The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-10-25

For some time past have been con-
sulting with different persons who are
suffering with failing sight, and in each
instance ascertained that the unfor-
tunate person was and is IA regular
cotfee-drinker. i had long noticed that
the eyes of old coffee-drinkers had a
dry and shriveled appearance
Having discovered, some years ago,
that my eyesight was surely weaken
ing, | then ceased to drink coffee as
freely as had used it and became a
moderate and more Observant patron
of the fragrant narcotic. But / have
learned that moderate coffee-drinking
is II hard thing 10 manage, being pretty
sure To develop into the regular habit
again with insidious ease, especially at
those times when the physical system
feels itself to be in need of some elixir.
Besides it is quite distressing for a per-
son to be fighting off powerful habit
at each mealtime. | now feel free of
the coffee-drinking vice, and will have
no more trouble with it unless | shall
again fall victim to some church sup
per or to the magnetic Establishments
of some buoyant hostess.
Having long worked at trade which
eye as the occupation of a ieweler, l
made the discovery that a single cup
of coffee would have a perceptible eff
feet on my eyes. This fact was the
more apparent because my eyesight
was originally very good-in fact,
about the best. After using coffee
many years my sight became abnor-
mally weak and began to feel hor-
nj da RI ufCI hak
would never set, and desiring instinct
lively to go to some place where the
nights would be short during the entire
year. But now have quite little of
this feeling left. My eyes have re-
gained to a curious extent, their former
range and spOntaneity. Iagain enjoy
the long panoramic views of nature. /
can take long telescope sweeps of
vision again without blinking or feel
ing the weakening relaxation which
doubt but what this weakness of the
eyes which results from coffee-drink-
ing is due to the sympathy which the
optic nerve has for the nasal cavity
the latter being continuous with the
membrane of the mouth. The nasal
cavity, with its first pair of brain
lives, 10 HdIulalI prluclpdl place
to be affected by any drinking habit.
For instance, to partake of dish of
soup will sometimes cause a persons
breathing to become thick and decided
ly labored. All of the sensory nerves
are much affected by coffee-drinking-
those gentle and highly refined threads
of sympathetic force which enter large
ly into the sense of smell, taste, sight,
and hearing. The entire sympathetic
system is likewise involved Immediate.
ly in the coffce-drinking habit.
Coffee-drinking is especially injuri-
Gus when it is resorted to as Il backing
for strong food. There are plenty of
robust persons among us who have
drunk coffee pretty freely for life
time, but who are seemingly uninjured
by it. To this fact reply that appear
ances are sometimes deceiving to uu-
praeticed eyes, and that vice does not
in all cases show its effects plainly in
the first generation, The free use of
coffee dates back only one generation
in this country. But this l will say,
that no person is as stout fof three
hours after he has drunk coffee as he
hofnI.a