Bingham Bulletin | 1920-10-01 | Page 6 | His Blindness No Handicap

HIS BLINDNESS NO HANDICAP English Botanist Rote to Heights of Fame, Though Sight Failed Him In Early Life. ... f ... . Mr. J. O. Wilkinson, the famous blind botanist, lost his sight in his early life. "During all my painting," he said, "I had always been much attracted at-tracted by trees and plants, so I got Percy Grlmshaw to take me to the Temple Newsam woods, outside Leeds, to a favorite beech tree there, and I asked him to pluck for me a leaf of It. He did so, and with my tongue I began to touch every part of this leaf, and so got Its various details and characteristics thoroughly Into my head, till I was sure I could recognize recog-nize a beech leaf anywhere. From that I began studying leaves froifl other trees In a similar manner, untl' I could pick out any of them at once from the mixed lot you gave me. Now (I hope I may say It with all modesty), there Is not a leaf, stem, fruit or flower of any plant or tree In the British islands which I do not know, and should not be able to recognize rec-ognize immediately I had touched It with my tongue, even If not with my hands."