Morning journal and courier., 1883-07-20
The Cross-Eyed Brigade.
VOes and AnnOFances of the Victims of
 Strabismus.

Strabismus.
 From the New York Times
 ] ''Watch that waiter" said the doctor, as ] he indicated by jerk of his thumb black l frocked, white aproned serVitor who was l pursuing an unsteady course through the | maze of tables and chairs at the further end | of the restaurant. Notice the way he oar ries his head. See how he twists his neck away to avoid looking anyone in the eye suppose you think I am going to tell you that | the man is a reformed cut-throat or fugitive New Jersey bank official. But am not He I is an innocent, moral man, for all that ! know to the contrary, but he IS terribly af- I hicted. lie needs pity and obscurity. He | would be more at home on Selkirk's Island l than on Broadway. He is cross-eyed.
 F'The pathology of this disease,' said the | physician, as he lighted a cigar and settled himself in his chair for a talk, Sis two-fold l It ia both moral and medical. The mental as well as the physical, qualities of the vic | tim are influenced by this serious affiiction I know of no disease, deformity or malady which produces such marked effects on 8 man as strabismus. It is human nature to cover up ones defects. False mustaches hide bad teeth and hair lips. False legs and l arms fill vacant trousers and sleeves. Pads take the place of natural plumpness, and | paint and powder cover erupti7e compiler | ions. Even waxen noses and ears supply l these missing features, but nothing can hide | a pair of cross-eyes. The eyes have been 1 called windows of the soul. They are the
 most expressive part of the face. They de- 1 note 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 his boots may be out of l style and shape and badly worn; he may be attired in broadcloth or jeans without attract I ing your attention, but if the expression of | his eye is bad it is seen in 8 second. And l this is not the worst of it. If 8 limb is so crippled that it attracts your attention the victim may not happen to notice your scruti- ny, but if you look into his crooked eyes he detects your glance instantly. It requires
 more than natural politeness to look @ cross ey ed person in the face and not to indicate
 by the slightest sign that his deformity is noticed, and very few people have been able
 to accomplish the feat. There is fascina ton about cross-eyes. Your gaze IS drawn to them unconsciously. You can't avoid
 them. Your curiosity is excited. You are
 constantly wondering with which eye he is
 looking at you. The cross eyed man cannot
 escape his notoriety. I was cross-eyed my
 self once, and for years life was burden to
 me. On street cars ill-fnannered men would
 stare at me- girls looked at me and giggled,
 children would move around directly in front .sf me and inquire, so as to be heard all over Iho S6rs Mamma, say, what's the matter with this maS5sis,s eyes ? l neglected society, walked instead of fEiing in the cars or stages and wac fast develoninoS oS,sinto recluse, when had my eyes straia ahtenedA.o oX an oPerat1on- was engaged to be married, WhGtss1Tss s1ss was pe- ginning my practice, to 8 beautiful ySuns girl, who entered into all my hopes and "ul oitions She was good and generous and ssio that she was willing to link | herself to cross eyed man for life. My af- fiction broke off the match. We were both | 1t an evening company. It was only month before the day which was appointed for the Sedding. We were sitting in one corner of
 he room facing another pair of lovers, who were ensconced behind g screen of flowers in
 he other corner. The band was playing and ge were listening. was thinking about the treat happiness in store for me when my lream was rudely disturbed by the young nan opposite He crossed the room, came O my side, and whispered loudly enough to llmost drown the band If you don't stop
 taring at that young lady will fatten your watch chain against your backbone tried o explain. told him I didn't intend to
 tare at her that was looking and think ng only of the fair creature by my own side. But it was no use He didn't believe me, md my intended was so mortified by the dis and confusion that when I offered o release her from her promise she gladly
 accepted the offer. She married club ooted grocer, and lives around the corner rom me, and have as straight eyes now as he has,
 lou WOu1Q tn1uk tub6 a CIOS5-0yoN pcI- on would overcome his sensitiveness," con- inued the doctor, ''but he seldom does. He ,roods over it. It grows on him. He imag- nes that every one he meets thinks as much bout it as he does, and life often loses all ttraction for him. Did you ever notice 8 man walk? Nor can tell one 8 far as can see him. It imparts to his I ait certain movement peculiar to the whole , lass of cross-eyed people. But it is not al- opether bashfulness which causes him to ' void looking person squarely in the face. { he retained the power of sight In each of is crooked eyes, as is often the case, It
 ould do him no good to look the ordinary ! ay. He would be very likely to miss the T biect altogether. The lines of his vision z ouId probably cross a foot or so before the bject was fully comprehended, and all he
 ould see would be the faint and shadowy 1ltines of a pair of ears or the rim of @ hat. il he place where the face ought to be would VI ? a dismal blank. Many bright futures are y lined by this fearful misfortune Some
 nBitive victims never pluck up courage lough to marry. They often become sel. ,h misanthropes, grow stingy and leave @ Il rtune for a horde of straight-eyed relations, et ho totally ignored them while they were M i've, to fight over. Others, with that natu- l yearning for the love and sympathy which ia @ almost universally denied cross-eyed men, Ft ke what they can get in the matrimonial or arket. They spring at the very first chance n' hich offers. Thus often soulful, but
 s-eyed, s0sthete finds himself joined to a u wing, but unsympathetic, helpmeet, whose ., nbition never rises above the kitchen or @'
 10 laundry. He loses his hopes, descends
 the level of his mate, and what might th we been 8 talented career is ended on 8 nc rge box in front of the corner grocery in it tailing neighborhood gossip. Occasionally ,tnss ou nno man Wasn so!ncaent strengtn or Sf ind to live down the malign effects of stra- srnus and come out victor. When once dr an has overcome his difddence he becomes ss1q
 bold as sewing machine agent. When ce
 ia courageous enough to look woman