The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-07-19

The number of men, women and
children in the United. States who
wear artificial eyes is almost beyond
belief Take this fact into considera-
ton whenever you meet person VINO
seems determined to stare you out or
countenance, for that person may be
one of the glass-eyed legion. :,
Throughout the United states. all
told, $4,000 glass eyes are sold every
year, of whieh 10000 pass through the
hands of firm of opticians in Cham
bers street From $4,000 to $4,000 OF
these eyes ere manufactured here IN
New York city, and nearly all OF them
are of high quality. The cheaper shell
eyes are imp orted.
Artificial human eyes come in sew
eral qualities, of which the best made
is the Gumbert Common stock eyes
can be bought in Europe at prices
ranging from half mark to 20 marks.
Eyes of higher price are, however
usually made to order. In America
glass eyes retailaanywhere from So to
$25 EACH the latter price being for the
finest product made to order in this
country, specitl care being taken to
match the colors of the false eye with
those of it's natural mate. New York
opticians say that the glass eye made
here are better than nine-tenths OF
those which are imported.
The art of making glass eyes is
delicate and difficult one. and is hard
ly ever mastered in one generation.
1t is one of the hereditary arts. so that
the best makers are those Brought up
to the business from childhood, and
whose fathers and grandfathers be-
fore them followed the same business.
Individual eye makerS-that is, those
who make eyes to order for customers
are found in many European coun-
tries but ONLY in Germany is the man
ufacture of eyes a regular industry.
There they are made in large qaunti-
ties for export. About twenty-five
firms in Germany make this business
speciality, and most of them cluster in
and about the district Of Thuringen.
With regard to the sizes, shapes and
colorS of eyes. the eye maker works
on much the same plan as the maker
of ready-made clothes. Experience
and knowledge of the anatomy are his
guides. sss-
In making the eyes Bunsen blowpipe
is used, and the artist has before him on
a small table many tubes of glass. large
and small, some OF the. latter being color
ed. He takes tube of white glass: which
forms the center of the eye. This IS
blown into a round bulb. With a piece Of
colored glass, gradually molten onto the
twirled continually in the flame, SO that
the iris becomes perfectly round. Then
the eye pupil Of the black glass is mol
ten into the center OF the iris. and some
more colored glass over this again, to
give the pupil the deep-lying appearance
it has In nature.
The coIoling of the iris is an exceeding
ly delicate operation, as the colored glass
must be fused in such a way as to give
the appearance Of the very fine muscles
of which the natural iris Is composed.
Although in many instances the natural
iris looks like a solid color. yet upon close
inspection one finds it composed of many
fine muscles, and this effect is what the
better artist will reproduce.
To repres int the small red veins thir
hairs of ruby glass are next melted Into
the corner. When these operations have
been finished. film of transparent glass
is molten over the whole, which creates