The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-18
BLIND TEACHER or TEE BLIND
MISS HUBER AND HER WORK IN
TRE LYNN LyBRAKY.

ays ss-0esd q the zasxsss ssAsaxsns.
Mis- Jennie wlnslov Bubdsr u Lynn.
Mas. 10 the only blind librarian In the
world. She has charge Of the room OF
hAppiness.' a. the reading room foe the
blind In the Public Library Of Lynn 10
called by the sightlsss people who snjoy
ls privileges. Besides performing che duties
Of librarian Miss Bubisr tsaChss the blind
patrons Of tho library 70 road.
Il became blind when I vas q year aud
Q half old" said Miss Bubisr. Il was the
youngest Of six children and my mother
was q working woman. but to her s1orts
I owe all tho Joy and happiness Of my life
90 well az my education.
she taught me my alphabet and had
mo enter tho public schools along with the
other girls Of my age and neGghborhood.
At night after her days work was done
she would read me my lessons and I not
only kept Up with my class but stood among
the leaders. On one occasion while l was
attending the public school I determined
to take the prize offered for the best at
tendance. Il was not easy. for the girl
who was my chief rival was o fine scholar
and q hard worker. but I % IL seems
very amusing now. looking back on 1t all.
and Whenever we my rival and !. .
we always refer TO 1t and have a good
laugh over Il.
1T was soon after the winning Of that
prize that my mother was persuaded to
take me from the public school and send
me to Perkins Institute. I have always
regretted that she did not wait q few years
and allow me 10 graduate from the high
school. I think it would have been as
well for my education and I should have
enjoyed he association with the girls in
the high school 80 much.
THAT is one thing I am in favor of-blind
children being educated with children
who have their sight. OF course in many
instances it is impossible. but where it can
be lone ! am sure it is, best. Youth is
the playtime Of our lives and il we do not
have the association Of other children we
miss IL all our lives. I was sent TO Perkins
because ! could have greater educational
advantages. among e music.
THAT. | think. was what decided my
mother to send me. l was very fond OF
music and while she nae never taken a
music lesson she determined that my blind
ness should not stand in my way.
Perkins il a wonderful school and OF
course I had every advantage Of education
there, but I was glad to get back to mother
and my home here in Lynn. Having en-
joyed such good advantages I felt that IL
was my duty to share them with those to
whom they had been denied. Whenever
I heard of blind persons here in Lynn I
would make it my business to visit them
and do all that l could to help them. In
that way I taught several persons to read
by the different methods and / may also
add that I made many friends.
About five years & when this work
for the blind Of Lynn was undertaken I
was asked to take charge Of IL. 1t was only
an experiment undertaken by the ladies OF
the Lynn Historical Society at the sugges-
ton OF the late Elihu B. Hayes. an ex-Mayor
OF Lynn. After raising $1,000. with which
they bought a small collection Of books for
the blind. the ladies' secured a small room
here in the public library and was put in
charge OF it al librarian.
at was not intended that l should teach
reading at first. but it was soon found that
only through such instruction could the
work be effective. There are six methods
Of teaching the blind 70 read and l AVE
acquired them all. When pupils cannot be
bduBnbO Hc iucbllOus VI pcin 4 bllOuiu bdy
when they find 1t particularly difficult. l
try another.
zone of my pupils was 80 years old when
he first came here. He was a highly edu-
Gated a when he lost his sight. but be-
cause Of his age he considered that his case
was hopeless. He found Braille and New
York point very difficult because his fingers
were not sufficiently sensitive. He learned
the Moon type readily. and now takes the
greatest pleasure in reading Moon type
books. II ! remember correctly the first
thing he read was The Lord 10 my Shep-
herd 1t was q little tract for the blind
brought back by our librarian. Miss Har-
riet l.. Matthews. from a convention that
she had attended.
Another one Of our reading room circle
who learned to read under my instruction
is 90 years old. He is a poet and a musician.
He is both blind and deaf. or. as he expresses
il. he mas old q with all modern improve
ments. During the home week Just past
he was kept busy supplying visitors to this
room with copies OF his poems and his
music. He reads in all six methods. and
when one remembers that learning q new
method for a blind person is just about as
difficult as learning a foreign language for
a person with sight think they will be able
to judge how persevering he has been.
a third in our circle who considered
himself too old to learn is an honored MEM
Der Of the G.. A. r. He served through the
civil war and won distinction for his bravery,
but when he lost his sight he gave up. He
from melancholia almost to the
verge OF suicide. He insisted that the re-
mainder OF his life would be a perfect blank.
and his wife said he depressed tho whole
After much persuasion he was
TO come here to our room OF happi-
ness He learned TO read. and since then
he not only enjoys life but he adds much
to the enjoyment Of others. His wife now
says he is the life OF their house. he keeps
them all up with his sunshine and his witty
Perhaps the most wonderful Of all our
is Miss Lizzie Hussey. She is totally |
blind, but she sews. makes beautiful baskets
and keeps a little store. supporting. both
herself and her mother. Before losing her
sight she had worked very hard as a dress |
maker. and supported her mother.
"A friend told me about her n I went at
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