The arbitrary point character was invented by Charles 'lathier, a Frenchman, and arranged in its present form by Louis Braille, one of the blind professors at the Institution Nationale of Paris. it consists of six dots. One or more of these are placed in various positions, making 62 varieties of form. One great advantage of this character is that it can be used by the blind for writing to others in their condition. Another is that it affords an excellent method for writing and printing music. It is extensively used, and is a valuable invention. Mr. William IL Wait. the superintendent of the New York Institution for the arranged a modification of the point system, the dots of his method being placed horizontally. The friends of the point system would he glad to abolish the Roman letter alto gether, whereas the advocates of the latter are glad to avail themselves of both methods, which are taught side by side in some institutions. They point out that seeing persons use three dis tinct methods for their educational purposes: Roman letter for reading, script letter for writ ing, and an arbitrary arrangement of characters for music. There would therefore seem to be no reason why the blind should not employ two: Roman letter for reading and the point for writ ing and music.
Since the time of Rally thoughtful educators have dwelt on the importance of using seeing methods as far as possible for the instruction of the blind. The point is to rescue the sightless from segregation as a class apart, and to give them as many interests as possible in common with the rest of the world. Thus. owing to the influence of Mr. Gall, the modified Roman letter was adopted by the Royal Society of Arts. In 1S51 the Royal Commissioners of the Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations. held in London, recommended the universal adoption of Dr. Howe's books (the Boston type). In 1872 the American Association of Instructors of the Blind passed a series of resolutions in favor of the adoption as far as practicable of seeing meth ods. In 1876 the London School Board, after a patient and careful examination of the argu ments advanced by sonic of the ablest educators of the blind in England, decided to adopt the methods used by seeing children in ordinary schools. In the reports of the Perkins Institu
tion, Dr. Howe urged constantly the minimizing in every possible way the difference between the blind and the seeing. Dr. Frank Rainey. of the Texas Institution, read before the World's Con gress of the Educators of the Blind. held in Chi cago in 1S93, an able paper on this subject. He said, among other things: "If we use the ordi nary methods, the child will think and talk like seeing persons, whereas if we use odd or extra ordinary methods, it will not have the same con ceptions of concrete things as we do." A great advantage of the Roman letter over the point is that blind children can get their early training from teachers in the public school, or from their parents, under the former system, and they themselves can in turn, after they have grown up, teach seeing children, making fairly good governesses for families. The punctuation of the point system is complicated, and the omis sion or abrasion of one single point alters the entire letter. "Any system where frequent sub stitution of its characters is necessary for its perfection is essentially weak in all its parts, and is fearfully defective in that its structure depends upon position, reversion, and substitu tion." The principal printing establishments in the United States are: (I) The American Printing House for the Blind at Louisville, Ky. Congress has since IS79 appropriated $10.000 a year in support of this enterprise, the publications being distributed pro rata among the institutions of this country. (2) The Howe Memorial Press at the Perkins Institution, Boston, which has an endowment fund of nearly $150,000, raised by private subscription.
The first circulating library for the blind in the United States was established at the Perkins Institution in 1SS2. although books had been lent to the blind free of charge before this time. Philadelphia and New York also have libraries of this sort. and departments for the blind have been instituted in the State Library of New York at Albany, and in several of the principal cities of New England.