The sun., 1908-07-05

Ing and trimming. switchboard operating
and stenography.
Two young blind women trained by enc
association now have more orders for cleo
trio light shades chan they oan hli. All OF the
articles sold must be we'll made: our market
is gained by merit. not pity,
The work for blind women II more dlnhcult
than for men. as they are usually lees able
physically and cannot 90 about without
guides. Three Of the switchboard operators.
however. are women. and two OF the home
tsanhers are women.
The home teaching department has shown
good results. One woman has learned how
to keep house. and according. to Miss Holt
she does II In apple pie order. There 10
home teaching work at hand. There are
sixty home teaching societies In Great
Britain alone while In sll Greater New York
there are but four teachers. all OF them be-
longing to the association.
or the need Of the associations work Miss
Holt says:
or the 800 blind people In Greater New
' ork. most Of whom arc iookinR 10 us for
help OF who want to help us, many have
lived idle and cheeIless lives In tire tenements.
where some have lost hone and died Of help
less despair. one Uf Uur teachers called o
see blind woman. She Was Informed that
the woman had killed herself.
She had faced the question Of accepting
the citys aims on the Island for some time
and finally could bear 1t no longer Her friend.
who told tho visitor this story. ended with
this: oh. II you had come q few months
earlierl II you had told her that she could
read and work and be q useful woman again
my friend would still be alive"
The work Of the association does not
cease with providing occupations for tho
blind. Indeed. there are many blind per-
sons who can do nothing to support them
selves; efforts must be made to mako their
lives more bearable: Then reueetion for
the workers. Ia provided as far as the limited
means OF the association win permit.
A social service committee was organized
less than a year ago to look after those
who are not sufficiently provided for through
the home teachers, shdP. classes and the
guides for the Blind. Pianos and organs
for blind musicians to practise on have
been secured. Flowers have been dis
tributed through the flower mission.
The clubs have been among the most
successful features Of the Associations
in the office building Of the association.
Associate members who are not blind are
admitted, but the blind members run the
organization. Music. recitations and dis
cussions on topics OF interest make up the
programmes.
The womeu's club is run on the same
lines. but the women have gone further
In the work Of helping others outside the
club. The women's CLUB has given an
outing to poor women. distributed free din
ners at Thanksgiving and done much
visiting work. An orgn nization has been
started in Brooklyn. Miss Holt says:
Every effort is made to keep the blind
men and women separate in their work and
play, although the association has no objec-
tion to their entertaining their sighted friends
Of both sexes. Intermarriage with the blind
is strongly discouraged by the educated
blind and by their best friends. As rule
IL leads to beggary or worse.
Speaking against the intermarriage Of the
blind great blind man says. A family wants
at least one pair Of windows in II. or II can't
succeed" Apart from success the problem
of inheritance Of blindness is a serious one.
We know Of one family where for four gener-
ations there has been blindness and Of an
other where there are Ave blind children
of blind parents.
The association is ever on the lookout
for new industries and now forms OF recrea-
tion. 1t is constantly investigating and
inventinE.
use any amount OF money. Among its i'm
mediate needs il puts larger buildings with
grounds where the blind workers may have
plenty of exercise and fresh air; more teach
ers both In the regular classes and In the
homes of the blind, and a library Of special
interest to the blind and their families.
Friends OF the ass ocNt ton have offered
$40 900 conditional on a working capital OF
500, 900 being raised The public la urged
to help in fulfilling the associations motto,
Light Through Work"