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Nor is the world to them a less enchanting scene than it is to us, -- provided they have occupation. Blindness is not the sole, nor the principal cause of the unhappiness of the blind; and, were they nor continually reminded of their inferiority by our officious and unnecessary expressions of sympathy and compassion, they would not feel it. They cannot conceive how the sense of sight can be the source of any positive pleasure to us, otherwise than as it enables us to ascertain the physical qualities of objects at a greater distance than they can by the feeling. Hence they look upon the want of it as a loss of advantage, and not of enjoyment. There is a great deal of philosophy and of good sense in the answer of a blind man to the question, Whether the possession of sight would not increase his happiness? 'I cannot conceive that it would,' said he, 'in a very material degree. I suppose your eyes serve with you the same purpose that my hands and cane do with me; that is, to ascertain the shape and other physical qualities of bodies. The only advantage you have, is the ability to do this at a greater distance than I can; now if I were to choose, it would be rather to have my arms so constituted that I could reach any object which you can see, than to possess what you call vision.' Hence it is that we seldom find those who are born blind repining after sight; but we do see them sitting bowed down under a sense of humiliating dependence; with their faculties undeveloped by action, and their minds gradually degenerating into imbecility, from the monotonous torpor of their existence.

With regard to the number of the blind, we have no means of knowing it very accurately in this country, for no correct census has been taken; but from researches made by the Trustees of the New England Institution for the Education of the Blind, it is quite evident that the returns made by the general estimates are far too low. The only document we have met with is one lately published in Philadelphia, apparently taken from the general census, in which the number of the blind in every State is given, and which makes the sum total a little over five thousand.

TABLE showing the number of Blind persons in the United States; also the relative proportion to the population, &c

This table bears inaccuracy on the very face of it, -- for example, Massachusetts is said to have 223 blind persons only, -- whereas the imperfect statement, made several years ago by order of the House of Representatives, gave 245 blind, although only one hundred and forty towns, out of more than three hundred, made any return. It was ascertained that no returns were made from some towns where blind persons were known to exist; and Mr. Loud, chairman of the Committee of the House, estimated the total number of blind in the State at 500; an estimate, which subsequent inquiries show to be rather high, but much nearer the truth than the one given in the above table.

According to this table, the proportion of the blind to the whole population in different parts of the Union, varies from 1 in 1413 to 1 in 6329; New Jersey having the greatest, and Michigan the smallest number. There is a striking difference between the numbers of the white and colored blind: the largest proportion of white being in New Jersey viz. 1 in 1464; and the smallest in Michigan, viz. 1 in 6269: while the highest proportion of the blind among the blacks is in Rhode Island, -- being 1 to 447; and the lowest 1 in 3950, being in Tennessee.