Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-07-16

THE GLASS-EYE MAN.
HOW THE SEM-SIGHTLES CAN COUNTERFEIT
NATURE,
Some Of the Experiences Of Those Who Are Single
Orbed But Who Are Passed by the Threng
as Without Blemish.
Philadelphia Press.
Few misfertunes are taken less philosophically
than the loss of an eye. Putting aside the in
convenience, it is one Of the worst Of disfigure-
ments; almost as bad as the loss Of ones nose
The absence of an arm or leg has often an honor
able explanation which carries the respectful and
admiring sympathy of the able bodied and even
if the story be untrue it seldom fails to obtain
ready eredence, especially in country where a
big war has ragged within a decade Any I'M
sightliness Of the wound is hidden by clothing,
and soldiers are proud of the empty sleeve or
wooden leg, and often ScOrn to hide the defcien-
CIV with an artificial limb. With an eye. however.
it is different. Not many wounds received In
battle would destroy the eyesight without doing
farther injury. bullet piercing the socket
would probably perforate the brain and kill out
right. and a sabre-cut over the temple would
leave CHASTITY scar to tell its tales and so dead
eye may. as a rule be put down to disease, or to
some petty accident, and in not few instances
fever in many cases destroy an eye; severe
blow with the fist, the point OF stick OF UNI
brella or pieces of coal jumping out of the fire
are frequent causes. Girls working at sewing
machines in factories often lose an eye by the
sudden breaking of needle, and several young
girls have disfgured themselves in that way re-
lates prominent optician Of this city, by a habit
they have OF ''unbuttoning their boots with a
fork Few people remain happy under so hide
Gus biemish. and, as science can disguise the
defect so thoroughly that even glass-eyed man
has difficulty in recognizing fellow victim, it is
not surprising that the general public has little
idea OF the number of sngle-Orbed individuals
daily passed in the streets.
WHERE THE CLASSY ORBS ARE MADE.
Artificial eyes are manufactured principally
abroad, although there are one OF two makers
in New York. England, France and Germany
mOnOpOlze the trade in this commodity. and
by most opticians in the United States Thu
ringian GERMANY eyes are preferred to any
other.
At well-knOwn establishment on Chestnut
street Press reporter was shown variety Of
artificial eyes of every size, shade and color.
They are made of porcelain. hand painted. every
vein being perfectly marked. the imitation being
complete. 1t costs ten dollars to purchase one
of these. and it requires renewing nearly every
year as the enamel wears off and the color fades.
They are made to tit with the neatest precision.
and there is little chance of similar inconven-
fences happening to the Wearer as with Dickens
Old lady, whose glass eye would twist round on
the wrong side. About one hundred and fifty
artificial eyes are sold annually by this firm. and
they also had the government contract for the
districts of Washing on Baltimore Pittsburg and
Philadelphia to provide veterans with imitation
optics in place OF the real ones they had lost
through the viscissitudes of the War Of the Re-
belliOn. Over a thousand men applied for this
privilege. They came in squads Of twenty at a
time.
Women are a little ashamed when they enter
the store. They desire to be taken as far In the
rear as possible. ;ind leave hurriedy as they
can as soon as the false eye has been fixed or re-
newed, an operation of a few minutes. When
the muscles OF the sockets are not destroyed the
eye can be put in so cleverly that Il natural move
ment can be given to it which almost detes de-
tecton but in cases where there is little to cling
to the eye remains stationary. BrOy. eyes are
most easily matched; blue are more Ii ficult es-
pecially certain shades, as the play of the light
upon them gives variation of color and sparkle
almost impossible to initiate artifcialiy.
Many interesting anecdotes are told Of peoples
reticence in disclosing the fact of their misfOr
tune.
A ONE-CRBED FAMILY
young man with glass-eye was engaged to
be married. but he did not like to inform his be-
trOthed of his ocular defect. A week previous
to the day named for the wedding he cOnfided in
his future father-in-law, who. to his SURPRISE re-
ceiyed the information in q highly amused man
ner ''l'll make it all right for you, my boy; you
initiate me exactly in anything do after supper
tonight and see how gOod-naturedly Maria
(that was the LADY IS name) will take it." Ac-
cOrdingly, as soon as the evening meal was con-
Guided. the father looked at the young man and
began to sing:
Oh! do you know the glass-eye man,
The glass-eye man, the giass-eye man?
Oh. do you know the glass-eye man
Who lives down our way?
And as he concluded the last line he took ont
his left eye and placed it on plate in front Of
him. The young man was very much astonished
IN ind nc fath inf rfr of i'm,
self, while at the same time it gave him courage
to reply.
Oh! yes, l know the gass-eye man
Who lives down our way,
and to deposit his crystal optic on the table
Maria was conyuised with laughter at the pro-
ceedings. but her future husband was ready to
believe all humanity one-eyed when she trebled
forth: -
also know the glass-eye man
Who lives down our way,
and dropped her eye into glass Of water by her
side
Frequent assaults and battery have been made
by sternly virtuOus females in cars Oh glass-eyed
men. Only recently a gentleman was enjoying
the scenery through the car window with his ma
turai eye, unaware of the fact that his glass eye
was staring straight ahead at a maiden lady Of
Sunday-schOol principles. She put up with it
for half an hour and then got up and smashing
his hat over his head, called him a licentous vii
lain and other complimentary epithets, and was
only prevented from scratching his face by his
timely retreat to the smoking-car under the
suppOsitiOn that he had been attacked by mad
woman.
PROvIDENTIAL EFFECT ON AN INDIAN.
Fifty years ago, when California was under the
dominion OF Spain, one-eyed cOmmandant ruled
at San Francisco who was the terror OF all the
Indians in the vicinity. A Yankee skipper tray
cling that way induced the Spanard to purchase
one of the then newly invented glass eyes of him.
and to the fear and surprise Of the redskins the
commandant suddenly appeared with two eyes.
This was too much for the braves, so one of their
number was deputed to assassinate the senior.
He managed to gain access to the bed-chamber,
but on approaching the couch was terrified to
find the commandant sleeping with one eye
closed and the other wide open. The amazed
Indian gave an unearthiy yell and threw himself
headlOng from the window.
One of the most curious stories is the case Of a
supposed blind beggar in Paris. This man was
arrested for some trivial 0ffense, and on his way
to the prison one of his eyes fell out on the side
walk. On being examined it was discovered that
for long time he had been in the habit of wear
ing two ingeniOusly contrived porcelain covers to
his real eyes, which were of different color to
the sham ones, and he was at once recognized as
a criminal for whom the authorities had long
been in search.
A glass eye once figured in a civil trial. An
optician sued a woman for the value of an eye
hoh oA ipco tod