From W. E. Darwin [after 25 March 1868]1
I was at Worcester yesterday, & went to the blind school, which I found very interesting; the Master Mr Blair seemed a sensible man. he said positively that he had two boys in the school born blind who blushed when corrected &c (he only has 7 or 8) & his wife said he had observed the boy I came to see (who was born blind) blush the day before on coming into the room where a lady was waiting to see him (the boy is 9 or 10), I afterwards asked him if he knew what blushing was, & he seemed to know perfectly & said he had often felt his face tingle with it.2 Mr Blair is going to ask the Master of a large blind school at Worcester, & is going to write me a line.3
I am sure any other questions you might put to him, he would be very glad to answer; he said he was reading some German book on the blind, & if he came across anything he would let me know.
The way they do arithmetic algebra trigonometry is wonderful. he has one boy now staying with him on vacation from Dublin University, & he hopes he will take a very high degree & become professor of something or other.
Please tell Hen. I went to the Worcester porcelain works, & was smit with a small triplet flower-vase, & as a chip had take the edge off the price, I yielded after a struggle, & she will receive it in a day or so4
It is splendid your getting a new edition out in America so soon.5
I hope you are all brisk.
I am better, & only have one bath a day.6
Your affect son | W E Darwin
Mr Blair said that tho’ the blind are born unconscious of being observed, that to teach them they are so is a great part of their education.7
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Expression: The expression of the emotions in man and animals. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.
Post Office directory of Birmingham: Post Office directory of Birmingham, Warwickshire, and part of Staffordshire. Kelly’s directory of Birmingham, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. London: W. Kelly; Kelly & Co. 1845–1928.
Variation US ed.: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. New York: Orange Judd & Co. [1868.]
Summary
Blushing in boys blind from birth. Has got information from R. H. Blair, the principal of a college for the blind.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-6069
- From
- William Erasmus Darwin
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- unstated
- Source of text
- DAR 162: 82
- Physical description
- ALS 6pp inc †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6069,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6069.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 16