The evening times., 1900-03-17
TIE OCULARIST'S WORK
Artisans Who Subsist by Making
Artificial Eyes.
Trade Dating Back TO Early Peri
DDS i'm History-Some of the Best
Workers In the Present Day Are
Women - Principal afanufactories
Located in France and Germany.

III -Ncn iOIh CITY ESyp plidHS Vi luS udyS
of the great Ptolemys made artificial eyes
of gold silver, and ivory 1t was the GUS
tom of the ancients, when their passions
were stirred by events OF great moment
to bring their artificial eyes and place
them in the public treasury for the good
of the cause, just as people now give gold
watches and jewels when moved TO gen.
erosity by an eloquent missioner.
In Paris the important manufacturers,
artists and scientists congregate in the
| neighborhood of the Madeiein. while the
lesser lights are to be found in little
streets of the boulevard and Temple dis
trict. The French artisan who makes
glass eyes is known as an Ocularist 10
which title the wealthy dealers around the
Madelein add that of oculist.
The wearer of glass eye is usually abb
normally sensitive about it, and at first eX-
ceedingly fearful OF the physical pain that
may be caused by putting an artificial eve
in The wealthy dealer in glass eyes in
Paris fits his place up gorgeously and hires
a servant with one eye. taking care 10 Sc
lect one who can be fitted with an artin-
cial eye 10 as perfectly match the natural
one as possible. 1t is admitted by the
dealers thar no artificial organ that exactly
matches the natural one has ever been
the muscles that moved it have been left
in the socket by the surgeon who removed
the eye the artificial eye will be moved
up and down to right or left by thess
muscles in unison with the other eye. But
when the eye has been out long time be-
fore the artificial one was inserted the uds
will have shrunk, thus necessitating the
person to wear a glass eye smaller than
the one removed. 4 few weeks viii stretcn
tba do ii is in and O.
until the eyes appear exactly the same
size.
Although no perfect match has ever
been made they get near enough perfec-
tion TO deceive even oculists. II is such
person as this that the wealthy Partisan
dealer in artificial eyes wants for a sery-
ant When the timid and doubling Gus
toner expresses his fears the manufactu-
Ter says
John come here"
The servant respectfully obeys. and his
master SAYS to the customer: DO you see
anything the matter with that man?
No"
Now. John take out your eye.
John does this placing The artificial eye
in the hand of the astonished visitor who,
of course ar once assumes that it is only
a question of time when his glass eye Will
as perfectly match his natural one as
Johns does
The ocuIarist enameler is one of the best
paid artisans in Europe, being able 10 earn
from 10 TO II francs day; some OF the
best workers among them are women. In
manufactures il is usually piece work. but
sometimes the business Is conducted on
sort OF cooperative plan. the oculariSt
receiving a percentage of the profits. his
poor work being thrown on his hands and
a charge made for the material used In
this way the man gradually accumulates a
stock of artificial eyes. which he will one
day utilize in many novel way. when he
goes into business for himself
The economy of the Parisians Is proven
bial and extends even into the wearing OF
artificial eyes Il is generally supposed
that when a person is once fitted with
glass eve there the matter ends. On the
contrary. il has just begun. No glass eye
should be worn more than year. and IN
many cases Il is necessary to change them
as often as once in six months. The mate
rial OF which they are made Is more or
less porous the acid in the moisture OF
the eve socket takes hold Of the enamel,
which becomes rough. causing granulated
eyelids.
The men in Paris who eater to the cheap
trade make a small allowance for these
second hand eyes. When the Onc-eyed
beau OF belle Of the slums Of Paris wants
to make an impression al ball he goes TO
he dealer and rents. for the night glass
eve He is not fastidious a. 10 size or
color \ glass eye for the function he
is 10 attend he regards as necessity.
perfect match he would esteem super
huous luxury.
There is still another use made OF these
secondhand glass eyes. The fashionable
embalmer of Paris wants his subject 10
look as beautiful and life-like as possible.
The natural organs have sunk deep in the
head. The embalmeT therefore. goes 10
the cheap ocularist and buys pair of
eyes. OF any color. so that they be of
about the same size, which he adjusts
under the eyelids consoling himself with
the reflection that the dead man will
neither complain of the difference in the
color OF his eye nor tell any tales. while
the living will be comforted al the i'm
provement the embalmer has made in the
locks of their loved one
Occasional calls for artificial eyes come
TO Paris from almost every corner of the
globe. 4 French manufacturer got an or
der from an officer of Emperor Soulouqde,
of Haiti some thirty years or more ago.
The ocularist was delighted. His vivid
imagination pictured lively trade with
the island that would spring up in conse-
quence of this order from so distinguish (
ed a person possibly a decoration from
the Emperor. With the utmost care he
made the eve and sent il on. For six
months he heard nothing of it. then The
parcel was returned with this note:
Your eye is of no use 10 me. II is
lowish and recalls the memory d. the
Spanish flag | viii only wear an eye of
the colors of my own country.
The heartbroken dealer picked up his
courage and went at it again. The solera
or white of the eve in a Young person is of
a clear blush white: past middle life il is
creamy. while in the aged. especially in
those of dark complexion. like the typical
Spaniard, it is quite a deep yellow. The
ocularist went to the office of the consul
and took a look at the Haitien flag: then
went home and made a glass eye for the
patriotic general that was a lively mixture
of red and green. This eye so delighted
the veteran of many wars that he refused
TO degrade it by wearing 1t in his empty
socket, but suspended it over his heart
among his decorations of honor.
1t is a beautiful sight to watch the Ocu-
larist at his work He is seated at a small
workman's bench or table just behind the
gas flame in which lie will heat and melt
his glass and enamels, which lie on the
table before him. The bellows that blow
his gas flame he operates with his foot
He cuts off a one-and-ahalf inch section
of crystal from stick that is about the
diameter of an ordinary lead pencil and
cylindrical in shape. upon which he blows
the gas flame until it glows with heat.
Now he picks up pin-worm stick of white
enamel, with which he paints about
four stripes down the sides of the glowing
crystal. Next he picks up another stick
of enamel that appears to be about the
color of port wine of which he uses per