Evening journal., 1898-06-11
TRAINING THE EYEs1GHr.
It's Acuteneen Can He Greatly linz
proved by Systematic
Attention.

Attention.
1t is the opinion Of Brudenell Car
ter. the eminent English surgeon, that
the average acuteness of human eye
sight can be very greatly improved by
systematic training. In a paper read
before the London Society of Arts on
February %, he urged parents and
teachers not to regard sight "as a pow
er or faculty which may be trusted TO
take care of ITSELF" but to train it sys-
iematically by the aid of appropriate
objects, and to test its quality from
time to time, as is now done in the case
of railway employees. In commenting
on this address the Hospital says;
"Travelers have told marvellous stor-
les about the sight of many savage
tribes, and although some of these stor-
les may be received with incredulity,
while others are explicable by the
greater clearness Of the atmosphere
in the countries which they occurred.
yet there seems no sufficient ground for
doubling that the visual function, like
every other, Is capable OF being im-
proved by tudicious exercise, and es-
pecially by such exercise as IS afforded
by the necessity OF reliance upon its
fainteSt Indications There is no
reasonable doubt that tho Siberian Tar
tar, who, when looking at Jupiter, told
Arago that he !. ad seen the big star
swallow a little one and spit it out
again. had really seen, with his unaid-
cd eyes, 50 ooculation OF the third
satellite. Sir II. Truman Wood, In dis
cussing 81 the Society OF Arts, spoke
Of an EngIishman who could see some
Of the double stars; but il must be re
membered that the Englishman could
easily know what starswero double, and
could perhaps fancy that he saw their
pecullarity; while the Tartar could
have had no knowledge of the very ess-
istence of the satellite IL he had not
seen il.
Mr.. Carter maintained that the habit
Of seeing as much as possible. Of earn
| est visual attention 20 the details Of
the environments, would certainly have
the efTec. of increasing the activity OF
the visual functions, and also IN all
probability Of promoting the growth
OF finer fibers in the retina, by the
aid Of which smaller images could be
appreciated. He gave reasons for be-
lieving that the vision OF town-bred
children is less acute than that OF tho
oountry-bred; the former seeing chief
" larga objects. such as houses and ON
nibuses under large visual angles;
The latter habitually attending 10
smaller or more distant objects, and
using the eyes under smaller visual
angles. The general moral of tho dis.
course was that all school-teacheri
should be instructed to test the vision
Of new pupils, and 10 record tho fact
ia q register, at tho sam6 time call
Tag attention OF parents 20 cases oil
manifest defect. and thus enabling
them to obtain timely advice, OF tc
regulate the course OF education with
reference to special requirements o
each child.
1t waa further suggested thai visitor
should be tninsd IA schools by ths us.
Sf diftloult tesi-objeots set az prOpe'
distances, Il being only work upOs
near objects that is ever Injurious 10 tb'
eyes. while work upon distant ob
iseis must always be OF the kind by
which the faculty exercised is likely
also TO be improved. II was main
tanned that sight might be permitted
10 take Its place among the physica
qualities that are made the hasis o
competition, and than prizes might b,
awarded for excellence. u seems Ger
tain that there are positions in life
in which the power TO see acutel,
might be quite as valuable as, or ever
more valuable than, the power to rul
swiftly; and there seems no<alidreasol
why the recognition which is givei
daily TO the latter should not be ex
tended also TO the former.-Literar,
/ Digest.