Bridge & Humor: It took a blind man to discover an error By Ely Culbertson

Chicago Tribune 26 de Enero 1936

It took a blind man to discover an error in the ” Culbertson Self-Teacher” which had escaped my notice and that of a half dozen nationally known experts who had assisted me in reading proofs, to say nothing of thousands of sighted readers! This amazing fact came to light in a letter from Mrs. A. C. Lamade of Williamsport, Pa., who transcribed the book into Braille. Culbertson TeachShe wrote:
My dear Mr. Culbertson:

It is with pleasure and pride that I write to tell you that “Culbertson’s Own Contract Bridge Self-Teacher ” is completely transcribed into Braille for the sightless. While it has been a most tedious undertaking, I feel that it will be the cause for much enjoyment for those who arc handicapped in not being able to read the ink-print book.

The “Self-Teacher” is in two volumes, 123 and 112 pages respectively, and it may be of interest to know that it required approxi-mately 460,700 individual indenta-tions to transcribe it. It is now in the hands of the Service for the Blind, Library of Congress, Wash-ington, D. C., where It can be ob-tained without cost, postage pre-paid, by anyone interested in Braille. If you know of anyone or any club or organization of blind persons who would like to read your “Self-Teacher” In Braille, it is available to them. I have a “Believe It or Not” story connected with this work. My instructor, who read all of the Braille for me,.phoned to tell me that I had made a mistake, giving fourteen cards to a South hand and only twelve to the North hand; would I consult the ink print book once more?.

My instructor, who read all of the Braille for me, phoned to tell me that I had made a mistake, giving fourteen cards to a South hand and only twelve to the North hand; would I consult the ink-print book once more? He apologized when It was found that in drill No. 29-C8 the hands were exactly as I had tran-scribed them. Believe it or not, it took a sightless person to discover the mistake in the book! I had copied it without counting the number at cards in each hand. The season’s greetings from ROSINA S. LAMADE.

The blind long have been noted for the fine chess and checker play-ers who have overcome the handicap of sightlessness, but it was not until the Culbertson-Lenz match that they became interested in bridge. The entire ” Culbertson Summary” was transcribed into Braille and hundreds took up the game. They use special playing cards with Braille characters. When the opening lead has been made and announced the cards in the dummy are also announced and each subsequent play is called in the same fashion. A fair idea of the concentration required for this may be acquired by playing the cards face downward, following the method of the blind in all other respects. The play of the cards requires such powers of memory and visualization that one does not wonder at the expertness of blind bridge players. All of them use the Culbertson system, of course—no other system has been transcribed into Braille.

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