A very interesting group of eight blind Chinese students are in Shanghai en route to England where they are to give a series of concerts under the auspices of the Church Missionary Society for the benefit of the school they represent, the Foochow Institution for Chinese Blind Boys.
Srory oF tHe INsTITUTION.
The Institution for the Chinese Blind Boys in Foochow was established in 1896 by Mrs. Wilkinson of the Church Missionary Society who had been sent to China as a hospital nurse and who was later in charge of a county dis-pen sary near Foochow. The number of blind children brought to ber for healing stirred her so deeply that she felt impelled to do something to help these little sufferers.
String-making was the local industry and soon Mrs. Wilkinson learnt this art which she taught to the children who quickly gathered round, her. She then visited other blind schools in the hope of finding a way to get the Brail system adapted to the Chinese. After studying in this direction, she returned to Foochow and taught the elder children. With the help of Romanization Mrs. Wilkinson and these boys were able to translate the Bible and other books into Brail. This was a great step. From that time, she was able to organize the school.
Three graduates.of the school have become preachers, four have entered the Theological Department of Foochow College, 10 have become teachers and one was invited to Ganton to establish a school for the blind on the lines of his alma mater.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.