294 NOTICES OF THE MEETINGS [April 8, 
that lifts it up against the rim, which is in diameter a little less than 
the length of the needle. This is very useful to the blind in going 
about by themselves in the country. 
The Lecturer then explained a small chess-board with crooked 
pins for the men, by which the blind can play at chess with a person 
having the common board.—Each can be considering his game 
without interrupting the other, as the blind has no occasion to 
touch his adversary’s board; of course each must name his move 
which the other copies. ; 
Printing in embossed letters was next explained, and a blind girl 
of about 18, from the school at St. George’s, readily deciphered a 
sentence printed by the Lecturer with a pen and thick ink. This tends 
to prove that the letters need not be in very high relief, and forms 
an easy means of communicating with them. She also read from 
a book embossed in the common Roman alphabet: and afterwards, 
a young man, from the school in St. John’s Wood read from Lucas’s 
stenographic characters and also the Roman capitals and small letters. 
The Lecturer said that much difference of opinion existed as to the 
best alphabet for the blind, some advocating an arbitrary character, 
some the Roman letters, and some a modification of one of them ; 
but that he himself preferred the common Roman alphabet, capitals 
and small letters, and that he was supported in his opinion by Klein 
of Vienna, Dr. Zeune of Berlin, Knie of Breslau (himself blind and 
director of the school in that town), Jager of Gmiind, Baczko (blind), 
&c. &c., all of whom had had from thirty to fifty years’ experience. 
In this country also the Roman letters were preferred in the schools 
at Manchester, York, Bristol, and several others—also by Mr. 
Littledale of York, who having lost his sight when six years old, 
must be allowed to be a good judge.—'Ihe blind should be asso- 
ciated with the seeing as much as possible in all their habits and 
acquirements, but an arbitrary character tends to separate them, and 
make them as it were a colony of strangers in their own land. 
Besides if they have a book in an arbitrary character, and they 
come to a word they do not understand, who in a village could 
render them assistance ? Who could read for them from their book, 
when they were tired? Who could communicate with them should 
they become deaf as well as blind ? Almost every alphabet may possess 
some single advantage over others, but the one to be chosen for the 
blind should be that which possesses the greatest number of advan- 
tages —or is best as a whole. Unfortunately, in comparing alpha- 
bets, care is not taken to have them printed the same size and 
same distance apart, and then the comparison is worthless. 
It is the opinion of the Lecturer that children should be educated 
by means of the common alphabet, and if they like afterwards to 
learn any other on account of some supposed or real advantage it 
may possess, they might do so. .Many blind persons derive much 
amusement by going into churchyards and reading the grave-stones, 
but of course only those who have learned the common letters. It 
