Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-29

interesting article ABOUT <Aiuoi
ica's famous living blind men.
1t contained no reference. now
ever to DR. Francis Joseph Can'Poeh OH
American who is the head of the hoSai
Normal College and Academy OF MUSIC
for the Blind at Norwood. one or 'le
suburbs of London So far as IL Is PoS-
sible for such an institution to ne the
work of one man the college is Dr. oaiip-
bells own creation. Engllshmen oeiefe
II TO be the best of its kind in the Woriu'
and the man who has made it what IL Is
is worth telling about.
Dr r J. Campbell may not De the
cords most wonderful blind man. Ger
tainly he would never claim that distlnc-
ton fer himself. But a still greater DIS
Gnction may be claimed for him he
has done more for the dwellers Nm the
kingdom, of eternal night than any other
hind man When destiny has great
work N store for man she usually pre-
pares him for 1T by giving partlcu-
larry rough time. That is almost IN
yariably the case when the work required
of him is the helping of others He must
suffer that he may know how to mitlsate
suffering; he must surmount great oo-
STAG before he can show others no"
Campbell
He was not born blind. But to qualify
him for his life's task it was essential
that he should lose his sight. Playing IN
the yard OF his parents home In franRHn
county, Tenn. one day, when he was be-
tween three and four years old. he ran
into an acacia tree and a sharp thorn
pierced an eyeball. Under medical treat
ment of specialist, 1t is probable mat
he would have suffered no permanent In
jury to his eyesight. At the worst he
would have lost the sight of only one
eye. But an inexperienced doctor was
at hand to see that he should be properly
fitted for his future sphere of usefulness.
Ry doing the wrong thing this doctor set
up a dangerous Inflammation in the IN
jured eye. 1t spread to the other eye.
and before it subsidized the sight of both
eyes was gone forever
x
Tennessee had no school for the blind
In those days. Not until the boy was ten
years old was small one opened In
Nashville. Thither young Campbell was
sent He had passion for learning.
Within three-quarters of an hour after
his arrival he had mastered the alphabet
But II was no part of the scheme or
destiny to make things easy for him.
terrible disappointment awaited him.
When he appeared for his first lesson in
of his attempts to sound his notes and
showed such an utter incapacity to hum
even a tune that his teacher decided then
and there that musical instruction Woulo
be wasted on him. The man who has
done more than any other man to make
music the chief sOlace and support OF the
blind was forbidden to touch a piano. He
vas relegated to brush and Discriminating.
Instead of crushing him that only stlHu-
ulated him. With or without the teachers
aid he determined that he would master
music.
He persuaded one of the boys to give
him lessons secretly. Three months later
the music master also blind. who had
pronounced him hopelessly incompetent,
CHANGED TO enter the room where young
Campbell was playing.
Who is that doing the new lesson 80
Welf?" he asked
Il SIR" replied the boy. IT have
learned all that you have taught the
other boys"
Fifteen months later he gained the prize
for pianoforte playing. He worked hard
for II. AS there were only two pianos in
the school he had to get up at o'clock
in the morning in order TO get his turn
for practice.
In the second winter the cold was IN
tense. To make matters worse the coal
gave out. But he still kept up his
practice. He would play for half an
hour, then, rushing into the playground.
would run a mile at top speed to thaw
his freezing limbs. BY running ten miles
day he was able TO generate the bodily
warmth needed to carry him through five
hours practice at the piano. When he
was barely twenty he was appointed
teacher Of music in the very institution
where. he says Il had first been told l
could never learn music"
Meanwhile. by financial reverses his
father had become greatly impoverished.
The young man who was to accomplish
such a great work in teaching the blind
how to he self-supporting had first to
master that lesson himself. There were
no limits to his energy When he was
appointed music teacher he took up other
courses Of study. which included mathe-
mates. Latin and Greek. To keep pace
with his selfappointed task work. while
devoting much Of the day to music les
sons he cut down the portion of sleep
ybtch ha allotted himself TO four hours.
He Kept Two readers going The fr>t
road to him until 10 O'Clock at night The
spcrnd walked up TO begin his inning at
o'clack. The natural result of such sys
temanc overwork was complete nervous
breakd>wn. Death or three months holt
day was the doctors verdict AT first
be was omewhat passionately bent on
risking thu former alternative. but, on
second tho,hhts. he decided to try the
holiday
with a brother and friend he started
Of 70 the MOUNTAINS. set up housekeep-
ing in cabin tuo miles away from any
body and went II for a hard spell of
wood cutting and hJl climbing.
In company wiz, my brother" he
says. II could ascend almost inaccessible
mountain cliffs. l tscame an expert
climber. Once far from our cabin we
decided TO quit the path and descend the
steep face OF the mountains. swinging
ourselves from tree 70 tree. could
climb any ttee that could clasp with my
arms
II is SINAI! wonder that when. many
years later. TSndau. the great scientist.
meeting this indomtable man, scaling
dimcult Alpine peak Che is the only blind
man VINO ever climbed Mont RIanc) with
all 'he fis"r and assurance OF one pos
sessed OF the full use of his ewes ex-
claimed Are You really blind. or are Won
only humbugging?'
BY the time his three months holiday