Blaine As A Teacher Of The Blind

James G. Blaioe has had a cheokered career. Like the average American youth, he had tried various fields, and, finding the erop inadequate to the toil of cultivation, has abandoned one aiter the other, to find at last his best returns in political pastures. But when, in the early days of the summer of 1852, the tben young school-teacher of Tennessee, Mr. James G. Blaine, arrived in Philadelphia, to answer an advertisement aa a teacher in the Pennsylvania institution f'or the instrucción of the blind, no one dresmed that the rather man, awkward, and somewhat looking man who applied tor the berth was to be the coming man from Maine, and possibly the next president of the United States. He had then I he bold. aggressive, oombative qualities that to aay are his charaoteristios, and, upon entering on his position as instructor in the institution Hamed, early gave evidence of' tlaiu. Not that he was oDtrusive or offensively forward ; far from it "He discharged his duty," said Ur. Chapín, the ]resent head of the tution, yesterday, when conversing with a Press reporter, "he discharged his duties with a conscientious fidelity wortby the highest praise. A strong, positive man, having an opinión which he was ready to support and argue upon all occasions. Mr. Bluine made as many friends among his pupila as he did among the officers of the '¦siuLliohiuout." "Did he especially distinguish hiinself while here?" "No, except that in every respect he proved worthy of the trust reposed in him. He was a most metbodical man, a master of statistics, and exccedingly neat in his dress, as he was also careful in his deport ment. He appeared to be in love with his work here, ana began a journal of the history of the institntiont which is as much a model of neatness as it is of careful research." Tuis journal written througbout in a plain, Honiewhat angular hand, is, page after page, entirely free from blots or erasures, and affbrds ampie evidenoc that the writer was thoroughly interested in his work. It is a history of the Philadelpbia institution for the iustruction of the blind. written throuhout in the handwritiug of James U. Blaine, apd is complete from the day on which the institution was opened until the day on which Mr. Blaine resigned hit position. On the dato of June 25, 1852, appoars these words ; "James (i. Blaine elected male teacher." Mr. Blaiue continued in the position fur ncarly two years, winning, as one of his old blind pupils expresses it, "the affections of those he taught, the regard of his fellows, and the respect of' his superiors. " "VVhat a capitaJly-kept journal, was the remark to Mr. Chtpin after the writer had ezamined page after page of Mr. Blaine's work. "Yee," was the reply, "so the officers thought, for they made him a present of $100 when he had it eompletcd. 'Did bis life here present any features of interest?" "No, nothing particularly. He did his work hone.stly, earnestly, and conscientiously, and was regretted by everybody when he left." "Why did heieave?" "To accept the editorship of the Kennebec Journal. Tbat was the laht of James G. Blaine in the Pennsylvania iiislitution for the instruction of the blind."