STUDIES IN NATURE 



all. If there is any one of them we cannot 

 account for, we can afterwards go and look, and 

 we shall learn some very useful things in this 

 way. We shall soon be able to tell how far off 

 things are from us, and if they are moving 

 towards us or away from us. We are often 

 surprised to see how easily blind people move 

 about, and to find out how much they know 

 about the world. They do this very largely 

 through their sense of hearing, which has to 

 make up as far as possible for their want of 

 sight. They hear a footstep, and can tell at once 

 whether it is walking upstairs or downstairs or 

 on the level ground. This tells them where the 

 staircase is, and if they listen attentively they 

 will hear how many steps there are, and will not 

 have to ask or stumble when they themselves 

 use the staircase. A blind man can often tell 

 what is growing on the ground around him ; he 

 knows how the wind sounds in grass, through 

 corn, or over heather. 



It is a desirable thing for us all to have as 

 full a use of our senses as possible. We believe 

 this to be true in the case of eyesight, and if 

 we cannot see pretty well we get spectacles to 

 help us, for we use our eyes constantly, and 

 expect to understand all we see. We are much 

 more careless about our hearing. If we are 

 deaf, we do indeed take a little trouble about 

 our ears, but otherwise too many of us are 

 content to go through life hearing only half 



(42) 



