Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-05-01
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NINETY THOUSAND BLIND
Much Done to Tighten Burdens
Of Big slghtless Army
In the U. s,
BY GEORGE NOX MCCAIN

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organization epdcavors to make life
worth living foiethe little army Of those
from whom the light of day is forever
shut out
Books for the blind are circulated
from n collection Of works which arc
deposttod with the Free Library of Phil
adClphiH.
A Philadelphia gentleman suffering
from trouble with his eyes remarked
tcw, days, ago that he would rather lose
both arms and legs than the sight Of
both his eyes. It is the almost uni
versa feeling on the subject.
And vet there are those who reject
! that idca. Rev. DR.. Brown. for years
superintendent of the Western PENN
SyIvanla institution for the Blind, once
remarked to me that he would rather he
blind than be n deaf mute.
Think what II must be to be shut
out from the sound of your mothers
voice. he. said. Never TO hear the
song nt birds, or listen to the wonderful
music ol the worlds great composers ~
ITliERE are moro than 10000 blind
l. persons in the United States. Only
Is per cent Of this number is under
twcnty one years of age.
Books for these sightlcSs ones arc
printed in five different styles Of type
or raised letters; American braille.
European braillc, Line letter, Moon
type and New York print.
\ blind bibliophic can crafty his
taste in biography. history. travel.
poetry. religion and fiction. War liter
aturc and up-to date fiction form no
small part Of the Philadelphia Collcc-
tion.
Kindness acccntuatcs and intonsifcs
tbp ,i bnr ,.I
arc ,kIIful typists Visitors to the new
workshop for the adult blind in Pitts.
hurch recently found young man nine.
tccn wears old tipping difficult railroad
reports from dictaphorc records. His
work showed perfect command OF ma.
chine
William Hill, blind farmer. Of Ham
burg Conn. Is an expert hunter.
Pheasant and quail are tho birds he
hunts most successfully Hc shoots on
tho wing. judging distance and dircc-
tiOn by the sound that they make.
Alexander Cameron received his COL
graduate course. He came of Pennsyl
vania Quaker stock. Yale men of
twenty years ago remember him as n
man of lively speech and keen sense Of
humOr. He was master Of Hebrew.
Greek and modern languages and sub
scQucntly became Baptist preacher in
Canada
John +. Swearingcn, n blind student,
graduated from the College Of South
Carolina Mt the age of twenty. with
the highest record during his course
of any man since the founding of the
college more than 100 wears ago.
Walter Young was blind coal miner.
TIc worked in the Buffalo mines near
Pittsburgh until incapaCitatcd. He
would ride into tho mine in the morn
ing on coal car. would he led to tho
"faCc" Of the coal by his fourteen year
old son. who then loft him to 60 ahead
with his pick bearing in on the coal.
He Judged the distance Of his cut by
feeling until the coal was ready for fir
ing.
ENGIAND celebrates today the
IL seventy third anniversary Of the
invention of the Moon system Of print
ing for the blind in raised characters.
Tho first Sunday in May of each year
is observed throughout Great Britain
with special prayer and Thanksgiving
by those interested in this work OF print
ing for the blind.
1t is just 1856 years ago this month
that the first exhibition Of printed books
for the blind was given at the Academy
of Sciences in Paris. The invention Of
raised letters and the practical. use Of
them in printing for the blind was made
BY NJ. Valentine Hauy. who had expert
mentcd some time before he placed his
invention before the public.
MOSES failed to complete his job
4N1 when, after the plague of flies. he
drove them from the habitations of the
pcstered Pharaohites. Billions of them
must have escaped his anathema, for
Egypt is today n land Of flies as well ms
ruins.
One of the most pitiful sights ever
witnessed was among the Nile villages
where mothers permit swarms of flies
to gather unmolested around the eyes
and lips Of their babies.
It is "Kismet fate.
They make no effort to brush them
away. In their fatalist way they argue
that If it is Gods will that the flies
gather on their children they must not
be disturbed.
For this reason the percentage Of
blind or partially blind in Egypt is
higher than in any country in the
world.
have seen a, queue OF 200 native;
fellaheen and villagers. outside the tents
of the American medical mission TiPar
Cairo. waiting to be treated fGT> eye
trouble.
And most Of It was invited by the
ignorance and gross superstition Of tho
victim.
DR. WILLIAM ZENTMAYER. long
- member Of tho staff Of Wills Eye
Hospital. along with ,6thcrs. is Of the
opinion that the tiDGc will ultimately
come, indeed is here already in limited
way. when tn" prR,cticp of medicine will
he characterized (by the formation Of
units Of speCiali9ts
Each unit, agrording to Doctor Zcnt
mayer, will cohsist Of an ophthalmoIo
gist, n ncuro %6gist, an internist, ront
gCnologist anh n laboratory man.
The skillM ophthal mologist If todn,
Is not .meVCly an eye man." but n
diagnosticJan in the highest sense. To
him the fye is mirror which reflect,
structural\ changes and the progress ol
constitutional diseases with unfailirg
precision.
The poetic. idea that "the eve is tho
mirror of tho soul is only partly true
It is the mirEor that reflects the con
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