institute a comparison between different
systems. After this, he modified his original
alphabet, rendering it less angular than it had
before been, and introducing Roman capitals
at the beginning of sentences and proper
names. Here then, we find, in the case of an
ingenious contriver, a frequent oscillation
between widely different systems. Afterwards,
Mr. Alexander Hay devised an alphabet of
twenty-six arbitrary characters, which by
certain combinations could represent
abbreviations and double letters. Types were cast
in this character, but no books have been
produced.

To show how great has been the
uncertainty concerning the best form of letter to
adopt, it may suffice to say, that in response
to an invitation put forth in eighteen
hundred and thirty-two, by the Edinburgh
Society of Arts, no fewer than nineteen
different alphabets for the Blind were suggested,
of which sixteen were in purely arbitrary
character. The Society's prize was given
to Doctor Fry of London, for an alphabet
consisting of .Roman capitals deprived of the
seriffs or small strokes at the extremities.
Mr Alston, of the Glasgow Blind Asylum,
made a few slight alterations in Doctor
Fry's letters, to improve the sharpness of
the embossing; he printed a few elementary
works; and soon after, he completed the
whole of the Bible, Old and New Testaments,
in nineteen quarto volumes: a great work,
truly, considering that each individual letter
is a Roman capital. Besides the Bible, Mr.
Alston printed about thirty other works in
quarto, and a small number in octavo. Meantime,
Mr. Lucas, of Bristol, also had devised
a new alphabet. It consists of arbitrary
characters, somewhat resembling those used in
Byrom's system of short-hand. After Mr.
Lucas had printed portions of the New
Testament in his new type, the system was
adopted by the London Society for Teaching
the Blind to Read. This Society has printed
the whole of the Bible, as well as numerous
minor works. Then came Mr. Frere, with
characters similar to those in Gurney's shorthand;
made in a singular way. Each letter
is formed by a bit of wire, bent and fixed
down to a tin plate. The printing or
embossing is effected by the common press. The
books are read from right to left and back
again, like certain ancient books. The London
and Blackheath Society for Teaching the
Blind to Read, have adopted Mr. Frere's
alphabet, with which they have printed
nearly the whole of the Bible, and a few
minor works.

Another inventor, Mr. Moon, Master of
the Brighton Blind Asylum, has introduced
an arbitrary alphabet, founded upon, but
greatly differing from, the ordinary Roman
alphabet. He has printed considerable
portions of the Bible, and a number of small
works.

Here we find that, besides minor
attempts, all the New Testament, and portions
of the Old, have been embossed in five
different systems—Gall's, Fry's or Alston's,
Lucas's, Frere's, and Moon's. Four of these
are in arbitrary characters, and one in
Roman capitals. The expense of one copy
of the New Testament varies from forty
shillings in the cheapest to ninety shillings in the
dearest system; and it seems probable that
no blind person who has learned any one
system could read in any of the other four,
without beginning his studies over again.

Let us now say a little concerning the
United States. In eighteen hundred and
thirty-three, Dr. Howe, principal of the
Boston Institution for the Blind, adopted
a Roman alphabet, of the small letters.
He aimed at compressing the letter into
a comparatively close and cheap form, which
he accomplished by cutting off all the
flourishes and points about the letters, and
reducing them to the minimum size and
elevation which could be easily distinguished
by the Blind. By this means he caused a
word to occupy only about half the space
which it would occupy in ordinary small
Roman type. This character was found so
useful and economical, that it was adopted in
printing a great number of works, in Boston,
and in other American towns. In no less than
seventeen of the States are Blind Asylums in
which Howe's plan is adopted; and these
have followed a system excellent in a
commercial point of view; for, instead of all of
them printing the Bible, or all printing this
or that book, some print one work and some
another, and then they exchange copies.
The books printed on this system are greatly
more varied than those in England, embracing
among others a General Atlas, an Atlas of
the United States, and a twenty-volume
Cyclopaedia of General Knowledge. Almost all
the books are stereotyped, and small editions
are struck off as they are wanted. They are
printed at a powerful press made for the
purpose. In Philadelphia, a system of Roman
capitals has been partially adopted; and in
Virginia, Roman capitals at the beginning of
sentences and proper names have been super-
added to Dr. Howe's "lower-case" alphabet;
but, with these exceptions, the entire United
States seem to join in the adoption of one
system—that of Dr. Howe.

Surely it is worthy the attention of the
benevolent persons and societies so heartily
engaged in this cause, to decide whether
some one system might not be profitably
adopted by all. The Jury number seventeen,
at the Great Exhibition, bestowed much
pains on this subject. In their admirable
Report (to which we are greatly indebted
for many of the foregoing details) they insist
strongly on the advantage of this unanimity.
They point out, that while the New Testament,
on one of our systems, costs as much
as ninety shillings per copy, and on the
cheapest system forty, the Boston New