The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-01-20

Us
and another muscle to lower the eye
and another muscle to roll il TO the
right and another muscle to roll it TO
the left and another muscle passing
through a pulley to turn it round and
round, an elaborate gearing of six mus
Giles as perfect as God could make them.
There is also the retina gathering the
rays of light and passing the visual inn
preston along the optic nerve about the
thickness of the lamp wick, passing the
visual impression on to the sensorium
and on into the soul. What delicate
lens, what an exquisite screen, what
soft cushions, what wonderful chem
istry of the human eye! The eye
washed by a slow stream of moisture
whether we sleep or wake, rolling i'm
perceptibly over the pebble of the eye
and emptying into bone of the nos
tril, a contrivance so wonderful that il
can see The sun 95,000,G00 of miles away
md the point of pin. Telescope and
microscope in the same contrivance
The astronomer swings and moves this
way and that and adjusts and readjusts
the telescope until he gets it to
the right focus. The microscopic
moves this way and that and adjusts
and readjusts the magnifying glass I'M
til it is prepared to do its work, but the
human eye without a touch beholds
the star and the smallest insect. The
traveller along the Alps with one glance
takes in Mont Blanc and the face of
TO climb it. Oh, this wonderful camera
obscura which you and | carry about
with us so from the top of Mount Wash
ington we can take in New England,
so at night we can sweep into our vision
the consultations from horizon to hori-
zon. So delicate, so semi-infinite, and
yet the light coming 05,O00,000 of miles
at the rate of 100000 miles second
is obliged to halt at the gate of the
eye, waiting until the portcullis be lift
ed. Something hurled 05,0o0,00o of
miles and striking an instrument which
has not the agitation of even winking
under the power of the stroke.
There also is the merciful arrange
ment of the tear gland by which the
eye is washed and through which rolls
the tide which brings relief that comes
in tears when some bereavement or
great loss strikes us. The tear not an
augmentation of sorrow, but the
breaking up of the arctic of frozen
grief in the warm gulf stream of con-
ISOLATION. Incapacity to weep is mad
ness or death. Thank God for the tear
glands and that the crystal gates are
SO easily opened. Oh, the wonderful
hydraulic apparatus of the human eye!
Divinely constructed vision. Two light
houses at the harbor of the immortal
soul under the shining of which the
world sails in and drops anchor.
What an anthem of praise to God is
the human eye! The tongue is speech
less and a clumsy instrument of ex-
preston as compared with it. Have
you not seen the eye fash with indigna-
ton, or kindle with enthusiasm, or ex-
pand with devotion, or melt with sym
pathy, or stare with fright, or leer
with villainy, or droop with sadness,
or pale with envy, or fire with revenge,
or twinkle with mirth, or beam with
love? 1t is tragedy and comedy and
pastoral and lyric in turn. Have you
not seen its uplifted brow of surprise,
or it's frown of wrath, or its contrac-
ton of pain? If the eye say one thing
and the lips say another thing, you be-
lieve the eye rather than the lips. The
eyes of Archibald Alexander and
Charles G. Finney were the mightiest
part of their sermons. George White
field enthralled great assemblages with
his eyes, though they were crippled
with strabismus. Many military chief
tain has with look hurled regiment
to victory or to death. Martin Luther
turned his great eye ON an assassin
who came to take his life, and the vii
lain fed. Under the glance of the hui
man eye the tiger, with five times a
mans strength, snarls back into the
African jungle.
How it adds to John Milton's sublim-
ity of character when we find him at
the call of duty sacrificing his eyesight.
Through studying at late hours and
trying all kinds of medicament to pre-
serve his sight he had for 10 years been
coming toward blindness, and after
awhile one eye was entirely gone. His
physician warned him that if he con-
tinued reading and writing he would
lose the other eye. But he kept on
with his work and said after sitting
in total darkness: 1.-The choice lay be-
fore me between dereliction of a su-
preme duty and loss of eyesight. In
such case | could not listen to the
physician, not if Aesculapius himself
had spoken from his sanctuary. could
not but obey that inward monitor. l
know not what spoke to me from Heav-
en-" Who of us would have grace
enough to sacrifice our eyes at the call
of duty?
But, thank God, some have been en-
abled TO see without very good eyes.
Gen. Havelock, the son of the more ia
nous Gen. Havelocli, told me this con-
corning his father: In India, while his
father and himself, with the army,
were encamped one evening time after
a long march, Gen. Havelock called up
his soldiers and. addressed them, say
ing in words as near as can recollect:
Soldiers, there are two or three hun
bred women, children and men at Gavin
pur at the mercy of Mana Sahib and his
butchers. Those poor people may any
hour be sacrificed. How many of you
will go with me for the rescue of those
women and children? / know you are
all worn out, and so am I, but all those
eho will march with me to save those
women and children hold up your
hand" Then Havelock said: ut is al