Pueblo chieftain., 1922-01-13
Ry rfsderic y. Haskin

BY ffoo9f1C j. dookkh
books for blind veterans is the newest
kind Of after the war work" to be-
como popular. Knitting needles and
embroidery hoops are being discarded
for the metal slate and stylus with
Clubs and Red Cross chapters are
busily punching out stories and art
icles In tho code of dots which Is the
blind mans closet connecting link
with written thought
There is always a need for books for
tho blind. The big cities havo their
Braille libraries, but the selection OF
The novel you buy for n dollar or two
and tuck In your overcoat pocket
would cost so in Braillc and would
I'LL three or moro iarse tones.
Libraries for the blind arc slowly
growing all the time. but since tho
war blind have been added to the num-
ber TO be provided with BrAille reading
matter, tho Red Cross decided that ex-
ira effort was needed.
For three years six chapters Of the
Red Cross have been making Br,iiis
books. Last fall the National Red
Cross arranged to make this work
part of the national program. Courses
in Braille writing wero prepared BY
Mrs. Gertrude T. Rider. Librarian OF
the Room for the Blind in the Library
y
pared for those who should master
tho system in order to make books for
the eoldiers.
Miss Adelia Hoyt OF the READING
Room for the Blind says that for the
present all books made by the volun-
teers will go to Evergreen, the insti-
tute established by the Red Cross at
Baltimore for training blinded soldiers
and sailors. Later. 1t Is planned to
send books to big circulating libraries
for civilian blind.
When the blinded soldiers and sail
ors were first taken to Evergreen there
wero scarcely any books In Braillc for
| them to use in learning to read tho
type. But a band of volunteers. both
men and women. began TO transcribe
stories and magazine articles into
Braille under Mrs. Riders direction.
| OVER 500 BOOKS TRANSCRIBED
Miss 1-oyt explains that'"as the vet
Grams learned to read with greater
facility and tho transcribers became
moro proficient. longer and longer
work was undertaken until at the
present time there is nothing these
devoted copyists will not and cannot
do. They have aided tho masscur.
undaunted by long lists OF anatomical
terms; they have helped tho French
student by putting his lessons into
ready to transcribe Just what was most
needed. whether for entertainment or
serious study.
"As n result of their efforts" Miss
Hoyt says. ".he library at Evergreen
now contains over 800 hand copied
volumes covering n wide range OF sub
jects."
Tho l,ne OF books that the veterans
want runs parallel with that In de-
mand in any library. Fiction is most
called Tor. But science, history. bio
graphy. poetry and textbooks for
study are all popular.
Recent additions to Evergreen library
are such books as THE saltwater
Tragedy" by Aidrich. In five volumes;
The Black Tulip" by Dumas. in five
volumes: Desert Gold" by. Zane Grey,
| in seven volumes; and Thayor's
Roosevelt" in eight volumes.
| Tho scarcity OF books to which a
blind man could have access even in a
city, has been intensified by the va
riety of codes in which the books were
printed. There are now no less than
six systems used In VARYING extcnts
in this country. Some blind persons
read them all. But the majority do not.
/ The only books. therefore, Of service
to them are those printed in the sys-
tenn they have mastered.
Turnout Che history OF Braille the
various improved and modified sys-
TENS based on the original have been
ia problem. Finally, in 1917 what Is