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The United States Bureau of Education gives the number of embossed books in the country in the year 1915 as 127,247. The greater part of these are in the school libraries, thousands belonging to departments for the blind in public libraries; from both of these sources the circulation to the blind at home is surprisingly large. A fact mainly accountable for this is that such books pass through the mails postage free. There are now, besides fiction in great variety, periodical magazines embossed for finger reading, notably the Matilda Ziegler Magazine, a monthly appearing in no less than 15,000 copies. A journal of inter-communication among all agencies in behalf of the blind, a quarterly in common print, called the Outlook for the Blind, has been issued since 1907 and is of far-reaching service to all interested in work for the blind.

Higher Education. -- The Association of American Instructors of the Blind, formed in 1871, has met biennially ever since, usually as guest of one or another institution. The proceedings of each convention have been published. The principles underlying the scheme for educating the blind being to make them as little as possible a class apart from the rest of the community, it has not been deemed wise to attempt to establish a national college for the higher education of those capable of taking it, but efforts are making toward enabling the brighter and worthier pupils to attend one of the colleges for the seeing, at the expense of the States or the schools from which they come. Seven states have already (1918) made appropriations of money for such higher education. The school instruction of the blind is comparatively an easy matter. That work is less of a science than the more difficult task of instructing the deaf. But training them vocationally or for social efficiency is usually difficult, and it is becoming more and more so as society grows in complexity, and the places easily open to the blind become filled by them. Since 1900, through the vastly increased attention given the adult blind by private associations and public commissions, which have opened new shops for their employment and increased the kinds of occupations provided them, the schools have made their curricula more definitely vocational, and moreover their superintendents have more and more actively assumed the responsibility not only of preparing their charges for something definite but even of providing them work or positions when leaving the shelter of school.

Vocational Statistics. -- Blindness in itself does not necessarily unfit its possessor for employment or even self-support; and there are few occupations in which some blind person has not made good. But while it is usually easy to equip a blind person for a vocation, it is always difficult to place him, as the average employer of labor does not want him. This fact seriously militates against the potential economic success of the blind and has always done so. It tends to superimpose idleness upon blindness, which is tragedy indeed. And yet the blind are very properly classed as socially competent. The proposed plan of our government for doing its duty to those of its soldiers who are blinded in the great war, i.e., not only re-educating them but also finding or making places for those capable of filling them, is splendid and a most encouraging sign of the times. Even when back in 1878 an exhaustive census of the graduates from all over the country was compiled, it revealed the following facts: 16 became superintendents of other institutions; 214 became teachers or were otherwise employed in institutions; 34 became ministers of the gospel; 84 authors, publishers or lecturers; 310 were engaged as teachers of music or were vocalists outside of institutions; 69 had been organists in churches; 125 piano tuners; 937 had been engaged as teachers, employees and workers in handicraft; 277 were storekeepers, etc.; 45 became owners and managers of real estate; 760 (mostly women) were employed at housework at home or in families, or at sewing with machines, or by hand, and 78 were in homes of employment. Further, according to the census of the United States, while there were about 55,000 blind in the land, but 2,560 were found in almshouses. What proportion of these ever attended our schools will never be known, but it must be remembered that blindness is an affliction of old age.

Bibliography. -- Anagnos, M., 'Education of the Blind' (Boston 1882); Diderot, 'Essay on Blindness' (Reprint, London 1895); 'Encyclopaedia Britannica,' article "Blindness" (Vol. III, New York 1911); Hauy, Valentin, 'Essay on the Education of the Blind' (Reprint, London 1894); Howe, Julia Ward, 'Memoir of Dr. Samuel G. Howe' (Boston 1877); Illingworth, W. H., 'History of the Education of the Blind' (London 1914); La Sizeranne, Maurice, 'The Blind as Seen through Blind Eyes' (translated by F. Park Lewis, New York 1893); 'The Blind Sisters of Saint Paul' (New York 1907); Mell, Alexander, 'Encyclopaedisches Handbuch des Blinden-Wesens' (Vienna 1899); 'Nelson's Encyclopedia,' article "Blind, Training of the" (Vol. II, New York 1910); Richards, Mrs. Laura A., 'Letters and Journal of Samuel G. Howe' (Vol. II, 'The Servant of Humanity,' (Boston 1909); Sanborn, F. B., 'Dr. S. G. Howe' (New York 1881); 'Reports,' American Association of Instructors of the Blind (1853-1915); State Commissions for the Blind (1906-16); United States Bureau of Education 1872, 1899, 1913, 1915 (Washington Government Printing Office); International Conferences on the Blind (London 1902-14, National Institute for the Blind); 'American Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Ophthalmology' (1913-16); Outlook for the Blind (Columbus 1907-15).