THE FEAR OF GOD AND NO OTHER
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might."
Bessie's early education and happy home life counted for much in her
work on behalf of the blind. She knew the advantage of being thrown on
her own resources, of learning the ways of a house and the paths of a
garden. She knew also that the happiness of the blind depends chiefly on
companionship. "A deaf person," she used to say, "is very cheerful
alone, much more cheerful than in society. It is social life that brings
out his privation. But a blind man in a room alone is indeed solitary,
and you see him at his best in society. It is social life which
diminishes his disabilities."
Whilst she acquiesced, therefore, in Levy's wish that the work of the
Institution should be exclusively carried on by blind persons, she was
anxious that they should not be set apart and kept apart from other
workmen.
Her diary for 1858 contains the following passage:
Spoke to Levy about the workpeople in the Repository not having
intercourse enough with those who see, and thought of the
possibility of their belonging to Mr. Maurice's Working Men's
College; I think that might be just the thing. L. asked what I
thought about their attending a Bible Class by any of Mr. Dale's
curates. I said I should like it, provided the mistake was not made
of talking to them upon religion as if it must be a sort of last
resource to the blind, to make up for the want of other things. L.
understood what I meant, and said he was glad I had mentioned it.
Any display of the blind with the object of calling attention to their
affliction, and extorting money on account of it, was extremely painful
to Bessie. She had too much reverence and tenderness for her
fellow-sufferers to make a show of them, and she would not accept help
if it involved any lowering of the tone she hoped to establish in the
workshop. Blind men and women were to be taught that they could do an
honest day's work and earn their own living.
An entry in the diary shows that she had to educate more than her
workpeople before her views were adopted.
L. spoke to me about a suggestion for employing blind beggars to
carry boards to advertise the Association. Told him I strongly
objected, and why.
The workpeople also frequently caused her anxiety.
Felt and compared brushes from W. with those made at Repository.
Our make is the best.
L. told me things were rather uncomfortable between two of the
women. I saw them each separately, and think and hope they will go
on better, but the whole affair made L. think how necessary what I
have often spoken to him about would be in future; namely, the
possibility of arranging for board and lodging for learners not
having means of subsistence....
Talked to L. about visiting the workmen at their own homes. He told
me he thought I should have special advantages for so doing, and
specially in speaking to them on spiritual matters.... Spoke about
baskets not being made to measure. When good workmen do not make
baskets according to order, something 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 have musical talent enough
to make her living by that; however, she has hardly learnt two
years, so I think one can hardly judge.... Spoke to Mrs. L. about
ventilator for Committee room, and about using disinfecting fluid
in the workrooms on Sunday.... Mrs. H. gave 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 time. She thought perhaps the
weaving might 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 homes of the workmen, and to get their exact
addresses. Spoke to mamma about visiting them.
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 workmen at their
own homes. Was very glad to do it, but sorry not to visit more of
them. Only went to four--Hounslow, Hemmings, Barrett, and Symonds.
Found the latter not so well off as I expected. He has not had much
work besides Association work. Altogether 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 him that
one often thought one would rather be doing other things, and of
making him see that he was to some extent right in saying that I
had made sacrifices. This was not at all with the view of making
him suppose that I thought 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 must be made. He is
thoroughly imbued with this feeling, 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, who
was about to preach for the Association in Mr. Llewelyn Davies'
church) to describe the different papers I sent, and telling him I
thought that in what had been done for the blind, those who saw had
perhaps committed the mistake of making the blind feel how much
they needed their aid, rather than how far they might become
independent of it.... Gave L5 of my own on Capelin's account, but
find Capelin has been earning more than I expected towards his
maintenance, so that what I owed was 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 am sorry he is a bad
workman, as this will make the thing very difficult.... Told L. we
ought to bring the Association into such a position that it should
be able to bear the loss from bad work while a man is improving.
Found, as I expected, that expense of management is about L300 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, came; I was anxious to get all
possible information as to relief printing. He, Levy, and I, went
through the merits of many of the different systems, which took a
long time.
Relief printing 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 systems where the
alphabet is enlarged and modified to suit the requirements of a person
who is going to read with fingers instead of eyes. The number of books
printed in relief is very small; and the result of using several systems
is that a blind reader finds that four out of five of the very small
number embossed are unintelligible. He can read Moon or Lucas or
Braille, but Frere and Howe and Alston and a host of others he cannot
decipher. Bessie spent much time upon the subject of relief printing,
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 system must be acquired by
the young and sensitive fingers 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 many interests are involved in it. She made no
progress 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 much to Martha about her proposed marriage. 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
something to do, and Mr. Dixon thought spectacles would help, he
should have them.... L. sent me papa's motto, "The fear of God and
no other." I had asked him to have it printed for the
boarding-house.
In August of this year Bessie paid a visit to Miss Bathurst, who with
her mother, Lady Caroline Bathurst, was then living at Stanmore. She met
there Lady Elizabeth Waldegrave and Miss Butler. A friendship formed at
that time with Miss Butler continued to the end of her life. She records
the meeting in her diary, adding, "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 morning was
spent in making arrangements for the Association.
L. came. I told him to tell Hounslow that he was only to repay L3
out of the L6:10s. for the quarter's rent. Arranged to have a
large applicant's book with full details. Found that all concerned
were very much pleased with the boarding-house. Gave L. something
for relief in special cases. Told him to see about getting several
of Braille's small writing 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 him of my plan
for raising money to buy a West-end house, made him feel he must
devote himself more than ever to the work, not that he is
unwilling.
L. told me that the amount of goods bought in the past year had
been too great, but that bass-broom and cocoa-mat making would do
much towards keeping down this item.
The "purchase of goods" here referred to was always a sore point with
Bessie. In order to fulfil the order of a customer, articles not made by
the blind had often to be procured. The manager 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 diminished, and if there is
any way of avoiding it, that way has not yet been discovered.
During the summer at Chichester, Bessie seems to have suffered much from
exhaustion and fatigue, entries of "unavoidably nothing done" are
frequent, as well as reports of "toothache."
The house in Euston Road was small and inconvenient, additional space
was urgently required, and when it was found that there were empty
rooms in an adjacent house they were at once secured.
"Heard from L. that four rooms next door are engaged for L16 a year, and
as the room where the materials were kept cost L5:4s., the extra expense
will only be L10:16s."
A peaceful summer at Chichester brought time to spare for old pursuits.
She had the garden with its birds and flowers, and her music and poetry
as a solace after the grind of Association work.
"S. finished writing from my playing," she records, "a song from the
_Saint's Tragedy_, which I hope I may get published for the good of the
Association; it was begun yesterday."
She had written to Mr. Kingsley for permission to set Elizabeth's
"Chapel Song" to her own music, and received an assurance that he would
be very glad if any words of his could be useful to her, or any work of
hers.
In September she was again in London for a Committee meeting, and there
were the usual applications to consider, and the reading and talking
with the workpeople. She inspected the new rooms and the boarding-house,
and talked over the possibility of Levy's going to France upon business.
After her return to Chichester and for many months we find almost daily
entries "Embossed much French and dictated a great deal for L."
During this summer she was oppressed by the consciousness that the
mental training of the blind had not taken its due place in her scheme.
She wanted to find something that would afford instruction and at the
same time recreation for the poor, something to awaken and enlarge their
interest in the external world. She found that the perceptive faculties
which take the place of sight suffer from a want of due cultivation, and
she wished to remedy this by enabling the blind to obtain information
about natural objects. Something, she thought, might be done by a
development of the sense of touch, and by arranging a Natural History
Museum in such a manner that every specimen could be handled. In
connection with the Museum, she proposed to form a department for the
exhibition of inventions in aid of the blind. These were to be arranged
without reference to the "sighted," and in such a manner that the blind
could easily examine and compare them. An exhibition of this kind was
opened in Paris in October 1886, but the idea originated in the fertile
brain of Bessie Gilbert.
Meanwhile the Museum for her poor was the first thing to be started, and
she prepared for it by visiting the Chichester Museum. In September we
read:
"Went to Museum to ask the cost of stuffing birds and about collections
of eggs, and the order of arranging birds. Settled with E. that she
should ask Mr. ---- to shoot some birds, and with Mr. H. that he should
tell Smith the bird stuffer to come to me next Wednesday." Mr. ----
seems to have had only moderate success with his gun, as a later entry
records, "Received two birds from Mr. ----." There are frequent accounts
of "looking over eggs," "arranging glass case for the stuffed birds, and
talking about the Museum to all who could give advice or make useful
suggestions."
Early in this year a large oil painting of blind men and women at work
round a table in the Euston Road was painted by Mr. Hubbard. An
engraving taken from the picture, with an account of the institution,
was inserted in the _Illustrated News_ of 24th April 1858, and in May
the picture was purchased "by subscription" for the sum of ten guineas,
and fixed outside the shop, where for many years it attracted the notice
of passers-by. It was engraved for the use of the Institution, and may
still be seen on the Annual Report, Price Lists, etc., whilst the
original painting hangs in the Berners Street Committee Room.
The account given by the _Illustrated News_ called attention to Bessie's
work. It was followed by letters in _The Times_, _Daily News_, and other
journals, and by an article in _Household Words_, believed to be by
Charles Dickens, entitled "At Work in the Dark." Many subscriptions,
donations, and promises of help were received in consequence of these
notices in the Press.
Mr. Walker, who invented a life-belt, offered the benefit of its
manufacture to the Association, and a new trade, corkcutting, was set on
foot.
In the course of the year the "Association of Blind Musicians" applied,
through Mr. Swanson, blind organist of Blackheath Park Church, to be
admitted to union with Bessie's influential society. She was warmly
interested in the appeal, and willing to grant such help, pecuniary and
other, as the greater Association could render to the less. The aim of
Mr. Levy, Mr. James Lea Summers, Mr. Swanson, and other blind musicians
was to give a thorough musical training to, and to obtain employment as
organists and teachers for, blind men with a talent for music.
The petition was courteously received, and after much discussion by the
Committee and consideration by Bessie, the prayer for union, but without
pecuniary aid, was granted. The Musical Association, however, had
neither sufficient funds nor enough influence for the undertaking. But
the promotors acted as pioneers, and a few years later Bessie saw that
the efforts of Dr. Campbell and the establishment of the Normal College
for the Blind at Norwood, would satisfactorily accomplish all that the
Blind Musicians had attempted.
The trades hitherto taught to women had been leather and bead work, and
the making of nosebags for horses. These were found to be
unremunerative, and it was necessary to substitute others for them.
There was at that time a great demand for fine baskets imported from
France, and it occurred to Bessie that if they could procure the blocks
upon which these baskets were made and the tools used, she might learn
the art of basket-making and teach the workwomen.
But there was a difficulty in the way. The manufacture of these baskets
was a monopoly, and the firm to which they were consigned would give no
information as to the locality whence they came. Some one must go to
France and find out. Who could go except Levy!
It was to prepare him for this journey that for more than a year Bessie
had been at every spare moment "embossing French words for L.," as the
diary informs us, or dictating a vocabulary. In the autumn of 1858 he
and his wife set out on their journey of discovery. Bessie had applied
for a grant in aid of Levy's expenses, but the Committee did not accede
to her request, so that funds were provided from her private purse.
The blind man and his wife took the wrong train at Calais, and for some
time did not discover their mistake. However, they retraced their steps,
and after many adventures learnt that the baskets arrived in large
crates at Calais from the north of France, and were shipped for England.
No one knew exactly whence they came. Levy commenced a search which
threatened to be fruitless, when one day at St. Quentin he met a
_comis-voyageur_, who told him that the village in which these baskets
were made was Oigny, about eight miles distant.
On the following day Levy and his wife stood at the door of the very man
who supplied baskets to the Institution, and found that their appearance
caused surprise and alarm. But when Levy explained the object of his
visit he met with a cordial reception. The manufacturer showed and
allowed him to purchase blocks and tools; taught him the ingenious
contrivance by which the blocks could be taken to pieces and removed
when the baskets were completed, and gave him all the information in his
power as to the method and cost of production. He also took him to the
village where the workpeople lived; but it is a cider-growing country,
and many were away at the apple harvest. Levy and his wife were kindly
received in the cottages, and he wrote to Miss Gilbert that a canary was
singing in every house, and that many of the villagers grew their own
osiers.
The result of this journey was very encouraging, although Bessie did not
learn the trade or become a teacher of basket making. She had other work
to do. Levy himself taught the blind women, and says that he found them
apt pupils. When Bessie visited London in November she reports that she
"felt A. at the basket work, and was shown the use of all the tools and
the blocks. The English ones are made much better than the French, but
after French patterns. Found from all I saw and heard that a great
advance has been made, but there are seventy-six more applicants for
work. Saw and talked to H. to encourage him."
Before long the women are reported to be making fine baskets which
please customers, and are bought in preference to the French. They had
plenty of employment in executing orders, until, unfortunately for them,
fine baskets went out of fashion, and bags came in.
For some time after his visit to France, Levy wrote and printed his
name Levy.
The autumn brought a new scheme. Collecting boxes were to be fixed in
different parts of London, and application was made to hotels and other
places of resort to receive the boxes, together with specimen cases of
the work of the blind. Bessie had, as usual, a busy time with her
letters, but she did not forget the Museum.
When she went to town in November she talked to the workpeople about it,
and they liked the idea. She had taken "two or three things from the
garden" to show them; and in December, when she went to town for the
"women's tea-party," she "took the crocodile," and "the women were
delighted with it."
She wrote a letter at this time for publication, pleading for the
education of blind children in the ordinary schools for the poor. She
was also in correspondence with Mrs. Hooper, who was preparing a
magazine article on the work of the blind. She records that she urged
Mrs. Hooper to attach "more importance to donations and subscriptions,
to speak of the Museum, and to tell the educated blind that they ought
to assist the blind poor to help themselves." Through a friend she also
applied for the custom of Cheltenham College for Ladies.
Bessie had decided to give L2000 to the Association as an endowment
fund. The conditions of her gift were brought before the Committee,
discussed, and accepted. The money was invested in the names of three
trustees, and the Association seemed now to stand upon a sure footing.
These conditions will be read with interest.
CONDITIONS.
1. As long as those employed and taught by the Association, or
receiving any benefit whatsoever therefrom, shall be admitted by
the decision of the Committee, or by some one deputed by
themselves, and not by the votes of the subscribers.
2. As long as blindness shall not disqualify any person from
holding the office of Superintendent, Traveller, or Porter.
3. As long as it is a fundamental rule of the Association that the
immediate objects of this Association shall be to afford employment
to those blind persons who for want of work have been compelled to
solicit alms, or who may be likely to be tempted to do so; to cause
those unacquainted with a trade to be instructed in some industrial
art; and to introduce trades hitherto unpractised by the blind;
also to support a circulating library consisting of books in
various systems of relief printing, to the advantages of which the
indigent blind shall be admitted free of charge, and others upon
payment of the subscription required by the Committee; to collect
and disseminate information relative to the physical, mental,
moral, and religious condition of the blind; and to promote among
individuals and institutions, seeking to ameliorate the condition
of the blind, a friendly interchange of information calculated to
advance the common cause among all classes of the blind.
4. As long as the Committee shall consist of both ladies and
gentlemen.
5. As long as at least six blind men or women shall be supplied
with work at their homes by the Association, each at a sum of not
less than six shillings per week; and so long as at least three
blind men and three blind women shall be receiving instruction at
the cost of the Association.
These conditions deserve the careful consideration of every one
interested in the blind, and should be religiously observed in the
Institution founded by Bessie Gilbert.
Her work had now greatly increased; a large number of blind persons were
regularly employed, and the public had responded to every appeal for
funds. A meeting was held in May 1859, with the Bishop of London in the
chair, and the time seemed to have come for that further information
which Colonel Phipps had intimated might be sent to the Queen.
In April 1859, therefore, a letter was written to Her Most Gracious
Majesty, by her very dutiful and humble servant E. M. M. Gilbert, to
which the following reply was received:
BUCKINGHAM PALACE, _7th May 1859_.
MADAM--In reply to your letter of the 29th April, I have now the
pleasure to inform you that Her Majesty the Queen has been
graciously pleased to grant her patronage to the Association for
Promoting the General Welfare of the Blind, for which you have
shown so much sympathetic interest and so large and liberal a
benevolence.--I have the honour to be, madam, your obedient humble
servant, C. B. PHIPPS.
Miss Gilbert.
Bessie returned very dutiful acknowledgments and grateful thanks to the
Queen, who had for the second time granted her petition and rendered
signal service to her cause.
Henceforward, on the first page of annual reports, and on all bills and
notices, appear the magical words--
Patroness. Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen.
They were doubtless, as Bessie believed them to be, a tower of strength
to her, inspiring confidence, securing friends, bringing custom and
money.
Proud and happy too were the blind workmen as they sat round their
little table, cautiously dipping fibre into the boiling pitch. They
could reply to inquirers that orders had been received from Buckingham
Palace, from Osborne, and from Windsor Castle, and that they were
"making brooms for the Queen."