Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-10-04
EXPERIMENTS IN OPTICS.
HOW the Eyeslght is Affected by Much
Reading-ouestions of Color.

wearing out lHcif eyes. Iney lIdr0 /
near-sightedness and many other de-
fects of vision to much reading 1t is
n matter Of common observation that
persons who read most have the sense |
Of sight most impaired. Scientists
have feared that the prevalent defects
of the eye might become hereditary
and that years of evolution might pro-
duce a sightless race--or, at least, one
partly blind-and many experiments
have been made and suggestions Of
fered to lessen this danger.
4 number of experiments have been
made with reference to the color Of the
paper and the printers ink. The gloss
Of highly finished or calendored paper
has been condemned. \ natural tone
and a dull surface is preferred. The
contrast between white paper and
black ink is believed TO be too great
and n diversity Of colors has been sug-
gested for both paper and ink. 4
VERY light buff tint in the paper has
been found TO be grateful to the eye
and manila paper has been used
with good results. An eastern expert
menter has satisfied himself that the
ground should always be darker than
the print-the paper of a deeper color
than the letters. He suggests black
paper and gray ink, or a blue page
printed in orange Signs are printed
on this principle oftener than on any
other
This suggestion is based on the the
DRY of scientists that objects are seen
because they are lighted up-that is to
81, ffrl,+ rsgf n
object form its outlines on the retina
Of the eye. IN tho white page and
black letter { is claimed that this pro-
cess is reversed and that ever part of
the page except the letter is seen. The
letters are observed because in certain
lines the white page makes no impress
sion on the resina. A silhouette, it is
claimed is not as grateful to the eye as
the same figure on q slate, and bronze
bust against a white wall is less pleas
ing than q marble bust againsta black
shield.
A Russian physician named Malaney-
sky after many experiments proposed
| q black ground and white letters Prof.
Bowditch of Harvard experimental
with several classes, however, and
found that a majority of only small
| per cent in each class preferred the
/ black ground and white ink to a white
ground and black ink. The Harvard
| experiments prove that Maianeysky's
scheme is not of general value. In
/ Paris it has been decided that street
names in white letters on abluc ground
are more easily read than the black or
white lettering.
! The most noted experiment in colors
/ has been that Of n firm of Dutch pub
fishers, which has printed number of
books on light green paper in sky-blue
| ink. These are claimed to be nature
favorite colors. and their pleasing eff
| feet in vegetation and sky is sought to
/ be reproduced by the printed page.
The experiments said to be successful,
/ though the combination of color is not
likely to ravish artistic souls. Still
other plans for relieving the eye have
been suggested.
A London firm of printers asks if we
! do not read backward, and suggests a
heavy-faced italic type. 1t is claimed
that a perpendicular letter is not best
adapted to the sight and that the
vision would pass more readily and
with greater ease over q line elanted
toward the right as if the letters were
flowing in the direction taken by the
eyes in reading.
Other persons have suggested that
matter be printed in columns, n word
to the line, like an old-fashioned spell
ing-book or a Chinese newspaper, and
that the column be read from the top
downward The column would be an
odd-looking affair where short word
and five-syllabed one came together
and the waste of space incurred makes
such a suggestion impracticablc, An
other suggestion is that the lines be
printed to read right and left alternate
| ~. For instance, you begin at the
first line and read to the right-hand
side of the column, then drop your eye
to the next line and read back TO the
starting side, and so on. The loss o.
time in carving the eve to the righ
from the left hand side of a column a
the conclusion of each line would b,
saved, as we'll as the strain on the eye
in catching The next line, But ne
language will read both ways and the
proposition is not worth considering.
Mr. Tucr of the London firm suggest,
a new type with n broad face, and tha
capitals be made OF a size uniform will
the lower case or small letters. He
would reduce the "tall' letters-those
that project above or below the line
such as ], h, Y, and p, to the same
height as those without tails. But hi!
suggestion has rather the object o
economy in space than a relief TO tht
eve though both arc considered.
, About the best suggestion offered fo
newspaper printing is that of TIVE
{ practical printer, of CHjcago-Mr. 4
. {. Cameron and MuE J.. Crawford
{ They want less printed in the news
/, papers and the size of the type in
creased They want the news IN brie
and TO the point The people do no
. want dictionary for cent they say
, and complain that the papers print $,
much matter chat it takes too mucl
. time In the rcadiHg. ttegg3 AegS.
( Railroad stations in Germany.
Tho railroad stations MI over Ger