Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-14
BLIND MEN AT WORK
I1sTTrUTIoN WHERE TIE sIoHT-
LESS PAT THEIR WAY.

LESS PAY THEIR WAY.
From Lesiis's wsskfy.
One OF the serious problems confronting
philanthropy = the care OF the indareut
blind The best system along this line vet
devised seefns to be the one adopted by
the state Of Pennsylvania. which not only
provides Tor food and e7neiter for these t,r,-
tortuuafeA but also oone employment to
divert tareir minds from their afaictieu. to
keep Them from becoming street begrArs
TOR the benefit OF Others. and to enable
them to. earn enough to be practically self
supporting. The Pennsylyania Working
Home Tor Blind Men was the first, and Il
still the largest. OF its kind In the United
| States. The home IL situated on Lancaster
avenue In West Philadelphia, and consists
Of three substantial buiidtngs-the super
intsndent's cottage. q large house where
the men who have no families may board,
and a fcur-story factory 2l2xe0 feet Tho
property, which Is inclosed In spacious
yar6 II valued at s28S,000. A broom
making seems to be the best possible enr
rlcymenf for the blind. the principal part
Of the factory Is given over to this in
dustry.
While II 10 impossible for a blind man to
complete a broom. he 10 able to do three
amy other trade. Experience has shown
that nearly every blind man. no matter
how unskiiled, can learn to size broom
corn-that iA ne can sit at q machine
which has q number OF raised measure
marks and a knife worked by treadle
With this he prepares stalks for Ave differ
ent sizcs OF brooms, and places each one
in It's proper rack. This work 10 usually
done with great rapadity and fingers are
rarely cut. Ninety per cent OF the men
can sew a broom, and about 80 per cent
can learn to wind. The latter seems to be
the most difficult for dghtiess eyes. yet
dumb and blind. and who winds broom
perfectly. He selects the proper length OF
corn from the boxes at the side. twists
the wire around the handle hammers In
the tacka and finally with q sharp knife
trims the edges This man. who is now
about thirty-two years old. has beea IN the
hoa1o for eight years, and has wares aver yer,
age 81 per week. When ccmmuMcation
with him IL necessary, It Is done by writing
with ones finger on the palm OF MS hand.
which he understands readily He Is ap-
parentiy. happy and coEtented, works
steadily, and has saved some money: one
OF the "sizers'. is also totally deaf, and
SO keen is his sense OF feeling that the
men frequently write with their fingers
on his back or arms the words they wish
to speak. At one OF the tables an inter
esting blind youth stems the corn, select
ing the rough pieces for the inside OF the
broonss. This, youn6 man L. also; a hne
musician, and spends many evenings at the
plano in the home, mulch to the delight
of the less educated.
Earnings Of the Men.
| Ono hundred and nineteen blind men are
working at present. and, with the assistance
of twenty-five who can see, they nave IN the
| last two year manufactured more than
million brooms and received In wages about
$4,000. An average weeks work amounts
1 Hax orna
-Four hundred tons of Illinois broom corn
| is used each year, and while the principal
market Is In New York and Boston, q
| large consignment was recently shipped 10
Dublin, Ireland The brooms manufac-
| tured are of good quality and retail from
| 20 to 30 cents each. No imperfect goods
are put on the market, as the men are
taught that the laws Of the business world
are stern, and that the merchant VINO To-
| day signs a check as donation to the IN
| stitution which shelters them would TO-
| morrow refuse to buy their product If the
workmanship was inferior.
| The scenes In the factory are little OH
| ferent from those of any other. The men
| laugh. sing and tell Jokes They know the
sound of each others footsteps+-especiaiiy
| that of Mr.. George w. Hunt, the superin-
tendent, who joins In their pleasures and
| comforts them in sorrow, A number OF
the men have families and reside near by,
while many who learned the trade at the
factory are working for themselves in DIFF
ferent cities. Carpet looms where rag car
pets are woven are also operated by blind
men, Rags for this purpose are frequently
sewed at different institutions and the
| working home for the blind receives % and
IS cents yard for furnishing chain and
weaving the carpet. Chairs are also re-
caned at prices ranging from 60 cents to
$3.50. according to the style.
Life of the Inmates.
Life at the home is simple and comfort
able. The men pay s2.25 per week for
board, washing and mending. The sleeping
rooms are large and airy, and a general
bath room is provided, as the superinten-
dent insists upon cleanliness. The food is
plain but wholesome, and several waitress
es are on hand at meal time to cut the
meat, butter the bread and see that every
man is properly cared for. All churches
and nadonahties are represented, but, re-
gardlesS of creed, the men assemble in the
little room known as the chapel each even
Ing after supper, where chapter from the
Bible Is read to them by Mr.. Hunt. Some
of the men have good voices. and often
hymns are sung with the piano accompani-
ment of the blind boy who stems corn in
the factory. The latter part of the even
ing is spent in conversation or in the
library, where a number OF ratsed-letter
books are to be found.
The labor of the institution is Of course
not as rapid In execution as the labor en-
gagged In the Industrial world, and. its
product being comparatively small ia GUAM
tity, does not yield sufficient for its proper
support. 1t Is not surprising. therefore.
that the blind working home does not pay.
and that the deficit must be made up by
private donation and state appropriation
But 1t IS almost sacrilige to view such
work from commercial standpoint for the
profit does not lie in the dollars and cents
that go into the pockets of the workmen.
or into the treasury of the institution. but
hnds Its expression in the Joy and comfort
which are ministered to those poor unfor-
tunates.
p
Barefooted Waiting Maids in Japan.
From Smiths Weekly
Unless there are ladies among the guests.
the Wife and daughters of the host do NOT