nnum for printing embossed books for
the blind. Most of the European countries and the English colonies
provide by taxation for the education of the blind.

TYPES

The earliest authentic records of tangible letters for the blind
describe a plan of engraving the letters upon blocks of wood, the
invention of Francesco Lucas, a Spaniard, who dedicated it to Philip II.
of Spain in the 16th century. In 1640 Pierre Moreau, a writing-master in
Paris, cast a movable leaden type for the use of the blind, but being
without means to carry out his plan, abandoned it. Pins inserted in
cushions were next tried, and large wooden letters. After these came a
contrivance of Du Puiseaux, a blind man, who had metal letters cast and
set them in a small frame with a handle. Whilst these experiments were
going on in France, attempts had also been made in Germany. R.
Weissembourg (a resident of Mannheim), who lost his sight when about
seven years of age, made use of letters cut in cardboard, and afterwards
pricked maps in the same material. By this method he taught Mlle
Paradis, the talented blind musician and the friend of Valentin Hauy.

To Hauy belongs the honour of being the first to emboss paper as a means
of reading for the blind; his books were embossed in large and small
italics, from movable type set by his pupils. The following is an
account of the origin of his discovery. Hauy's first pupil was Francois
Lesueur, a blind boy whom he found begging at the porch door of St
Germain des Pres. While Lesueur was sorting the papers on his teacher's
desk, he came across a card strongly indented by the types in the press.
The blind lad showed his master he could decipher several letters on the
card. Immediately Hauy traced with the handle of his pen some signs on
paper. The boy read them, and the result was printing in relief, the
greatest of Hauy's discoveries. In 1821 Lady Elizabeth Lowther brought
embossed books and types from Paris, and with the types her son, Sir
Charles Lowther, Bart., printed for his own use the Gospel of St
Matthew. The work of Hauy was taken up by Mr Gall of Edinburgh, Mr
Alston of Glasgow, Dr Howe of Boston, Mr Friedlander of Philadelphia,
and others. In 1827 James Gall of Edinburgh embossed some elementary
works, and published the Gospel of St John in 1834. His plan was to use
the common English letter and replace curves by angles.

In 1832 the Edinburgh Society of Arts offered a gold medal for the best
method