blind, who have eagerly responded to their effort. Our work is naturally among the adult blind, for the youth are provided for by the State in an institution established for the education and development of the Deaf and Blind. Can you imagine the joy of opening up the blocked and closed ways, the browsing fields of the mind, the current literature of every day to the sightless who are so eager to listen, so persevering to acquire, so concentrated to retain, that which so many of the seeing pass by unheeded? Think of the new pictures painted upon the brain; the new garden of thought opened up in the darkness until the unseen is made visible, a tangible quality again in lives suddenly deprived of independence and correspondence. I speak of the unseen of the commonplace, of the every-day, not of the great unseen of the Spiritual, which instinctively alone each one can sense for him self, and which I have come to know the blind grasp and hold more clearly and keenly than we who live more in the materiality of our surroundings. In some of our cities these reading rooms and lending libraries are conducted under the supervision of a blind librarian, with an auxiliary of the seeing to aid and increase the work being done. Where practicable, and it can be followed, I should advise this method, that instruction may be given in the raised types, and on the Braille and New York Point machines; the seeing typewriter made useful; and that the needs of these attending may become more appreciatively and comprehensively understood. The blind feel keenly their lack of independence, which is made more pronounced frequently by the all too well-meaning attentions of the seeing, who do not permit them to use independently the gifts which are nurtured and matured in the Reading-Room in Free Public Library, Salt Lake City. darkness. Shut in as the blind must be many times from active influences, a too pronounced sympathy retards where it would help, for only by teaching others to help themselves is lasting benefit achieved. It is for these reasons that I consider that the establishing of reading rooms and lending libraries for the blind should be included in the work of every Public Library, even should only a few of the sightless seem to avail themselves at first of the privilege. Where little has been done for the blind and the social side of life for them forgotten, they are naturally sensitive, reserved,and shy, and need to be encouraged to mingle with the seeing and brought to understand their own latent abilities. If the State teaches the youthful blind the finger print; should there not be, therefore,common centers from which books and maga zines published and provided for their use could be supplied and circulated later, after the school years have closed? Is it not a duty owed to them by the city in which they live; for though libraries are provided in the institutions it is not feasible that the books upon their shelves should be put in circulation, any more than any public school should distribute and circulate its books except among the pupils attending and who have access to its library. longer as despondent and lonely." "The books I take away keep me from having the blues in my room, and when I think of a thing, I can write it down on my pocket slate, since I have learned to use it." "How glad I shall be when I learn enough to use the seeing typewriter, that I can again write a letter to a friend." Thus a return to the old independence lost is begun; and an appreciative interest awakened to keep up with the world's work as it is brought to our knowledge in the books and periodicals of the day; for the sensitive fingers become the eyes of the mind, and eagerly seek "to see" for themselves just what is going on and being done. One of my friends laughingly réplied to my question, put to her one cold winter morning, "Why don't you put on your gloves?" "Oh, I couldn't see as well, then.” This acquired ability to read through the touch comes readily to the blind, and leads to development in many other ways; opening up activities which appeared closed forever in the first overwhelming realization of darkness into which one suddenly deprived of sight is plunged; as so many of the adults are from accident, sickness, and the progress of failing vision. I have been speaking altogether, it would appear, of the gain to the sightless by this partition of of interest; but the seeing who assist must share in this uplift, for to them, too, the unseen becomes visible in the previous knowledge and conscious assurance that wider fields of positive helpfulness are theirs. Director in the Western Association of the Adult Blind.. There is probably no other class of people who feel as keenly as do the blind the necessity of that great decree which was pronounced upon our first parents on earth, "Thou shalt earn thy bread by the sweat of thy brow." People are to a great extent in the habit of looking upon this as being a curse placed upon man, while in reality it is the greatest blessing ever given to him. If it were not for this condition the human race would be very little in advance of the lower animals. The Lord knew how necessary it was for the development of man that he be kept employed in working for the necessities of life, for it was said in connection with the commandment, "Cursed is the ground for thy sake; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee," making it necessary that man should labor in order to obtain a living. But many of the blind are deprived of this great blessing, since they are obliged to depend upon some one else to earn their daily bread. All people should be occupied, both the seeing and the blind. There is work for all to do, if one can only find what it is, and with it there are pleasures which can be found in no other way. We have visited a great many of the blind in their homes during the past few years. Many of them are very poor, while a few are in comfortable circumstances, but this, as a rule, is where they are being cared for by friends or relatives. At present there are no trades being taught to the adult blind of Utah, by which they may become self-supporting. In some instances the blind have taken up work in their homes, assisted by friends, or teachers visiting and instructing them there. The general opinion of those who have had no experience with the blind is, that they can do nothing, or else they think they should be able to do anything which they have heard of other blind people doing; expecting, also, that it can be done without training. For instance, a man having a blind friend, sent for a raised letter book, and when it came was very much disappointed that his friend could not read it, not having had any training. This has made it very difficult for the blind, as when they would try to learn to do something, if they could not succeed the first or second time their friends would feel that it was impossible for them to learn, and both would become discouraged. For this reason the blind have had to work out problems alone. And sometimes even their friends or relatives would not know what they were trying to do, until it had been accomplished, or at least until the problem had been partially worked out. And even then they would never know the dozens or hundreds of failures which had come before one success. The blind should by all means be trained in handiwork, not alone as a means of livelihood, but for the purpose of training and developing the sense of touch. For upon this sense they will have to depend, no matter what their calling in life may be. It is necessary that the hand should be trained, for the only way we have of seeing things, is through our fingers, and the cultivation along these lines cannot be too carefully directed. There are a few blind in Utah who are skilled in handicrafts, but the most of them are from foreign countries, where industrial education for the blind is successfully carried on. These people are skilled in various lines of work, such as willow work, making baskets, hampers, etc., or hammocks, fish nets, seines, and other kinds of netting, cane seating chairs, bead work, sewing, knitting various articles, such as rugs, shawls, jackets, hosiery, mittens, gloves, etc. This kind of work is being done by some of the blind in their homes, but it is often very hard for them to find a ready sale for their wares, as it is not easy for them to get around among the public, to hunt a market; and if they have to pay some one to go with them to sell their goods, there is not much profit left for them. In our travels among the blind we have been able to assist them in various ways, by encouraging them in their industries, and teaching them to read and write. It is sometimes very interesting to hear their expressions, after they have learned to do something. Some will say, "The time does not seem half as long, now," or, "How happy I am, since I have something to do." "I used to think there was nothing to live for, but since I can read, I find there is great pleasure in life." Or, "I feel as if I am in a new world, now." They certainly seem to better understand the words of the poet : "Each morning sees some task begun, No doubt it seems very strange to most people, when for the first time they see the blind at their work, especially the odd way they have of reading, writing, or doing their arithmetic, as it is quite different from the way others do the same work. Books for the blind are printed in different styles of type. American Braille, Line Letter, New York Point, and Moon Type are some of the systems in use in this country. But the American Braille is the one most used, the letters and charac |