Part 15 (1/2)

L told s were rather uncomfortable between two of the women I saw theo on better, but the whole affair made L think how necessary what I have often spoken to hiing for board and lodging for learners not havingthe workht I should have special advantages for so doing, and specially in speaking to the ood work is to be taken off the price Went to Repository to try and find out what Susan M had better do towards earning her living; am not sure about it, but so far as I can tell, don't think she would haveby that; however, she has hardly learnt two years, so I think one can hardly judge Spoke to Mrs L about ventilator for Co fluid in the workrooave me a towel made in a loom without steam, as a specimen of the linen proposed to be woven by association workpeople She also talked about a home for the blind without friends, where they should pay and, as I suggested, be entirely free to leave at any tiht be carried on in some such place at a little distance from London Dictated note to Mrs L to ask about the state of health in the hoet their exact addresses Spoke tothem

We may be sure that there would be some anxiety on the part of her parents as to these visits to the homes of the workmen, but her wishes prevailed, and an entry dated 19th June 1858 states:

Greatest part of the day occupied in visiting the worklad to do it, but sorry not to visit s, Barrett, and Symonds

Found the latter not so well off as I expected He has not had ether what I saw confirmed me very much in the belief that such an association as ours is very greatly needed Spoke to L [Levy] purposely a little of what I had to give up for the work, only with a view of showing his, and ofthat I hadhiht much of them, but in order to show him how true it is that one feels the work to be a sacred duty, for which, as for all other duties, sacrifices , but I wish to keep it constantly both before him and myself, as I believe it is only thus that we can either of us work as God would have us work, and we both believe that He has made us His instruments for a special work for the blind

Wrote to the Dean of Westminster (the very Rev R C Trench, as about to preach for the association in Mr Llewelyn Davies'

church) to describe the different papers I sent, and telling hiht that in what had been done for the blind, those who saw had perhaps co the blind feel how ht become independent of it Gave 5 ofmore than I expected towards his maintenance, so that what I oas not very much Talked with L about Newman, and heard a very sad letter from him, written from the Union where he now is Settled that the resolution as to his being employed should be acted upon, but I a very difficult Told L we ought to bring the association into such a position that it should be able to bear the loss fro

Found, as I expected, that expense of ement is about 300 a year, and think subscriptions now cover this entirely or very nearly Whilst I was at the Repository Herr Hirzel, master of the institution at Lausanne, caet all possible inforh theti for the blind is a subject beset with difficulty In every country where books are embossed for the blind there are two or three different alphabets There are systems in which dots and lines and abbreviations take the place of letters; and there are systeed andto read with fingers instead of eyes The number of books printed in relief is very s several systems is that a blind reader finds that four out of five of the very sible He can read Moon or Lucas or Braille, but Frere and Howe and Alston and a host of others he cannot decipher Bessie spent , and could read nearly everything printed for the blind She thought that Braille's was in itself the best system, but that Moon's was the only one really useful to adults, more especially to those whose hands have been hardened by labour All except Moon's systeers of a child Bessie would have liked to see the systems narrowed down to two, if not to one; but she found, as many others have done, that it was impossible to obtain unanimity on this point, as too ress in the matter, and put it on one side

On the 7th of July the diary tells us she was at the Repository giving advice to ”Martha”

Talked e Told her to ask if her intended husband would wish to go to Mr Dixon on account of his near sight, saying that if this stood in the way of his getting soht spectacles would help, he should have them L sent me papa's motto, ”The fear of God and no other” I had asked hiust of this year Bessie paid a visit to Miss Bathurst, ith herat Stanrave and Miss Butler A friendshi+p formed at that time with Miss Butler continued to the end of her life She records the , ”talked about the association”

Perhaps we should have been more surprised if she could have recorded that she talked about anything else

On the 10th of August she left London for Chichester The ements for the association

L came I told him to tell Hounslow that he was only to repay 3 out of the 6:10s for the quarter's rent Arranged to have a large applicant's book with full details Found that all concerned were veryfor relief in special cases Told hi frames made, if he found the one I had sent to be successful Impressed upon L to take on more workpeople the very moment the sales would allow it Talked to hi money to buy a West-end house, made him feel he must devote hi

L told ht in the past year had been too great, but that bass-broo down this iteoods” here referred to was always a sore point with Bessie In order to fulfil the order of a customer, articles not er was on the horns of a dilemma Custom was lost when an order was sent home incomplete, whilst, on the other hand, the Lady President wished nothing, or as little as possible, to be sold which was not the work of the blind This difficulty, however, increased rather than di it, that way has not yet been discovered

During the summer at Chichester, Bessie seeue, entries of ”unavoidably nothing done” are frequent, as well as reports of ”toothache”

The house in Euston Road was sently required, and when it was found that there were empty rooms in an adjacent house they were at once secured

”Heard froed for 16 a year, and as the room where the materials were kept cost 5:4s, the extra expense will only be 10:16s”

A peaceful suht tiarden with its birds and flowers, and her rind of association work

”S finished writing froedy_, which I hope I ood of the association; it was begun yesterday”

She had written to Mr Kingsley for per” to her own lad if any words of his could be useful to her, or any work of hers

In Septe, and there were the usual applications to consider, and the reading and talking with the workpeople She inspected the new roo-house, and talked over the possibility of Levy's going to France upon business