The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1896-02-18
HUMAN TELESCOPES,
3 RACE OF MEN WITH WONDER
FUL POWERS OF VISION.
Shcy Can Identify Objects Mt Great
Distances-A Remarkable
Instance of Long
tancc Vision.
II HERE Is n race OF men who
l can see as far with the naked
i eye as an ordinary mau can

eye as an ordinary mau can
with n telescope. every
man his own telescope" might be APP
piled with propriety to these forum
nte persons. They live in wild state
in the south Of Africa, among the tribes
of Bushmen. The name "bushman"
is an Auglicism of the Dutch word
"Bioseman,' meaning "man of the
woods.
These human telescopes have de.
rived their extraordinary power of
vision, according 20 Mr.. Herbert
Spencer, through neces sity. II it
were not for this they must have long
aSo become extinct. They are re.
markably small in stature for wild
men, and they offer en- easy prey for
the large fierce beasts that iufest Ger.
tain parts of Southern Africa. And,
on account OF their diminutive size,
they are not able to fight on equal
terms with their warlike AMI larger
proportional neighbors.
"Bushmen," says MIR. Spencer,
"have 10 guard against enemies, brute
and human, and must be ever on the
alert to kill or snare animals serving
for food. To identify distant moving
objects rs such is therefore essential
to the preservation of life. Here is
one who. perhaps from some adyan-
taSecus variation in the form of the
lenses, or in the adjusting muscles. or
in the retinal elements, has a vision
so keen that lie recognizes man, or
lion, or spriugbol5 when its dis
lance is half mile greater than that
at which other persons can recognize
it,"
Travellers in the region of the long.
sighted Bushnen have reported some
truly remarkable feats with the ewes.
One day while an European was walk
ing In company with n friendly Bush
man, the latter suddenly stopped. and
pointing ahead in some alarm, cx-
claimed:
ga lien"
The white man stared until his eyes
Hched but he could make out nothing.
Thinking that the nstive must have
made mistake, lie insisted on going
forward. through his companion urged
him to retreat When they had adj
vanced little furthur the Bushman
again clme to halt and absolutely
refused to so on another step, for, as
he explained, he could distinguish not
only lion, but also number OF
cubs. 1t would be very dangerous,
he said, 10 tamper with n lionesss
while nursing her cubs
The European, however, still IN
able to see lion, much less the cubs,
pushed on boldly. When he had ad-
vanced quarter OF mile he saw an
object moving slowly along in the
distance Mt the point to which the
Bushman had directed his gaze. Still
doubling that n human beng could
possess such marvellous powers Of
vision, he approached nearer. and fin.
ally distinguished the form OF lion
making lcisurely for n line IF timber.
The limit of n mans power of vision
is established by necessity. If our
existence depended on our ability
to see twice rs far as we do, this addi-
tional power would lie acquired by
practice. Deerslayer, of Leather.
Stocking" fame, surprised every one
by bis ong-sightedness. Probably he
could see further than these Bushmen.
but he was n fiction character. All
woodsmen, and as q general thing all
persons living an outdoor life, give
their eyes practice at long range.
which ultimately makes their accuracy
of sight seem wonderful to q man who
never uses his eyes except to read
man with the eyesight OF n Bush
man, aided by the immense Lick tele
scope, might he able easily to tell all
about the canals of Mars and settle at
once the much yexed question as 20
whether that planet is inhabited. To
a person so gifted, Mars would appear
many times clearer and nearer than to
a man Of ordinary vision. New York
World.