The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-27
TAFT ADDRESSES
 MEETING OF BLIND Remarkable Exhibit of Work of Blind Opens
 in New York

New York, April z6-The plight of the sightless, his pride in the militia and the call of the Hungarian Republican club brought President Taft to New York to- night; invitations from the Associated Press. the Methodist School union and the Aeronautical society will keep him here until midnight tomorrow, busy with formal and extemporaneous addresses. 1 Standing tonight on the stage of the Metropolitan opera house, among a group of distinguished guests, including Asso- ciate Justice Hughes of the United States supreme court. Governor Dix and Mayor Gaynor, the President touched a button which flashed a light from large papier mache lighthouse, opening what is said to be the largest exhibition of the work of the blind ever held.
 Mr Taft's arrival had been preceded by an organ prelude by Miss Sophie Grabow- ski, blind musician, who occupies a front rank among the organists of Amer ica The applause for her work and the ovation to the President kept the great audience clapping and cheering for sev- e1al minutes.
 Among the 5000 persons at the meeting were hundreds of the sightiess to whom was denied the spectacle which the great gathering afforded and the marvels of their own handicraft which were placed on public exhibit.
 The President occupied a chair made by blind upholsterer and to which dele gaton of blind people led him.
 Before MT. Taft spoke Joseph H. Choate read q letter from United States Senator ~ "A lf,,Iy tafa nf expressing regret at not being able to attend and praising the work which the Association for the Blind was doing. The President devoted great part of his address in urging further effort to- ward the prevention of blindness among infants and children.
 Miss Winifred Holt, the secretary of the New York Association for the Blind, and the moving spirit of the exhibition, with whom President Taft had dined earlier in the evening read letter from Helen Keller, ''the foremost blind woman in the world" saying that the work of the New York association in turning blind people to profitable employment had opened up what might be termed new era for the blind Before the association was organized she said it was generally thought that the public had done it's duty by the blind when it provided them with an asylum and education.
 Miss Holt said the association had come in contact with more than 1000 blind persons and had helped hundreds of them to become telephone operators, barbers, stenographers, cooks and laundresses wireless telegraph operators carpenters and salesmen while many had risen to professional life.
 At the exhibition tonight special de- monstration of athletics was given by the boys from the Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Blind. Pres ident Taft was so much interested in this that he waited after his speech to see what the boys could do.
 From the blind exhibition the Pres ident went to the Seventy-first armory New York National Guard, where he re- viewed the men. The Sixty-ninth regiment also demanded MT. Tafts presence and he dropped in upon them at dinner at the Hotel Astor for few minutes before pro- ceeding to the Hungarian Republican club dinner
 Shortly after il o'clock the President reached the Cafe boulevard, where the dinner was held and as he was thoroughly hungry he sat down at once to dine. As four speakers were scheduled to precede the President it appeared that it would be early morning before he spoke