B L 
objects diould be more interefting to a blind man than 
any other abftraft truths whatever. It is pollible for the 
blind, by a retentive memory,, to tell you, That the Iky 
is an azure; that the fun, moon, and bars, are bright; 
that the rofe is red, the lily white or yellow, and the tulip 
variegated. By continually hearing thefe fubftantives 
and adjeCtives joined, he may be mechanically taught to 
join them in the fame manner : but, as he never had any 
fenfation of colour, however accurately he may fpeak of 
coloured objeCts, his language mult be like that of a par¬ 
rot; without meaning, or without ideas. Homer, Milton, 
and OIlian, had been long acquainted with the vilible 
world before they became blind, and might (till retain the 
warm and pleafing imprefiions of what they had feen. 
Their deferiptions might be animated with all the rapture 
ajid enthuliafm which originally fired their bofoms when 
the grand or delightful objects which they delineated were 
immediately beheld. Nay, that enthuliafm might Hill be 
heightened by a (triking fenfe of their lofs, and by that 
regret which a fituation fo dilinal might naturally infpire. 
But how Hi all we account for the fame energy, the fame 
tranfport of defeription, exhibited by thole on whofe 
minds vilible objects were either never imprelfed, or have 
been entirely obliterated > Yet, as unaccountable as this 
faff.may appear, it is no lefs certain than extraordinary. 
We mention it as one amongft the few refources for enter¬ 
tainment, and avenues to reputation, which are (till re- 
ferved for the blind ; and, if an example be wanting to 
enforce the remark, we need only refer to the ingenious 
Dr. Blackjock, whofe acquirements may be feen under 
his name. 
With refpett to the education of the blind, it is impoffi- 
bje to enter into minute particulars. Thefe mull be deter¬ 
mined by the genius, the capacity, and the circumltances, 
of thole to w hom the general rules which may be given 
fhould be applied. It will eafy occur to the leader, that, 
if the pupil Ihould not be placed in eafy circumltances, 
imific is his. readied and molt probable refource. Civil 
and ecclefia'dical employments have either fomething in 
their own nature, or in the invincible prejudices of man¬ 
kind, which renders them almod entirely inaccellible to - 
thofe who have lod the life of fight; No liberal and cul¬ 
tivated mind however can entertain the lead hefitation in 
concluding, that there is nothing, either in the nature of 
things, or even in the politive inditutions of genuine reli¬ 
gion, repugnant to the idea of a blind clergyman. But 
the novelty of the phenomenon probably has hitherto pre¬ 
vented its being put in practice, though in itfelf fo evi¬ 
dently luitable. Dr. Nicholas Bacon, a defeendant of the 
celebrated lord Verulam, who, in the city of Bruflels, was 
created doCtor of laws, was deprived of fight at nine years 
of age by an arrow from a crofs-bow. Yet, notwithdand- 
ing this accident, he purfued the fame plan of education 
in which he had been engaged ; and having heard that 
one Nicafms de Vourde, born blind, who lived towards the 
end of the fifteenth century, after having didinguilhed 
himfelf by his dudies in the univerfity of Louvain, took 
his degree as doCtor of divinity in the univerfity of Co¬ 
logne, he refolved to make the fame attempt. The pro- 
feti'ors were difpofed to treat his plan with contempt, and 
admitted him into their fchools, rather from an impredion 
that it might amufe, than become of any life to him. 
However, contrary to their expectations, he obtained the 
firlt places among his condifciples. It was then laid, that 
fuch rapid advances might be made in the preliminary 
branches of his education; but would foon be effectually 
checked by dudies of a more profound and abdraCted na¬ 
ture. This, it feems, was repeated from fchool to fchool, 
through the whole climax of his purluits; and when, in 
the courfe of academical learning, it became necedary to 
dudy poetry, it was the general voice that all was over, 
and that at length he had reached his ne plus ultra. But 
here lie likevvife foiled their prepodefiions, and taught 
them the immenfe difference between blindnefs of body 
and blindnefs of lbul. After continuing his dudies for 
two years more, he applied himfelf to the law, took hjs 
degree in that fcience, commenced advocate in the council 
of Brabant, and had the pleafure of terminating-almod 
every (hit in w hich he was engaged to the fatisfaefion of 
his clients. 
Had it not been for a faCt fo driking and fo well authen¬ 
ticated, though there could have been no doubt that a 
blind man might difeharge the office of a chamber counfel 
with fuccefs ; yet, as a barrider, his difficulties mud have 
appeared more formidable, if not abfolutely inluperable. 
For he diould remember all the fources, whether in natu¬ 
ral equity or politive inditutions, whether in common or 
datute law', from whence his argument ought to be drawn. 
He mud be able to fpecify, and to arrange in their proper 
order, ail the material objections of his antagonids : thefe 
he mud likewife anfwer as they were propofed, extempore. 
V/hen, therefore, it is confidered how didicult it is to 
temper the natural alfociation of memory with the artifi¬ 
cial arrangements of judgment, the defultory Rights of 
imagination with the calm and regular deductions of rea- 
fon, the energy^and perturbation of paffion with the cool- 
nefs and tranquillity of deliberation ; fome idea may bet 
formed of the arduous talk which every blind man mud 
achieve, who undertakes to purltie the law as a profelfion. 
Perhaps abidances might be drawn from Cicero’s Treatife 
on Topics and on Ihvention; which, if happily applied, 
might lelfen the dilparity of a blind man to others, but 
could fcarcely place him on an equal footing with his 
brethren. 
In fpeaking of the learned profedions, we have, for ob¬ 
vious reafons omitted phyfic, as unattainable to blind per- 
fons. The mod important view we can entertain in the edu¬ 
cation of a perfon deprived of light, is to redrefs as effec¬ 
tually as pollible the natural difadvantages with which he is 
encumbered ; or, in other words, to enlarge as far as podible 
the fphere of-his knowledge and activity. This can only 
be done by the improvement of his intellectual, imagina¬ 
tive, or mechanical, powers; and which of thefe ought to- 
be mod alliduoudy cultivated, the genius of every indivi¬ 
dual alone can determine. Front the original dawning, 
however, of reafon and fpirit, the parents and tutors of 
the blind ought to inculcate this maxim, That it is their 
indifpenlible duty to excel, and that it is abfolutely in their 
power to attain a high degree of eminence. To imprefs 
this notion on their minds, the fird objells prefented to 
their obfervation, and the fird methods of improvement 
applied to their underbanding, ought, with no great diffi¬ 
culty, to be comprehenlible by thofe internal powers and 
external fenfes which they poltefs. Not that improvement 
diould be rendered quite eafy to them, if fuch a plan were 
pollible : for all difficulties, which are not really or appa¬ 
rently infuperable, heighten the charms and enhance the 
value of thole acquilitions which ihey leem to retard. 
But care Ihould be taken that thefe difficulties be not 
magnified or exaggerated by imagination; for, in fa Cl, 
the blind have a painful fenfe of their own incapacity, and 
confequently a drong propenlity to defpair. For this rea¬ 
fon, parents and relations ought never to be too ready* in 
ottering their abidance to the blind in any office which 
they can perform, or in any acquifition w hich they can 
procure for themfelves, whether they are prompted by 
amufement or necedity. If he has a mechanical turn, let 
him not be denied the life of edge-tools ; for it is better 
that he Ihould lofe a little blood, or even break a bone, 
than be perpetually confined to the fame place, debilitated 
in his frame, and depreded in his mind. Such a being 
can have no employment but to feel his own weaknefs, 
and become his own. tormentor ; or to transfer to others’ 
all the malignity and peevidmefs ariling from the natural, 
adventitious, or imaginary, evils which he feels. Scars, 
fraClures, and didocations, are trivial misfortunes com¬ 
pared with imbecility, timidity, or fretfulnefs of mind. 
Thefe imprenions, which, even in his mod improved date, 
will be too deeply felt by every blind man, are redoubled 
by that utter incapacity of action which mud refult from 
the 
