The Vision 

 of a Blind Man 



THE progress due to science and 

 invention in America, which 

 makes this Twentieth Century so 

 wonderful, so rich, is a tribute to 

 the vision of a bhnd man. 



The science department in every 

 university, the technical schools, 

 owe more to him than to any other 

 one personal force. 



Hundreds of thousands in this 

 generation whose success is due to 

 him, or who are benefiting through 

 the work he did, do not even know 

 the name of Edward Livingston 

 Youmans. 



In his lifetime this self-taught 

 man was recognized as the best in- 

 formed intelligence in the nation, and 

 he has been dead not thirty years. 



He made science popular 

 in the homes of America 



Youmans' work can be summed 

 up in four words: He made science 

 popular. 



In teaching himself the sciences, 

 handicapped as he was with blind- 



ness, Youmans realized the barriers 

 of learning within which scientific 

 men have isolated themselves. 



Since the time, more than two 

 thousand years ago, when Archi- 

 medes discovered the lever, the 

 pulley and the screw, since the day 

 science was born, in fact, scientists 

 have been an exclusive folk, a sort 

 of high priesthood. 



They share their knowledge with 

 each other. None but the elect 

 are permitted to enter within their 

 circle. Their constant excuse has 

 always been, is now, that without 

 technical mastery there can be no 

 science and that only the trained 

 mind can understand technicalities. 



When Youmans began his life 

 work seventy years ago he realized 

 his mission was that of an inter- 

 preter. . " \ 



He knew that science must be- 

 come a part of the daily life of 

 human beings, if civilization was to 

 go forward. His own experience 

 proved to him how difficult it was 

 to get the necessary knowledge. 



