Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-05
HOW WOMEN SPOIL VISION.
Their Wells Are Sight Traps. and Some
Are Worse Than Others.

Are Worse Than Others.
i From the London Mail
Women are divided in their opinions upon
! the subject of the veil but where you will
| find one to maintain that such IN adorn-
| ment fades the complexion you will find ten
| to aver that no penalties would prevent
| them from wearing the adornment.
Go and ask an oculist his opinion. and
what he has to say on the topic is to pump
condemnation upon every veil that is worm
: ct he will admit that. while some nets are
extremely dangerous and 1eeterious to the
eyes, others are almost uninjurious.
There are fashions in nets and gauzes,
and many are the variations with which The
veil is worn. But in England it always COW
ers the eyes, and it is here that the danger
arises.
OF all the wells ever tried The ideal one is
yet to be discovered. Some women can
trace step by step its evolution throughout
the century They have heard their grand
mothers talk about the white lace fall
that used to be liked and themselves can
recolect the thick green blue gray white
and green gauZe horrors worn to protect
the complexion from tan Those wells were
followed by thinner silk ones, which in their
turn We're deposed in favor of those of
thread lace, after which came the many
denominations still exploited, to wit: mesh
nets dotted and patterned in various ways.
Just now women are beginning to shorten
nets and falls considerably. Indeed, in
Paris they are wearing most cirtailed cnes
again, and feeling has also come in there
for the utter Punishment of the veil.
more uncomfortable and imoecile affair for
afternoon teas than the mask The chin veil
is cannot be imagined.
1t is sign of grace, perhaps, that the
question which is being much debated now
among smart people Is whether the veil
does not accomplish much harm to the
visual organs as to outweigh all other con-
siderations in its favor. They wonder if a
veil could not be contrived that would leave
the eyes uncovered, while it beautified ara
protected the rest of the face. AS a pat
tern nothing could be better than the Turk
ish woman's yashmak, which is justly
held to be the most modest face covering
in existence.
Now, to good and bad patterns of wells,
considered not from the point of view Of
beauty, but of visual expeGiency
The very best is veil as fine as scssa-
mer. which can be most Incoming, too.
1t has no spots at all Upon it. and so does
not worry the poor, tortured eyes that have
to dodge spots, vainly and unconsciously
exercises to which weak Imperfect
sight be put. The retrograde step is
taken by Russian net yelling, which need
not, however be very trying if the mesh be
fine, for it is unspotted.
Then come the quite condemned wells,
which have chenille spots all ever them:
they are bad in proportion as their dots are
close and large scanty and small; but
they are less sght-wearing than L veil that
is patterned as well dotted. a veritable
agony to sensitive sight. White wells are
often much more evil in their effects than
black, for the material, be it tulle net
possesses a faculty for dazzling the vision
and making everything seen through it
wavering and ill-defined. Finally, has not
the case been proved that those who are
conscious of strain. lack of clarity of
sight, WEAKNESS after wearing a
veil, should give up the task oe look
ing smart at the expense of vision. Even
the strong argument in favor of wells of a
sensible and clear mesh, which the oculists
Go not attempt to deny, namely, that such
nets do keep the eyes from the assaults Ct
grit especially during a drive or While
cycling and motoring, should not appeal to
the weak-sighted.