BLINDNESS. 
this plan is to teach the blind reading, by 
the assistance of books, in which the letters 
are rendered palpable by their elevation 
above the surface of the paper ; and by 
these means to instruct them, not only in 
the liberal arts and sciences, but likewise in 
the principles of mechanical operations, such 
as spinning, knitting, book-binding, &c. so 
that those who are in easy circumstances 
may be capable of amusing employment, 
and tlsose of the lower ranks of life, and such 
as have no genius for literary improvement, 
may nevertheless become respectable, use- 
ful, and independent members of society, 
in the situation of common artisans. By 
these palpable characters, they are taught 
to read, to write, and to print ; and they are 
likewise instructed, according to their seve- 
ral talents and stations, in geometry, alge- 
bra, geography, and every branch of natu- 
ral philosophy. The institution encourages 
and cherishes a taste for the fine arts ; it 
teaches the blind to read music with their 
fingers, as others do with their eyes ; and it 
does this with so much success, that though 
they cannot at once feel the notes and per- 
form them upon an instrument, yet they are 
capable of acquiring any lesson with as much 
exactness and rapidity, as those who enjoy 
all the advantages of sight. 
We are happy to add, that institutions of 
a similar kind have been established in our 
own country ; and to render our particular 
tribute of respect to the founders and sup- 
porters of the school for the indigent blind, 
instituted in London, 1799. The object, 
with a view to which this school was found- 
ed, is unquestionably one of the most im- 
portant and interesting kind that can ex- 
cite compassion, or demand encourage- 
ment. It provides instruction for the indi- 
gent blind, in a trade by which they may be 
able to provide, either wholly or in part, for 
their own subsistence ; and thus, instead of 
being altogether a burden to the communi- 
ty, they will be of some service to it ; and 
instead of being depressed and cheerless 
themselves, under a sense of their total de- 
pendence, and for want of regular employ- 
ment, habits of industry will relieve their 
spirits, and produce the most beneficial ef- 
fects on their state and character. The chil- 
dren of this institution are completely 
clothed, boarded, lodged, and instructed, 
gratis. The articles at present manufac- 
tured in the school are slioemakers’-thread, 
fine and coarse thread, window sash-line, 
and clothes-line (of a peculiar construction, 
and made on a machine adapted to the use 
of blind persons) by the females ; and win- 
dow and sash-line, clothes-line, hampers, 
and wicker-baskets, by the males. 
The success that has crowned the efforts 
of the friends of this institution, since its 
first establishment, affords sufficient evi- 
dence of the degree in which the situation 
and faculties of the blind are capable of im- 
provement ; and a view of it in its present 
prosperous state must be gratifying to per- 
sons of humane and compassionate feelings. 
Here they will not find the scholars sitting 
in listless indolence, which is commonly the 
case with the blind, or brooding in silence 
over their own defects, and their inferiority 
to the rest of mankind ; but they will behold 
a number of individuals, of a class hitherto 
considered as doomed to a life of sorrow and 
discontent, and to be provided for merely in 
alms-houses, or by donations of charity, not 
less animated in their amusements, during 
the hours of recreation, and far more cheer- 
fully attentive to their work in those of 
employment, than persons possessed of 
sight. 
To this article we shall subjoin the fol- 
lowing directions given by Mr. Thicknesse, 
for teaching the blind to write. “ Let any 
comps on joiner make a flat board, about 14 
inches' long and 12 wide, in the middle of 
which let a place J>e sunk, deep enough, 
when lined with cloth, to hold only two or 
three sheets of fool’s-cap paper, which must 
quite fill up the space : over this must be 
fixed a very thin false frame, which is to 
cover all but the paper, and fastened on by 
four little pins, fixed in the lower board, 
and across the lower frame, just over the 
paper, must be a little slider, an inch and a 
half broad, to slip down into several re- 
cesses made in the upper frame, at a pro- 
per distance for the lines, which should be 
near an inch asunder; and this ruler, on 
which the writer is to rest his fourth and lit- 
tle finger, must be made full of little 
notches, at a quarter of an inch distant 
from each other ; and these notches will 
inform the writer, by his little finger drop- 
ping from notch to notch, how to avoid 
running one letter into another. When he 
comes to the end of the line, he must move 
his slider down to the next groove, which 
may easily be so contrived with a spring to 
give warning that it is properly removed to 
the second line, and so on.” 
BLINDS, or Bi.indes, in the art of war, 
a sort of defence commonly made of oziers, 
or branches interwoven, and laid across be- 
tween two rows of stakes, about the height 
