The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-13
READING, ON TRAINS.
Vacation Travellers May DO Their
Eyes Much Harm.

From the kUualO ENpieSS-
yes, the vacation season is hard on the
eyes" said Dr. Julius Pohlman. in answer
10 a question. Or. Pohlman conducted
course Of lectures last year at Chautauqua
on eating ana seeing" and his talk was
practically a continuation of the addresses
then.
Persons going away to rest or coming
back 70 work almost invariably use their
ewes while on the train. II they do not read
they watch The scenery. You seldom see
a person reclining comfortabiy-even on
high-back' paying no atten,io either TO a
book or the fence posts just outside the
window The worst of il il that the books
hat are sold on the trains are usually in
the poores. OF print. The paper is cheap
and thin, and Of a cul cOlOr-drab or gray
rather than white The rype does not show
up nearly as distinctly as it should. But
every body knows reading should not be
done on a train in motion, and everybody
reads just the same. so why should talk?
The best lesson can give is 70 show these
four photographs They are ali of the same
group of students. In the freshmen year,
YOU see. there were only two wearing
glasses; in the sophomore class there were
more, in the junior stal more and in the
senior year photograph there are only
Two without glasses. The first year showed
TWO with glasses, the fourth year TWO
without. Now there was trouble the first
year somewhere in every one of those eyes
that ultimately required glasses, but It was
only the continued hard work that made
he defect more noticeable. II is just so
with reading on tram; a perfect eye-of
which there are few-win stand the strain
without any danger. ! read almost con-
santly when travelling, but ] do not pre-
scribe such course for other people.
when travelling by train and reading
YOU try to hold the book or paper steady.
but the types jiggle irregularly back ana
forth as the result of the motion OF the
car and the shakiness of your hand Your
eyes also do a deal of dancing, not only
in pursuit of the bobbing letters, but in
about more or less by the motion of the
train. Imagine the effect on the muscles
of the eye First, mind you, the eye itself
has an unsteady rest; second, ii is trying
to fasten itself on that which is more I'M
steady sill l wonder more people are not
bothered with defective sight.
But reading is not the only Ill. Fix
your eye on things close to the car-on
flowers, fence posts, culverts trees-and
the effect is as bad as would be brought
on by reading. Why will people persist in
injuring themselves? You don't have to
have the toothache long before learning its
cause and attempting a cure. but people
30 on running their eyes right along for
the sake either of killing or ecoaomiZing
a trhe of time A headache is the first
warning, but that becomes common after
while and is not needed, any more than
the headache that follows unwise eating
There is closer connection between the
stomach and the eyes on one side and a
headache on the other than most people
imagine, but perhaps the public some daY
will he willing to watch out for its eyes as
We'd as with them, just as it is being
taught to take care of it's teeth"