Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-05-12
BLUNDERS OF VISION.

II is estimated by those who have taken spec
ial pains to investigate the matter, that two
persons out Of every hundred are decidedly
color blind. Many comical mistakes have been
made on account of the inability of parties to
distinguish colorc. The following cases are re-
ported in the Philosophical TRANSACTIONS
The gentleman relates how he was shocked
just before the marriage Of his daughter by the
appearance of the bridegroom in suit of black
for in earlier times it seems that color was in
dispensible to matrimony. Papa insisted that
the poor fellow should go home and assume
some less melancholy attire; but the bride, who
would probably have married him in sack cloth,
like noble woman--at least so we suspect
rushed to the rescue, and declared that her low
er was correctly clothed in rich scarlet eoored
dress. Such was the fact. One day, after SER
vice at church, gentleman went up to a lady
and enquired, with great concern, for whom she
was in mourning For no one, was the reply
why should be imagine that such was the case
The querist explaned-was not her bonnet a
deep black? Certainly not it was crimson
velvet! a person who had lost relative,
greatly scandalized his friends by sealing his
black edged letters with red wax, Just as many
an heir-at-law would do, if after testifying his
regard for the memory of the departed by using
sheet with deepest and darkest of borders, he
were at liberty to symbolic his genuine senti-
ments when he came to the seal. But this was
nothing 10 the blunder of the upholster's ap-
prentice who was sent to purchase some black
clcth to cover coffin, and returned with
quantity of scarlet, under the impression that
it was as mournful a sable as the occasion re-
quired.
Next let us mention a series of cases in which
one color is simply confounded with another
Red, for example, may be habitually mistaken
for green, or crimson identified with blue
Take the former species of defect; for the
clashing of green with red is one of the most
popular forms Of heterodoxy in regard to hues
A gentleman was asked if he saw any object
stretched upon hedge. He declared there
was none The fact was that red cloak hap
pened to be thrown over, and though the exact
position was pointed out to him. he could not
perceive any difference between the garment
and the green of Nature. Bows have more than
once become acquainted with their parachroma-
tism-not certainly under that title-by finding
that their companions could make easy havoc
amongst the cherries, which they, from their
inability to discriminate, between the hues of
the fruits and the leaves, were compelled to ex-
plore the tree laboriously, and to commit their
depredations on q very unsatisfactory SCALE
The same difficulty has attended their operations
whist loraging IN strawberry BEDS Other
most amusing instances are on record. A gen.
tleman was requested to pick out all the greens
from number of pieces of stained glass he
selected the red, brown, claret, yellow and pink ;
and when asked to say which was the most en-
phatic green of the group, he unhesitatingly
fixed upon the claret. A surgeon called upon
his tailor intending to order pair of brown
pantaloons; he selected the cloth himself; but
when the garment came home, the color PROV
ed to be as sanguinary as if he were on the
point of starting for the wars. He went on
another occasion, determined to secure his fa-
vorte brown, but not being properly aware OF
his defect, the result was just as unfortunate as
before, this time the color adopted was violent
green; and the poor fellow was compelled to
get the article dyed in order that he might not
be mistaken for a soldier or huntsman. A
nobleman, whose vision was similarly affected,
began to banter his lady one day for wearing a
scarlet dress. Her ladyship was at loss to un-
derstand the joke, for her dress was as verdart
as the garb Of spring. A gentleman who was
fond of drawing used to perpetrate landscapes
in which the trees were adorned with red foli-
ages and when he attempted to execute ma
rine view, his waves-contrary to all precedent
except they were intended ior the Red Sea-
were tipped with fine crimson crests.