240 Mk. Alston on Printing for the Blind. 



which, in the estimation of their authors, were suitable for an alphabet 

 for the blind. But, unfortunately for the attainment of the purposed 

 end, it was found that the more arbitrary and complete the letters of 

 the alphabet, the more impracticable did they become in the hands of 

 the blind ; and as for any possible interest in the matter on the part 

 of the seeing, or any aid which they might render in teaching the 

 blind to read, this never seemed to be thought as at all necessary to 

 the success of the plan. The consequence was, that out of a long list 

 of competing alphabets, every one more perplexing than another, both 

 to the blind and the seeing, the one at last chosen as the most practi- 

 cable of the whole, was that of the plain Roman letter. 



It is not my intention to refer to the plans of teaching the blind to 

 read which were in use before the invention of printing in raised 

 letter. The merit of that invention belongs to M. Hauy of Paris, 

 and dates as far back as 1784. His plans, or rather the plans 

 of previous speculations on the subject of a general system of educa- 

 tion for the blind, were matured by him into a practical form, and 

 submitted to the Academy of Sciences, by which they were ap- 

 proved. 



His desire was to see the sense of touch do for the blind, what 

 the Abbe de E'pre had made manual signs do for the deaf and dumb ; 

 and a happy union of patient and benevolent enthusiasm led him to 

 invent printing for the blind, a discovery which will hand down the 

 name of Valentine Hauy with honour to posterity. 



His plans were not, however, followed up in the large and benevo- 

 lent spirit in which they were conceived. Institutions were erected 

 for the reception of the blind, and efforts were made in all, to com- 

 municate oral instructions, and more recently to teach by a system of 

 notation, invented by two blind persons, namely, Milne and M'Beth, 

 in the Edinburgh Asylum, which consisted of an ingenious but cum- 

 brous mode of forming letters by knots and loops on twine. But no 

 efforts were made till a recent period to carry out the plan of printing 

 books for the blind. A step in advance was at last taken by Mr. Jas. 

 Gall, of Edinburgh, who produced the Gospel of St. John, and several 

 elementary works, in an angular Roman character, about 1828. Mr. 

 Gall deserves great credit for this benevolent enterprise in behalf of 

 the blind, but the expense of his books was such, even had the 

 character in which they were printed answered, as to preclude 

 the poorer classes, for whom they were intended, from being bene- 

 fited by them. 



A little after this period, Mr. Lucas of Bristol brought out his 

 Stenographic Alphabet, which involved too many difficulties both to 

 the blind and the seeing, to be at all likely to serve the purpose in 

 view. A somewhat similar plan was afterwards produced by Mr. J. 

 H. Frier, which was equally objectionable amidst the variety of 

 systems which were brought before the public. The Society of Arts 



