The Washington times., 1919-07-06

blind, but he sees better than he will
confess
Their feelings are thus soothed, and
they consent to talk and to buy. In
short, they give to him whom they
suppose to be feigning a confidence
that they were ready to refuse to the
man really blind. Poor things! They
are not to blame. They are so sensi
tive.
Dependence Greatest Trial.
The greatest trial Of the blind is
their state OF dependence on others.
You may meet a blind man in the
street accompanied by his guide. The
blind man is young, healthy and alert;
the guide is a nice old gentleman
who, out Of kindness, is taking a
blind soldier for a walk. You would
suppose on seeing them that the blind
man needed to be carried. The good
gentleman grasps him. tightly by the
arm, in the manner of a policeman
taking q man to the police station.
He is making a great effort. is grave,
silent, self-important, absorbed His
eyes never leave the blind mans feet
with the result that they both collide
with a tree or a lamp post.
"One OF these blind men said to me:
After ! went for a walk with Mr.. ",
my shoulder ached for two days, and
my arm was black and blue
This little anecdote is typical. In
trying to do the blind a service, We
must take care not to make them suf
fer. We must give them no more
protection than they need, and this
protection must be so gentle that they
are unaware OF it
All who are fortunate enough to
have their sight owe the blind a pro-
lection which need not be the less eC-
fective because il is exercised from
afar. One most have sufficient kind
ness TO be willing to help the blind
without their knowing IL.
Give Them A Job.
How is one to help then7 The
answer is simplicity giving those
that can work a job. With a dicta-
phone and a typewriting-mach 4
blind man is a perfect secretary. an
excellent stenographer and typist He
must be given employment. Not out
OF charity! No, not charity, But he
caues he is as good a worker as any,
one' because he is an active and in
teiligent man, and far less handicaD-
pea that is supposed. You give him
BACK life itself in giving him bacL,
MS self-conhdencc, in proving 70 MN,
mat ne can still play a useful mari
IN the world. in developing his mr.
sohaIlty that he thought DESTROYED
IN arousing his pride.
ana II in spite Of your Aid bo
makes a mistake, il is in patientIv
overlooking the small annoyanrS.
caused you that you show true kind
"on the other hand. the Stat. has
NOT fulhllec all its duties toward ogr
DINO soldiers in awarding them
pension IL must secure work FOR
them. and give the simple artisans a a..
monopoly OF the articles that thcy
produce The public must buy these
articles solely from the blind.
In word. when we are with a
blind man We. must forget that he i
blind 50 that he may forget II Mn
SELF And yet we must never cense
10, think OF him, though he must not
know that"
Look AEkanee ut blind.
In the same issue of the America
'''1- Va 81 = AOI NElppleS, the at
utude Of the public toward the blind
is discussed by Lieut.. Col. James
Bordley. director of the Red Cross
institute for the Blind at Baltimore.
where American blinded soldiers are
given the courage and the training
necessary for their struggle with
new mode of living.
BY some strange process of reason
ing the blind man is looked upon as
something apart from the rest of our
civilization" writes Colonel Eordlev
He automatically loses his job and
his social position with the loss Of
his vision: he is looked upon as not
only physically but mentally disquaIi-
fed from earning a living. This is
not only unfair. but il is absurd.
There are capable blind and in
capable blind just as among sighted
people. The most potent cause in the
failure Of the blind is the total lack
OF provision for their vocational re-
education. There is not in this broad
land OF ours a single vocational
school for the blind, nor has there .
ever been devised a scientific scheme {
Tor their education. There is not
single normal school teacher TO teach F.
;hc blind. The average wage of the F.
industrious blind is 81 per week and T.
OF the corresponding blind woman !,
about 3 per week. Is this not utter I