WHAT BLIND PEOPLE DO.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIX, Issue 11556, 18 April 1898, Page 6

WHAT BLIND PEOPLE DO.

(Tit-Bits.) . /V It is estimated that there-are 515,000 blind persons in the United Kingdom, and a ’arge number of these are employed in a variety of ways, some holding positions which ordi-i nary people would think them quite unable to occupy. One would hardly expect to find anyone blind being employed as a letter-; carrier, and yet there are two men- at the village of Withersfield, ' near Newmarket, who are engaged in that, capacity. Port Chester, New York, possesses a blind fireman in the person of Albert Saxe Martin. He is fifty-four years of age, and lias been totally blind .for the long spell of forty years. This affliction, however, does not prevent him carrying on the dangerous work of a fireman; in fact, he is particularly energetic at the post of duty. Music attracts a large number of blindpeople, and some of their performances, on.. the organ are particularly high class. ‘ Nbfflt long ago, Miss Brown, of .the honour to be elected an associate of'the Boyql College of Organists. Sheris twentyone years of age, and is the first blind lady’ ' who has been thus honoured. received her instruction in organ-playing from a blind niusiciah at'Ncrwootl.' 1 ' 1 1 ->a Watchmaking has also attracted, blind • people, although those who see can .''Scarcely understand the .sightless being able to man-i age the intricacies of such deikacte work. One of these blind watehmakers lived at' Holbeadi, Lincolnshire, some yeiirs agoejiand, although be was completely blind,* he could take watches to pieces and put ('them together again with the greatest of' ease.; It is said that once he was robbed of some of the delicate mechanism associated with his trade, such as hair-springs and wheels; * and, on the thief being traced, he identified and swore to his property by the touch. Another of these blind watchmakers, a man named William Huntley, lived! at Barnstaple early in the present century. Be’ was born blind, but as his father vsas in the* watch trade tlxe son was brought up in the same line of business. The blind watchmaker was much resorted to by the people of the district, who had implicit •-confidence in his abilities, and it is asserted' that! . where others had failed to'detect a.fsHiit he was.successful, and put the clockior’iVa.tch ; xU good order. Even musical docks" were' re - paired-by him. • , V Quite recently the work of a blind man * in this direction attracted some*afcbention on the other side of the Atlantic.’ ’The largeclock of the courthouse tower in the city of Kokomo, Indiana, refused to:keep-correct time for quite two years, despite the efforts* of the experts who bad triecTto make it do so. William Brinkman, the blind man in' question, thereupon offered to repair ■ the clock, and as he agreed to underbake it on. the “no cure, no pay” principle, the authorities gave him the job. , .■- i . As a result the clock now runs regularly and keeps correct time, and the authorities were so pleased with his work that they of 7 fered Brinkman a substantial sum annually to keep it in repair. In addition tq bemg an expert clock repairer, he was a proficient piano-tuner and broom-maker. Strange to say, his wife and servant girl were also blind. 1

The chaplain- of the United States-Senate is another remarkable instance of what, a blind man can do, and-as he has been .in our midst so recently it is not necesisary to do more than make a passing reference to his career. His lecture, with the peculiar title, “What a blind man saw-in England,” fe probably as well known as any lecture in the United States; while on his visits to this country he has attracted large audiences. ‘ He is also a most successful author, and some ol his books have won the enlogiran of the leading men. *