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appendix 6
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“Pour Les Auteurs de la Biblioteque Monsieur Waesberg March and Librair a Amsterdam Per Lond. 62 6th July [16]88
Dublin July 88
A problem proposed to the author of the Essai Philosophique Consernant L’Enteneem [This word is obscured in the original paper]
A man being born blind and having a globe and a cube, nigh of the same bigness, committed into his hand, and being taught or told, which is called the globe and which the cube, so as easily to distinguish them by touch or feeling; then both things taken from him, and laid on a table. Let us suppose his sight restored to him; whether he could, by his sight, and before he touch them, know which is the globe and which the cube? So whether he could not reach them though they were removed 20 or 1000 feet from him?
If the learned and ingenious author of this fore mentioned treatise think this problem worth his consideration and answer, he may at any time direct it to one, that much esteem him, and is, his humble servant, Will: Molyneux High Ormond’s Gate in Dublin, Ireland Letter from William Molyneux to John Locke, 7th July 1688. From the correspondence of John Locke, The John Locke Collection, Bodlean Library, Oxford University.
We are happy in being able to inform the public that a Society is now forming in this City for promoting the happiness of blind children, instructing them in some useful employments, and that the [Quaker’s friends’] meeting house in Callow Hill Street is now ready for their reception. We hear that no less than eight of these distressed and pitiable objects (sic.) have [already] applied for admission. Not named by author. Article from the Bonner and Middleton’s Bristol Journal, 10th November 1792. From the archives of the Bristol Royal Society for the Blind.
"Then view you pensive, interesting group, Hard is their lot,- with poverty they stoop, The shades of darkness on their eyelids dwell, They know not how to chase the mystic spell.
View nature's soul! doth not that god of day! Pour in delight upon the visual ray?- View Flora's beauties in their gay attire, Say, do not these a secret joy inspire?
The charms of nature, and the works of art, To different minds their various joys impart; Save where the darken'd optics ne'er could learn, Objects of arts, or nature to discern.
This night of nature striving to illume By their honest toil, to cheer this visual gloom, Fair Charity with kind, unwearied hand, Supports the cause of virtue's chosen band.
Their aim is blessings on the blind to pour, Make useful that, which useless was before; Yes, charity will flow the useful grain; And cheerful, industry each good obtain[i]." Poem reproduced from the Report of the Bristol Asylum, 1799. No Author’s name is provided. The poem is simply signed a philanthropist.
“Since my son must give up light, / At least open to him the path of wisdom; / And may the radiance of Virtue at the bottom of his heart / Compensate him, alas! For the daylight he has lost.” Poem written by the father of a student at Hauy’s Paris Institute for the Blind, reproduced and translated by Paulson (1987)
“[Jennifer], Aged 17 years a native of Ireland. Came in Dec 1796. Dismissed in January 1803. She acquired the knowledge of making fine [cane] work baskets, by which she could procure a comfortable livelihood, but having been guilty of very immoral conduct, she married [Jamie], one of the blind lads when they could no longer conceal their wickedness & both were dismissed, and are now begging in the City. [Sabrina] Aged 8 years a native of Bath. Came in Dec 1796. Left the 2nd April 1817 to make room for application of the admissions of others - was given 2 Guineas & a set of tools. [Venus] Aged 20 years, a native of Downend, came in March 1797. Died Dec 7th 1812. She was at the asylum from a few years after it was first opened: by her diligence & industry, she made a considerable proficiency in fine Basket Work, by which she procured a comfortable maintenance - She seemed studiously to promote Interest of the Institution & was amiable in her manners by which she obtained the love and esteem of the family.” The Register of the Bristol Asylum, starting February 18th 1793. Found in the Bristol Royal Workshops for the Blind.
“[Jennifer], Aged 17 years a native of Ireland. Came in Dec 1796. Dismissed in January 1803. She acquired the knowledge of making fine [cane] work baskets, by which she could procure a comfortable livelihood, but having been guilty of very immoral conduct, she married [Jamie], one of the blind lads when they could no longer conceal their wickedness & both were dismissed, and are now begging in the City.
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[Sabrina] Aged 8 years a native of Bath. Came in Dec 1796. Left the 2nd April 1817 to make room for application of the admissions of others - was given 2 Guineas & a set of tools. [Venus] Aged 20 years, a native of Downend, came in March 1797. Died Dec 7th 1812. She was at the asylum from a few years after it was first opened: by her diligence & industry, she made a considerable proficiency in fine Basket Work, by which she procured a comfortable maintenance - She seemed studiously to promote Interest of the Institution & was amiable in her manners by which she obtained the love and esteem of the family.” The Register of the Bristol Asylum, starting February 18th 1793. Found in the Bristol Royal Workshops for the Blind.
Letter written by Edward Rushton in 1790, available at: http://www.btinternet.com/~m.royden/mrlhp/local/rushton/appendix.htm“For Mr John Locke at Sir Francis Marsham’s [this word looks like “Baron”] at Oates near Bishop Stafford in Essex
I. Newton 30 Jan [1691].
Sir, Your referring to answer my letter is what you need not make an apology for because I use to be guilty of the same fault as often as I have nothing of moment to write & therefore cannot in justice complain. If the scheme you have laid of managing… the place M. will not give you trouble of too large a letter, you will oblige me by it. I thankyou heartily for being so mindful of me & ready to assist me with your interest. Concerning the Ancient of Days, DAN. 7, there seems to be a mistake either in my last letter, or in yours because you wrote in your former letter the Ancient of Days in Christ, and in my last I either did or should have asked how you knew that. But these discourses may be done with freedom at one more meeting. I am indebted to my solicitor Mr Sharkey. If you please to let [him] have your opinion read him, I will send it with a letter by the courier. My Lady Marsham & you have done me much honour in looking into my book, & I am very glad to have approbation of such judicious persons. The observation you make in Mr Boyle’s book of colours I once made upon myself with the hazard of my eyes... The manner was this. I looked a very little while upon the sun in a looking glass with my right eye & then turned my eyes into a dark corner of my chamber and then winked to observe the impression made & the circles of colours which encompassed it & how the decayed by degrees & at last vanished. This I repeated a second & a third time. At the third time when the phantasm of light & colours about it were almost vanished, intending my fancy upon them to see their last I found to my amazement that they began to return & by little & little to become as lively & vivid as when I had merely looked upon the sun. But when I ceased to [intend] my fansy upon them they vanished again. After this I found that as often as I went into the dark & intended my mind upon them, as when a man looks earnestly to see anything which is difficult to be seen, I could make the phantasm return without any looking any more upon the sun. And the oftener I made it return, the more easily I could make it return again & at length by repeating this without looking any more upon the sun I made an impression on my eye. That I looked upon the clouds or a book or any bright object I saw upon it a round bright spot of light like the sun. And which is still stranger, though I looked upon the sun with my right eye only and not with my left eye, yet my phansy began to make the impression upon my left eye as well as upon my right. For if I shut my eye and looked upon a book I could with my right if I did but intend my phansy a little while upon it; but by repeating this, appeared every time more easily. And now in a few hours time I had brought my eyes to such a pass that I could look upon no bright object with either eye but I saw before me, so that I dared neither write nor read but to recover the use of my eyes shut myself up in my chamber made dark for three days together & used all means to divert my imagination from the sun. For if I thought upon [the word looks like “him”] I presently saw this picture though I was in the dark. But… by keeping in the dark and employing my mind about other things I began in three or four days longer to look upon bright objects recovered them pretty well, though not so well but for some months after the spectrum of the sun began to return as often as I began to meditate upon the phenomenon, [this word looks like “some”] though I lay in bed at midnight with my curtains drawn. But now I have been very well for many years, though I am apt to think that if I dared venture my eyes I could still make the phantasm return by the power of my phansy. This story I tell you to let you understand that if the observation related by Mr Boyle, the man’s phansy probably concurred with the impression made by the sun’s light to produce that phantasm of the sun, which he constantly saw in bright objects. And so your question the cause of this phantasm involves another about the power of phansy which I must confess is hard to it too hard a knot for me to untie. To place this effect in a constant motion is hard because the sun ought then appear perpetually. It seems rather to in a depression of the [the word looks like “sensorus” perhaps to mean “senses”?] to move the imagination strongly & to be easily moved both by the imagination & by the light as often as bright objects are looked upon. If the papers you mention come not out I will tell you at our next meeting what shall be done with them. My humble service to Sir Francis, My Lady and Mrs Cudsworth. I am Your most humble servant, Is Newton.” Letter from Isaac Newton to John Locke, dated the 30th January 1691. Found in the Correspondence of John Locke, The John Locke Collection, Bodleian Library, Oxford University. “Dear Mr Stevens, My grandson, David Malan, of Old Malthouse School, is here visiting us. On cold days he wears his grey sweater made by you; and we like it as well as he does. Though I know you make these articles, I don’t know how you sell them. Do enlighten me on this process. Dr. Ritchie says in his excellent book that we American blind school men conduct our works departments half-heartedly. He isn’t far wrong. As for Perkins it has tried hard to have its corresponding department of manual training, educational and prevocational rather than vocational. Now since in this country you never can tell what a fellow will follow in life, our plan has worked very well indeed, so long as pupil material remained largely promising and the times kept propitious; but now that these two elements are less favorable, we feel called upon to experiment in industry and need advice how best to do it successfully at school.... My school is a school and maintains the atmosphere of one. Everybody works, yes; but the motive power is desire through leadership. Compulsion isn’t in evidence. Doubtless we carry this spirit to an extreme. When the recess bell rings, as it does frequently, everybody responds very readily, and pretty much everybody looks upon his extra-curricular activities as decidedly important. American undergraduate youth does everywhere. When a legal holiday arrives they claim it as their right. How in an atmosphere of this sort am I to introduce my industrial conditions? The British blind school manages to maintain such conditions. How does it do it? Your big school boys learning basket making dress for work, sit on the floor and labor hammer and tongs as though life - or dinner - depended upon it. How long at a time do they keep this up? How many hours a day? a week? What is their incentive? Is it pay? Piece pay or saleable product? And your large girl apprentices still at school - how do you motivate their anxiety to learn and produce as evidenced in their diligence? Your Mr. Gray showed me his new means of keeping his big boy apprentices apart from the rest, except at meals - a separate and distinct rooming residence. Now I like his plan and approved of the idea though I did not mean to follow it here. My present plan is either to send regularly a small voluntary group of my older boy apprentices away from the school premises for several consecutive hours of intensive labor at an industry, but to have them return as regularly for some minor activities, academic and social, and of course for living, betweenwhiles; or to try to carry out all these activities, major and minor, here at the institution. You people do it; perhaps I can. That is to say, - when Dr. Ritchie claims that we press our works departments only half-heartedly, the natural inference is that he and Mr. Gray and other headmasters do it whole-heartedly. I seek the secret to apply to you to acquaint me with it. Bristol has become a pleasant memory to me. You enabled me to see and understand more both of city, shop, hostel and home life than has been customary in my peregrinations, and I thank you heartily. I mean to run over again some day. Meanwhile shall you not visit over here, perhaps with other Europeans at the international congress next spring? I should love to entertain you. Cordially yours, Edward E Allen” Letter to the Head of the Royal Blind Asylum Workshops (formerly the Bristol Asylum) from the Director of the Perkins Institution and Massachusetts School for the Blind, US, dated September 8th 1930. Found in the archives of the Bristol Royal Society for the Blind.
“But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house; and they called to Lot, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them to us so that we may know them’ [One must remember the sexual connotation of the verb ‘to know’ in Hebrew[ii].] Lot went out of the door to the men, shut the door after him, and said, ‘I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Look, I have two daughters who have not known a man; let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please; only do nothing to these men for they have come under the shelter of my roof.’ But they replied ‘Stand back!’ And they said, ‘This fellow came here as an alien, and he would play the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than we will with them.’ Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near the door to break it down. But the men inside [the angelic visitors] reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. And they struck with blindness the men who were at the door of the house, both small and great, so that they were unable to find the door. (Gen. 19.4-11[iii]) ” Rewritten in Hull (2001: p.59-60)
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