Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-05-08
ABOU 4 ENES.
The Different Kinds What the Writers
of All Ages Have TO Say.

From the New York Stgl
Generalizing aboat eyes is by no means an
easy task particularly in a city Ike New York.
where III, mtermlxture and internarriage of
races has obliterated or obscured all nationa!
types. A lady who assumes TO be an authority
on such questions AYERS that dark ewes tlr,-
dominate IN this city IN the ratio of seventy
five in every hundred while twenty Ia every
hundred possess blue eyes. and the remaining
five eyes are Of light gray or hazel Black ewes,
however, are less common than the majority
OF observers imagine, and il is not often that
one encounters a pair of Orbs that are abso-
lutely black in all lights. Fifteen per hundred
will probably cover the proportion. according
TO the authority just quoted. and at least ten of
these may be relegHted to the category OF the
small. heavy organ, AZ metallic ia It's luster as a
globe of Pennsylvania coal. but with a dash OF
cunning in Its depths sometimes that tends very
decidedly TO strengthen ones belief in Darwin
ism. There is a small black eve with a reddish
luSter behind 1t. as II smouldcring embers
nlckered for a moment ana then subsidized
which must not be confounded with the pro-
ceedlng. The category is rare. even in tins
city OF mingled types. and a rule the owner
is person not TO be trifed with.
TWO NOTABLE TYPES
of black eyes remain TO be mentioned The
first is large. well opened. full of lambent light
limpid. laughing. 1t dances with mirth. moist
ems with sympathy. is capable of carving on a
long conversation with all ITS shades aud sub
tletes without the least assistance from the
lips, and when shaded with the long dark
lashes that usually accompany it. Its glances
are SO magnetic and irresistible as 10 make ou.
thank Heaven for it's rarity. The next category
Is large, long cut. half-opened. LIQUID sad
slumberous ana solemn-the true eye, capable
OF such reycrles of mysticism. such fanatic
fires, as colder Gothic natures can never IN
derstand. Tragedy Turks ia such orbs as these
and. happily for our staid social countenauces.
they are not more than one in a hundred as
compared with the mass.
IL BOOKS
The variety of expression Of which the eve is
capable has been the pons asinorum OF the sec
ond-rate novelist ever since fiction was III
vented. Even in the old Greek DAYS the au
thors of the Mllesian tales of whose yersifica-
ton Bulwer made such a bungle. were troubled
to find descriptive eplthets. Homer could ONLY
describe the royal orbs of Juno by using the
epithet of ox-eyed; the goddess had bovine
eyes, with the large motion and liquid pupil
But what a range OF adjectives second-class he
ton has dlscovered-the second-class fiction OF
the English language an particular, Ewes
sparkle, flash, burn, blaze. flame. yearn IAN
guish, threaten, darkle. tighten: they are
naughty, laughing, hmpid. liquid. sad slumber-
Gus, solemn, spiritual. dreamy. shadow, vel
y
1t is remarkable how writers of the first order
despise and discard this jargon Dickens finally
appreciated the finest shades of difference be-
tween eyes. but he wasted no adiectiyes and
when he wished to describe, as he occasionally
did, he always employed some distinctive mode.
He had observed the Vindictiye flicker the spot
of red light that appears IN the ewes OF angry
persons soIg ,.,.uts. and is due TO the fact that
the pupil a.lA.es and the RAYS of light meet
and form a blazing point just behind the crys-
taine lens. When such persons are excited
vision grows indistinct and hay; there Is tenn
porary astigmatism. Mr.. Obenreizer had the
faculty of drawing veil over his eyes when he
meditated evil That is. he had acquired CON
troll over the muscles of the iris. and could con-
tract the pupil until the window of the soul
was closed.
GRAY EYES IN THE UNITED STATES.
Our English oculis;'s attention was arrested
by the relatively large proportion Of gray eyes
in the United States. although it WAS what 10
half expected to see a consequence of the
admixture of races. And this proportion hs
finds to be pretty evenly divided between the
blue-gray and the o-ange-gray. OF course. ma
speaking of beautiful eyes the great mass Of
common orbs must be disregarded. They an
swer very we'll, no doubt things to see with.
and thus serve purpose. but. according 20 our
English authority. not more than pair of
eyes an fifty in England. and not more than one
pair in twenty IN the United States. should bo
considered at all in dissertation on the sub
ject. Among the remarkable ewes of beauty
that he saw here he mentioned a woman with
large dark eastern eyes. a complexion white
and bold as ivory. ard abundant masses of
faxen hair turbaning a superb Greek head aud
Greek features.