INTELLECTUAL WORK OF THE BLIND—VILLEY. 695 
needs. In the lines which follow I am less concerned than Braille, 
because it is Braille who has enabled me to accomplish things, and 
others as well as myself. From a psychological point of view, or a 
typhlological point of view, as we say, the only interest which my 
books on Montaigne have is that owing to our special methods philo- 
logical researches and works of erudition are not prohibited to the 
blind. 
T lost my sight when 44 years old. From my earliest years no clear 
visual remembrance has remained with me, perhaps because heedless 
infancy scarcely fixes its attention on anything. or, what is more 
likely, because in the total darkness in which I have lived since no 
visual impression could enter to wake the sleeping memories. In a 
large sacred history which was opened before me I remembered 
vaguely a picture of Abraham slaying his son, while an angel de- 
scends from heaven to stay his arm. Is it perhaps possible that the 
wings of the angel, which struck my childish fancy, may have left 
some traces in my memory? All is so vague, however, that I scarcely 
dare believe it, and especially because if I attempt to grasp my remem- 
brance it vanishes immediately. It is more a remembrance of vision 
than a visual image. I have quite exact ideas of color, but for 
lack of means of comparison I do not know whether they are exact. 
When I lost my sight I did not know how to read. My education 
has therefore been entirely the education of a blind man. 
I received my first lessons by listening to my brothers read aloud. 
It was found that I had a good memory. At the age of 8 years, an 
age when the sense of touch is still acute, I commenced to study 
Braille’s alphabet, which costs a child less toil than the ordinary 
alphabet. Also while quite young I familiarized myself with the 
two methods of work which I should have to make use of later— 
reading aloud and reading by touch. A sojourn at the National 
Institution for Blind Youth at Paris initiated me more fully into all 
the special methods of the pedagogy of the blind, which are better 
taught in this school than in most others, and thus prepared me for 
the studies which I should have to make in the different colleges of 
Paris. There, even for Latin, Greek, and often even for French, I 
lacked books in relief. J transcribed and had transcribed those which 
were indispensable to me. The Braille library placed many at my 
disposal. In addition, my devoted friends aided me in this task. 
But more frequently than otherwise I learned my lessons through a 
secretary, or a comrade, who read them to me. I used continually 
the Braille system for all that I wished to preserve for writing rough 
drafts of my lessons, and especially for taking notes on the course 
given in the class room. In consequence of this continual exercise 
I managed the stiletto with rapidity, and by means of stenography, 
45745°—sm 1909—45 
