The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-06-24

| AdIuJHdl NCIICtCI, dpUl ANuuSIO
not long ago. visited the establish
the event marking his interest in a
! work far too little known to the
great public, although its productions
are excrting an influence SO kindly
and SO useful that they improve won.
derfully the lot of the blind.
The American Braillc Press, which
has its headquarters in New York
but which carries on it's work in
feet charged itself with the task or
furnishing to the blind an abund-
ancc, of books, journals and music
as quickly as the seeing. thanks to
of which the letters, figures and
notes in music and all the other
familiar characters used in printing
arc made up of combinations of dots
six at the most--embossed OH thin
touching them with the tips of the
THOSE who haye lost their sight ac-
cidentally there are in France more
than three thousand war blind) learn
very readily this method which per-
mits them to follow a text as rapid
ly as we read an ordinary book.
New Process Rapid
Nevertheless, until recently no ef-
f0t was made to find practical
and rapid process for issuing such
volumes for the blind in quantities.
In order to obtain a page in Braille
the characters were marked in soft
wax; from this an impression was
taken in plaster which was permitted
to harden and on which dampened
sheets of cardboard were subsequent
~ pressed, these when dry constitut-
ing the leaves Of book. That pro-
cess was not rapid. The American
Braille Press has perfected all this
in an almost unbelievable manner.
But, one asks, why is it that this
American enterprise operates in
France? 1t is because since the first
months Of the great war and even
when there was no question about
the United States having to fight
side by side with the Allies, Ameri-
cans, touched by the sad lot Of the
wounded, created in France the Per-
manent Blind Relief War Fund, a
work of rescue for the war blind 0c-
cupied, especially at the time, with
the re-cducation Of these unfortun-
ates.
The war over, Mr.. w. Nelson Crom-
we'll, one Of the most eminent legal
practitioners in the United States
and sincere and faithful friend of
France, who supports in our country
some twenty works of philanthropy.
interested himself particularly in the
question Of the blind. He decided to
continue and to develop largely the
work inaugurated, while assuming
incidentally with very generous Pc
cuniary participation, all the resp0n-
sibilities of the presidency Of tho or
ganization that had become the
American Braillc Press. To second
him and to represent him in France,
he chose one of our young cOmpa-
triots, NJ. Georges Ravcrat, who, en-
tirely familiar with American meth
DDS, directs in q mastcrly way the
organization in the rue Lauristen
where the services of the American
Braille Press have their origin and
are the work in large part of blind
persons who find in this the means
Of earning salaries of from 700 to
1000 Francs per month.
Photograph Used
As soon aas a book has been chosen,
to be reproduced in Braille, its text
is read by q seeing person who die
tates it into a form of recording
photograph, and indicates the marks
Of punctuation and paragraphs.
The numerous cylinders thus CON-
pleted for each book arc thereupon
placed in succession in boxes on the
cover, a number in Braillc indicating
their order, and are. then carried to
u workshop where blind workers
both men and women, arc "compos-
ing
With surprising ease these at first
place cylinder record in q repro
ducing monograph which is at their
left. and the mechanism of which
works or stops at their will, in order
that they may hear by means of two
receivers the repetition Of the text
and the incidental Indications. Upon
machine placed before them, the
| stereotyper, and by means Of key
board, all the combinations Of dots
needed for the letters or characters
are instantaneopsly formed by them
and imprinted in relief upon plate
of pure zinc, which constitutes for
each page Of the book to be repro
duced, a matrix which serves for its
printing In relief,
But before printing Il is necessary
that these plates Of Zinc be proof
read, and corrected If there be need.
For this = Blind person reads !, tbs
" sasaat s6s so tssa rM ~