Elizabeth Gilbert and Her Work for the Blind Part 12

BISHOP GILBERT'S PRAYER.

_To be offered up at all Meetings of the Committee and Members._

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, in Thy ministry upon earth, didst make the blind to see, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, lepers to be cleansed, the dead to be raised up (Matt. xi. 5, Luke vii. 22), and by Thy holy apostle has commanded Thy followers, that we should bear one another's burdens (Gal. vi. 2), regard with Thy favour, we beseech Thee, and aid with Thy blessing, our humble endeavour to remove stumbling-blocks from before the feet of the blind, to smooth their difficulties, and to strengthen their steps.

Prosper our efforts, we humbly beseech Thee, O Father, to their worldly relief, and sanctify them, by Thy Spirit, to the increase in us of humility, faith, thankfulness, and charity, and to the growth in our afflicted brethren and sisters of patience and resignation, of goodwill to those around them, and of love to all, with all other graces that adorn the Christian life. Of Thy mercy, O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one ever blessed Trinity in Unity, hear our prayer, and accept and bless the work of our hands. O prosper Thou our handiwork. Amen.

FOOTNOTE:

[6] The prayer is inserted at the end of this chapter.

CHAPTER X

TRIALS AND TEMPTATIONS

"Boundless pity for those who are ignorant, misled, and out of the right way."--KINGSLEY.

Bessie was now thirty-two years old, and during 1857, 1858, and part of 1859 she was probably at the height of her power, physical and mental.

The physical never amounted to very much. Her health was feeble. She was liable to long fits of depression, to long attacks of headache and prostration, to much suffering from nervous exhaustion. During the year 1857 the progress and development of her work, the encouragement and offers of help which she received, stimulated her to unusual activity.

To a great extent she took her life into her own hands, and choosing a confidential maid to accompany her, she visited blind men and women, the inst.i.tutions established for them, and her own friends, new and old, as well as many influential persons to whom she had received introductions.

She made and carried out her own arrangements, and might fairly consider herself emanc.i.p.ated from control. The only restriction placed upon her by her parents and not yet removed was that she should not travel alone.

She submitted, but often wished to ascertain for herself, and by experience, if the prohibition was necessary.

On one occasion, when travelling from Chichester to London, she sent her maid into an adjacent carriage. She wished to try the experiment of being alone in the train. At the last moment a gentleman rushed into the station, jumped into the first available carriage, that in which she was seated, and had just time to close the door when the train started.

Bessie was a little disturbed by this incident. As her companion did not address her, she knew him to be a stranger. She soon found that he was reading a newspaper, and as it was an express train she remembered that she must have his company as far as London. Her companion was not aware that the train was express, and when it dashed through the station at which he had hoped to stop, he----

At this point, when she recounted the adventure, Bessie paused:

"What did he do?" was asked.

In an awe-struck voice she answered, "He swore----an _oath_."

The look of startled pain with which she must have heard that oath pa.s.sed over her face, and the sensitive mouth quivered. She knew nothing about an oath; she had been told that sometimes there was bad language in a book or in a newspaper, but no one had ever said an oath to her, or read an oath. And now in the solitude of this railway carriage she was shut up with a man,--swearing.

"What did _you_ do?" was asked.

"I held on tight to the arms of the seat. I was so frightened. I did not know what he might do next."

"What _did_ he do?"

"He was very quiet; it seemed a long time; then he said 'I beg your pardon;' and after that he did not speak again, and he jumped out as soon as we reached London."

She referred to this as one of the most painful adventures of her life, and said she pa.s.sed through an agony of apprehension and suspense until the train arrived at the terminus.

This journey took from her all desire to travel alone, and she made no further experiment in that direction.

The success of her efforts on behalf of the blind began now to be spread abroad, and inst.i.tutions in many parts of England were disposed to consider the possibility of not only teaching but permanently employing the blind. Many inquiries were made of her, and she gave cordial encouragement to all who asked her advice. Levy was often sent to teach a trade, and to give information as to the best manner of carrying it on.

One letter from him may be given as a sample of many, and of the fresh interests that were being opened out:

127 EUSTON ROAD, N.W., _26th October 1857_.

DEAR MADAM--On Monday the 19th inst. I left home for Bath, where I continued till the following Thursday, when I went to Bristol, which I left on Sat.u.r.day and returned home. My presence being required in London, I felt it prudent to defer my visit to Hereford, which I think you will approve when I have the pleasure of acquainting you with the details of the reasons which influenced me. The results of these visits are of the most satisfactory kind, being briefly the following: Commenced chair caning at the School Home, Bath, and suggested improvements in basket-making which the Committee approved, and the basket-makers showed every disposition to carry out; taught two pupils to write, that they might teach others to use the writing frame which they purchased; advised the introduction of a laundry and tuning pianos, and arranged for the sale of each other's manufactured goods. Before leaving Bath I received orders for nearly thirty brushes and brooms, and had the satisfaction of receiving from their Committee an offer to pay all my expenses, which the vote of 5 enabled me to decline. The master of the Bristol school promised to bring before his Committee the subject of employing men who are not connected with their inst.i.tution. I have promised to send him some material, that he may commence brush-making there. Miss Stevens advances money to a workman which is regularly repaid; she complains much of the apathy of the people in Bristol. Capelin is succeeding; business is pressing and promising. Lady Byron's order will be forwarded this week; there is not any difference made to Mr. Moon's subscribers, but a grant might be obtained from the Bible Society, or the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge; an arrangement with the shopkeeper would be advantageous. Hoping that you will excuse brevity, I am, dear madam, with grat.i.tude and respect, WM. HANKS LEVY.

_P.S._--We are all quite well.

The blind throughout Great Britain were beginning to learn that they had a friend; and Bessie received numerous letters and appeals for help.

The Rev. J. Burke, a blind clergyman, was elected in 1857 by the Mercers Company to a Lectures.h.i.+p at Huntingdon, and he writes to thank Bessie for efforts made on his behalf which had resulted in his appointment.

The employment of women called forth a fresh burst of enthusiasm and grat.i.tude from the blind. One of the first workwomen was Martha Trant, subsequently employed for more than twenty years.

A copy of verses by "W. Heaton and Martha" probably belong to this early period. They were laid by with several similar testimonials, all yellow with age and worn by use, but carefully preserved as the "jewels" of the blind lady.

William Heaton had been trained as a teacher for the blind, and, poor fellow! his grat.i.tude was far in excess of his poetical power:--

Yes, I for one have felt the good, And hope to feel it still; For I a teacher soon shall be, Then do my best I will.

I thank you for the favour that You have conferred on me, For thus admitting me to learn A teacher for to be.

Martha's verses are upon the same level as William's:--

Oh that we had the power to speak The grat.i.tude we feel, But words are vain, and oh how weak, The feelings to reveal.

Dear lady, we most humbly hope, You kindly will accept This token of our grat.i.tude, Our love and deep respect.

And so on through several not very interesting pages. But to Bessie the value of these effusions was very great. They showed not only the grat.i.tude but the happiness of her workpeople. They indicated a renewed life of the intellect and affections, and were received with encouraging sympathy. The composition of verses had given pleasure to herself from early childhood, and no doubt the form of expression chosen by the workpeople was influenced by her own example.

The time had now come when she was to learn more of the effects of blindness upon the character than had hitherto been revealed to her. She had inaugurated work on behalf of a special cla.s.s, a course always beset by difficulties, and she was open to the influence of the fanatics of that cla.s.s, of those who had been embittered by suffering and had allowed themselves to drift to the conclusion that they were set in the midst of cruel enemies.

There are some blind people who, when the full knowledge of all that their calamity entails is borne in upon them, have the courage, faith, and hope of a Christian to support them. They go forward in the certainty that as this cross has been appointed, strength will be given to bear it.

There are others who resolve to live their life, to carry out their aims, to press forward along the lines laid down for them, and not allow a mere physical privation to reduce them to a condition below the high level to which they had resolved to attain. Christian faith animates and supports the former, physical and mental force will carry on the latter.

In rare cases, Bessie's was one of them, the two are combined. But there is a third and perhaps a more numerous cla.s.s--those who consider themselves as unjustly afflicted, and look upon mankind as enemies.

Mankind is the majority, the blind are the minority. They speak of the att.i.tude of "the majority," the neglect and selfishness of "the majority," the duty of "the majority." Their only outlook seems to be in restrictions to be applied to the more fortunate. They are the one-legged men who want to abolish foot races. They seek not so much to raise those that are cast down, as to abase those who stand erect.

Bessie's knowledge of the blind would not have been complete if she had remained ignorant of this large cla.s.s.

She had deep sympathy with those who were embittered by sorrow and loss.

She could feel for the man upon whom blindness entails sudden collapse; all his prospects shattered; himself and those dependent on him plunged into poverty. He sees himself set aside and made of no account. He forgets the blind whom he has known and neglected without any thought of injuring, and suspects every man who is indifferent to him of being a secret and cruel enemy.