The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1931-04-20
Blind PEOPLE FROM
OVER WORLD GATHER|
TO SOLVE PROBLEMS
Persons interested in Making
WorId Better for visionless
Meet in u. S.
MANY LEADERS SIGHTLESS
Strange Associations and AbiIi-
ties of Blind Are Revealed
to Onlookers

new YORK, April ICY
have come in darkness from every
corner of the globe-from the jungle's
fringe In South Africa. from the
shadow of the Sphinx in Egypt, from
the midst of midas swarming mil
lions.
They have come in darkness-yet,
hastily glimpsed, this might be any
large and busy convention in a large
and busy metropolitan hotel.
They nave come in darknesS-yet
delegates hurry here and there. en-
tering and leaving lecture halls. Cor
ridors are crowded with chattering
visitors. Signs read, Register here"
and men and women go up, take pen
in hand, and with uncanny accuracy
leave their names upon a given line.
though they cannot see the page be-
fore them.
They go up and down on elevators.
and inquire about the sights Of the
town." They gather in crowds at the
door of a banquet room. There Is
laughter and joking and high good
humor. And though there are several
hundred people streaming through
the Railways. there is less confusion
than marks the ordinary convention.
Helping Their Fellows
This Is no ordinary gathering. 1t
has no parallel. This Is a world con-
ference on problems and work involv-
ing more than six million humans
destined to go sightless through life.
These are their spokesman and repre-
Sentatives from the far corners Of the
earth-and most Of them are blind.
And they say: I'VE must prevent
this from happening to others, while
giving to others the chance we have
had. And we must give those with
eyes the benefit of our experience In
the dark"
These delegates have suddenly be-
come classic examples of their own
preachments. Here is one, blinded at
three, who was q prize pupil IN his
Austrian school and now is a pro-
lessor Of languages.
Success Despite Handicap
The scholarly looking mar in the
frock coat is professor IN a Berlin
university. Three others head fam
Gus schools for teaching the blind.
There are a score OF famous fOlk-a
musical director from Oslo: a scholar
from Stockholm; an eminent mathe-
matician from Poland; a prominent
psychologist and innumerablc em1n-
ent teachers.
All of them are blind! And each
Of them is the conqueror OF a ter
rible handicap. They hurry from
room to room, listening to reports
and reading important lectures.
Suddenly you notice n difference
between this particular gathering and
all others: They are walking by
twos and threes! Two silk -hatted,
frock-coated japanese are arm-in-
arn with a third. A distinguished
looking Chinese Is on the arm Of a
Frenchman. The rk-skinned, 1.-the
young man who wears a green
trimmed turban and halls from Ban
galore City, India, is walking with a
young man from Nashville, Tenn.
Dog and Man
The young man from Nashville,
Tenn, steps briskly along, for a Ger
man shepherd dog. specially trained
to guide the blind, Is close to the
youths left side, held by a taut
leather leash. The slightest brush Of
the dog against the left knee acts as
a signal-the signals are as clear to
both as though they had been spoken.
They say . . . now step down! Now
turn! Now move slightly to the right
to avoid humping someone! The in
telligent dog has become a blind
mans eyes. The youth can 60 any
where: In strange cities or around
corridors, on elevators when the
starter is saying, Watch your step!"
On steetcarS Or Subways.
The dark skinned, turbaned young
man is in earnest conversation with
a companion whom he cannot see.
what am I to do? There are $780,
900 blind in my region Of India alone"
he says excitedly. There are said to
be many more than a million in the
land. There are but so workers In
MY group. What can I do? Hundreds
Of thousands to be helped, and only
so of us TO help them!"
A few steps away two blind Chi
nese, their voices high pitched, their
words coming in broken sentences.
have cornered a sympathetic expert
from Ohio.
Two Million Blind
"In America 1t may seem simple"
he is saying. But China has two
million blind.
do you know how 1t has been
there? For centuries they have be-
lieved the blind were gifted with
second sight. They have had thou
sands and thousands Of fortune tell
ers. Now the government has decid-
ed that this must no longer be. There
.STI(KfhS