The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-12-27

~ 'x3 mean to stand" In the
@4e6Ea& places where the worlds
history %has" been made, to see for
yourself the grandeur and beauty, the
stupendous energy and the endlessly
varied life not only in our " land
but also in the distant countries Of the
world?
The progress of scientific invention
now makes it possible for hundreds
of thousands to realize this dream for
themselves and for their children.
Travel Of the truest kind is within
your reach, and yet without using
either ship or railway or any of the
ordinary bodily co~nveyances..
This statement is so extraordinary
in it's claims that probably no reader
Of these lines will believe 1T. at first.
Indeed no one could lave been more
sceptical about it than the writer was
until he visited the New York estab-
lishment of Underwood & Underwood,
the business organization which is re-
sponsible for this ttruly,remarkable. de-
yelopment of a great scientific inVen-
tomas wonderful in its way as the
telephone.
The first few minutes Of my visit
were devoted to some interesting Opt
cal experiments. I was given a couple
of cards about three by seven inches
in dimensions. On each card were
drawn a pair of rather complex geo.
metricaI figures consisting Of many
curved lines crossing and re-crossing
each other in numerous ways. One
card was marked A and the other
B, but all four Of the patterns seemed
to be precisely alike.
An ordinary stereoscope was handed
nae with Instructions to examine the
A card through its lenses. The effect
was to enlarge the diagram slightly.
Then I was asked to examine the 3
card in the same way.
Right before my astonished eyes that
circular pattern" of black lines on a
light card transformed itself into a
| sphere Of slender wires. It was al
most Incredible. I did not imagine it.
My eyes actually did see a wire globe
standing out in the open space as
plainly as they ever saw a solid ball
| Of wood or Of metal. 1t seemed as
if I might reach out my hand and
prove it's roundness by graspingS it.
Naturally, I asked for an explanation.
The cards A and B had apparently
been just alike, yet only the latter
gave this marvellous effect Of the third
dimension. But I was asked to wait
O little for the explanation, with the
promise that it would shortly be given.
Next I was. handed a neutral tinted
card of the same size as before on
which stereoscopic photographs OF
one scene were mounted in the manner
with which many people are familiar,
two prints on n card, side by side.
In the photographs I saw represent
ed q field with a cluster Of houses
beyond, and breaking surf on a distant
sea beach; it was down in Martinique.
A couple Of men stood talking in the
field close by, and I could see some OF
the village houses in the space be-
tween their standing figures.
1 was asked to examine this also
through the stereoscope. 1t seemed
to me hardly necessary, after the in
spection I had already given the twin
photographs; however, I put the card
in the rack and placed my head
| against the hood Of the instrument.
Here I was astonished again. I was
no longer looking at a Photograph
was seeing out into actual space, into
an actual place, and, moreover, this
place was startlingly different from
what I had supposed when I looked
at the fiat photograph without any
| Instrument! Instead Of looking from
| the side Of q field, I found I was on q
high bluff, dropping abruptly perhaps
FIVE hundred feet just beyond the two
men. The houses that I had supposed
| to stand at the farther side Of the
| field showed up as they really were,
| at least half O mile distant over at the
other side of a ravine. I couldn't be-
| lieve my eyes at first. Then I asked:
what causes this effect of being
right there with open space all
around?"
"In the few minutes we have. there
would not be time to explain fully"
was the answer, "but the possibility Of
these effects Of reality depends first
! Of all on the principle Of two-eye see
ing as distinguished from one-eye see
ing. You must begin with this prln-
ciple If you are to understand this
travel system. Most people never stop
to think why they have two eyes. If
the question occurs to them at all,
they probably fancy the second eye
is merely q piece of reserve equip
ment-nature's provision against help
! lessness in case Of accident to one
organ Of vision"
Then my informant went On to ex-
plain that a person with normal eye
| sight sees very differently from a per-
son with only one eye. TO demonstrate
that statement, I was asked to make
two or three personal experiments.
! First I held my right arm out straight
in front Of me, on a level With the
| shoulder. the hand open, thu palm to-
wards the left Holding It ~ that po-
| sltion 1 looked at the haEa ! with my
right eye alone. keeping t2e left eye
! shut. I found I could see the edge
of my hand and O part of the back Of
/ the hand. Next, keeping arm and
hand in the same position. I closed
+bo r;obt ouo ond used Only the left