The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1890-12-27
ARTIFICIAL EYES.
MAKING THEM IS QUITE AN
INDUSTRY.

Eyes, and the Best OF Them
are Made in Amcrica-Their
| Cost.
There is gentleman in New York,
married and the father of Il family, who
has worn an artificial eve for many years
without the knowledge of any member
of his family. There are many men and
women in public life who wear artificial
eyes undiscovered. To do this, of
course, requires not only wonderful per-
lection in the manufacture of the eye it.
self, but also great circumspectiOn on the
part of the wearer, whose vision is nee
essarily limited, and who is liable to ex-
posure from the occurrences of everyday
life. There was, until recently, in New
York city, lady, the wife of very
well-knOwn man, who was in the habit
OF meeting constantly very many persons,
and who went out much in society. who
wore an artificial eye without detection.
Many artificial eyes are imported from
Germany and France, where they are
made almost as cheap as buttons. In
the District of Thuringia, in Germany,
entire villages of men, women and child
rem assist in the manufacture. The process
is analogous to glass blowing. Indeed
1t is sort of glass blowing The work
man sits at table with a gas jet flame
from blowpipe in front of him, which
| gives an intense heat, capable of melting
the CLASSY substance which forms the eye
lie molds the substance as easily as a
potter would clay. Then the pupil is
put on by the same process and the col
ors traced with small needles of colored
substance, so as to initiate the delicate
tracery of the eyeball and pupil.
When eyes are made at wholesale the
workman makes haphazard a vast guam
tity of sizes, shapes and colors, and it is
presumed that dealer can. by keeping
large assortment of the artificial eyes,
manage to match the eye of any customer
But. in practice, this proves to be an en-
cecdingly difficult matter The colors and
shapes OF eyes vary in numbcrle>s variety,
ana where customers are fastidious and
with Keen vision for shades of color, it
Is seldom possible to suit them with
these ready made eyes, and they are lit
tie used in first class establishments,
where perfect work is sought regardless
of price.
The expression, "a bully boy with
glass eye" denotes Il popular error that
false eyes are made of glass. The fact
Is that the substance is more like china
About forty years ago an Englishman
named I. j. Davis began to make arti-
fetal eyes in New York by new process.
He found spar in Connecticut which
was peculiarly adapted for the making of
artificial eyes, and he maintained that,
after great research in other parts of the
world, no stone could be found capable
of yielding the same results This spar,
to become ductile, has to be subjected
to an intense heat for from thirty to
forty-eight hours. When thus treated
it is ready for shaping and colOring, and
requires no metallic oxides to work it,
and is, therefore, not liable to injury
from the saline secretions and more dur
able and artistic than eyes made in the
old way, which was to mix common
glass with metallic oxides, producing a
material easily fusible by heat and very
brittle. The eyes produced by the Con-
necticut spar are tougher. Mr.. Davis
kept his secret for many years, and be-
fore his death bequeathed it to his sons,
and they have made many eyes success
fully for wealthy people who have tried
in vain the best eye makers of Europe.
The cheap wholesale eyes are very use
full in sparsely settled localities or small
towns where people may want artificial
eyes in an emergency. For instance, a
gentleman travelling in the West broke |
his artificial eye. and the only place
VIII hn
saddler's shop. He did not get a good
match for size. shape, or color, but he
got something that served him until he |
could get to New York.
There are many things to be considered !
in making first-class artificial eye. The |!
right is different from the left. The size |
of the bulb must be taken into account. |
The position must be prominent. full, or
sunken to mate the good eye. The shade
OF the white of the eye must be noted, |
and the delicate veins and tracery. |
Sometimes the bloodshot appearance of |
the good eye must be initiated. The !
diameter of the iris and the pupil must |
be marked, and the nature of the opera
ton of the diseased eye must be taken
into account. All this requires skill and |
dcxterous manipulation. 1t is not unus-
ual for person to keep several extra
eyes on hand in case of accident.
Sometimes people out of town send
orders for eyes in the same way that
other merchandise is sent for The Eu-
ropean artificial eyes generally last about
twelve months only, when they become
rough and unpleasant. Even the best
false eyes will after time become rough
and require to be replaced. The best
makers require that the false eyes shall
be taken out at night and kept thorough
ly clean. In most cases what is called
an artificial eye is merely part of an