The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1901-09-11
PROTECT The EYES.
School Children Should BE Protected BY
Proper TintS on the Wall.

FrOperslln On lnE5 M AZ.
To THE EDITOR want at this
time TO say sonnet thing about the
very important question Of our
children 5 eyesight and our very
serious mistakes we have made IN
the past and are now making IN ap-
plying tints to the walls and cell
|ings of our school rooms and our
homes. During the past ten years
there has been a remar kable devel-
lopment III schoolroom architecture,
heating and ventilation, but there
has not been the serious attention
paid to the light in our homes and
il the schoolr rooms. that there should
have been. / realize how YerV diff
cult it has been to find some good
reHectant, restful to the eyes, and
at the same time possessed OF beau
| ty. This is an age of beauty Art.
in MANY simple ways is becoming a
part of ourselves, and to- some ex
| tent we are not always conscious Of
/ the growth. This much is true
the intense light reflected from a
plain white, or yellow, or pale.
cream wall, is an aggrevating cause.
ofaso many children wearing glasses
Absorbent colors such as dark
greys dark reds, drabs, etc. are
bad. The light is too much abb
sorbed. On certain dark days the.
I5childrens eyes are strained. Ny
| opia and hyperopia are induced.
| The already weakened eyes are
loverstrained The pupils become
Eso fatigued by this strain upon the
eyes, that work becomes burden
some. Our work has grown, and
is constantly growing, more and
more, to require very close use of
the eyes. Unless the light is good,
4 tempered and restful, the strain
Ioyertaxes the young, undeveloped
5Ieye-muscles, or rather the several
/ divisions Of the eye, aud causes later
/ on the use OF glasses to5correct this
mischief. Is diligent search has
4 been made by specialists, who were
4 looking for a tint which would at
/ once be restful, reflectant, and at
j the same time hYgienic. Two shades
4 of green nature's own tints we see
4 and use so much, have been found
i by actual experience, to possess
these good qualities. The two
4 shades now coming into use are
4 numbered II and IL, and are made
of mineral substance known as ee-
4 mentico. Number IL for ceilings
4 and number12 for side walls. Our
i own schoolrooms here last year APP
i piled the tints to the walls, and both
a pupils and teachers felt the benefits.
4 It was perceptibly noticed by visi-
4 tors who at several times inspected
4 our schools and who invariably
4 spoke of the. restful feeling of the
green tints to the eye. lisa pleas
i ing fact to state, that nearly all our
a 4 new school buildings, built within
d two years. have used these. two
\ tints on the ceilings and walls. IT
i seems to me, that ju ST now somany
. of our school trustees are contem-
i plating the question of cleaning and
tinting the school rooms, that some
i attention should be given to this
very serious and most important
Iquestion. IL woodwork is to be
painted, it should be done in tints
! of green, which shall prove restful
]. to the eye. Not dark greens, nor
i dark blues, nor reds, nor browns,
for all these are light absorbents,
! with little or no reflective power.
4 They are not restful to the eye, nor
are they abdul in either bright or
sIdull lights. So many times school
trustees have simply kalsomined
lover the walls with plain white gyp-
sum. This has seemed to me to be
q mistake and especially true it's,
/ when SO many times the curtains
are. SO unsuited to temper the light
/ in our schoolro There is but
lone curtain the Venetian wooden
slatfit for our schoolroo Cloth
/ is too unserviceable and means too
much final outlay Of time and money.
The Venetian blinds allow temper
/ ING Of the light to almost any de-
gree and combine utility and com
e. 81 .