BLIND 715 over two and a quarter millions. From the accounts of travellers it would seem that in Japan the blind receive more respect than in other Asiatic countries. Sir Rutherford Alcock, in his "Capital of the Tycoon," says: "There are two sects of blind, founded by two great celeb- rities in Japanese history one by the third son of a mikado who wept himself blind for the death of a mistress, and the other by a defeated general in the civil wars, who tore his eyes out that he might not be provoked to take the life of a generous victor, Youtomo, the founder of a dynasty. Into these two sects, half secular, half religious, persons of all ranks enter. They are generally but not exclusively musicians, and earn their subsistence by playing on musical instruments." Care and Education of the Blind. Although in all ages individuals among the blind have obtained some education, the ancients made no provision for the support or instruction of these unfortunates, who depend- ed for subsistence upon their friends, or lived by begging ; and long after the commencement of the Christian era they received but little of the sympathy which the doctrines of Christian- ity inculcate. The first known public asylum for the blind was founded at Paris in 12(50 by Louis IX., or Saint Louis, and was called the hospice des Quime Vingti. It was established for the benefit of soldiers who were suffering from ophthalmia contracted in the campaigns in Egypt, and was intended, as its name im- plies, for 15 score or 300 blind persons, although for many years the number has been much larger. Its annual income is about $80,000. The allowance to each blind man is $89 per annum; if he is married, it is increased to $110; and if he has children, he receives an additional $10 for each child. It has also about 600 pensioners who do not reside at the hos- pital, but receive, according to their age and circumstances, a yearly sum of $20, $30, or $40, to aid in their support. Some of those entitled to a residence in the hospital prefer to remain with their families in other parts of the city, and to them a pension of $50 per annum is paid. No instruction is given to the inmates of the Quinze Vingts, but some of them exe- cute pieces of work which are remarkable for taste and ingenuity. A similar but less exten- sive institution was established at Chartres in the latter part of the 13th century, and en- dowed by King John in 1350 to enable it to accommodate 120 blind persons. From a va- riety of causes the number of inmates dwindled till in 1837, according to Dufau, there were but 10. It is now closed. During the 16th cen- tury benevolent men who had witnessed with sympathy the sad fate of the blind devised pro- cesses for their instruction, but with no great success. In 1670 Padre Lana Terzi, a Jesuit of Brescia, who had already published an essay on the instruction of deaf mutes, produced a treatise on the instruction of the blind. Nearly a century later the abb6 Deschamps and Dide- rot proposed plans for their instruction in read- ing and writing; but it was not till 1784, when Valentin Haiiy commenced his labors, that any institution specially intended for the education of the blind was successfully attempted. At- tracted at first to humanitarian labors by the brilliant example of the abb6 de l'Ep6e in be- half of the deaf and dumb, he enthusiastically devoted himself to the work of instructing the blind. About this time he became acquainted with the celebrated Theresa von Paradis, the blind pianist, and received great encouragement from the interest she took in his enterprise. His first pupil was a young blind beggar named Leseur, who afterward became instrumental in promoting the education of the blind, as Mas- sieu had been in that of deaf mutes. He taught him to distinguish raised letters, arith- metical figures, and outline maps, and hi a few weeks exhibited him before the mem- bers of the iociete philanthropique, who were enthusiastic in their admiration. A small house, No. 18 Notre Dame des Victoires, was secured, with funds to support 12 pupils. During the year the number increased to 24, and, in consequence of his unceasing labors, improved so rapidly that he exhibited them before Louis XVI. and the court. Haiiy be- came a lion, and the school increased in num- bers and popularity. Many of its pupils became proficients in music and mathematics. In 1791 the school was taken under the patronage of the state, but the sums decreed for its support were paid only in assignats, which soon became worthless. Hauy and his blind pupils worked at the printing press procured in their more fortunate days, and eked out an existence by the severest toil. After the establishment of the empire the school was transferred to the Quinze Vingts, where its members became de- moralized from associating with the inmates of that institution, Hauy resigned, but re- ceived a pension of 2,000 francs. In 1806 he visited St. Petersburg at the invitation of the emperor Alexander I., and founded the insti- tution for the blind in that city. He was also instrumental in founding the institution for the blind at Berlin about the same time. In 1814 the French government assigned the school of Hauy separate, quarters in the rue St. Victor, and gave it ampler funds and the title of "Royal Institution for the Blind." Dr. Guille was appointed director, a man of energy and tact, but excessively vain and jealous of the fame of Hatty. After some difficulty he resigned and was succeeded by M. Dufau, who had been for 25 years a teacher in the institu- tion. The next institution of the kind in point of time was founded at Liverpool in 1791, and in 1793 asylums for the blind were established at Edinburgh and Bristol. A list of the va- rious institutions for the blind in Great Britain, Ireland, and Scotland is given in the following table, compiled from the "Guide to the In- stitutions and Charities for the Blind in the United Kingdom," by Mansfield Turner and William Harris (London, 1871) :
