The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-18

THEIR CLUB PROSPERING AND
HOPES TO BUILD A HOUSE.
An Evenings Entertainment by the sight
less and Their Friends VINO Can Sec
Play Cards. Chess N Checkers
The Misses Holt chief Helpers.

-Ihe Nhhbsts bOIt ahich Hpripchss
The Blind Mems Club held it's last meet
ing OF this year last night In its rooms in the
Mott Memorial Hall, 81 Madison avenue,
and made plans 80 see the New Year in
as one of the members said with real en-
joyment Of his joke.
Some day the Blind Mems Club hopes to
have a home of its own, with a library,
gymnasium, lecture room and all the APP
pointments of a good clubhouse, but for
the present the rooms in the Mott Memorial
are big enough for the forty members and
they will do for the funmaking New Years
eve.
Despite the drizzle and the sloppy streets
the clubrooms last night were cheerful and
merry. The members came early, feeling
their way cautiously but confidently up
the fight OF narrow stairs and into the
lecture room. Most OF them took pride in
refusing assistance to their seats and
cracked jokes merrily with the officers Of
the club and the few visitors.
Otto Fisher, the treasurer, stood at a
little table collecting the biweekly dues,
5 cents a member. and as they stepped
up and paid him they laughed and TESTED
about getting their right change.
Here's a quarter, Fisher, said one, hand
ing the treasurer a nickel, give me 20 cents
change"
Not much" said the treasurer, Tipping
the nickel into the box. Try me with a
IS bill and see il l can tell the difference
bet tween it and a one spot"
Before they got started playing cards
or chess OF checkers the blind men cir
culated around the room, shaking hands
and getting the news Of their own world.
They 90 TO the club every other Monday
night to sing songs, hear somebody tell
about their own kind of work and their
own kind of play. There is little sadness
or gloom about meetings OF the Blind
Mems Club, because, the members say,
they have learned to be optimists and take
the whole world cheerfully.
Whats doing in the blind world1" a
young man who is working his way
through Columbia College as an expert
stenographer, asked Of Eben Morford.
well" said Mr.. Morford.
A minute or two later one of the members
giving a friend a bit of interesting personal
news said: Now wouldn't that open your
eyesp" Several of the club. standing near,
laughed with great appreciation.
They talked about their work in the
workshop for the blind at l47 East Forty
second street, where most of them have a
chance TO earn a living making brooms, re-
Ste aIllR chairs, max ny over HldllTtHStF anu
other jobs where nimble fingers more than
eyesight are necessary. They talked, too.
about their employment aRenoy-an agency
for the blind alone-which tries to get work
for all that are able to earn their living, and
several discussed the latest books they had
read in the Library for the Blind.
Over in one corner OF the room two OF the
members were playing casino with an or
binary pack Of cards, and If one had not
known that the players were scanning the
parda with giQhflQaa aVRS ha would never
rave known the difference. The cards
were marked with the point print system,
tiny raised dots and dashes, and the game
went on swiftly. At another table a game
OF euchre was going on.
Two OF three games of checkers were
running before the exercises started. The
players used boards that were made es-
pecially for them. The boards differed from
the ordinary checker board in that one
player moved disks on a field Of depressed
circles, while the other used square pieces,
moving them in a field of depressed squares.
Checkers is the most popular game at the
Blind Mems Club. except possibly euchre,
and several OF the member are checker
sharps. Nobody played chess at the club
last night, cut they have several special
sets, boards with ordinary pieces and de-
pressed squares, each square with a tiny
hole in which the chessman can be firmly
set.
While the games were going on the Misses
Winifred and Edith Holt, who help the club
in many ways, came in. Most OF the MEM
bers seemed to know instantly that the
sisters we're there, and there was a general
rising from the ables to shake hands with
them.
Francis Rogers. the barytone, sang be-
fore the club last night, giving them an
Shakespeare Twelfth Night" Then he
sang two gondolier songs OF Schumann
and four Jolly Irish ballads. One N
the club members played a selection
from "Rigoletto." hen William Daniels.
a guest and a blind nan himself, made a
talk to the club.
I have only been blind seven months"
he said, "but il seems like seventy years.
At first l was desperate and ready to throw
myself into the river. Then l met a lady
who did everything for me, and | have
taken my courage by both hands, We
ought TO be grateful for our blindness,
because blind men can do little harm in the
world. II liz very hard for a blind man
10 be a bad man, All he can do Is some good
in the world"
William Pallier, a member Of the club
told some stories of embarrassing expert
ences he and other blind men have had.
I'm Boston, one day" he said, Il saw a num-
Der Of students from the Perkins institute
coming down the middle Of the street. A
lady IN the sidewalk near me turned 20 a
friend and said in a shocked tone: i think
it is perfectly awful OF the Perkins Institute
dark. Wv
Another time I was getting change at an
elevated station, and a lady who got out of
patience waiting for me to grope around for
my change said sharply, I'd like to get my
ticket II that man ever gets through poking
around here I did not say anything then,
although il hurt, but when / had collected
my change and my thoughts 1 told her l
couldn't hurry because I couldn't see. She
had my arm in a minute and wouldn' rest
until she had seen me safely into a car seat. .
Going through Brooklyn one day, in a
n~eighborhood where they had been laying
gas mains, 1 fell into a three foot ditch.
An Irishman whom 1 fell against looked
up and growled: VIII the divvle are
yea and plat are yez dom hereI Are
We angel or divvle7' told him I was merely
blind, and when l came bach that way the
rood hearted fellow was waiting for me
and wouldn't be satisfied until he had led
me clear out of the district
Mr.. Pallier said he thought that most
people were uniformly kin and courteous
TO the blind, always ready to help them.
He finished by saying The blind will
always get along happily IL they take an
optimistic view of life"
The Blind Mems Club wa organized
only a few months ago by the Misses Holt
R-a - .t,vi-. kl,A - -