BLIND, ALPHABETS FOR THK. 



HLIXD, ALPHABETS FOR THE. 



it mi in use some years before the Society of Arts arrived at its 

 decision, and that its eUimt were very ably advocated by the late Rev. 

 Dr. Carpenter, LL D., of Bristol, who* letter addressed to the society, 

 contains many valuable suggestions on printing for the blind. Mr. 

 Lucas has himself stated that the ' Penny Cyclopedia ' contained a fair 

 ^position of hi principles, whi -h we are glad to reproduce : " The 

 characters are employed for reading, writing, arithmetic, and music ; 

 and they an ao simple, that to any book for the blind, not more than 

 half the number of types are required that are necessary to print the 

 same for those who are blessed with sight. Should the event prove 

 a* successful as is intimated in the above announcement, and so great 

 a barrier to the improvement of the blind bo removed, it will In- 

 desirable that the different institutions should unite their exertions, 

 and set apart a common fund to supply their pupils, as well as other 

 blind persons, with so powerful an auxiliary to their progress in 

 knowledge. The alphabet is composed of thirteen simple characters, 

 and thirteen formed from the roots of these with a crotchet-head to 

 each. There are ten double letters from the same roots, distinguished 

 also by the crochet-head : these also represent the nine figures and 

 the cypher, whether used as numerals or ordinals. In all thirty-six 

 characters are employed. The advantages attending the use of steno- 

 graphic characters seem to be in the saving of types, paper, arid labouv, 

 thus materially diminishing the cost of books for the blind. The 

 disadvantage* attending the system we are speaking of appear to consist 

 chiefly in the confusion which the learner must feel in having but one 

 character employed in several offices, as in the double letters, numerals, 

 and ordinals, and in the necessity that every person should be a steno- 

 graphist who communicates with the blind by writing. These difficul- 

 ties] are not very great for persons to overcome who have never been 

 accustomed to a written language. 



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" The manner in which tha characters of Mr. Lucas are employed 

 may be seen in the following commencement of St John's Gospel, 

 only that we give the extract in Roman letters instead of using the 

 stenographic characters. 



t gospl b st jon, chap : 1. 



in t bgini ws t wrd a t w we w g, a t w ws g. t sain ws n t bgini w 



LI thins wr mad b hm, a wo hm ws nt athin mad tht ws mad. in 

 ws lif a 1 1 ws t lit f mn. 



"It will be observed that the repetition of numerous letters is a 

 particles are represented in most instances by their initial letter, and 

 when a word, having been once mentioned, recurs immediately, or 

 frequently, it is represented by it initial letter also." 



An undoubted defect in Lucas's system is the confusion which must 

 arise from having double letters and figures, whether cardinal or 

 ordinal, re' resented by the same stenographic signs ; thus the signs for 

 th, ch, and 11 also represent 471. The contractions are very numerous, 

 many words are expressed by a single character, and other words are 

 contracted by the omission both of vowels and conmnanta. The value 

 of full spelling is great, especially to the young blind ; those who have 

 already learned to read while possessing sight, would, in time, get over 

 the difficulties the system presents. 



The next system which came into use in point of time woo I 

 also stenographic, founded on Uunic y' xhorthand, as Lucas's was on 

 Byrom'a, This nystttn is phonetic, and is formed on the" combination 

 of elementary sounds." It professes to be composed of twenty -nine 

 rigns, to b* extremely simple, and to hare only four descriptions of 

 signs, which represent thirty-two diffident hounds. IU distinct in: 

 principle, compared with Lucas's, is thn phonetic one, the powers or 

 vocal sounds of the letters rather than tlieir name-sounds being taught, 

 "eacbword being embossed according to its actual pronunciation. tin- 

 Aim n of the characters combined, or sounded together, give the word." 

 Th* ' Memoria Technica ' which accompanies the lessons it most 

 burdensome, and the twelve rules in verse for supplying the omitted 

 rowels could never be regarded by blind or other readers who had 

 to commit them to memory, in any light but as a distasteful task. 

 We learn, however, that their employment is optional, though the 



system would be incomplete without them ! The twelfth of theer 

 rules is : 



" Whcnr'cr Iht proper rale don't yield you nUtftctlon, 

 On trial you will find the word li a contraction." 



"A fair knowledge of the system may be acquired by thote vko 

 lum light in three or four hours." Two things are noteworthy in 

 this agreeable announcement. 1. That a system of stenographic 

 reading can be acquired in three or four hours. 2. That stenographic 

 systems require ordinary readers to team them before they can assist 

 their blind brethren in the acquisition of the art of reading. 



The last system to be described is Moon's ; although it is not steno- 

 graphic in one sense, ita characters have sufficiently the appearance of 

 stenography to be taken as such ; and again, although it claims to be 

 the common alphabet simplified, it is certainly arbitrary enough for 

 a first observer to recognise no similarity between it and the forms to 

 which he has been accustomed. Mr. Moon, like Mr. Frere, is himself 

 a lilind man, and he has laboured hard to establish a system which 

 he believes is destined to supersede all others. If all that he says in 

 its.favour could be taken for granted, no further question could arise 

 as to the best alphabet for the blind. The judgment and experience of 

 those who have means and opportunities for deciding, at least equal to 

 Mr. Moon's, but whose zeal, enthusiasm, and interest are not fettered 

 by partial views, do not bear out his statements. 



" Moon's system is adapted to the cottage, bttauie anybody can Itacii 

 it." This statement is more than questionable. Anybody of moderate- 

 intelligence can doubtless acquire it if they can already read. The 

 same may be said of Alston's books, and herein consist* their 

 superiority anyone who can read may at once be a teacher of reading 

 to the blind. " It is adapted to the dull finger of the labourer, 

 because it is rery plain to the tmicJi." This is no exclusive advantage 

 in Moon's letters. " It is suited to the aged, the sick, and the ignorant, 

 because it is so easy to be nndrrttnnd." This is a benefit compared with 

 Lucas's and Frere's, but in this respect Alston's is certainly more 

 deserving of praise. " The words are spelt at full length," and " full 

 spelling is essential to accuracy." Granted, so are Alston's, which 

 system does not employ even the few contractions Moon intr 

 in this respect Moon's books are superior to Frere's or Lucas's, but 

 inferior x to Alston's. Moon's alphabet consists of " the common lettert 

 simplified, and therefore is easily learnt and taught by all who know 

 their a b c." But, Alston's consists of the common letters themselves. 

 We have doubts about the easy recognition of the transformed letters, 

 though none as to the increased tactile power of the new forms in 

 comparison with the certainly more intricate forms of the ordinary 

 alphabet. " Six of the Roman letters are retained vnalttrtd ; twelve 

 others have parts left out so as to be left open to the touch, and yet 

 be easily remembered as half of a well-known letter." Of these twelve 

 none would be recognised from any similarity they bear to the letter 

 they represent ; they must therefore be regarded as arbitrary characters. 

 " Five or six new and very simple forms complete the alphabet." 

 These are arbitrary ; so that this system of the " common letters 

 simplified " is in fact composed of six of the Roman letters unaltered 

 and eighteen arbitrary characters. Most certainly Moon's alphabet 

 does not possess the superiorities over others to which it lays claim. 

 That it is a good arbitrary character for the blind no one who has 

 paid the least attention to the subject can deny. The question, how- 

 ever, has yet to be settled whether an arbitrary or an alphabetical 

 character is the best for the blind. And on this point evidence must 

 be adduced. 



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We find the schools for the blind in London, Glasgow, Newcastle, 

 Manchester, and York, use the books in Alston's Roman characters ; 

 those of Bristol and Belfast also use these books, and in addition some 

 printed at Bristol with lower-case letter* as well as capitals. (Several 

 of the parties competent to form a judgment on the- matter, advocate 

 the use of capitals. ) We find LUCM'S stenographic -v-iim in use at 

 lUth, where the defective orthography i" : ionnble for 



young readers ; the Roman alphabet has also been lifted in some cases; 

 while for adults generally Moon's system is considered the best. At 

 the Nottingham xchool, Lucas's system in generally adopted, some of 

 the pupils also read Moon's books, and also those in the Roman cha- 

 racters. The schoolmaster, who is blind, reads on six systems, but 

 gives a decided preference to Lucas's. The pupils read quite KM 

 rapidly as is necessary, and as correctly as others of the same age with 

 'it. The superintendent of this school nays "Lucas's books are 



