The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-07-12

~ vain aDoul INC clty streets alone.
Others, who are totally blind, are too
nervous to do this. The great ma
iority Of persons said to be blind are
not totally blind. l am.
Il know blind man who can see
Just trif'e, Just enough, in fact, to
know when large object is about 20
come upon him, because the brc ,zc it
creates warns him, and he goes about
by himself on foot or in the cars to
the homes Of his pupils and attends
to his other business And he en- lows
it too. Nearly every blind man enjoys
a long walk through the park in sum
mcr or along one Of the avenues in
winter. lie feels the beauty and life
and motion about him, and that is
more than great many who see
these things do. The blind enjoy
driving just as much es they. do walk
ing, and | am sure that the blind man
who can afford to keep his own turn
out or hire one every day is much
better in health and spirits.
1T will be hard for you who see to
believe that blind man can get any
pleasure out of travelling in strange
countries, ] suppose. Well, he can.
spent eight months in Bermuda.
returning here last November, and |
never enjoyed stay anywhere as
did that trip. 1t was far more beau.
tiful to me than any place l ever Wis
tied before | lost my sight. The
descriptions | had read of the place
were not equal to nature in any wav.
My enjoyment was in the climate
and in the peculiaritics Of the pcoplc,
l knew they were out of the usual
by their conversation and by the de-
scriptions that heard. Iwas much
Interested in comparing the negroes
there with these here aud in noting
their refinement and education and in
studying their relation to the whites.
when | was tired Of this | rcvel-
led in drives over the smooth white
roads or sails over the water with it's
beautiful chorometic tiuts. I could
feel those moonlight nights, and knew
without anyone telling me that the
moon hung low over the flowers and
trees. Yes, if blind man had the
money necessary for extended travel,
he could get q great deal of pleasure
out OF it. Henry Ward Beccher used
to say that he knew man who could
do more work with q jackknife than
some men could with whole chest of
tools. Since I became blind I've
often thought maybe his jackknife
man was blind, too, because when we
have little money we learn to get a
great deal of enjoyment out Of it.
When we cant own horses and travel
we 60 on Shank's mare, and with an
occasional life on the cars, manage to
get on first rate.
Next to his work, the intelligent
blind man gets most Of his enjoyment
out of reading. If he cannot employ
secretary, there is always some one
who is willing to spare him an hour
or two day and to be his eyes 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. The newspaper is our main.
stay in acquiring knowledge. I per.
sonally have read The Sun all my life,
and since cannot see to do 30 any
longer have it sifted from stem to
stern the first thing every morning.
$50 it is with the average blind man,
he has his favorite daily paper. Then
l read the magazines and instructive
works along many lines, and do q
great deal of studying in connection
With my own writing. I learned the
keyboard of typewriter in exactly
fifteen minutes, and turn out most of
my own manuscript myself. Many
blind people learn to use typewriter
and keep up large correspondence
which helps them to pass away the
time.
'When tired out with work, I find
great pleasure in music. Long ago T
learned to play the melodeon, and
after I lost my sight I took up the
autoharp and now I can sit for hours
at time and play on the little instru.
ment. I never heard anyone else
play it, so T do not know how we'll it
can be played, but I've mastered it
sufficiently not to be nuisance to
other people"
"In what direction do blind mans