The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1888-02-09
TESTING THEIR EYES
A New Regulation A1opsod By
American Railroads.
Methods Employed 60 Sc Whether Train
Hsn Are Csior-B ind - Gia-ing
Errors Made by Oths wise
R-lias- Young Ven.

In one n o., u-il,- ri1.ns q the Read
ing Raiirrs t..lI Ni1t1 a1i COlum-
bia avenu- O. s-nwd % the men were
gathered. and iel.nil-r W ". Salmon
called them cn- bv one a1i put them
through the va-v s. m De- though thor
ough test. T. r-af r1 .at -es.'n study,
SAYS the Philai Oh E--1-i. 70 sea these
sturdy, be,rim o fe'l l~, walk into ths
room. stand tw -n@v fest away from card
on which were ; n 81 % vu-.ols sized letters,
and name "a Pa 20 th' r-llssl of Mr. Sal
mon. Then b. covered ua each eve In
turn with clr.ols Fair pf sp=ctaclas, %
determine IL theirs was blindness IN either
organ. Ttis done, the candidate was
asked % step into the room and stand %
posite Mr. Ss'u.n. AMI. w--1ut moving
his eyes from those 81 the examiner, fol-
low the lett-r's tu9vem 'nts Of fingers
with arms evfrnisd. 4 hook was then
given the c1udiiats % read % .termine
the range OF vision. The hard-wJrking
fellows were not el1cu ionists, aad their
struggling through a classic translation
was often ludicrols. Only ons in all the
crowd Il nearly four hundred acknOwl-
edged that he cou,dn't read, although be
signed his nam % the certificate In q
plain, neat handwriting.
was a heap OF r'auy-color-d yarns. Reds,
greens, blues dirty states. p.nks and olives
we're there. and all were numtered. TAX
ing up a light bunch Of PINK yarn Mr.. Sal
mon would ask its color. The cand date,
except in few instances, called its name.
Mr.. Salmon explained that the name OF
the color was not the purpose OF The exam
ination. hut tn ability % distinguish the
4 -
nary people can TIL the different shades
Of color. The know the bri Int red and
the vivid green or white, but when il
comes 70 nd cations or shadings Of
these colors thy ara not ahle % name
them even while tIsy can easily distin-
guish th I'm from 9th lors.
After the man had n1net the eo'or, be
was hand d a 8 ck end asked TO pick from
the piles oi warm similar coiors. either
lighter or dalae- N 5rals. This done be
was asked q Iic', oIt green aud then the
different s.ad IS % .-re3n. The same proc
sss was III owed with TIE reds. Some Of
the men we're slow. Others quickly named
the color aul p OK "a GA. ts shades. Some
curious n stake, had v errors, were
made, particg o-iv IN tie ma ming ot the
orange ske n. which Invariably vas called
"reddish." One only, and lo not the most
intelligent Of .he crowd. call 81 the cOlors
by their proper naw-s. lie even knew
sage green. which the other men called
dirty green o. b-own.
When this va d ~ Tire man si-ned the
back Of Tie c-r-idcs.-. All o. he was a
freight cold e- ~ engineer he was
handsl q ie' rra.Y tom a t.g d'suatcher
giving orders q % re rInuing 0f a train,
and rcQu 5fed Z answer 10 fully IN detail.
This, too. in nea iv al the in -taaces was
done vel, on' mans W.. ing IN particular
bein- verv fine.
Out Of all the crowd examined hut three
were found vino were coiJr-b ind. The
last nan, an ntel'i ent fellow and a
freight brakeman, who WAS able 70 g
tinguish the colors OF r-i and green and
blue, vet in pick ~ oI' ~liad IS or tones 10
the greens ha invariably got th dirty
shades Of yellow an pink In the reds
he got the shades Of o i've aud sage green
and brown sh oua-.. His bu.s were
badly m xed. Mr. "a mon said afterward
that while this case was one os danger
Gus coior-blindn IS, TIE man vas MT alb
solutely color-il nj, vet It was not right
to retain him in D s present position.
Perhaps the best example ot alm1st
total CO or-bl MIN ss ,.t q -v..'.r, a by the
examination /, t.s-' OF passenger engi-
neer who ran on oi che mos important
and fasffs' lraiIs gu o. l- OF the div isions
Of the load. N.t rhs t--, o. ths find
ing Of the rN.tl To-. .ug .se vas even Ger.
tificats q o.. .nlrr b. g H',ln from one
Of the hest o.u .s-r iu thl city. The rty
white color il us-l bccIus3 ot the white
ha 3 used s.-uli' becoming disc0l.
ored by the rein sud aTsr. This color the