Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-08-11
MADNESS IN COLORS.
JINTS THAT WILL TURN THE BRAIN
AND INVITE DEATH.


Hues, and Scarlet IL Nearly ~ bad.
Blue Will Stimulate the Brain, but
II Will Wreck the Nerves.
If purple walls and red tinted win
lows surrounded you for month, with
no color but purple around you, by the
end of that time you would be a mad
man. No matter how strong the brain
might be, it would not stand the strain,
and it is doubtful II you would ever re-
cover your reason, for purple Is the
most dangerous color there Is In Its
effects on the brain, which It reaches
by way Of the nerves Of the eye.
A splash or two of any other color
In the room would save your reason for
some time longer, but dead purple
would kill you eventually as surely as
would foul air. Scarlet Is as bad, but
scarlet has q different effect. 1t pro-
duces what is called homicidal mania
"a madness that drives Its victim to
kill his fellows, especially his nearest
relatives. Even on animals scarlet has
this effect. 1t will drive bull or
tiger to charge a naked spear. But
purple, on the contrary, brings on mel
ancholy or suicidal mania.
Blue, rs long as there is no trace OF
red in it, stimulates the brain and helps
it, but Its effect on your nerves, II you
are saturated with 1t and cannot get
away from 1t, Is terrible. Scientists
class blue as kind Of drug In Its ef-
fects on the brain.
1t excItes the Imagination and gives
craving for music and stagecraft,
but It has reaction that wrecks the
nerves. If you doubt 1t stare hard for
few minutes at large sheet OF
bright blue paper or cloth--not flowers,
for there is a good deal Of green In
their blue md you will find that 1t
will make your eyes ache and give you
restless, uneasy feeling.
Green. on the other hand. Is the king
of colors. and no amount Of 1t can do
any harm. On the contrary, 1t soothes
the whole system and preserves the
eyesight. II you were shut up IN an
artificial green light for month 1t
would develop your eycsight immense
w. but It would be fatal. because when
you returned to the world you would
be utterly unable to stand ordinary
lights and colors and you would GER
tainly contract ophthalmia. or possibly
destroy the optic nerve altogether un-
less you were very mindful to take
great care.
Most people imagine the sky In clear
weather to be blue. 1t is really white
tinged with green. 1t is only the dis
lance and clearness which make It
seem blue.
Green Is so soothing that it makes
big difference In the length OF an
illness. helping the system to fight the
disease. and nearly all hospital wards
have every possible detail about them
colored green. Sage green Is the most
soothing tint Of all; metallic green,
however, is by no means so good.
Solitary confinement in yellow cell
for six weeks will hopelessly weaken
any system and produce chronic hys-
terra 4 long course Of 1t will pro
duce foolish lunacy, and even on q
guinea pig or n rabbit will drive the
animal at last to bite and wound itseir
or reduce II to such state Of nervous
ness that ii will die Of sheer fright II
suddenly startled.
On the other hand. II you are not
smothered with 1t yellow Is the healthi-
est. cheericst color there Is. and will
make dark room bright and habita-
bic when even green would he cold
and depressing. But TO be well "soused
with yellow day and night. and to be
unable to get away from H. would
bring you TO nervous madness within
two months at the outside
Sheer dead white, unbroken. VIII de-
stroy your eyesight a surely n cnta-
ract would II you are exposed 10 u for
a few days-a week az the latest. IL
kills the optic nerves. and the sight
goes out like candle. while the effect
ON the brain l. 80 maddening that
blindness Is almost n relief.
This Is why arctic explorers have to
wear coIored "gOggles" Of green tinted
glass: otherwise "snow blindness" as
IL is called. and which Is really white
blindness" Is almost Certainty. Even
I'm the polar regions. though. the white
is not complete. The sky breaks IL. III
II did not no man could keep his eye
sight there without glasses.-New York
News