Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-12-06
SPECTAClED CHILDREN.
Their Number Is Increasing at an Enor.
nous Rate.

Who has not noticed the growing
army OF specialized children, and OF
adults below the age when one is ex:
pected to wear glasses because OF the
presence of approaching age? Es-
pecially among children is this seen.
When we were boy it was a very
unusual thing 10 see a child with
glasses and few adults under forty
i've or fifty years of age wore them.
Indeed it was so rare as almost in
,ariably to require, if not an apology,
at least an explanation.
Various explanations have been
offered, and the popular custom even
with oculists is to blame it on over
crowding in the public schools; on de.
fectiye lighting of The school build
ings; on too close application to study,
and a number of other faulty meth.
DDS Of early life.
With all due respect for respect.
able and grC.'.ng class of specialists
the eye-doctors-we believe this
condition is largely attributable TO
them. We believe if there were
fewer oculists, and if those of this
class were less wise, there would be
fewer children and adults by several
hundred per cent. wearing. glasses.
We believe the home, are con.
structed and home environments have
all been so al usted within the last
twenty years rs to favor instead OF
obstruct the normal functions of the
eye. We believe school rooms and
public halls are built and have been
built for some years past with more
social reference to the care and com.
, fort of the eye, We know that text
books have better type and paper
better adapted to the eye than when
we were a boy. Weknow that school
hours are shOrter-that receSses are
more frequent and that fewer days
in the week are required in the school
room.
In Pennsylvania thirty-five or forty
years ago the school houses were built
largely after one general style-a
rectangular building about 40x60
feet.
The winGows were on the sides.
There was on the two sides and on
the END up to near where the
SdOs ii blOdu "llDihS bOilh
with backless bench running paral-
lei with the writing desk" or board.
Most of the work done by the further
advanced scholars was done facing
the wall or window-neither of which
was to exceed two or two and one
half feet distance Here the writing
and 'ciphering was done, and when
| through with this part OF the days
work the scholar, ii he turned his
back to the desk the glare of light
from the opposite windows greeted
him. The seats for the smaller
| pupuS learning their A b Cs or who
| had been promoted to spell ana pro-
| nounce .'ba" or "ab" were paralleled
with the sides Of the house and from
morning until evening, from Monday
| to include Saturday, on dull days and
on bright days, without shades on
| the windows; with only stolen relief
from persistent application to the
book, this search for knowledge went
on. We speak from actual personal
| experience.
With all this We do not recollect a
boy or girl of cur acquaintance in
/ OllOOl " hO AAoCN EAdocCo il- lliNI Ndi y
| day. There we're boys and girls who
were pale and had bad headaches
there were boys and girls who fell be-
| hind in the race for promotion who
were considered bright, these were
bows and girls with red eyes but nc
spectables. There were those who
| needed them.
I Nobody thought Of consulting an
Oculist-there were none. The fam-
| lily physician had too much to do To
combat fever and ague and other
! thought to so Insignificant part OF
the body as the eye The liver must
e regulated, the bowels looked after,
the kidney touched up and ''eX.
pectorants" prescr bed, and if the
eye was very painful 'eye-drops''
given, hut as general thing the eye
had to take care of itself.
In course of time-by process OF
medical and surgical evolution oc.
ulists have been developed, and as a
result we are fast becoming ''specta-
cled" people. Now this class OF
specialists are themselves to be
blamed as well as compensated for
the discovery OF visual defects and
for the variety of glasses used to
| overcome them.
The opthalm scope and the various
revelations made by it in the hands
of skilled specialists has revealed
] visual defects never dreamed of, and
have suggested a course OF rational
treatment by properly selected lenses
that not only greatly aid the eye but
relieve many heretofore nervous and
brain symptoms that were puzzle
to the general practitioner and that
in children lead TO an early abandon
mcnt of books or to permanently i'm
paired eyesight
Hence We believe that spectacle>
are the indices of advancing civilila'
tion. and some OF the badges OF pro.
fessional ingenuity and efficiency, a:
well as the promises of wonderful
achievements in the future in this
specially.
We favor all measures recon-
mended AMI adopted that will Sc.
cure the construction of public and
private buildings in every way
ada ted to the care and development
Of the eYeSight. We believe the
W rid Is progressing in this respect
that the time is fast coming wheL
architects and builders who have the
test knowledge of sanitary laws will
be preferred to all others At the
same time we believe that until &
race is born with less heredity defect
i've vision, the army of the 'specta
clcd" will increase, and the comfoI t:
OF the wearers of eyeglasses will bt
enhanced. Monthly bulletin