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first they recognise speech, and the endless variations and 

 modifications of sound ; by the second they become ac- 

 quainted with the external form of objects. The chief art 

 of the instructor of the blind therefore consists in supplying 

 through an indirect medium those ideas of which his pupi' 

 cannot obtain a conception through the ordinary channels : 

 and in doing this he will act wisely to ascertain what ideas 

 on kindred subjects his pupil possesses, whether such are 

 true or false, and by what process he became possessed ol 

 them ; to become, in fact, the pupil of his pupil ; to draw forth 

 the stock of knowledge already attained in order to form a 

 ground-work on which to proceed with his future instructions. 

 The mode which would probably first occur to a teacher 

 in the intellectual education of the blind would be lessons 

 delivered orally, illustrated by such analogies as would en- 

 able them to follow their teacher, taken if necessary from 

 objects appealing to their senses. At first they would ad- 

 vance by slow degrees in comparison with pupils who see, 

 but this very slowness would be accompanied by a sureness 

 which would amply repay the pains taken to make the 

 lessons understood. It is" a fault in ordinary schools that 

 the first steps are taken too rapidly, and one advance too 

 quickly follows upon a former. Such schools might derive 

 a useful lesson from the methods used in the instruction of 

 those who are deprived of one or other of their senses. 

 From oral instruction, the transition to a palpable language 

 is natural. Accordingly, we find that the invention of 

 characters in relief was among the earliest measures taken 

 for instructing the blind. In the first attempt thus made, 

 it is worthy of remark, for a reason which will presently 

 appear, that the letters chosen were those of the Illyrian or 

 Sclavonian alphabet modified. This alphabet was doubtless 

 preferred on account of the square form of the letters, which 

 it was thought would make them more obvious to the touch 

 than ours. (Essai sur flnstnictian des Aveugles, fyc., par 

 le Docteur Guillie, p. 134, 2nde edition.) It is somewhat 

 singular that the principle of square or angular letters was 

 abandoned, as ' not offering greater advantages than com- 

 mon characters ;' in the present day their superiority seems 

 to be acknowledged in the advantages which Gall's trian- 

 gular alphabet possesses over all others, but of this invention 

 we shall soon speak more fully. Moveable letters were 

 afterwards invented, which were placed on small tablets 

 of wood, and were made to slide in grooves, on a similar plan 

 to some of the toys whic'li are made for the purpose of in- 

 ducing children to learn their letters, spelling, &c. It was 

 with similar letters that Usher, archbishop of Armagh, was 

 taught by his two aunts who were both blind ; lout this 

 process was found defective for teaching blind persons. 

 Muveable leaden characters were afterwards cast for the 

 use of the blind, by Pierre Moreau, a notary of Paris, but 

 the work was attended with difficulties and expenses which 

 lie was not prepared to encounter. Large pin-cushions 

 were also brought into use for the blind, on which the cha- 

 racters were figured with ' inverted needles.' Perhaps the 

 relief caused by the heads of pins would have been more 

 eligible. Various other attempts were made in wood and 

 metal till the time of Hau'y, who invented the art of print- 

 ing in relief for the blind. The latest improvements in this 

 art are those of Mr. Gall, of Edinburgh (to whom we have 

 referred), whose triangular alphabet when printed in strong 

 relief can be rapidly read by persons whose tactile powers 

 are less delicate than those commonly possessed by the 

 blind. We give the shape of this alphabet, and regret we 

 cannot show the relief; but we think we may assert that 

 it is superior to every invention of this kind which has yet 

 been produced, and deserving of every encouragement, till 

 it is proved by experience, either that alphabetical charac- 

 ters are needless for the blind, or that stenography, or some 

 olher art yet to be discovered, offers greater advantages. 



Mr. Gall's Alphabet. 



> I W V Vx I *- m 



The art of printing for the blind is yet in its infancy ; the 

 refined sense of touch which they possess, together with a 

 desire, which we are glad to see increasing, to render them 

 in as great a degree as possible independent of a teacher, 

 will probably lead to improvements beyond our present an- 

 ticipations. We have seen books printed in the above 

 alphabet, which may be read by seeing persons with perfect 

 ease, and we are surprised that it has not been more generally 

 adopted. In France and in America the ordinary-shaped 

 letters are used. In the former country the types are very 

 similar to those called Script; the letters are set upright, and 

 they are much widened, to render them more obvious to the 

 touch. In America, a part of the gospel of St. Mark has 

 been printed in embossed letters, and in the early part of 

 the present year (1835) a handsomely bound copy of this 

 work was transmitted from the Pennsylvania!! Institution 

 for the Blind, and presented to the Liverpool Blind Asylum. 

 Mr. Gall, of Edinburgh, has printed in his alphabet the 

 whole of the gospel of St. John, and also six elementary 

 books. Though the appearance of his works has been pro- 

 tracted by unexpected difficulties and disappointments, it 

 may be hoped that they will now be soon brought into 

 extensive use, and made serviceable, as it has been proved 

 they can be, in supplying the wants of that class fur 

 whom they were provided. Alphabets for the blind have 

 also been invented by Mr. Hay, a blind man, who is 

 a teacher of languages in Edinburgh, and by Dr. Fry, 

 of Type-street, London. Mr. Craig, of Edinburgh, has 

 either invented an alphabet, or modified one of the ex- 

 isting ones. In addition to these attempts to supply a desi- 

 deratum so long felt, an ingenious string alphabet was 

 contrived a few years ago, by David Macbeath, a blind 

 teacher in the Edinburgh School, in conjunction with Ro- 

 bert Milne, one of his blind companions. The following is 

 their description of this invention : ' The string-alphabet 

 is formed by so knotting a cord, that the protuberances 

 made upon it may be qualified, by their shape, size, and 

 situation, for signifying the elements of language. The 

 letters of this alphabet are distributed into seven classes, 

 which are distinguished by certain knots or other marks ; 

 each class comprehends four letters, except the last, which 

 comprehends but two. The first, or A class, is distinguished 

 ay a large round knot ; the second or E class, by a knot 

 projecting from the line; the third or I class, by the series 

 of links vulgarly called the 'drummer's plait;' the fourth 

 or M class, by a simple noose; the fifth or Q class, by a 

 noose with a line drawn through it ; the sixth or U class, 

 jy a noose with a net-knot cast on it ; and the seventh or Y 

 lass, by a twisted noose. The first letter of each class 

 denoted by the simple characteristic of its respective 

 class ; the second by the characteristic and a common knot 

 close to it ; the third by the characteristic and a common 

 tnot half an inch from it ; and the fourth by the charactcr- 

 stic and a common knot an inch from it. Thus, A is 

 simply a large round knot; B is a large round knot with a 

 common knot close to it ; C is a large round knot with a 

 common knot half an inch from it ; and D is a large round 

 tnot with a common knot an inch from it, and so on.' The 

 alphabet above described is found by experience to answer 

 :ompletely the purpose for which it was invented. In the 

 Glasgow Asylum, the greater part of the gospel of St. 

 Vlark, the 1 1 9th Psalm, 'and other passages of Scripture 

 and history have been executed in this alphabet. The 

 snotted string is wound round a vertical frame, which re- 

 volves, and passes from the reader as he proceeds. 



This alphabet reminds us of the Quipos, or knot-records 

 of Peru, in which the history of their country was recorded 

 ,ong before the discovery of America by the Spaniards. Their 

 quipos were formed of the intestines of animals, and there 

 is a similar diversity in their symbols with that in the string- 

 alphabet of which we are speaking. An account of these 

 quipos was published in London in 1827. They were pur- 

 chased by Alexander Strong for ten pounds, from a person 

 who bought them at Buenos Ayres. 



In further explanation of the string-alphabet the in- 

 ventors say, ' It must readily occur to every one that the 

 employment of an alphabet, composed in the manner which 

 lias been explained, will ever be necessarily tedious ; but it 

 should be borne in mind that there is no supposable system 

 of tangible figures significant of thought, that is not more 

 or less liable to the same objection. The inventors are 

 aware that among the different methods by which people 

 at a distance might be enabled to hold mutual intercourse, 



