New-York tribune., 1909-05-02
NEW DEVICE TO
HELP BLIND WRITE
INVENTION OF o. G. FROST.
HIMSELF SIGHTLESS.
Use Inuolues Ne50 System of Trac-
ing-Letters Traced on Palm
of Hand. t%

A new system OF teaching the blind TO write ana
a machine TO aid them in the OF pen or pencil
have been invented by OTiu c Frost. farsishted
blind man. well known IN business and political
circles OF the upper West Side OF New York By
means Of the system and its mechanical auxiliary
the inventor. who has been himself sightess for
twenty-five years IS confident that any one de-
prfved Of vision even from birth soon learn to
write correctly and rapidly. While three-fourths
OF the blind having lost their sight comparatively
late in life able to write from recollection and
require only mechanical aid IN making
straight and separate lines the minority who never
practised the art written line. have been
seriously handicapped II would seem. indeed an
impossible task to instruct a congenitally blind
man in the art Of chirography-
Mr.. Frost who has been governor OF the West
Side Republican Club for more than two decades
early applied himself the problem. and now BE-
Iieves he has solved it. He has already taught
several congenitaly sightless persons how TO write
Taking the hand of pupil. he traces with his fore
finger on the palm short. slanting line from ths
direction Of the wrist downward This line. he
plains is the first element Of the alphabet An
other line joining the first at the top and slantnE
in the opposite direction below. with bar at
the middle. constitutes A. When the side lines
straight and Joined by a cross bar as before ths
letter II IS formed Not mere than two let
ters given IN the first lesson and the pupil ~
required to write down Immediately what he has
learned After acquiring the capital letters IN this
fashion. aided by wooden alphabet blocks with
hTllellke eQSeS, student 20 lower
case letters and script. These forms traced on
the palm before. and In addition the student feels
OF the three styles OF letters carved lead pats
one below the other. capitals. lower case and
script The rough edges OF the letters Inscribed
on lead easily followed by sensitive fingers
and the memory of the blind IS notably good. 50
that shapes once learned are not lost.
But without some mechanical device to insurs
proper spacing and the like theoretical kn0wIedgs
IS vain. The evolution Of Mr. Frost's device began
ten vvhar Ia oycd
cardboard divisions with stencu-uks sheet OF tn
through the regular spaces OF which he wrote
a sheet Of paper Then lie used successfully rub
Der bands. twine and wire cigar cover frams
to form equitable division OF spaces IN which
he wrote.
The perfected device Is the "blfndograph" Il
consists OF p wooden board. with rubber and steel
rollers az the upper end which draw a sheet OF
paper between steel guides and under thres cross
wires, about half an inch apart The operator uses
the space above the first wire for name and ad-
dress. II he Is writing letter. and then has two
spaces below for two lines OF writing After filing
these spaces he presses a lever ar the upper left
hand corner Of the board. and the rollers ruovs
upward the sheet OF paper an exact distance. CIV
ing two new spaces for writing. The ends O. tha
two lower wires rest springs. that the wires
yield freely when the operator wishes 20 put the
tail OF - or 'g' below the line. The lowest
wire, moreover. has sliding ring, which serves
as marker to Indicate where the sishtless writer
is interrupted or stops to think
William H. PRESCOTT, the American historian. who
practically blind used primitive writing de-
vice from 1916 until his DEATH IN 1859. This ap-
paratus, which was invented by a member OF ths
Wedgwood family OF English porters for his own
use, was called the noctograph- II consisted Of
fame crossed by sixteen parallel wires. fastened
into the sides. and holding down q sheet or black
ened paper, Ike the carbon paper now used f7
typevriters and copying machines Under this
blackened paper was placed a sheet OF plain white
note paper. Lead pencils being then cOnnparattvsly
unknown, q person using the nOcJosraph wrote
with sort OF stylus Of ivory, agate or some oths-
hard substance upon the blackeued paper. which
conveyed the impression 70 the white paper under
meath The brass wires guided the writer's hand
and kept the point Of the STYLUS somewhere near
the line The Massachusetts Historical Society has
preserved the noctograph used BY Prescott.