The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1914-10-10
A BLIND MANS LIBRARY
4 Beautiful Tribute Payed by Re,
porter to Father Of E. S.Brldgss

4 NllHam >. bridges, rather or our
fellow tcwnsman. T. 5. Bridges. The
elder Bridges was blind for many years
before his death, His literary appetite
was well developed and during the
many years of his blindness his wife
read 10 him from the books of the
library mentioned. The home referred
to is in Rochester. Mich. the old home
OF the Bridges and the place where
the elder Mrs. Bridges still resides in
the hou 80 referred to in the article.
If you should ever have occasion 10
walk through Our Town., m not sure
that even your observing eyes would
mark the building where a most
interesting collection of books rest.
am quite sure, however, that If you
could get even momentary glimpse of
the face of the lady who keeps the
little shop within, you would not only
look at the building but you would
$50 make inquiries as to the lady.
1t is a tea-shop, with cans of spices
and few dishes in the shelves and it
is In one of the oldest huildingd in
town 1t Is a quiet, retiring place by
day. and by night it does not blars its
modest lights as some of our more
pretentious town-shops do. And that
Is the reason why I missed IL so long
and probably that is the reason why
you may also miss it, even though you
happen to come TO Our Town, and even
though you happen TO walk past the
very door.
IL reminds me very much of the
house of the Seven Gables in Salem
not that this little tea-shop has seven
, gables, but becau 20 any stranger could
have walked past the one as the other
without hiut OF what reposed within.
The whole fine interest OF the little
shop. was impaired to me by the
accident of conversation. You know,
OF course. how blind and ignorant we
should be without the accidental
instruction that is always coming to
us from conversation. There is no
page quite so impressive as the spoken
page of casual intercourse. And 1t
was through the most casual of con-
versations, in tho beginning Of which
books were miles and miles away,
: as we say. that came upon the story
of the books which made up blind
! man library. He was son of the
blind man who told me, and afterward
he took me to the tea-shop to sec his
mother and the books.
The man had not always been blind,
: bnt during the last 30 years of his
. life-at time when the children were
/ hardest 20 raise-an illness had
, deprived him OF his sight; and the
| lady who Is now proprietor of the tea
shop was hands and eyes and help meet
, 70 him, mother and father 10 the
! children. and heroic, patient director
of most of the family affairs.
When heard the forepart of the
story and was on my way TO the tea.
shop, | prepared Go meet lady utterly
bowed beneath the troubles and
tragedies of her life and, behold ! met
lady of SO, Jersey born, with a voice
so refined and face so cameolike that
resolved on the spot not 70 try TO
describe ever her appearace. Bnt now
that sit down TO write it seems to me
that the lady of the gray hair and the
cameo face is really of more interest TO
me than all the shelves OF books that
could have been piled In these rooms
For the moment regretted that am
! not a sculptor nor painter, the
exquisite calm and serene beauty of
} hat face seemed too rich in rare and
sorrowful beauty 20 be let TO face
without permanent record. One sensed
immediately that this kind OF beauty
comes only by tribulation and long
patience. and the triumphant heroism
of woman's soul. Those eyes seemed
very clear, but IL was not physical
clsarness alone; Ii was something
deeper; The eyes that tears have
washed are clearer seeing Her con
openly admired her as we stood there,
and, indeed, there was such notable
dignity, that she would have called
out the most enthusiastic response
, from artists or sculptors, were they
able 10 see her, But fancy she u
doubly content IN. her own little shop
and amongst the books and mementoes
Of her earlier life.
For the 30 years preceding her
husbands death she helped him IN all
! the difficulties blind man can meet
in supporting his family. To highly
sensitive woman IL must have been a
daily cruciHxion, hravely endured be-
} cause love Of the family was there.