96 SEVENTH REPORT—1837. 
the leading letters beginning words of frequent occurrence, for 
the words themselves, as wh. for which; gl. for glory; pl. for 
pleasure, &c.’’ This certainly would tend to lessen the bulk of 
the book, but I think would not facilitate the reading ; for if 
words, printed in full, can be made out by, the first two letters, 
the remaining ones need not be felt, but the finger passed on to 
the next word. Besides, as so many of our words begin with 
the same two or three letters, the length of the word, when 
printed in full, would, at once, without feeling every single 
letter, show, if a /ong word beginning with pl, that it was not 
plan, plea, play, or any other short word, &c. and if short, that 
it was not plausible, plurality, plenipotentiary, &c. It will 
therefore be highly dangerous to make much use, if any, of ab- 
breviations. 
Feeling convinced that the letters recommended by Dr. Fry 
were the only ones likelyto be generally adopted, I ventured, in 
the beginning of 1836, to procure a quantity of type, cast from 
his punches, by Messrs. Thoroughgood and Co., London, and 
commenced printing for the use of the children in the Yorkshire 
school for the blind, and the experiment was most satisfactory. 
About the same time I found that Mr. Alston (treasurer to the 
Asylum for the Blind at Glasgow), a gentleman whose zeal and 
exertions in behalf of the blind must rank him among the best 
friends of that portion of society, had begun to use types of the 
same kind, only of a size between the two which I used. Soon 
after many specimens were printed by Mr. Alston, and amongst 
others the Book of Ruth, the Epistle of St. James, and the four 
Gospels, &c. 
A few months agotheSociety of Arts in Scotland awarded their 
prize of a gold medal in favour of Dr. Fry’s alphabet, but re- 
commended thetype to be fretted or roughened on the top to give 
the letters a dotted appearance, and, as they think, to render 
them more easily legible by the touch ; but of this I shall speak 
hereafter. They also recommend printing upon both sides of 
the paper. 
A few years ago Mr. Gall published the Gospel of St. John 
in his angular alphabet at 21s., and now the whole New Testa- 
ment in Dr. Fry’salphabet is offered for about 32s. by Mr. Alston, 
and I believe for less by Mr. Gall in his angular type. Such 
is the state at present of printing in raised characters for the 
use of the blind, at least as far as regards “‘ letter-press.”’ 
Mathematics. 
In mathematics very little has been done for the blind in the 
way of hooks, but various methods have been contrived for teach- 
