The defender., 1900-01-27

1
| but the human eye without a touch be
holds the star and the smallest insect. The
| traveller along the Alps with one glanc,
taking in Mont Blanc and the face of hi
watch to see whether he has time to climb
t. Oh, this wonderful camera obscura
which you and 1 carry about with US, so
| from the top OF Mount Washington We can
take in New England. so at night we can
sweep into our vision the consultations
from horizon to horizon. So delicate. so
semi-inlnite, and yet the light coming 95.-
DOC, 900 miles at the rate of 200, 900 miles a
second Is obliged to halt at the gate OF the
eye, waiting until the portcullis be lifted.
Something hurled 5000, 900 miles and
striking an instrument which has not the
agitation of even winking under the power
Of the stroke.
There also is the mercifuI arrangement
Jf the tear gland by which the eye Is
washed and through which rolls the tide
which brings the 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 arc
tic OF frozen grief in the warm gulf stream
of consolation. Incapacity to weep is
madness or death. Thank God for the tear
glands and that the crystal gates are so
easily opened. Oh, the wonderful hydrau-
lie apparatus OF the human eye Divinely
harbor of the immortal soul under the
shining of which the world sails in and
1rops anchor.
What an anthem OF praise to God is the
human eye! The tongue is speechless and
clumsy instrument Of expression as COM
pared with it. Have you not seen the eye
lash with indig nation, or kindle with en-
thusiasm, or expand with devotion, or melt
with sympathy, 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 up
lifted brow OF surprise, or its frown of
wrath, or its contraction OF pain? II the
eye cay one thing and the lips said anoth.
Or thing, you would believe the eye rather
than the lips. The eyes of Archibald Alex
ander and Charles G. Finney were the
mightiest part OF their sermons. George
Whttefeld enthralled great assemblages
with his eyes, though they were crippled
with strabismus. Many a military chief
tain has with look hurled regiment to
victo ory or to death. Martin Luther turned
bis great eye on an assassin who came to
take his life, and the villain fed. Under
the glance of the human eye the tiger,
with five times a mans strength, snarls
back into the African Jungle.
the eye who have lost 1t. The Emperor
Adrian by accident put out the eye OF his
servant, and he said to his servant: "What
shall pay you, in money or In lands-any-
thing you ask me? / am 30 sorry put
your eye out" But the servant refused to
put any financial estimate on tie value OF
the eye, and when the emperor urged and
urged again the matter he said: "Oh, en-
peror, want nothing but my lost eye!"
Alas for those for whom a thick ar d i'm
penetrable veil Is drawn across the face of
the heavens and the face of ones own
kindred.
That was path etic scene when a blind
nan lighted a torch at night and was
found passing along the highway and some
one said, "Why do you carry that torch
when you can see2" "Ah," said he, 81
can see, but carry this torcn that others
may see me and pity my helplessness and
not run me down." Samson, the giant,
with his eyes put out by the Philistines,
Is more helpless than the smallest dwarf
with vision undamaged. All the SYM
pathies of Christ were stirred when He
saw Bartimeus with darkened retin8, and
the only salve He ever made that we read
OF was mixture of dust and saliva and
prayer with which He cured the eyes OF a
blind man from His nativity. The value
of the eye shows as much by its catas-
trophe as by its healthful action. Ask the
man who for twenty years has not seen the
sun rise. Ask the man who for half century
has not seen the face of a friend. Ask In
the hospatal the victim of ophthalmia.
Ask the man whose eyesight perished in
powder blast. Ask the Bartimeus who
never met Christ or the man born blind
who is to die blind. Ask him.
How it adds to John Millions sublimity
0f character when we find him at the call
nF H1Ytx lot jpbf oh
studying at late hours and trying all kinds
of medicament to preserve his sight he
had for twelve years been coming toward
blindness, and after awhile one eye was
entirely gone. His physician warned him
that II he continued reading and writing
he would lose the other eye. But he kept
on with his work and said after sitting in
total darkness: "The choice lay before me
between dereliction of a supreme duty and
loss of eyesight In such case could not
listen to the physicians not If Esculapius
himself had spoken from his sanctuary.
could not but obey that inward monitor. |
know not what spoke to me from heaven"
Who of as would have grace enough to sac
riflce our eyes at the call of duty?
But, thank God, some have been enabled
20 see without very good eyes. General
Havelock, the son of the more famous
General Havelock, told me this concern
ing his father; In India, while his father
and himself with the army were encamped
one evening time after long march, Gen
eral Havelock called up his soldiers and
addressed them, saying in words as near
as can recollect: SOLDIERS are their 200 or
800 women, children and men at Cawnpur
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? 1 know you are all worn out,
and so am l. But all those who will march
with me to save those women and children
hold up your hand" Then Havelock
said: "It Is almost dark, and my eyesight
is very poor, and cannot see your raised
hands, but 1 know they are all up.
Forward to Cawnpur!'' That hero's eyes,
of God and his country, could see across
India and across the centuries. But let
anybody who has one good eye be thank.
full and all who have two good eyes be
twice as thankful. Take care OF your eyes
and thank God every morning when you
open them for capacity to see the light. /
man in France. He had been born blind,
but was skillful groom in the stables.
The recoil of this question is tremeL
dous. We stanl at the centre Of vast cir
cumference of observation. No privacy
On US, eyes of cherubim, eyes of seraphim,
eyes of archangel, eyes Of God. We may
not be able to see the inhabitants Of other
worlds, but perhaps they may be able to
see US. We have not optical instruments
strong enough to descrY them; perhaps
they have optical instruments strong
enough to descry us. The mole cannot SEE
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