The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-07-21
BLIND MEMS CLUB
ENJOYS An OUTING
Sixty-two Members Frolic is
Surf, Guides Describing
the Sights.

New York, July 21.-A happy band
Of sightlcss men reveled in all the
joys OF the Midland beach from fore
noon till supper time. There were six
ty-two of them all told, each one quite
blind.
II was the first summer outing OF
the Blind Mems Club, a little arrge-
CATION OF the physically unfortunate
who have a social meeting house at
118 West Fffty-ninth street Most OF
the men were accompanied by guides.
generally a wife or daughter to whom
the powers Of vision had not been de-
MED. In three instances, however, the
blind were really leading the blind,
for six of them travelled in couples,
! better satisfied thus than to place
themselves under obligation to strang
ers.
Woman Leader is Busy.
The party, 40 strong, met at the
: South ferry, by agreement, and there
William J. Gorse, blind musician,
who Is secretary of the club. and Miss
Daisy Fiske Rogers, of the social SER
: vice committee of the New York AS
! ISOLATION for the Blind took them in
charge Miss Rogers Is a daughter Of
Alexander Campbell Rogers, of 1876
East Twenty-seventh street, and de-
votes all her time to aiding the blind.
! She hustled about the ferry house,
! gathering in stray members and count
less blessings were leaped upon her
by the men, some of them old enough
to be her grandfather.
As they went down the bay the
guides described to their charges the
wonders of the harbor. Remarks over
heard here and there showed that
come of the blind ones had never been
on n boat before. 1t was a difficult
task for some OF the guides to make
their descriptions of the sea and the
vessels understandable by the sight
less.
Task to Keep Them Together.
Two special trolley cars had been
provided to take the party to Midland
beach. and here again Miss Rogers
proved herself a businesslike mana
geress. Few of the party had made
the trip before, and 1t was a task to
make sure that none went astray in
the confusion of leaving the ferry
boat
The pleasures of the surf claimed
most of the blind as soon as the sea-
shore had been reached. Special pre-
cautions had been taken, and a part
Of the beach near the bathhouse had
been marked off with a double set of
ropes SO that no accident might mar
the days fun. About forty of the men
enjoyed the strange sensation of an
ocean bath, and before coming out OF
the water they split up into two
groups, the fats" and the leans"
and INDUCED in tug of war.
"The leans won" puffed a big. stout,
blind newspaper dealer. as he sat
down to a hearty dinner afterward.
because we fat is was too soggy in
the water. My, bat that bathing suit
did seem heavy on me"
Visit to Moving Picture Show.
Mr.. Gorse had brought his own
sheets of music scores for the blind,
raised marks on heavy paper and he
played the piano while other members
sang. During the afternoon many Of
the blind, their faces beaming with
pleasure, went through the various
shows on the beach. riding in the
carousels. switchback railways and
other dizzy contrivances with all the
enthusiasm of their more fortunate
companions. They even took in the
moving picture shows. where lecture
had been provided to describe the
scenes the films were displaying.
1t was a happy but tired company
THAT made It's way back in the special
cars to st. George. AS they boarded
the ferry boat on which a big crowd
was returning the blind men attracted
much attention. Before the boat reach
ed South ferry Miss Rogers had gone
the rounds. shaking hands with every
one and making sure that each had
his Guide To take him ga faly home