useful　in　the　world　equally　with　the　delicate　hand　that　paints　a　wild

flower　or　moulds　a　Grecian　urn；　or　the　hand　of　a　statesman　that　writes　a

law。　The　eye　cannot　say　to　the　hand；　〃I　have　no　need　of　thee。〃　Blessed

be　the　hand！　Thrice　blessed　be　the　hands　that　work！

THE　POWER　OF　TOUCH

IV

THE　POWER　OF　TOUCH

SOME　months　ago；　in　a　newspaper　which　announced　the　publication　of　the

〃Matilda　Ziegler　Magazine　for　the　Blind；〃　appeared　the　following

paragraph：

〃Many　poems　and　stories　must　be　omitted　because　they　deal　with　sight。

Allusion　to　moonbeams；　rainbows；　starlight；　clouds；　and　beautiful

scenery　may　not　be　printed；　because　they　serve　to　emphasize　the　blind

man's　sense　of　his　affliction。〃

That　is　to　say；　I　may　not　talk　about　beautiful　mansions　and　gardens

because　I　am　poor。　I　may　not　read　about　Paris　and　the　West　Indies

because　I　cannot　visit　them　in　their　territorial　reality。　I　may　not

dream　of　heaven　because　it　is　possible　that　I　may　never　go　there。　Yet　a

venturesome　spirit　impels　me　to　use　words　of　sight　and　sound　whose

meaning　I　can　guess　only　from　analogy　and　fancy。　This　hazardous　game　is

half　the　delight；　the　frolic；　of　daily　life。　I　glow　as　I　read　of

splendours　which　the　eye　alone　can　survey。　Allusions　to　moonbeams　and

clouds　do　not　emphasize　the　sense　of　my　affliction：　they　carry　my　soul

beyond　affliction's　narrow　actuality。

Critics　delight　to　tell　us　what　we　cannot　do。　They　assume　that　blindness

and　deafness　sever　us　pletely　from　the　things　which　the　seeing　and

the　hearing　enjoy；　and　hence　they　assert　we　have　no　moral　right　to　talk

about　beauty；　the　skies；　mountains；　the　song　of　bi