Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-05-07
TRAINING THE EYE,
How the Specialist Educates the Del
icate organ.

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"rhe eyes are of no use without the OBJ
serving power" "A great writer has said,
and can it be denied that no faculty we
possess is capable of so much cultivation
as that of sight? Poets have often chosen
for their themes the emotions which find
expression through the eyes and have even
ventured to express preferences as o color,
but the variety in color and expression of
the eye is as nothing compared to the
difference in the power of observation. In
the story Of eyes and No Eyes" we have
types of people who 20 through the world,
some seeing everything, and others com
paratlvely nothing. Much Of this is doub-
tless due to early education.
The naturalist, DOtanist, artist, and the
specialist in every department of science
devotes himself closelyto the examination
OF the detailsthat exist in his own partic-
uar line, and no doubt the cultivation
of his perception would serve him in
other departments which are closely allied
to him.
The naturalist do not allow the small
est insect to pass unnOtlced and his trained
eye perceives at once the variety of species
in which to classify it. How differently
the botanist examines flower ftom "A per-
son of ordinary eyeSight, who sees in it
little save the color, shape and perfume.
The botanist may be able to trace in the
| flowers parts resemblances to other flow
ers to which it is closely related.
have known children four years of age
to select flowers Of the rose family, which
embrace not only the roses themselves, but
the fruit tree blossoms, apple, pear, plum,
cherry and ounce, the smaller fruits, straw
berry, raspberry and blackberry blossoms
from other blossoms OF the lily and pink
families, simply by the resemblances they
saw in the petals and the peculiar serrated
leaves which nearly all the family have.
1t is not possible to estimate the benefit to
be derived 'front.' he early and careful train
| ing of children to observant. Many are
| less observant naturally and need to have
things pointed out to them until the habit
OF examining closely is formed or like sec
ond nature. Ruskn, who has been close
observer of art and nature, says: There
is no bush exactly like another bush mo
! two trees of the forest whose branches
| bend just the same way no two leaves on
! the same tree which could not be told
| from each other nor two waves of the sea
| exactly alike" How few of us are able to
describe or even draw the leaves OF our COM
monest trees-the oak, maple or elm-ac-
curately. How many of us after gazing
upon u face can outline the face, give the
correct shape of the nose, or height of the
| forehead Or lives are less to us in
consequence of this. lack of special training
of the eye An expert in precious. stones
is scarcely ever deceived by counterfelts,
gem which comes to his notice. Without
this habit of observation no Agassiz, no
| Humboldt, no Newton, no Calico would
have helped the world each in their sever
always. Where unthlnking persons OBJ
serve nothing, men of Intelligent vision
study the phenomena presented to them,
noting differences, making comparisons
and grasping their underlying idea.
Calico was not probably the first person
who had seen a suspended weight swing
by measured beat, but was the first to see
that the principle could be applied. Fifty
years of study and labor We're necessary
to complete the invention of the pendulum
but its importance in the measurement
of time and astronomical calculation can
scarcely be overrated The invention of the
telescope has reduced astronomyto sclen
ce. The invention of the telescope was
accomplished by careful observation OF
what spectacle maker had given to the
second son Of William of Orange-an ms
trument by which distant objects appear
ed nearer to the beholder. The suspension
bridge is the result of the careful study OF
"A spider web, which was seen by the invcn
tor who had in mind the construction OF a
bridge over the Tweed. The idea occurred
to him that Il bridge OF iron ropes might
be constructed in the same manner. The
Thames tunnel was the result of a lesson
upon the ship worm, which pcrfolateS
wood with its head, first in one direction
and then another until the arch-way was
complete. Only the intelligent eye OF Il
careful observer can give these seemingly
trivial phenomena their value. The life OF
Hugh Miller gives us another Illustration
of the advantage of making good use OF
the eyes. With an Old hammer of his
, grandfhther's he went about chipping OF
. pieces of stone and making collection OF
specimens of mica, garnet and other stones
and hunting up, whenever he had day
, curiosities which came III his way, often
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