The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-31
THE GLASS EYE INDUSTRY
The Greater Number OF Them Made
in France or Germany.
Following Nature No Two of the
Couuterfeits Are Exactly Alike.
brown optics Easy To Fit-trti-
fetal Organ Hnrd to Distinguish.

I'VE, carry 1ooQ0 eyes in stock" said the
artificial eye filter.
The woman who was waiting for her
glasses was at once Interested. Tell me
something about eyes" she said.
What shall ! tell you? asked the eye
man. who was opening one of the long
cases at the far end OF the room.
The woman laughed. You might tell
me all about them"
If / could tell all about them l would
be making them and making money
answered the eye man.
You see. that is just the point he
continued. There is something about ar
tificial eyes we Americans want to know
and it is something we don't seem to be
able to find out If we did it would not
be necessary for US TO buy our best eyes
abroad. At present we buy everything
abroad, from either France or Germany.
Germany is the great eye country.
Now. it isn't that the Americans can't
make good eyes. for they can as far as
they go. They get a splendid shape and
an excellent color, but when it comes to
the matter of glaze they are at sea. The
glaze we put on an eye in this country
is soft and without the lustre and dura-
biIty the foreigners are able to get 1t
might not be possible for you to tell the
foreign eve from the domestic article. but
an expert can every time. and 1t Is very
apparent with wear"
But why don't someone go over there
and find out about it," asked the wo-
man. who had never been in business her
self
The eye man shook his head and
thoughtfully polished set of grey eyes
1T couldn't be DONE he explained pa
tiently 1T isn't possible. although of
course the time will come when We will
know. You see. it is secret of the trade
and the eyemakers over there won't tell.
/ had a friend who spent two years ard
lots of money trying to discover the Sc
cret but the workmen never breathed a
word about it. although he lived in their
families for months. They say they PASS
the knowledge down from father to son
and the same men work in the same fac
tory from the time they begin to work
until they die"
The woman sat listening to what the
eye man was saying and watching the
tray after tray of eyes he laid on the
table before her.
There are 100 in tray" the man told
her. but this she could hardly believe. AS
she looked at them each eve in its own
be 1000 instead of 100. The woman looked
at them and was fascinated by their vary
ing moods. for they laughed at her, scold-
ed her, wept before her. loved her. The
longer she looked at them the more hui
man they seemed and the more natural
il seemed that they should be lying in
their velvet cases.
There were blue eyes and green eyes
and brown eyes and black eyes and all
shades between. There were big eyes and
little eyes and round eyes and fiat eyes
and kind eyes and cross eyes and every
other kind of an eye.
But they are all different protested
the woman.
why, certainly" said the eye man. as
though that We're quite proper we
haven't two ,eyes in our entire stock ex-
people with eyes alike; indeed, we very
seldom find anyone with both eyes the
same. When We are fitting an eye we
work for the shape and expression. When
the focus is exact and the eye matches as
to size and shape it makes little difference