INTELLECTUAL WORK OF THE BLIND—VILLEY. 693 
in the formation of his intellect. In the eighteenth century the Swiss 
Huber obtained some reputation through Voltaire and, thanks to 
Diderot, we have become acquainted with the Englishman Saunder- 
son. The former studied the habits of the bee, but it should be 
remarked that having enjoyed the use of his sight until the age of 
15 years, he had received the greater part of his education while he 
could see, and that he was able to make use, without interruption, of 
the visual imagination. Saunderson, on the contrary, became blind 
in his early infancy, but it appears nevertheless that he carried his 
mathematical studies to a great length. Like Saunderson, who was 
a professor at the University of Oxford, many of the blind whom we 
have mentioned taught those who could see. It was the same with 
Penjon, who at the beginning of the nineteenth century was pro- 
fessor of mathematics at the college at Angers. As we have seen, 
mathematics and philosophy predominated in these cases. Among 
poets we can scarcely cite anyone but Malaval, who achieved a cer- 
tain notoriety, for we can not name the great poet Milton, since he 
did not lose his sight until after he was 30 years old. 
Though these names do not shine with a great luster, they suffice to 
prove that blindness does not contravene the full development of the 
intellectual faculties. Furthermore, any one who desires to assure 
himself on this point has only to visit a community of the educated 
blind. They can be found in all countries, and especially in the great 
institutions for the blind. In all countries also one encounters blind 
students, who perform various tasks with success. In France we 
know a doctor of philosophy, a master of literature, and a doctor of 
laws. 
If, moreover, in the past such a number of blind men as we have 
“mentioned and many others also whom we do not know, left to their 
own resources, without the aid of any method or tradition, have suc- 
ceeded in cultivating their intellect, why should we be astonished that 
to-day, when they find institutions ready to receive them, when a. 
complete system of pedagogy and methods of work have been devised 
for their use, if a large number reach the same result? All this does 
not prevent there being much labor wasted, as one may say, or many 
blind persons who are incapable of a normal development. As ex- 
perience shows, blindness is not the cause of this. There are maladies 
which often accompany blindness. This waste will even, perhaps, 
increase in the future. In certain quarters, already, it 1s believed 
(incorrectly, perhaps) that a decline in the average intellectual de- 
velopment among the blind is perceptible. Recently, the progress 
made in the prophylaxis of blindness has rendered it possible to save 
some invalids who at another time would probably not have escaped 
disaster. Probably more will be saved later on. The territory.thus 
gained will all be that of localized affections which involve only the 
