The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-09-13
Victims Of Strabismus.

"Watch that waiter" said the doc
tor, as he indicated by jerk of his
thumb a black frocked, white-aproned
serYitor who was pursuing an unsteady
course through the maze of tables and
chairs at the further end of the res
taurant ''Netice the way he carries
his head. See how he twists his neck
away to avoid looking any one IN the
eye. I suppose you think am going
to tell you that the man is reformed
cut-throat or a fugitive New Jersey
bank official. But am not. He is an
innocent, moral man, for all that I
know to the contrary, bat he is terribly
afflicted. He needs pity and obscurity.
He would be more at home on Selkirk's
Island than on Broadway. He is cross
eyed.
"The pathology of this disease" said
the physician, as he lighted cigar and
settled himself in his chair for talk,
sis two-fold. 1t is both. moral and
medical. The mental, as well as the
physical, qualities of the victim are in
fluenced by this serious affiiction. I
know of no disease, deformity or malady
which produces such marked effects on
a man as strabismus. It is human ma
ture to cover up ones defects, but
nothing can hide a pair of cross-eyes.
The eyes have been called windows of
the soul. They are the most express
i've part of the face. They denote a
mans passion, his feeling, his senti-
ments. You always look into mans
eyes when he talks to you. You may
never see how he is dressed; but if the
expression of his eye is bad it is seen in
a second. And this not the worst of it.
If limb is so crippled that it attracts
your attention the victim may not hap
pen to notice your scrutiny, but if you
look into his crooked eyes he detects
your glance instantly. 1t requires more
than natural politeness to look cross
eyed person in the face and not to indi-
cate by the slightest sign that his deform-
ity is noticed, and very few people have
been able to accomplish the feat. There
is fascination about cross-eyes. Your
gaze is drawn to them unconsciously.
You can't avoid them. Your curiosity
is excited. You are constantly wonder
ing with which eye he is looking at you.
The cross-eyed man cannot escape his
notoriety. was cross-eyed myself
once, and for years life was burden
to me. On street-cars ill-mannered
men would stare at me, girls looked
at me and giggled, children would
move around directly in front of me
and inquire, so as to be heard all over
the car: Mamma, say, what's the
matter with this mans eyes?n neg
leeted society, walked instead of riding
in the cars or stages, and was fast de-
veloping into recluse. when / had my
eyes Strengthened by an operation. l
was engaged to be married, when /
was beginning my practice, to beau
tiful young girl, who entered into all
my hopes and ambitions. She was good
and generous and so self-sacrifcing
that she was willing to link herself to
cross-eyed man for life. My affection
broke off the match. We were both at
an evening company. 1t was only .
month before the day which was APP
pointed for the wedding We were sit
ting in one corner of the room facing
another pair of lovers, who were en-
sconced behind a screen of flowers in
the other corner. The band was play
ing and we were listening. Twas think
ing about the great happiness in store
for me when my dream was rudely dis
turbed by the young man opposite, He
crossed the room, came to my side and
whispered loudly enough to almost
drown the band: If you don't stop
staring at that young lady ] will fiatten
your watch chain against your back
bone tried to explain. / told him I
didn't intend to stare at her; that was
looking and thinking only of the fair
creature by my own side. But it was
no use He didn't believe me, and my
intended was SO mortified by the dis
turbance and confusion that when /
offered. to release her from her promise
she gladly accepted the offer. She mar
ried soon afterward a club-footed
grocer, and lives around the corner
from me, and I have as straight eyes
L At u