80 rlaced the fitting up of Pavilion Nc IN
charge of the Second Assistant Librarian Da'lo !
Fu1cbeson This pavilion Is Ii lhe "a e-o
northwestern corner of the ground floor OF liie
great building and is q large ana "el1 @P
rofr+ed room with square bay "Inoo"s aiio
r-nine5 ceiling resting upon massive Plilais-
Flowers bloom il the windows and are groupeo
about effectively, while the alcoVes alohg lne
eastern wall are filed with the specially pre-
nare5 books for the blinL Fat, cumbersome
boolrs they are TOO; the Bible, making so many
l-rp volumes that II completely his one OF Ine
xIcove shelves.
Then there are the typewriters that print the |
-.5se5 LETTERS. and which are skilfully operated
bv many Of the blind There are also the PERI
.zics1e three Eeeklies and four nonthLes'
which ind many eager readers, anc Inere are
,Jvazs r--o1ps about the music tables Ohe |
WY If r-iptins the music is by raised notes on |
-aised staff but this is not so frequently useo
nc fire me in which each octave is numbered
md aarb note spelled out by name II the BralLe
ar ,1exYo-k point system, and each phrase
written IS = paragraph the notes for the F1ght
md Jeff hands written separately The phno
r1,,sician reads the notes for the right hand ana
memories them. and then does the same Win
tbosa @o- the left Each phrase is thus learned
and bv The tine the end Of the piece Is reacheo |
he sversre publ has the music by heart Some
.I-noe+ Incredible instances Of memory are
found among the blind, this faculty Deins
deyelored abnorrnaIIy with the loss OF slgh|
Daily readings aloud last al hour every after
NOM and the long list of volunteers Is selooIn
exhausted Authors, statesmen, painters PoelS
doctors OF divinity and doctors OF neolclie'
Actors and great musicians have been siao 10 /
give many hours and the long autograph isl
Is most interesting one, which Miss Glfn' ne
Superintendent. carefully preserves fe" OF /
The naules are WI Ting-fang, Thomas Nelsoh |