Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-27

teachers, and printer, with trivial outlay for
materials used in translating the regular textbooks
into Braille print Twenty-siN blind pupils
enrolled last year at cost of only orty-five hundred
dollars.
Here under their own teacher they learn to read
and write in raised points, made acquainted
and every day spend an hour in the regular
class rooms in company with the sighted. At the
end of this preliminary course the blind placed
in the regular classes and required to do full class
work This they have done spendidy, maintain
ing high averages and many of them have been
graduated with honors to enter high schools, and
four in college.
Aside from these results the experiment has
shown that the blind pupil gains materially by COM
ing in contact with sighted people of his own age,
quickly losing the timidity and awkwardness usu-
ally attaching to the blind and becoming self re-
liant and indel ondent to remarkable degree
Their Moral Influence
THE introduction of blind children is also exert
ing a tremendous influence for good upon the
sighted members of the school, perceptibly raising
the morale and demonstrating to the sighted boy
and girl the fact that the blind schoolmate is in
every way similar to themselves except in ability
to This lesson, too, is one that many outside
the schools have yet to learn and when 1t every
where appreciated that the blind do not belong In
class by themselves separated by impossible barn.
ers from society at large and set aside as objects OF
lavish but unwise charity, OF the greatest OBJ
stacles to the real advancement OF the blind will
have been removed.
They are fellow humans with sighted humanity,
possessed of the same attributes, similar warnings
ambitions, and aspirations, but with the added
knowledge that many of them may never be at
tanned
The blind are by reason of condition and environ
ment, inclined to be morose, suspicious oversensi-
tive, and retiring The same cordial greeting, the
same frank hearty good fellowship that is extended
to sighted humanity seldom reach them the COM
munity draws back in silent sympathy as they ap-
proach, and they mistake its awestruck kindness
for aversion. Therefore, if for other reason than
this, the work of the Chicago schools Is pregnant
with blessing to them.
1t must be remembered too, that the sghtless
public has its rights in equal measure with other
members of the community, and that the state, IN
giving them the education 1t does only dschargng
its just obligation to them while they minors. 1t
only when they leave school and take their places
side by side with their more fortunate competitors
that the self respecting blind ask special recognition
and even then they do not ask for charity. All
they ask IS opportunity, equal opportunity to do
and to be paid for doing OF the several things
they do as well as sighted persons This thought
leads directly to the question of the adult blind,
who constitute ninetenths OF the entire blind popu
lation, of whom ma jority without the adj
vantage of training in blindness.
NEGLECT of the Adults
TT seems hardly credible that while such splendid
work has been carried for the s1ghtless youths
who comprise only ten per cent OF the whole the adult
blind who make up the remaining ninety per cent.
have until recently been left to SHIFT tor themselves;
to succeed in spite of their awful handicap, or to
fall heartsick and broken their unequal battles
and finally to become burdens to themselves and
financial drags upon the community.
What makes it astounding Is the tact, not
generally appreciated, that of the entire number of
adult blind statistics show that an Overwhelmingly
large proportion lose their sight after passing school
age. They therefore debarred from any posi-
bilitv of learning how to be blind They have lived
al hei in he OF