The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1900-03-17

muscle to lower the eye, and another mus
Gle to roll 1t to the right, and another mus
Gle to'roil 1t to the left, and another mus
Gle passing through pulley to turn 1t
round and round, an elaborate gearing OF
six muscles as perfect as God could make
them.
There is also the rstina gathering the
rays OF light and passing the visual Inn
preston along the optic nerve about the
thickness OF the lampwlck, 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 chemistry OF the
human eye. The eye washed by d slow
stream of moisture whether we sleep or
wake, rolling imperceptibly over the pebble
OF the eye and emptyIng into bone OF the
nostril, a contrlvance so wonderful that 1t
can sec the sun 50, 900, 900 Of miles away
and the point OF pin. Telescope and
microscope in the same continuance. The
astronomer swings and moves this way and
that and adjusts and readjusts the tele-
scope until he gets it to the right focus.
The microscopic moves this way and that
aud adjusts aad readjusts the magnifying
glass until it Is prepared to do It's work,
but the human eye without touch be-
holds the star and the smallest insect. The
traveller along the Alps with one glance
taking in Mont Blanc aud the face OF his
watch to see whether he has time to climb
1t. Oh, this wonderful camera obscura
which you and / 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-inanite; and yet the light coming 3d.
OO0. 900 miles at the rate Of zoe, 900 miles &
| second Is obliged to halt at the gate OF the
eye, waiting until the portcullis be lifted:
| Something hurled 95,0O0,000 miles and
striking an instrument which has not the
agitation OF even winking under the power
| Of the stroke.
There also Is the merciful arrangement
| IL 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 augnenta ton
| Of sorrow, but the breaking up OF the arc
| lie OF frozen grief In the warm gulf stream
,f 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 eyel Divinely
constructed vision. Two lighthouses at the
larbor of the immortal soul under the
mining OF which the world sails In and
irops anchor.
| What an anthem OF praise to God Is the
human eyel The tongue is speeches. and
clumsy instrument Of expression as COM
pared with 1t. Have you not seen the eye
dash with indig nation, or kindle with ca
| thusiasm, or expand with devotion, or melt
with sympathy, or stare with fright, or
!eer with vilIalny. 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
ID ia, all ttx1 tI.n
| eye say one thing and the lips said anoth-
| er 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
Whitefield enthralled great assemblage1
with his eyes, though they were crippled
with strabismus. Many military chief
;ain has with a look hurled a regiment to
victory or to death. Martin Luther turned.
lis great eye on an assassin who came to
| Jake his life, and the villain fed. Under
| he glance OF the human eye the tiger,
With five times a mans strength, snarls
back into the African jungle.
But those best appreciate the value OF
he eye who have lost 1t. The Emperor
Adrian by accident put out the eye OF his
servant, and he said to his servant: "What
Jhall pay you, in money or In lands-any-
hing you ask me? / am so sorryI 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: ooh, en-
peror, I want nothing but my lost eye!"
Alas for those for whom thick ard i'm
,enetrable veil is drawn across the face OF
he heavens and the face Of ones own
Kindred.
That was pathetic scene when blind
nan lighted torch at night and was
.ound passing along the highway and some
,ne said. "Wby do you carry that torch
when you can seer" "Ah," said he, Il
nay see me and pity my helplessness and
lot run me down." Samson. the giant.
With his eyes put out by the Philistines,
| more helpless than the smallest dwarf
With vision unchanged. All the SYM
sathies OF Christ were stirred when He
,aw Bartimeus with darkened retina, and
| The only salve He ever made that we read
If was mixture OF dust and saliva and
prayer with which He cured the eyes OF u
blind man from His nativity. The value
If the eye shows as much by its catas-
:rophe as by its healthful action. Ask the
man who for twenty years has not seen the
sun rise. Ask the man who for half n century
has not seen the face Of friend. Ask in
the hospital the victim OF ophthalmia.
Ask the man whose eyesight persisted in a
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
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 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 IL Esculapius
himself had spoken from his sanctuary.
could not but obey that inward monitor.
know not what spoke to me from heaven"
Who Of US would have grace enough to sac
rifice our eyes at the call of duty?
But, thank God, some have been enabled
to 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 a 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
300 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? / know you are all worn out,
and so am l. But all those who will march
hold up your hand" Then Havelock
| said. t.If fo In, uf fdorlr and M ufs,ht