Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-01-08
A TALK ABOUT THE EYE.

Come, now, little BTOWn-eyeS, Blue
eyes, Buckeyes, come all of you, and let
US have talk together about those same
wonderful little eyes.
Look at your little friends, and what
do you see that open every morning and
drop down every evening? ooh, those
nice curtains" you say, lover their eyes"
Only think, each one of us has a set of
curtains, that we can work as we will :;
and when night comes on, and we feel
like sleeping, they fall down, of their
own accord, without our thinking any
thing at all about it. Then there is a
fringe on the edge of these curtains. All,
you see 1.-THE eye-lashes, you say. These
fringes are for use as well as for beauty :;
they keep the notes that are flying about
in the air from coming near those very
delicate eye balls. YOU know how well
they do it, for it is only once in a great
while that we get anything in that really
troubles US. We can form some idea of
the importance Of these little lashes when
we call to mind how disagreeable that
cinder felt that invaded our eyes some
eventful day when we took ride after the
putting steam engine There is an arrange
ment in the eye-lids for making oil and
carrying it to the edges of the
eye-lids, so as to keep the water or
moisture which is next to the eye-ball
from overlooking and running down our
cheeks. You know that if you put oil
and water into lamp together they will
not mix, but the oil will rise to the top
and the water settle to the bottom; Just
so the oil on the edges of the eye-lids
will not mix with the moisture inside,
and so the eye-water is kept in its proper
place. You know that machinery in order
that itmay be kept in good running order,
needs every now and then to be oiled
now only stop and think how much we
move our eyes about in one day, what
task 1t would be to count the motions;
we look down, and we look up, and we
look all about us--here, there, every
where. I think our eyes need good
deal of moisture to keep them in running
order, don't you? This water is made in
little chamber just above the eye, on
the outside, and there are passages run
ming from this chamber to the eye through
which it runs to reach its place. What
do you suppose becomes Of the eye-water
after it has done it's work, and we need
more that is fresh? l will tell you; there
is drain attached to the inside of the
eye that passes into the nose; the water is
carried off through this drain into the
nose after it is no longer fit for USE
Now we come to talk about the eye
ball itself, which contains all the nice ar
rangements for taking pictures of the OBJ
jects we see around US. 1t is nearly round
in shape, and outside is a white coat
called the cOrnea, which covers it entire
ly except a clear, round window in front.
Just back of the cOrnea is the iris, q
round curtain with an opening in the
middle, through which light passes into
the eye; the size of this opening regu-
lates the quantity of light that enters the
eye. You will see this if you watch a
PERSONS eyes when there is q strong,
glazing light, and again when the light
is dim; in the latter case the opening will
be much larger than in the former. The
iris is differently colOred in different
people, and we call a PERSONS eyes blue,
gray, or brown, according to its color.
Back of the iris is clear, jelly-like sub
stance called lens, which so acts upon
the light coming from the objects around
us as to cause us to see them more dis
tinctly. And finally the light falls upon
network of nerves at the back of
the eye, called the retina, and
there pictures are made of all the OBJ
jects we see around US. Only think what
small pictures they must be. But how
edge of what we see? There are nerves
running from the retina to the brain con-
stantly carrying messages from the eye to
the mind of what is transpiring in the
outside world So you see there are
many different processes to be gone
through with in the act Of seeing. How
wonderful things are when we stop to
think about them, and how tame and
common when we don't. Now | want
you to stop a moment and think what
you would do without your sight. Think
of what it would be to have your way al
ways dark before you; to be always crop
ing and feeling your way, and much of
TIE time depending on others to be led.
| How sad it would be to see nothing in ma
ture; no green grass, no leafy trees, no
many-col0red flowers; no blue heaven
| above US, with its sun by day and moon
and stars by night; never to see the faces
of our friends. Who of us can wonder
that the blind men of old time, when
| thew heard that Jesus was passing by,
| cried out unto him, Lord, that our eyes
| may be opened !"-CbrjStjdn Union.