The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-04-12
NEW UNIVERSE IS
OPEN FOR BLIND
Children Who Have Been in Dark
ness Since Birth Taught To See
Through Finger Tips.

PHILADELPHIA, April 12.-How
would you feel II you had TO use the
tips OF your fingers 10 see the world
Ind the multitude o. things that are
In II? says the picture on this pagee
These blind children have never
seen tree
They have never aeen chicken
They have never seen sheep or q
COW
They have never seen n river
They have neve., seen anything Of
the great outdoors.
Now they're getting acquainted :
through their finger tips.
A new world Is being opened to
them In the. Overlook Institution fo-
he Blind at Philadelphia. Now they
are beginning to see on the mirrors
Of their brain the shape and genera
appearance OF live and inanimate
-hings which exist outside the walls o.
their asylum.
They call 1t "examining'-it reilly
10 telegraphy.
The hands, passed over the hide If
N animal or the feathers OF > biri
telegraph to the brain the contour and
general appearance OF the object 81
examined" and the blind boy or girl
from that hour knows exactly wha:
the animal or bird looks like. Thence
forth It's name assumes an entirel,
new meaning In the mind Of the stu
dent.
In one OF the class rooms at IN
institute there Is a variety OF mounted
~ ri nj nj ato nf ha
everyday kind. One Is a sheep. II L.
pathetic to observe the delighted looks
on the faces Of the bind boys ~ they
ure on the table.
Meanwhile the instructor explains
THE wool you touch is the material
from which our clothes are made. The
sheep itself Is the animal that pro-
vides us with our mutton. II IS thu
sheep that you hear 'baa-sing when
you go TO the park"
And so the lesson proceeds while
the students busy fingers nuttef over
the woolly figure, examining It with
keen interest.
In another part CT the room G va.
riety Of mounted birds are placed
around at convenient heights. a
knowledge OF the appearance OF these
birds could be acquired by tho eyes
in the fingers OF tie students. The
color OF the BIRDS plumage is ex-
planned by the instructor and the chi!
dren are introduced 10 the world OF
feathered things world that would
remain sealed book TO most of then.
but for this clever method of enabling
them to see with their fingers.
The general comtlai o. the school
teacher Is the lack os interest on the
part of the average child. The blind
student fairly bubbles over with est
thusiasm.
..How high can IL ny?' thev ask
where does II Quilt its nest? What
does 1t eat? Can II hurt You with
this sharp beak? How does 1. act when
you go near It? oh do men shoe;
them? What a shrine
From the class rooms whers crea
lures of the earth and sky ere studio.
the children are taken to the wool
and fields and into the fine garde &c
adjoining the buildings. Here the
acquaintance OF Mother Earth Is m de
at first hand.
II was strange to see q group OF de-
lighted children on their knees exam
IA Ing the course or dried stream and
following II eagerly on its winding
road.
In this way" explains the instru,
tor, I'VE teach them the course that
o river will take. We cannot 60 thi
IN any but a dried.up stream, but y
examining with their hands the twist
ing bed OF a brook that Is waterless
the students can rc,uire thorough
knowledge OF the way IN which n
brook or river pursues It's wav. con
fined by the banks Ind winding where
II WILL In and out OF the woods AMI
meadows"
Another group OF students cole II
around a tree.
by touch alone" said the teache-
the trained sense CT these boys AMI
girls will in time enable them TO na,1c
o tree from It's bark and leaves"
DvsSRess-lik~ PrsntinR. No fuss and
no feathers. Tho plain. neat Kind that