The Blind Maestro and his Pullman Kid Band
A touching story of a blind conductor leading a boys' band in Pullman, destined for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Edmond S. Meany, while on a World's Fair tour with W. L. La Follette, described an impromptu concert by the Pullman Kid Band. The band consists of twenty boys aged 8 to 14, led by J. H. St. Lawrence, who has been stone blind since age 5. St. Lawrence, along with his wife, who is also blind, teaches the children through music. The local community is raising funds to outfit the band in uniforms and instruments to represent the state at the World's Fair in Chicago.
“Surrounded with eternal darkness, they always enjoy sweet music and help by their wonderful experience to spread their useful knowledge.”
This story captures a moment of Gilded Age boosterism combined with a genuine human-interest portrait. It highlights the pride Washington took in its youth and cultural projects on the road to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.
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