Chapter XI: Reflections and Suggestions

"Attempt the end, and never stand to doubt,
Nothing's so hard but search will find it out."
LOVELACE.

The entries in Bessie's Common Place Book are not numerous, but they are very valuable. They are the result of careful study, of long-continued and anxious thought, and they are the most important original work left by her. They will be read by all who have endeavoured to help the blind with no less interest than by the blind themselves.

_Education of the Blind._

In the preface to a poem entitled Genius of the Blind, by E. H.
White, a blind man, he speaks of the great amount of labour and
money which have been spent in attempts to educate the blind; of
the comparatively small result, and of the bad effects of bringing
up the blind in asylums, and thus estranging them from their
families. It seems to me, however, that some such plan is necessary
for those who cannot be educated at home; though perhaps in the
case of pupils whose homes are in the town in which the institution
is situated, the evil complained of might in a measure be remedied
by their being admitted as day scholars, as I once remember Mr.
Bird suggesting. But even here in London and other large towns,
distance might be a great difficulty; and for those pupils not
residing in the town itself, I see nothing to prevent this evil
except holidays, and perhaps in many cases even this might not be
practicable. There is also this to be said, that among the poor it
is by no means the blind only who become estranged from their
homes: I think this may be said of the majority with more or less
truth; and it has often struck me that in all the different plans
for improving the condition of the people, this very evil is too
little thought of and guarded against. Indeed, I think that in all
classes this is hardly recognised to be as great an evil as I
believe it really to be. No doubt it was always intended that
families should separate and disperse; but much more might be done
than is done, to keep the home affections fresh and living, in the
hearts of their members. Certainly the blind have, if anything,
greater need of receiving and exercising the social affections than
others. And here I would lay particular stress on the necessity of
their exercising those affections towards others, as I am sure that
the necessity of their being the objects of affection is often too
exclusively dwelt upon, and that sufficient opportunity for showing
their gratitude towards their fellow-creatures is not afforded
them. I believe this to be the cause of much apathy or
irritability, as the case may be, among them. One remedy for this
result of the school system would be the multiplying of schools; as
then a greater number of the blind would have opportunities of
attending as day scholars. From all I can learn from others, and
from the little I have seen myself, I believe there is one great
evil at the root of the system of education in blind schools, which
is, that each institution wishes to take rank as the first in
importance, and is therefore more bent on making such an appearance
before the public as will secure its own reputation, than upon
practically benefiting the pupils, so far as lies in its power.
This is one reason of the pupils being taught to make things for
sale, which do not really help their progress in their trade, but
which please and attract visitors, and are on that account often
purchased, though in themselves utterly useless. Indeed I have
heard it remarked what very useless things are made in blind
asylums, and in other charitable institutions.

Anderson says that one prominent feature in institutions for the
blind is, the desire to carry forward the pupil at any sacrifice,
to accomplish such pieces of work as may call forth the mere
surprise of the passing visitor. If this is bad in an asylum where
it is very little practised, it is far worse in a school. The time
of a pupil ought to be considered most sacred, and as much as
possible appropriated to the acquirement of that which he will be
able to perform and find a ready sale for, on his leaving the
school.

There is, however, one thing to be urged in excuse of this practice
in blind schools, viz., that the funds of most of them are not
equal to their expenses, without the aid of the sale of the pupils'
work. I believe that every such school, in order to be efficient,
ought not to derive benefit from the work of the pupils; as when
this is the case, the learners are often hurried over the different
steps of their trade without due care being taken that they should
each be able to take such steps securely when entirely unassisted.
Thus on leaving the school the blind man often finds himself at
fault when left to his own resources in practising the trade of
which he was believed to be the master, in the acquiring of which
much time, labour, and money have been spent, and from which far
greater benefit might have been derived had it not been for the
root-evil which has been mentioned. The aim of every school for the
blind should be to fit them to fill their station in the world, be
it what it may, as Christian men and women, and therefore to earn
their own living, when this is necessary, as in far the majority of
cases it is.

I hope and trust that one day the whole school system will be
improved. I know that Liverpool, which led the way in England,
started with the best possible aims and intentions; although it has
now greatly degenerated. Indeed, I believe all the first
institutions to have been good, though the scope of many is, I
suspect, very narrow. But it strikes me that all fall more or less
below their first intentions, not only in their practice but even
in their theory, and this I believe partly unconsciously. I do not
see why it should be so, but I am afraid this is but too true.
However, I can't help thinking that the rendering of such
institutions independent of any gain from the labour of the pupils
would go far towards improvement.

Much might be done in schools to prevent the blind from being
isolated, by giving them an interest in the subjects of the day.
For instance, in the Bristol School, a newspaper is read to them.

The older pupils should have opportunities for discussion not only
with each other, but with visitors and friends. For instance, there
might be an inexpensive entertainment once a week, or at some such
stated time, for the purpose. I should think also lectures at
Mechanics Institutes might be attended with advantage, as these are
never given till the evening; and means such as these would open
and enlarge the minds of the pupils, and would all tend to foster
in them the sense of membership with the community at large. It
should always be borne in mind that there is much in the condition
of blindness, and indeed in any other exceptional state, to smother
and weaken this feeling; and if not counteracted almost entirely to
destroy it. This is the tendency of the gathering together of the
blind into asylums as adults; and I am sorry to find from what I
have read to-day that this is being increasingly done on the
Continent. Many institutions there, seem to be rich in the
different inventions for the blind; but as far as I can see, all
seem to derive more or less profit from the manual labour of the
pupils. It has this moment occurred to me that the right use of
this labour would be to realise thereby a fund which should be
spent in some way for the benefit of each pupil when he or she
should leave the institution; or, in cases where it should be
deemed advisable, it should be made over to the pupil to be used at
his or her own discretion. Perhaps it would be well always to allow
the pupils to appropriate a certain portion of their earnings; this
would teach them the value of money, and would educate them in the
management of it. No doubt the answer to these suggestions would
be, want of funds. I should reply that much more real good would be
done by lessening the number of pupils, so as to be able to effect
it in proportion to the funds at command. I do believe such a
system would go far towards giving the blind workmen a better start
in the race for a livelihood than institutions have hitherto shown
themselves able to give.

The importance of systematically training and developing the
remaining senses of their pupils cannot be too strongly impressed
on those who educate the blind. I am delighted to find that
Monsieur K., the blind director of the institution at Breslau, has
succeeded in obtaining permission for his pupils to _feel_ the
specimens of natural history contained in the Museum of that city.
How glad I should be to hear of such permission being given in
England. I think, as I have heard Mr. D. Littledale, a blind
gentleman, say, that in schools there ought to be classes formed
for the special object of exercising the touch. He himself has
begun to form a Museum of objects with this view for the York
School. But here I must say that I think the education of the blind
will never attain the perfection of which I believe it is capable,
unless teachers are specially trained for the work, and also unless
at least a proportion of these are themselves blind. Among the
blind I think individuals would be found capable of commencing and
carrying on such training schools; then of course each fresh
teacher so trained might be able either to superintend another
school, or to carry on in a blind school something of the
pupil-teacher system now adopted for ordinary schoolmasters and
mistresses.

In every country there ought to be at least one normal school where
teachers for the blind may be trained. A simple way of effecting
this would be for the Government to allow to one establishment,
which should first be ascertained to be a superior one in its
management and results, such an annual grant of money as should
enable it to retain several young men as assistant-teachers, who
would be ready to supply vacancies, and to take charge of
newly-established institutions.

This kind of assistance would be, perhaps, the most valuable
encouragement which a Government could give. It would ensure the
training of persons to continue and perfect an art which has been
kept in a state of infancy from the want of such a provision.

The blind may be divided into two classes--those so born and those
who become so from disease or accident; the latter is by far the
most numerous class. Bowen says he believes there is no authentic
instance of any one born blind being restored to sight by human
means. I should rather doubt this, as I have been told that
congenital cataract can be removed if the operation takes place
early enough, viz. at the age of one or two years. The same author
says it is believed that blindness in after life might often be
prevented were the organisation of the eye more thoroughly
understood by physicians. He then gives some facts to show the
extent to which blindness prevails. Bowen says the first accounts
which we have of schools for the blind are those in Japan. They
existed some years before that in Paris, thought to be the first in
Europe, though there is a doubt between it and the school at
Amsterdam. In Japan the instruction appears to be oral. The blind
seem to have fulfilled the office of historians to their nation,
and to have formed no small proportion of the priesthood. The first
regular system of embossed printing in Europe was the invention of
Valentin Hauey, the founder of the Paris institution. Many alphabets
have since been invented, of which I will not speak now, as this
subject should be treated separately, but will only say that the
education of the blind will receive an immense impulse when the
improvement of which I believe embossed printing to be capable, is
effected. There are many contrivances for writing; and here also I
am not sure that all which is necessary is yet obtained, though
much towards it has certainly been done. But in this case also, any
increase of speed would be an immense help.

The blind have different wants in writing to those who see. They
want to write easily and rapidly, and they want to commit their own
thoughts or those of others to paper, or, in short, anything they
wish to keep in a tangible form, by means of some rapid and easy
process.

If possible they should have the power of making notes, and
referring to them when made, with as much facility as the sighted.
This at least ought to be the object aimed at. Perhaps it might be
impossible fully to realise this idea, but I think very much might
be done towards it. Even now Braille's embossed system goes far
towards this, but I shall hope one day to treat of both reading and
writing as distinct subjects. I will therefore only now say that
every improvement and facility given to the blind in these two
branches will do a great deal towards bringing their education to
perfection. I have said given to the blind, but I would rather say
every improvement and facility invented and contrived by the blind,
as I believe in truth they must be their own helpers and
deliverers, at least to a great extent.

Before leaving this subject, I will add that I believe the power
of writing in some tangible form, with the greatest possible ease
and rapidity, to be of the highest importance to the blind; and
with this view I should like to see Braille's system in use in all
our schools.

This system was the invention of a blind man, and is, I believe,
the best that has yet been contrived. I am sure the mind of many a
blind person remains far below the degree of cultivation and
maturity to which it might attain, simply from the want of being
able to emboss its thoughts upon paper. Some one, I know not who,
says: use the pen to prevent the mind from staggering about; and
this help should certainly be placed by some means or other within
the reach of the blind generally.