The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-01-16

| and fhat. and adjusts and rs2dJuStS u
telescope until he gets II 20 the right 10
Gus: the microscopist moves this way an
/ that. and adjusts and readjUsts the mag
| nifying glass vntIl 1t prepared 20 co IL
| work. but the nun an eye without toucs
| beholds the star and the smallest Insect
/ The traveller along the Alps with on'
| glance taking in Mont Blanc and the fsc'
Of his watch TO sse whether he has Tins
TO climb It, oh. this wonderful camsra
obscura which you and carry about wiki
1s. so from the top Of Mount Washington
We an take In New Ems land. 50 al might
We can sweep into our vision the constel-
! lations from horizon to horizon. So deIt
/ cate, 50 semi-infnIte, and yet the light
! coming niuety-hye millions OF miles Al
/ the rate OF two hundred thousand miles
/ a second Is Obliged to halt at the gate
| Of the eye. waiting until the portcuilis be
! lifted. Something hurled ninety-fiye mil
/ Hons Of miles and striking an instrument
which has not the agitation Of even wink
| ing under the power OF the stroke.
There also Is the merciful arrange
nent Of the tear gland By which the eye
! is washed and through which rolls The
I tide which brings the relief that comes
I in tears when some bereavement or great
/ loss strikes US. The tear not an augmen-
I tati0n OF sorrow. but the breaking Up OF
the arctic Of frozen grief in the warm
/ Gulf Stream Of consolation. Ineapaeity
( TO weep is madness or death. Thank God
7 for the tear glands and that the crystal
gates are so easily opened. oh, the won
derfUl hydraulic apparatus OF the human
eye! No mind but the mind Of God could
have cOntriyed the iris which decides the
& nj frr QF aN~@ IL y 3 her III
be hazel or blue or gray or brown or
black. Divinely constructed vision. TWO
] lighthouses a the harboT of the immortal
soul under the shining of which the world
sails in and drops anchor.
Its Wonderful Expression.
what an anthem of praise to God is
the human eyel The tongue Is speech
less and a clumsy instrument OF express
sion as compared with it, Have you not
seen the eye fash with Indignation, or
kindle with enthusiasm. 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 COM
edy and pastoral and lyric in turn. Have
you not seen its uplifted brow of surprise
or it's frown Of wrath, or it's contraction
Of pain? If the eve say one thing and
the lips say another thing, you believe
the eye rather than the lips The eyes OF
Archibald Alexander and Charles G. Fin
ney were the mightiest part of their
sermons. George Whiteield inthraled
great assenbages with his eyes. though
they were crippled with strabismus Many
a military chieftain has with look huri-
ed a regiment to victory or TO death. Mar
tin Luther turned his great eye on an
assassin who cane 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 At
rican jungle.
But those best appreciate the value of
the eye VINO have lost it, The Emperor
A5rian, by accid snt, put out the eye Of
his servant and he said TO his servant,
What shall / pay you in money, or In
lands-anythipg you ask me? ] am so
sorry / put your eye out But the SER
want refused to put any financial esti-
mate on the value of the eye, and when
the Emperor urged and urged again the
matter, he said: %, Emperor, / want
nothing but my lost eye Alas for those
for whom thick and impenetrable veil
IS drawn across the face of the heavens
and the face of ones own kindred. That
was pathetic scene when a blind man
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't see? Abr said he, L can't see,
but l carry this torch 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
nra fInY fha ,af ffact n off
with vision undanaged. All the SYM
pathies OF Christ were stirred when He
saw Bartimeus with darkened retina. and
the only salye He ever made tnat we
read of was mixture OF dust and saliva,
and prayer with which He cured the
eyes of a man blind from his nativity. The
value of the eye is shown as much by
catastrophe 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 friend. Ask in the hospital the vic
tim of ophthalmia. Ask the man whose
eyesght perished In powder blast. Ask
the Bartimeus who never met a Christ,
or the man born blind who is to die blind
Ask him.
Horrors Of Blindness.
How II adds to John Milton's sublim-
ity of character, when We find him at the
call of duty sacrificing his eyesght.
Through studying at late hours and try
ing all kinds of medic3ment 10 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 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, The choice lay before me be-
tween dereliction of a supreme duty and
loss of eyesight; in such q case / could
not listen 10 the physician. not IL Escu-
lapiUs himself had spoken from his sane
tuary; l could not but obey that inward
monitor i know not what spoke 10 NE
from heaven Who of US would have
grace enough TO sacrifice our eyes at the
call of duty?
But. thank God, some have been en-
abled 10 see without very good eyes. Gen.
Ravelock, the son of the more famous
Gen. HaYelOck. told me this concerning
his father: In Inia, while his father
and himself with the army were en-
camped one eveningtime after a long
march. Gen. Havel, ok called up his sol
diers and addressed them, saying In
words, as near as l can recOllect: Sol |
diers! There are two or three hundred
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 who !
will march with me TO save those women |
and children hold up your hand Then !
HaYelock said: IT is almost dark, and !
my eyesisht is very poor, and l cannot |
see your raised hands, but l know they |
are all up. Forward TO CawnpOreH That
hero's eyes. though almost eXtinguished /
in the service of Cod and his country. |
could see across India and across the |
centuries. But let anybody who has one [
good eye be thankful, and all who have /
two good eyes be twice as thankful. Take /
care Of your eyes and thank God every 1
morning when you open them for ca /
pacitv 10 see the light ! do not wonder /
al the behavior Of a poor man in France. 4
He had been born blind, but was a skill /
ful groom in the stables.
sight the Greatest BLESSING.
"a surgeon riding up one evening. gave |
bis horses into the care OF the blind 1