8o 



The Review of Reviews. 



THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND. 



In the Grande Revue of June lo Jacqueline Thevenin 

 puts forward a powerful plea on behalf of the Teaching 

 of the Blind by the Blind. 



THE PROBLEM OF THE BLIND IN FRANCE. 



In France the problem of providing the blind with 

 suitable training has suddenly developed from a 

 matter of complete indifference to one of lively con- 

 troversy, and closely associated with it is the further 

 question of the teaching of the blind by the blind 

 themselves. Opinions on the idea are divided. Some 

 desire exclusive teaching by the blind, others will not 

 allow the blind to teach at all, and others would have 

 the teaching divided between blind teachers and those 

 gifted with sight in varying proportions. The writer 

 believes that all special and purely intellectual instruc- 

 tion should be imparted by the blind, but says there 

 still remains a large and important part — namely, the 

 direction of games, physical exercise, the teaching of 

 swimming, etc., and general supervision, which should 

 he in the hands of the seeing. Very young children 

 need to be trained by a teacher who can see. Also 

 the inculcation of good habits and manners, and 

 training in deportment of the blind generally, should 

 be imparted by the seeing. But much tact is needed, 

 for the blind are naturally ver)- sensitive. 



I.E.'VDING WITH SUCCESS. 



A blind teacher can maintain discipline in the class 

 and can impart moral teaching. If instruction is 

 given by the seeing, the teacher must learn to believe 

 in the blind and not regard them as inferiors, or weak 

 persons requiring protection. But it is not easy to 

 identify oneself with the blind, and to realise their 

 limited range of thoughts and conceptions. Also it is 

 necessary to bear in mind that appeal has always to 

 be made to the senses of hearing and touch in place of 

 the sense of sight. The teacher has to inspire the 

 blind with hope, and it is evident that the children 

 would have more confidence in a teacher who is blind 

 like themselves, and who understands the difficulties 

 to be overcome. The blind teacher would have his 

 mind more concentrated on his work and would not 

 be diverted by external impressions. The writer, it 

 should be noted, is dealing only with children who 

 require elementary training — not that the blind are 

 not capable of higher training, but because these are 

 in a small minority. 



THE TE.\CHEr's QUALiriC.\TIONS. 



In the training of the ear, so important to the blind, 

 no one can doubt the superiority of the blind teacher. 

 To him it would be easy and natural to discover 

 practical expedients to bring home to the children 

 something of what the seeing observe with their eyes. 

 With the Braille type the blind teacher is in his element. 

 He cannot give his pupils the same notions of space, 

 form and colours as the seeing enjoy ; but could a 



teacher with sight do that .' Pupils who are taught 

 certain subjects such as reading, writing, arithmetic, 

 and music, in which the blind excel, by a blind teacher, 

 make much more rapid progress than when taught 

 by a teacher with sight, and much the same thing 

 applies to other subjects. From the humanitarian 

 point of view also preference should be given to the 

 blind teacher, this profession being one of the few 

 open to him. But that is not to say that every blind 

 person will necessarily be a good teacher. Like every 

 other teacher, he must be endowed with the aptitude 

 for teaching and practical sense. To keep his mind 

 informed he should be in constant contact with the 

 seeing. In short, he needs suitable training, like every 

 other teacher. 



MANUAL TRAINING. 



It should also be borne in mind that the blind 

 require practical rather than intellectual training ; but 

 for manual work, the teaching of a trade to blind 

 pupils, the teacher may be either blind or seeing. The 

 only drawback is that the teacher with sight may be 

 less patient with the blind, and may not realise the 

 difficulties the pupils have to contend with. Teachers 

 both blind and seeing are indispensable, but the 

 seeing must always be the complement, not the rival 

 of the other. 



TWO KINDS OF PATRIOTISM. 



In the .American Educational Review Ira Wood 

 Howerth distinguishes patriotism, instinctive and 

 intelligent, in the following scries of antitheses : — 



Instinctive patriotism, with a superficial knowledge of scier.ce, 

 justifies war on the yrounil of the law of the survival of the fittest. 

 Intelligent patriotism analyses the idea of the fittest, finds that 

 it has no ethical signification, and strives to promote all activities 

 calculated to fit our nation to survive. Instinctive patriotism 

 prates in language which to delicate ears sounds almost blas- 

 phemous, of the unpremeditated occurrences in our national 

 life as disclosing the will of Providence. Intelligent patriotism 

 recognises that safe and permanent progress is the result of 

 human forethought, that the blunders of a nation are no less 

 deplorable and blameworthy than those of an individual, and that 

 unconsidered or ill-considered action on the part of nian or 

 nation is cjuite as likely to disclose the will of the devil as the 

 will of the Lord. Instinctive patriotism melodramatically 

 declares that the flag of our country, whenever or wherever, and 

 no matter under what circumstances, it is erected, sh.all never 

 be hauled down. Intelligent patriotism insists that whenever 

 and wherever the flag is raised in injustice, or as a symbol of 

 oppression and tyranny, the sooner it is hauled down the better; 

 for the intelligent patriot is likely to have a feeling that unless 

 it is lowered by our own hands, the God of Justice will some- 

 how tear it down and make it a mockery and a mournful 

 memory in the mimls of men. Instinctive patriotism defi-ntly 

 proclaims " My country, right or wrong." Intelligent patriotism 

 says, "My country, when she is right, and when she is wrong, 

 my life lo set her right." Instinctive patriotism, 'nonplussed by 

 the arguments of the peace .advocates, trios to persuade 'tsel'f 

 that such advocates are uneducated sentimentalists and molly- 

 coddles. Intelligent patriotism quietly continues to organise its 

 peace leagues, associations, and federations, schools, tribunals, 

 and unions, confident that proper intelligence will make war 

 impossible. 



