pation, which shall ensure to them a competent livelihood. But far be it from us to despair of this great result; there are innumerable difficulties in the commencement of every establishment, which perseverance and well directed experiments may remove; the subject is new even in Europe, and most of the Institutions are but in their infancy.

In this country, however, not only will our Institutions reap the full advantage of all the experiments in Europe, but they will have much less to contend with. In Europe, the gains of the laboring man are so small, that he would starve if they were diminished one third; but here, thank God! the sweat of the poor man's brow does not all go to increase the wealth of him who is already rich; and if a blind man were to gain a trifle less than his neighbor, he might still procure not only the necessaries, but the comforts of life.

In Europe, too, strange as it may seem in this age, the blind man has to struggle against stubborn and cruel prejudices; people are so accustomed to consider the blind as ignorant and degraded dependents, that if two organists, equally well qualified, should apply for a place in a church, and one of them be blind, he would probably lose it. Here, it is to be hoped the misfortune of the claimant would be the strongest argument in his favor.

Of the works whose titles we have placed at the head of this article, the first is well known; and the second is remarkable as being the production of a blind man, the author of Lettres sur les Aveugles faisant suite à celle de Diderot. Alexander Rodenbach, member of the Belgian Chamber of Deputies, and one of the most active and conspicuous patriots of the last revolution, lost his sight in infancy, and was one of the pupils of the Abbé Haüy, who engrafted upon his bold and original mind an excellent education: he has a ready wit, and a happy delivery, and he forms one of the principal supports of the democratic party in the Chamber, which he often makes to ring with his original and eloquent speeches.

The title of his book is a singular one, A glance by a blind man at the condition of the Deaf and Dumb; and we might make many amusing extracts from it, were space allowed us. The most interesting chapter is that on the comparative situation of the blind and the dumb. Is it a greater misfortune to be blind or to be deaf? It is as remarkable as fortunate, that each class decides this question in its own favor;

but it appears to us evident, that abundant reasons might be given why blindness is the less evil, were this not rendered unnecessary by the well known fact, that the blind are generally much more happy and contented with their lot than the deaf. We would recommend this book to those engaged in the education of the deaf and dumb; they will find in it some proofs of the imperfection of the system in common use, some allusions to the quackery that has been imposed upon the world, and from which the Abbé de l'Epée was not entirely free. We fully agree with Mr. Rodenbach on the importance of teaching the deaf to articulate sounds, and we are sorry that this plan has been abandoned in the Hartford school,which (otherwise) is one of the best in the world. We have known deaf persons in Germany, who could express their thoughts by articulate sounds, so as very easily to be comprehended by any one; and when we reflect that the world will not learn their system of signs, and that they are often placed in situations where they cannot write, it becomes to them a matter of moment to make themselves understood by speech.

While on the subject of the deaf, we may observe that, strong as are their claims upon humanity, those of the blind are still stronger; for the blind are much more dependent; a deaf boy can learn any kind of handicraft work or trade, while a blind one can learn nothing, without a system of education entirely adapted to his situation.

The efforts of human ingenuity to overcome the obstacles which accident has placed in its way, are no where more visible, than in the successful attempts of the blind and deaf to converse together. As the blind cannot perceive the signs of the deaf, nor they hear the words of the blind, each must seek a new language, and they communicate their ideas by tracing the forms of letters on the palms of each others' hands. When more familiar, the deaf may be seen teaching the blind the language of signs by holding up their hands, and placing their fingers in the position for the signs; and when the blind have learned the signs, they read those which the deaf make, by feeling their hands and fingers, and ascertaining the position in which they are placed.

In writing this article, we have been insensibly led from one subject to another, so as to have lost sight of the arrangement we had marked out, and have already occupied so much space, that but little remains for a consideration of the moral effects of blindVOL. XXXVII.-NO. 80.

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ness upon

the sufferer. The blind have been considered in all ages as of necessity cut off from participation in the business and pleasures of life; they have been made the parias of society,— and although the hand of charity has ever been open to their cry, yet men have shrunk from an attentive examination of their situation. They have often been accused of a disposition to atheism, but we think without sufficient reason: surely the increased sense of dependence must be conducive to a feeling of reverential awe for a Power, about whom the imagination is ever busy. That many eminent blind men have been atheists, is certain; but it is certain too, that their skepticism arose in a great measure from the improper light in which they have been regarded. The dying Saunderson said to his clergyman, 'you talk to me of the wonders of creation, but how often have I heard you express your wonder at my performing things which are to me perfectly simple; how then do I know that your wonder is more reasonable in the one case, than in the other?'

With regard to what are called feelings of modesty,—the blind possess them in a very high degree, the speculations of Diderot and others to the contrary notwithstanding; they are from their situation led to be particularly scrupulous in their regard to les convenances of society. They are exceedingly orderly, as well in the arrangement of their ideas as of their property; hence, perhaps, their horror of theft, and their respect for the property of others.

The method of classification which they adopt, enables them to bring the memory to a very high degree of perfection; hence the astonishing instances which we have of blind men retaining several thousand words, without meaning, and without connexion. It is related of Dr. Moyes, that he would recognise by their voice, persons with whom he had had but a slight acquaintance, and whom he had not met for more than a year.

The want of sight makes the blind insensible to the infinite variety of beauteous aspects which nature puts on, when she comes forth blushing with the hues of morn, or arrays herself in the silver mantle of moonlight, or decks herself out in the gorgeous robes of sunset. If, then, all the grandeur and glory of nature are lost upon them, how much more insensible must they be to the ridiculous display of human pomp and pride; and how much ought this circumstance to influence our treat

ment of them! The necessity of this may be understood from the anecdote related by Diderot of the young blind man who was brought to trial for having thrown a stone, which struck another person in the head, and for various misdemeanors. He appeared before the judge as before his equal; nor could any threats intimidate him. "What can you do to me," cried he to M. Herault?" I will cast you into a dungeon," answered the magistrate." What then?" returned the blind man,"I have been living in one all my life time." What an answer! What a text for a man who loves to moralize! We take our leave of the world as of an enchanting spectacle; the blind man goes out of it as from a dungeon; if we have more to enjoy in living than he has, at least he has less to regret in dying.'

But Diderot here (as is very common with him) displays more ingenuity than observation: the blind do not die with less regret than we do; the love of life is not lessened by the want of one sense, any more than it is in the case of the poor by the want of wealth; many blind men possess high moral courage; some display a degree of independence of character, which at times degenerates into obstinacy, and excessive egotism; but they are seldom possessed of much physical courage.

Nor is the world to them a less enchanting scene than it is to us, provided they have occupation. Blindness is not the sole, nor the principal cause of the unhappiness of the blind; and, were they not continually reminded of their inferiority by our officious and unnecessary expressions of sympathy and compassion, they would not feel it. They cannot conceive how the sense of sight can be the source of any positive pleasure to us, otherwise than as it enables us to ascertain the physical qualities of objects at a greater distance than they can by the feeling. Hence they look upon the want of it as a loss of advantage, and not of enjoyment. There is a great deal of philosophy and of good sense in the answer of a blind man to the question, Whether the possession of sight would not increase his happiness? I cannot conceive that it would,' said he, in a very material degree. I suppose your eyes serve with you the same purpose that my hands and cane do with me; that is, to ascertain the shape and other physical qualities of bodies. The only advantage you have, is the ability to do this at a greater distance than I can ; now if I were to choose, it would be rather to have my arms so

constituted that I could reach any object which you can see, than to possess what you call vision." Hence it is that we seldom find those who are born blind repining after sight; but we do see them sitting bowed down under a sense of humiliating dependence; with their faculties undeveloped by action, and their minds gradually degenerating into imbecility, from the monotonous torpor of their existence.

With regard to the number of the blind, we have no means of knowing it very accurately in this country, for no correct census has been taken; but from researches made by the Trustees of the New England Institution for the Education of the Blind, it is quite evident that the returns made by the general estimates are far too low. The only document we have met with is one lately published in Philadelphia, apparently taken from the general census, in which the number of the blind in every State is given, and which makes the sum total a little over five thousand.*

* TABLE showing the number of Blind persons in the United States; also the relative proportion to the population, &c.