The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-04-13
AN AOHROMATIO BOY.
A California Wonder That Promises to
be Big Bonanza TO the Astro-
nomers.

discovered small boy, with unique and
marvellous eyes. He is now years old
and until within the last few months his
parents have believed him to be totally
blind. This belief being based upon
the boys utter inability to see anything
was not perhaps altogether irrational.
When kindly disposed playniates present
strange cat, a tomato can, and q piece
of string to healthy and active small
boy, only to find that he cannot perform
the simple feat OF putting them accur-
ately together, it is safe to decide that
there IS something physically as well as
morally wrong about him. And when
the small boy can lie left for hours in
the immediate presence of accessible
lam without showing the faintest desire
to wallow into it, the conclusion that he
must be blind is irresistible. The Cali
fornian boy of whom mention has just
been made exhibited for more than eight
years the most unvarying inability to
see any object whatever, and it IS not
strange that he obtained the reputation
of unroitigatei blindness.
On Dec. u last, this remarkable boy
accidentally awoke in the night, and
loudly remarked that he saw the moon.
Not only did he perceive the existence
of that respectable satellite, but he saw
it as from a distance of 300 yards, and
could thus accurately describe its con-
tents. He saw hills, aud valleys, and
trees, and telegraph poles, asd, in fact,
all the natural beauties, which constitute
an alluring landscape. Moreover, he
saw inhabitants of new and extraordl-
nary pattern. According to this vera
cious small 10y, the Lunarians run
chiefly to legs. They are constructed
on the model Of O cart wheel without a
rim, and revolve with enormous rapidity
on the extremities of their radiating legs
which resemble in number and disposi-
ton the spolzes of an ordinary earthly
wheel. These spokes, however, are evi.
IDENTIFY not developed until the Lunarian
energies from the period of infancy, in
asmuch as the Lunar babies resemble
pumpkins, and display 10 vestige OF
even rudimentary legs.
It appears that there is College 81
Sciences in California, consisting of a
number of learned men, described by
the local press as mathematical and
geological sharps- As soon as the Won
r,,I H.
the supposed blind boy were brought to
the attention OF these scientific gentle
men, they at once dropped their states
on which they were calculating, in &C
cordance with request of the Legisla-
ture, the probabilities in favor of -four
aces being dealt to any one man in a
party of six, and promptly undertook to
investigate the small boys visual powers
In due time they reported tha5 the boy s
lunar observations were unquestionably
accurate, and they explained his vast
superiority to any telescope hitherto
constructed by deciding the focal dis
lance was of an abnormal character. In
the opinion of these ingenious and ac-
complished scientific persons, the boy
possesses achomatic eyes constructed ex-
pressly in order to observe objects at q
distance of $40, 000 miles, and the ina
bIlity of such eyes to perceive objects
close at hand is natural and inevitable
The most modern telescope brings the
moon within an apparent distance of sc
miles, but If the moon were really only
80 miles distant, the telescope couldno
show it. It is no wonder that boy af
tlicted-or rather gifted-with a foca
distance greater than that of telescope.
should have been blind to the presence
of cats and jam. Had he been shown
cat at the distance Of 240,0 900 miles
there is no doubt that he would have
called for strings and tomato cans, ant
displayed the hyeliest interest in the ap
parent duty of the hour.
The discovery of this unparalleled boy
marks new era in the science of astron
omY. Of course, his peculiarities vii
at once be made to serve the interest!
of science. He VIII be equatorial,
mounted in the California Observator,
in place of the now obsolete telescope
and will be fitted with clock work
which will giv2 him constant siderea
motion. From twilight to dawn he
will be constantly kept at work discov-
ering asteroids and comets, and taking
photographs of distinguished Lunar cit
liens. The utmost care will be aiken
to keep him in perfect order, and visi-
tors viii be strictly forbidden to touch
him OF to breathe upon his eyes. Only
the best of oil and the softest chamois
leather win be used in polishing him.
and only the most experienced astrono-
mers Will be allowed to wind UP his
clockwork or to move him on his axis.
Such boy If once broken or scratched
cannot be replaced or repaired, and nc
mechanician VIII think it possible 70
contrive an artificial boy of anything
like his power. Let US hore that this
last and best gift of California to man
kind will be placed at tie disposal OF
the most eminent astronomers of the
age, and they viii employ every avail
able moment in gazing through him at
the woners of the starry heavens. Had
Herschel only possessed a purely aclro-
matte boy, with focal distance Of nine
ty feet, he would have left nothing fo1
future astronomers to discover and il
Prof. Peters viii now undertake to kser
his eye constantly applied to the Cali,