The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-01-14
The Boston Girl and Her spectaoles.

Boston girls begin early to reflect the
unmistakable Boston looks. No mat
ter how giddy they may begin. they
end by wearing determined. inde-
pendent, very recently groomed ex-
preston. as though their brains and
skin has just been sandpapered. The
really pretty ones are under l6. and
wear their glossy hair in braids down
their backs and sensible little suits with
everything taut about them. Their
compilations are fresh and rosy, their
eyes bright and they have the air of
perfect health. After IS, I regret to
say, they are not SO comely, unless
heaven has intended they should
eclipse their sister mortals and be
known as ssbelles.h u Either the Boston
girl is victim of inherited myopia or
she early acquires weakness of vision
by too close application to books, for
their reputation for being addicted to
eyeglasses is too true. Half the girls
I met that morning wore them. What
does it mean," / asked my companion,
as child of 10 passed by having on a
pair of gold-bowed spectacles, "what
does it mean that the eyesight of Amer
leans should be so defectivep If this:
goes on, babies in arms will be wearing
spectacles before they can talk"
My friend then told me of her expe-
rience with a highly-reported oculist
whom she had consulted for an acute
strain of the eyes several years ago.
She was always nearsighted. inherited
the difficulty, but only used glasses
occasionally. One night she read by
a tlickering gas light aud brought on a
serious and painful Inflammation OF
the eyeball. Various remedies we're
tried to allay the trouble without avail,
and she then sent for the oculist in
question for advice. He examined her
thoroughly; sat her staring into bril-
liant flame; shut her up in darkness;
pulled up first one eyelid, then the
other, and finally announced there was
grave inequality of vision, one eye
was doing all the work and the other
was losing its sight. To make a long
look at book or do any work of any
kind for month, and then he would
write a prescription Tor spectacles.
"Spectaclest" she cried; mo. indeed.
If must wear anything l shall wear
eyeglasses" The oculist smiled GRIM
ly and replied eyeglasses could not tit
Lne ViSlOn. 1t was iIupOSslulo Ao1 al
optician to make them, and she would
eventually be blind if she did not put
ON the spectacles. He had ordered
them for great many persons who
took immense comfort with them now.
But my friend is not Bostonese, and
she said, 'I'll not join the spectacle
brigade at present, at whatever haz-
ard She did rest her eyes and she
cured them of the acute strain, and
then she proceeded to an optician and
ordered two pairs of eyeglasses-one
to use at theaters and other places
where she wished to see from a dist
ance. the other pair to wear when
reading. Neither to wear permanent
2y. This was eight years ago, and she
still has her eyesight and, in spite of
what the oculist predicted, it is strong
er than then, and she rarely has to
use the second pair OF eyeglasses. She
declares the parents can not be too
wary about infiicting this blemish on
their children's good looks; that half OF
the weak vision is caused by careless
ness, and when once the glasses are
put on they can never be taken off. -
Boston Letter IN Albany journal.