A BLIND HEROINE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 158, 28 March 1908, Page 11

A BLIND HEROINE.

Iri an.obituary;in a Bucharest".journal".;of ;tho_blmd ' B.vftricss vori-Kranich'feJd (nee Miriam Gardner, an Englishwoman), who was called;by, the-'Quccri-of Roumania'to, aid Ker institute for the blind, a' remarkable acj count is given of .ber activities, in.spitp-of hor misfortune.- , /While writing a'poem, pen : in- ; hand, • a mist suddenly . sprea<L:over- her ":ey<is. and she became' in her'/fiftieth ,year, / - totally blind; ;,SHe',. attended: ~an ' "English school for tha blind to learn, the alphabet and the use of the .typewriter. ■'' She;: became.so efficient that, an article was printed in. the s "Daily Mail'V some! fifteen months ago from her own manuscript, 'which r was practically free from correction,. ,' She .knew French, - German and Italian, and ■ thus it-came.'that; "Carmen .Sylva" summoned -heri from' retire-* V ; mcnt: to ißucharost to help' in.itho 1 English' ; correspondence of the, Royal Blind:lnstitute.' She bugan to learn' Roumanian, . and.soon cnlistol world-wide sympathy,in the Queen's ) ' work for .the .sightless.' She : also learnt i Esperanto, corresponded therein with :a ' "■> blind Japanese. Not;,only was she'an ex- / pert tyjiist,-.: but. made her own /clothes'and / 'hats- without - the aid- of: 1 -the seeing: The / Queon or Ronmania visited her on her-death- - bod, ana attended the funeral in person.

: According to an English correspondent of an Austialian paper, .trams, are to he an important feature in.evening,gowns this season.: She. describes a sapphire \coloured gown of tulle, supplemented wit'u. a rich satin train in a marvellous shade of copper, witli an embossed design-in large velvet, flowers.: A very pale bliio -£Own in soft-satin had: a .train of. velvet m' a.'.tleepor shade, .worked at the oomers with gold wroatlis. Fortunately, however, for tho majority, the mostVpopiikr trains aro of some light materia], Vaiver.: or gold. tissnc. for instance! -veiled in gauze.Tliesot trains' afford scope for- mnch decoration,' white chiffon .trains, with painted borders, giving employment at, tho moment'to many worknrs:; Such a border, done with very - large manve , orchids,- outlined with black, i has recently been 'accomplished ? suc-cessfully-,by a local . designer of dress trimmings- ''