Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-06-17
WALL PAPER DEIIRIUM.
EFFECT OF GROTESQUE DESIGNS
ON THE WEAK AND SlCklY.

How the Figures on the Wall Photo
graph Themselves the Mind of the
Invalid and Repeat the Patterns in the
Lonely Brain of the Helpless.
81 was nearly driven out of my mind |
this morning at the barber's," said a man,
complainingly, day or two ago. You
see the ceiling is decorated in an odd way |
with white and gold plaster, put on in
circles The rings begin small and gradu-
ally enlarge to about the size of cheese |
plate, and are repeated again and again.
Lying back on the chair, my eyes had only |
the ceiling to look at and of course ]
dared not move my head
Presently caught sight Of fly, or a
spot of black that | mistook for one, and l
began to speculate whether it was fly. l
watched it to see whether it would move,
80 that might be sure. One does the most
idiotic things at times under enforced still
ness, as when in BARRIERS chair. The
more watched the more certain l was
that the thing was a fly, but it wouldn't
move Something else did After few
minutes of steady watching the circles be-
gan to revolve faster and faster but the
black spot remained perfectly still.
'In desperation | removed my glare to
another set of circles, only to find that the
one revolving set had started all the others.
Round and round they went in a perfectly
bewildering fashion, until, in sort OF
agony, closed my eyes, but even then
could see them whirling around. never
was so relieved in my life as when / got off
that chair and out of the shop"
That mans experience was not an I'M
common one, as any person will testify
who has lain on a bed of sickness, unable
to move or to think very clearly, and has
watched the pattern of the paper on the
wall
WALL PAPER AND IMAGINATION.
Nothing could well be more horrible
than the waking delirium produced upon
the Imagination of the sick by tracing the
wall paper pattern. 1t will assume all
sorts of ghostly, CHASTITY and grim designs
An elaborate pattern in cream white and
gold will easily take on the appearance of
an Indians head in full war paint and
feathers, with grinning teeth and gleam-
ing eyes.
When this is seen over and over again
on all sides of the room, in every corner,
at every angle, when the terrible eyes at
last seem to follow the sick sufferers
glance whichever way he looks, then the
patients feelings may better be imagined
than described
A short time ago there was a craze for
wall paper decorated with feathers in gilt.
OF course the pattern, though elaborate
and ever changing to the appearance at
first, was in reality repeated over and over
again. The same sets of peacock, chicken
and pheasant feathers required in slantiDg
rows upon each strip Of paper. 1t took the
imagination of sick man, however, &c
conjure up a delirium from the pretty
IT,, . a haara fnr nod Il
sort of diabolic quadrille; they flew hitheI
and thther They jumped and pranced
The peacocks bowed to the pheasants, and
the chickens curled around and over ant
under the rest like the widest flights o.
the widest troupe Of Majiltons or Girard'
in existence.
Then the feathers began TO have eye
that looked at the sick man, that leered a
him. that laughed at him. They began
sort of hellish witches frolic over ant
around his bed, close TO his pillow, until a
last, in an agony Of conscious delirium 10
he was perfectly cognizant of the illusionl
he shrieked out aloud for some one to tall
to him, to say something to divert the feai
full current Of thought that very 500
would have made a raving maniac of him
ONE SICK GIRLS EXPERIENCE.
What is known as the Greek key patter
is prolific of this delirious illusion. 1t ha
many variations, but it is always more o
less alike. The squares, after being stare
at steadily for short while, begin to II
volve like wheels, only they are squar
wheels. and they take on a peculiar lesser
ing and charging effect which is horribl
irritating at first, and then agonizingly ID
wildering.
Some parents think they are giving
great deal of pleasure to their childre
when they paper the nursery with desig
repeatinp again and again the stories
Little Bo-peep," Mother Hubbard
1.-THE House That Jack Built' and Il
like 1t is not always a kindness. A tir
girl patient Of five years a little while az
had her recovery from low fever retard'
for some weeks by one of these wretch'
wall papers. She knew all the stories
heart, but from her position in the lit
cot in which she lay some of them were u
finished on the wall. Notably one OF Ja'
and Gill going up the hill to fetch pail
water.
She could see all of the series except &
tumble. There she lay, day after day, loo
ing at the pictures and wondering.
wonder if they will, 5" she kept on sayin
and not one of her nurses was clever enoul
to find out what was troubling the po
herself into second attack of the few
when one day the doctor entered the roc
and heard her plaintive, wondering: cry.
wonder if they will what, little one
he asked.
"Fall down the hill," she said. 81 tai
seei'
"WhoS Jack and CLIP Why, Of coui
they will. Look, I'll raise you up so y
can see" And suting the action to
word be raised the weary little body, a
she saw the picture Of the sprawl
youngsters. From that day she began
recover.
A TERRIBLE MALADY
Another painful amusement for the 81
il making fancy designs out of the patte
on the wall paper. Take, for example,
of those common, cheap papers with
sprig of flowers repeated in diagonal Lin
The patient begins by forming square
four flowers. Then larger one with
teen, then he cuts it up into four sn
ones, then makes an oblong, then {
mond then a hectagon, triangle, hal
dozen trianglcs, squares and diamor
He forms chess board.
He breaks it mp in pieces. He follow
about all round the room. He starts II
count the sprigs or punches Of flowers.
tries to change the design by convert
the squares into circles and so on. III
last can trace the design behind the PHI
of furniture where he cannot see it,