all hands. She
always considered the Edinburgh type the simplest; but when she found
how many adults lose their sight, and how slowly their sense of touch is
developed, whilst in some it is not developed at all, she thought that,
on the whole, it might be best to use Roman capitals for the blind, that
this would offer greater facility than any other system for those who
had previously learnt to read, and would present no greater difficulty
to those born blind. She made no effort for the advancement of her view
on this subject, and in later years always advocated the use of Moon's
type for those who lose sight as adults.

Her own keenness of touch was marvellous, but then it had been carefully
trained from the time that the little child sat beside her father at
dessert, and poured out his glass of wine. She always knew the hands of
her sisters, could tell them apart by touch, and though they would
sometimes try, they were never able to deceive her. She also remembered
by touch people whom she had not met for years. But she recognised that
her power and that of some of the born blind was exceptional, and the
development of it due to careful training.

And so her letter written to inquire into a system which she did not
understand, turned her thought for a time to a question which always
interested, though it never engrossed her, that of deciding upon a
uniform type for embossed printing.

All paths are right that lead to the mountain top, provided we remember
that we are going up the hill and keep ascending.

Bessie had taken this very humble path of typewriting, and it led her
upwards and onwards, showing her the possibility of giving aid to others
through experiments and trials of her own.

It has already been mentioned that General Sir James Bathurst was an old
friend of the family; and in London his children and the Gilberts saw
much of each other. Sir James's eldest daughter, Caroline Bathurst, was
one of the little band of so-called "advanced" women who, about this
time, 1850, were interested in every movement having for its object the
development and intellectual culture of women, and the throwing open to
them of some career other than that of matrimony; since matrimony was
seen to be not possible or even desirable for some women, such, for
example, as Bessie Gilbert.

Miss Bathurst had taken part in the opening in 1848 of Queen's College
for Women, Harley Street, by the Rev. F. D. Maurice and the Professors