The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-05
From the Sun.

the Ewes OIL INC touugs
From the Sun.
Nine mothers out of ten neglect the
ewes of their children. The question
is often asked, "Why do we see so
manv children wearing glasses nova
days?" Eye specialists reply with an
other question, why do we see so
few young people wearing glasses?"
and they answer their own question
by saving, Because parents are so
ignorant of the Importance of caring
for the eyes of their children" The
average mother looks after the teeth
OF her babies from almost the time
that the first little grains of rice, as
she calls them, make their appearance,
but IL does not always occur to her
that her child's bright, pretty eyes may
be in a condition that will lead to poor
sight or even blindness
An effort is being made in the public
schools of this city to have care for
the eyes of the children, but those in
terested are hampered by want of
money to carry on the work. FOR ten
years or more Superintendent Jasper
has been interested in looking after
the eyes of the public school children,
not merely SO far as diseases of the
eye are concerned, but also as to re-
fraction, plain and simple. He says
that the day is surely coming when the
eyes of each individual pupil will be
examined by a specialist, and those
that are not normal will be properly
cared for.
, IN RIGHT DIRECTION.
This is a step in the right direc-
tion," said a prominent eye specialist
in speaking of this effort of the school
board, "but the care of a chld's eyes
should begin at home long before he
enters kindergarten. Really the care
of the eyes should begin before the
birth of ones great-grandmother but
since our ancestors took no thought of
this precaution in our favor, we must
do the best we can for ourselves by
having our eyes examined frequently
and by taking good care of them if
they prove normal, or by treating them
properly If not normal. 1t would shock
many mother to learn that her child
is blind through her own ignorant
carelessness, and yet this is true in a
great many cases. Our asylums for
the blind are filled with people shut
were not cared for when young. The
educated, thoughtful mother of today
who neglects a child's eyes is almost
a criminal. If a mother has taught
herself to look at her child in the
right way, his actions and speech not
only denote to her the child's mental
ity and morality, but also the actual
physical condition of his eyes. FIRE.
Iquently child suffers from violent
edaches and neuralgic pains, and
a peculiar manner of looking at
pple and objects. The ignorant moth
calls this manner q queer habit ,
s 1t is cute, and encourages the
Id to keep it up. These headaches
re as common to childhood as rheu-
matism, which parents tell the little
sufferers is nothing but growing pains,
and nine times out of ten are the di-
rect result of eye strain.
USE OF EYEGLASSES.
Eye strain is frequent in children
without the resultant headache. II is
rarely recognized by mothers, though.
Many people ask why 50 many folks.
particularly children, are wearing
glasses today. There are three good
reasons for this being the case. First
or all, our ancestors were careless about
our eyes, and then the methods of
modern civilization are extremely try
ing TO the eyes, and, last of ALL people
generally are being gradually educated
10 the necessity of wearing glasses.
Ihe environment of our forefathers
and our own environment combined
are the conditions that put glasses on
. so many noses.
"1aRa fhe 1p6iapc for
never found an Indian raised on tbe
ains in need Of glasses for any condi
on OF the eyes except that OF old age.
Is very seldom that you find n cotton
I'D negro with other than normal eve
ght Seamen and The children of
fmen have proverbially good ewes.
the other hand, the Germans are
oriously ametrOpic. What do I
IN by that? They are given to er-
OF refractIon, not eve disease,
TX Twain may have exaggerated the
re or things little when he said q
man father would not accept a child
his own unless ii was born with
sses, but he was almost justified in
King the statement. This condition
the eyes of the Germans can be ac-
united for on two grounds. their stu
Iousness and their stolidity, An
lmerican may be Just as studious as
German, but he is not stolid, and
while devoting himself to his books
gets out, covers a lot of ground and
changes his range of vision constant
y. Not so with the German. He lin
is his range of vision to such q short
distance that the muscle of accommo-
hation known as the ciliary muscle,
whose business it is to adapt the eve
30 that it may see objects close at hand
Is In constant state of contradiction.
There Is no muscle in the body intend
ed to be in this condition. Even the
muscles of the heart have regular per-
iods OF rest. Anybody with ordinary
gumption can readily understand that
this poor eye muscle, overworked, over
oXerted, must cry out to the being
which governs it's action in the only
way that muscle can cry, and that is
in pain. This accounts or the many
conditions of so-called neuralgia and
rheumatism of the head from which oui
grandpais snts suffered through their
own ignorance and the ignorance OF
the doctors of their time.
This continued dragging and pulling
on the ciliary muscle is bound after q
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