第7部分(第1/7 頁)

skies；　the　purple　of　distant　hills；　yet　their　souls　voyage　through　this

enchanted　world　with　a　barren　stare。

The　calamity　of　the　blind　is　immense；　irreparable。　But　it　does　not　take

away　our　share　of　the　things　that　count……service；　friendship；　humour；

imagination；　wisdom。　It　is　the　secret　inner　will　that　controls　one's

fate。　We　are　capable　of　willing　to　be　good；　of　loving　and　being　loved；

of　thinking　to　the　end　that　we　may　be　wiser。　We　possess　these

spirit…born　forces　equally　with　all　God's　children。　Therefore　we；　too；

see　the　lightnings　and　hear　the　thunders　of　Sinai。　We；　too；　march

through　the　wilderness　and　the　solitary　place　that　shall　be　glad　for　us；

and　as　we　pass；　God　maketh　the　desert　to　blossom　like　the　rose。　We；　too；

go　in　unto　the　Promised　Land　to　possess　the　treasures　of　the　spirit；　the

unseen　permanence　of　life　and　nature。

The　blind　man　of　spirit　faces　the　unknown　and　grapples　with　it；　and　what

else　does　the　world　of　seeing　men　do？　He　has　imagination；　sympathy；

humanity；　and　these　ineradicable　existences　pel　him　to　share　by　a

sort　of　proxy　in　a　sense　he　has　not。　When　he　meets　terms　of　colour；

light；　physiognomy；　he　guesses；　divines；　puzzles　out　their　meaning　by

analogies　drawn　from　the　senses　he　has。　I　naturally　tend　to　think；

reason；　draw　inferences　as　if　I　had　five　senses　instead　of　three。　This

tendency　is　beyond　my　control；　it　is　involuntary；　habitual；　instinctive。

I　cannot　pel　my　mind　to　say　〃I　feel〃　instead　of　〃I　see〃　or　〃I　hear。〃

The　word　〃feel〃　proves　on　examination　to　be　no　less　a　convention　than

〃see〃　and　〃hear〃　when　I　seek　for　words　accurately　to　describe　the

outward　things　that