Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-09-18
THE TALENTED BLIND.
SiqhtIess Musicians, Teachers and
Other Professionals.

Other PROFESSIONALS.
A short time ago the Baroness Won
Kranichfeld (nee Miriam Gardner, an
English woman,) died in Bucharest,
This lady, who was one Of the queen
Of Rumania's personal friends, was
writing a poem one day when mist
suddenly spread over her eyes, and she
thus became in her fiftieth year total
ly blind In spite of her advanced age.
however. the baroness attended an
English school to learn the alphabet
and the use Of the typewriter, and in
the end triumphed over her affliction to
the extent Of being able to make her
own clothes and hats without any aid
whatever.
The story of this sightless baroness
reminds one that there are quite a
number of blind people in the world to-
day who have earned name and fame
in spite of their affiiction. Thousands
of sightless beings owe a debt Of graf
itude to Dr. F. ]. Campbell, the blind
principal of the Royal Normal college
for the Blind at Norwood, who lost his
sight in his fourth year. While at play
a thorn ran into his eye, and by the
carelessness of a doctor he lost the
sight of both eyes. Nevertheless he
became a splendid musician and ulti-
mately established the Royal Normal
COLLEGE for those similarly afflicted as
himself At this college pupils may
learn how to earn a good livelihood
and enjoy life in spite of the dark
world in which they live. DR.. Camp
bell himself not only INDUCES in row.
ing, riding and cycling, but is such a
skillful and ardent mountaineer that
Prof Tyndall once said to him in Swift
zerland, Look here, Campbell, are you
The blind pianist Mendel, who has
appeared with such success on the
London and provincial stage, won a
scholarship Of e40 a year at the Royal
Normal college. Mandel has a roper
tory of over 1000 pieces, including all
the classics and modern compositions,
and his reproductive and extemporiz-
ing powers are not the least wonderful
of his faculties.
For the past seventeen years the
Middlesex Chronicle has been edited
by a blind journalist. Mr.. John
Whall, who occupies the editorial chair
Of this paper, is now SIS years old, and
has been blind since he was 13. He
was formerly an organist, but became
associated with journalism about
twenty years ago. He has long been
familiar figure at the meetings of
municipal bodies, and his reports are
noted for their accuracy as well as
for their high descriptive qualities.
Mr. w. Wolstenholme, who is known
throughout the country by his organ
recitals, has been blind from birth,
and took his degree at an earlier age
than any one previously. One of his
musical tutors was Sir Edward Elgar,
who afterward showed his affection for
his pupil by acting as his amanuensis
when he took his Mus. Bac. at Oxford.
In America there is a remarkably
large number Of blind men and women
holding positions of prominence. Apart
from the wonderful case of Helen Kel-
ler-who has become so learned in
spite of the fact that when baby she
suffered an illness which rendered her
not only blind, but also deaf and dumb,
one might mention Miss Fanny Crosby
(Mrs Alexander Van Alstyne) Of Con-
necticut who has written over 5000
hymns. including that grand old favor
ite, safe in the Arms of Jesus"
Edward de Mile Campbell, director
of the chemical laboratory of the uni
versity of Michigan; Louis B. CARL
the famous Brooklyn mathematician;
T. P. Gore, a senator from Oklahoma;
DR.. Newell Perry, mathematical tutor
at Columbia university, and ]. B. Her
reshoff, the famous yacht designer,
who modelled the last two defenders Of
the Americas cup, are all men who
have triumphed over blindness. Her
reshoff, who lost his sight when he was
Is, has declared that his success as
YACHT DuiluSl 1919 6Siy Oii NhS ho~N
that he can picture so vividly in his
mind the boats he saw and the mod
els he owned during the first fifteen
years of his life. Prof. Campbell, by
the way, thinks nothing Of working out
intricate chemical formulae in his
mind while performing before his
classes experiments which a chemist
with two good eyes undertakes with
some anxiety.
The irony of fate is we'll illustrated
by the case of DR.. Emile laval, the
famous French oculist, who became
sightless at the age of 62. and who now
devotes his time to teaching others how
to perform the operations for which he
was famed on the continent. Another
famous blind man in France is M. Ca
mile Lemaire, the French architect,
while NJ Rigganbach, professor Of the
ology in the university Of Basel, is also
sightless. s.-Tit- Bits.