Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-05-06
TIMELY TOPICS.


Two American inventors, working
upon different plans, are endeavoring to
perfect instruments by which it will be
possible to view persons at distance
as we now speak with them by tele-
phone. Both claim that this is pos
sible, and they have only now to dis
cover means whereby their wonderful
inventions may be made durable and
practically usefuE
The Pennsylvania railroad employ
about 5000 men, the New York
Central about the same number the
Chicago and Northwestern, Chicago,
Rock Island and Pacific, Chicago and
Alton. Grand Trunk, Baltimore and
Ohio. Lake Shore and Michigan SoIlth-
ern, 10000 to $4,000 each. Some idea
may be formed of the number of rail-
way employees in the United States and
Canada when it is stated that there are
about 800 roads In operation.
The German emigration is startling to
hesauthorities of the empire. 1t is Just
published that nearly "a, 900 emigrants
Stettin and Antwerp for America during
the past year. But small portion has
gone elsewhere. This report does not
include the Germans who left British
and French ports, who may be roughly
stated at 10, 900 persons. The new Ger
man army bill, it is feared, will bring
the emigration up to the proportions OF
that year succeeding the Franco Ger
man war, when it averaged lis, 900 per
annum-
A boy named Morris Van Heisler was
shot in Chicago, on the evening of Febu-
rary Is, the pistol-ball entering on the
left side ofhis head, near the base of the
brain. He lay unconscious for one
week; then was afflicted with partial
paralysis, which continued for some
time. At present his general health is
excellent, although the hearing of the
left ear is much impaired, and two Of
the fingers of his right hand are para
lyzed. A curious symptom is his in
ability to pronounce any word, long or
short, which requires much muscular
exertion. He was asked where he
lived, and promptly replied on Twelfth
street, but was unable to say near what
street. Asked if it was Centre avenue,
he said yes. but was unable to pronounce
the name Centre. Several names were
given him to pronounce, without sue
cess, although he stated that he knew
what answer was expected.
The subject of color blindness has re.
Gently attracted much attention, both in
this country and in Europe, amon.~
scientific men and public officials The
defect is much more common one than
is generally suspected. There are var
ious grades Of the malady. Some have
almost no perception of color, every
color seeming to them gray; some con-
fuse primary colors, mistaking red for
green, ETC.; others do not easily distin-
guish between shades of the same color
for example, not distinguishing be-
tween scarlet and crimson Careful ex-
animation of large numbers of school
children, both in this country and in
Europe, reveals that color-blindness is a
serious and growing defect of the human
eye. That this is a very grave evil and
a great source of danger cannot be
doubted when we consider that signal
lights are elements of danger rather
than of safety to the pilot OF engineer
if he has not an accurate perception of
color. Public attention has been called
to this matter to such an extent that it
is very properly beginning to be re.
garded as necessary test to rigidly
examine seamen and railway employees
before placing them in positions where
life or property may be endangered by
this defect. A very simple way of test
ing the eye is to put into the hands of a
person worsteds of various colors, and
ask him to separate the pieces into red,
blue, green, etc., and then to shade them
from light to dark One who is color
blind will usually very soon make a
mistake. Scientific men have given
many plausible theories as to the causes
of color blindness, but the defect is re-
garded as incurable.