To make known the literature thus provided for the blind, Mr. Gall visited England and Ireland, as well as different parts of Scotland. teaching the blind who were brought to him to read and write in a few lessons. The writing apparatus will be described hereafter. Letters thus written were transmitted by post, and, as the same alphabet was used both inside and without, not only were the sealed contents read by the blind to whom they were scut, but the addresses also were read by the postman who delivered them. Great interest began to be excited throughout Britain, and extended even to foreign countries. Abbjearton was sent by the Belgian government to visit Mr. Gall's establishment, and returned to set tip a printing-press in Brussels, which has continued to supply books for that kingdom. Dr. Howe also, from Boston. visited Scotland, and, Itaviug received from Mr. Gall all the information which he could supply, established, on his return to America, a printing-press in the Perkins institution. In 1834, he pub lished the Acts of the Apostles, and completed the New Testament in 1836. About the same time, Mr. Jacob Snider, of Philadelphia, not knowing what had been done else where, published the Gospel by St. 3Iark in 1834; but, as he had unfortunately adopted the capital alphabet, his books could not compete with Dr. Howe's; and, after printing the gospels and a few other volumes, his press ceased to be used. Dr. Howe, on the contrary, had adopted an angular modification of the common alphabet, similar to, but much smaller than Mr. Gall's, and with that printed the whole Bible, besides an ever increasing number of other volumes in all departments, with which he continues to supply the whole of the United States. In Paris, also, the art was revived with great vigor. and a number of printing-presses were established in different parts of the continent. • Having thus succeeded so far as the blind were concerned, Mr. Gall was next anxious to improve the printing and lessen the cost, so that any village printer could make it part of his ordinary trade, requiring subscriptions from the public. By careful experiment, and with the help of his son, he was enabled to make the alphabet assume more of its usual form without losing its tangibility, and to enrich the sentences by the introduction of initial capitals for proper names, etc., as in common books. But the most important improvement consisted in the use of serrated types, by which the letters were formed of dots ••instead of lines. I3y this means the impression was not only sharper and more easily felt, but also more permanent, being- better supported, as if by a series of arches, /vV\AA../ like corrugated zinc roofs. It was also found that when the paper was thus semi-punetured instead of being embossed, the common printing press couid print the sheets with half the pressure, and in half the time; and as the paper did not need to be nearly so thick as formerly, the books could be produced at one half of their former cost, 1836, therefore, he offered to societies and publishers to print books for the, blind in the improved type at so much per sheet, as an ordinary business transaction, without either subscriptions or donations. Of this offer the London Sunday-sehool union, the tract society, and the British and Foreign Bible society, availed themselves in 1837, and in 1838 he printed for the British and Foreign Bible society the Gospel by Luke and the Acts of the Apostles (two of the eight volumes of the New Testament). which they were able to sell at 45. each; and here ended Mr. Gall's labors for the blind, extending over a period of twelve years, during eleven of which (1826-37) he had been alone in the field.
As the institutions for the blind in those days " had not hitherto (as they expressed it) patronized any device of this kind," Mr. Gall had to contend single-handed with all the apathy and incredulity which every new thing has to encounter. Ihit now the tide had turned, renders were multiplying over the country, schools for the blind were begin ning to be formed, the institutions abroad had all "patronized the device," and print ing•presses were busy both itt America and on the continent; so that when the Sunday school union, the London tract society, and the British and Foreign Bible society began to publish class-books, tracts, and Bibles for the blind, they all at once became con Vineed of its importance, and took it up with so much energy, that there Ives now no longer any danger of its abandoned; and as Mr. Gall's work was thus practically accomplished, it was neither his interest nor'his inclination to compete with them.
The first, and by far the most energetic, of the dumber was Mr. John Alston of Glas gow, who, having established a printing-press in the blind asylum, of which he was treasurer, printed in 1837 the Gospel by St. Mark in the same type in which (unknown to him) it had been printed in 183-4 by Mr. Snider in Philadelphia. Through his influ
ence it was at once adopted in the other instituti,ons throughout the kingdom; and having thrown himself with much enthusiasm into the work, he very soon raised funds by which he completed the Xew 'Testament in 1:838, therwliole Bible in 1840. To him, therefore, belbngs the honor of having printed the first complete Bible for the blind in any language, because Dr. Howp of America, although he commenced the work earlier, did not finish it till 1842. The effect was immediate and decisive, rivalry was extinguished, hundreds of the blind were brought under instruction, and reading was thenceforth acknowledged to be a necessary department of the education for the blind.
If Mr. Alston had adopted a modification of the low-case alphabet, and more especi ally, if he had printed his books in a much larger type, they would have been an unspeakable blessing to the blind in this country; because, not only would they have been universally adopted, but they would have continued to be used, and he would thus have prevented the lamentable confusion into which the printing for the blind in this country has fallen. But unfortunately Mr. Alston, being encouraged by the decision of the Scottish . society of arts, which he himself had very much helped to influence, fell into the double error of adopting the Roman 'capitals forliis'alpfiabet, and making his type too small. The consequence was, that a reaction very soon took place, the blind themselves being the first to rebel. The want of suflkicnt legibility was in their judg ment a fatal objection, and outweighed all Other considerations. 'Even the large amount of money that had been expended, and the extensive libraries that had been formed through Mr. Alston's energetic labors, they were prepared to sacrifice, in order to obtain books which they could read with case.
The second in the field, or rather simultaneously with Mr. Alston, was Mr. Lucas of the Bristol institution, who invented a most ingenious system of stenographic printing 1 f f") o\ with arbitrary characters and numberless contractions, by which he secured largeness of type and at the same time diminished the size of the books. He had in 1837 printed the Gospel by St. John, and in 1838 the Acts of the .Apostles, but during the triumph. and rapid multiplication of Mr. Alston's books little attention was paid either to him or his system; but when the tide turned, and legibility became the great desideratum, the value of his invention became apparent, and in 1839 a society was formed to aid ?1r, Lucas in printing the Bible and teaching the blind to read upon his system. The blind were delighted with his books; his printing establishment was removed to LondonOargo funds were collected; and the whole Bible and many other books were printed, (knits of the .Nets Testament, £2.) The third competitor was 3Ir. Frere of London, whose objections to Mr, Lucas' syss tem were so strong, that he was induced to devise another, which was (as he 1.iinnelf described it) "a scientific representation of speech, the alphabet containing only ene character for each of the simple sounds of the English language." This opinion was shared by another largo section of the friends of the blind; and accordingly, in 1339, another society was formed, another Bible was printed, another literature was created, and another illustration was supplied of the difficulty of securing the universal and per manent adoption of any arbitrary character for the blind. Mr. Fro.° had also the merit of inventing the " return lines"--that is tb say, the lines in his books are read from left to right. and from right to left alternately, the letters themselves being reversed in the return lines. He also devised i cheat) and very ingenious method of sotting up and stereotyping his boas, the letters being formed of small bits of bent wire laid on a tin plate, and fastened with heat. (New Tedament, R2 108.) The fourth competitor was Dr. 'Moon, of Brighton, He, too, uses an arbitrary alphabet, same of the characters resembling or sugnesting the letters which they repre sent. He has also adopted Mr. Frere's " return lines," but does not reverse the letters as Mr. Frere does. Mr. Moon's printing is larger than any other, and therefore more Estsily felt. This is a great advantage to beginners, and to those whose touch is very obtuse, although,no doubt his books are on that account both bulky and expensive. Nevertheless, this is by far the safest side on which to err, and therefore Mr. Moon's books are great favorites with the blind. A society, having numerous branches, has been formed to extend this system, and the blind are sought out and taught in their homes. Many more blind persons can read on Dr. Moon's system than on any other. Besides the bible, Dr. Moon has printed (embossed) an extensive literature, both in English and in many foreign languages.