Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-05

| the school any longer She has not a
| friend or relative or a cent in the world.
What can she do to support herself? What
good will all those honor marks be to her
when she is sitting for the rest Of her
days in the poorhouse? And she IS just
| eighteen!'
| 1.-THE new movement. however. for the
blind in New York is typefied by the
publication last year of the Ziegler Maya
| zine for the Blind, which is printed both
in Braille and New York Point, and the
formation two years ago of the New
York Association for the Blind. which
has for its motto, Light Through Work. "
A much smaller association for the blind
was started earlier in Boston, and it's
work has been supplemented by the state
commission for the blind of Massachu-
sets. There the blind have been sue
cessful in artistic weaving with different
| colors and have made designs for hang
| ings etc. They have succeeded in box
| factories and In a tobacco factory with
| sighted people. The Outlook for the Blind,
! recently issued by the Massachusetts As
| ISOLATION for Improving the Condition of
the Blind Is an admirable publication.
Home teaching and other activities. in
! Guiding the recent interest In outdoor
| athletics at the Perkins Institute for the
Blind. are most encouraging in this civ
iiZed state.
! "In New York It is best for our asso-
citation to work as a private organization.
Independent of political support. which
under existing conditions might hamper
our independence and best work. The
| New York Association for the Blind took
the census of the blind in the state Of
New York for the state commission ap-
pointed by Gov. Higgins and continued by
Gov. Hughes. The state census and the
statistics drawn from it furnish invalu-
able data to doctors and students of new
possibilities of the blind We see there
are a large number of Intelligent and
capable blind people so poor that without
helping hand they must remain without
opportunity. No blind person can make
a start in the world without education, or
the money which will enable him to get
1t. BY education 1 mean education in
blindness. / mean that he must first be
taught how to find his own way, how to
be blind. The two-thirds of the blind
who lose their sight after school age, in
the desperate and trying days when they
first recognize that sight has gone. should
have friend who will say. There is still
you can do. and I will show you how
to do it, Such friend the New York
association has proved with its social
service committee, home teachers, it's fac
tory for blind men, where at one time
counted three men who had come to us
in desperation, refusing to go to the
pcorhouse refusing to believe there was
anything they could do but die ignomini-
ously. Such a friend we have been
through our classes for blind women,
and they have proved a valuable point,
that not only blind men are contented
to live in their own homes, happy, nor
NAL lives. and go out to their daily tasks
as other men do. but that blind girls
istence. They want to help in their
homes and have their occupation and in
terest outside in the big world and to
earn money so that they need not be
drags on the family.
Our girls make In our classes beau
tfful baskets wonderful bead electric
lamp and candle shades and other up
to-date articles. including the most recent
hat frames and trimmed hats. The hat
which 1 am wearing our girls made en-
ttrely and presented to me.
cat the office of the association we keep
catalogues Of institutions and literature
for the blind, books and papers in various
types for them. tools. games and instru-
ments Of especial use to them. The uses
Of these are explained to blind people and
their relatives and orders are taken for
anything which the blind person needs for
his use.
1T was my privilege to ask the tele-
phone company to install a switchboard
for the use of blind people at the first Of
flee of the association. The official whom
I saw. though courteous, could scarcely
conceal his belief that must be crazy to
suggest a switchboard for blind people.
The blind friend who was with me and
who had operated switchboard, helped
much to persuade him to let me have my
way. In a years time l wrote to this
official of the telephone company that
there were six blind switchboard operators
In New York two In hospitals where they
had entire charge of the ambulance calls
and other important work, two in large
commercial houses, one in a. philanthropic
institution, and the sixth In the editorial
rooms of one of our most important
dai.les
1--WE have had good results in teaching
blind people to typewrite from the phono-
graph. A young blind man who had occu-
pied an important position In a great
electrical concern suddenly lost his sight.
A friend heard of the blind society and
the blind man came to the society des-
perate. Il am blind, OF course can never
do anything. There is no money for my
wife or me to live on" We taught him
soon to believe in himself. In a months
time he was reading. writing and type
writing. In six months had faultless
typewriter letter from him in which he
said II am now regularly employed not
only typewriting from the photograph but
acting as private secret ary to Mr.. -
Zone of the partners of large company.
l am busy all day, but If there is anything
at night l can do to help the other blind
people at the association, you know what
a privilege it would be If you will let me-"
He is now supporting himself and his