St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1905-12-22
Color and Defective Vision.

Apropos of the proposed new
public school which must, ere long,
be built in this city the following
may not be amiss to those having
that matter at heart-and especially
to the citizens of St. Johns. THE
REVIEW, having the best interests
of this citys future, closely
woven into itself, solicited this ar
ticle from Messrs Goodrich &
Goodrich, architects, of St. Johns
and Portland.
"The influence of color upon the
optic nerve and upon the eye in
general is never more marked than
in cities, where the predominant
color is red," said Capt. Goodrich.
"All forms of defective sight are
extremely prevalent where red is
paramount in the facades of build
ings. The ever sensitive optic and
its primary organism, the brain,
should be the first thought in all
building operations, that they be
not injured by prejudicial colors.
"Red produces many optic and
astigmatic malformations. Again
we notice how soothing to the optic
nerve is change from red brick
fronted street facades to a yellow or
buff or drab street facade i'll brick
or stone.
There seems to be lateral
convouted concentric ray, ever
active where red is in mass The
sensation is a twisting or rendering
of the nerves that focus the sight
rays, so that they cross and recross
each other in irregular circles.
They then tangent into space. II
not rcmedied by the absence of the
cause defects and deformities are
produced that engender myopic
and astigmatic optics.
1--WE notice in cities built of red
brick the more wearing of glasses,
than in any other other city. Yes,
little children not yet III their teens
are spectacled-an unheafd of thing
in the country where the butter
cup aud violets bloom and the
daisies and golden rod 'howdy' to
the sun.
"In nature, how sparingly is
red As il nature repudiated this
color in her wonderful manipula-
tions of color. Again red is the
most unfragrant of colors of all the
blossoms. Seldom has il any
remedial agent in the college of
pharmacy.
"But in old glory, its stripes
blending with the white and blue
Il calms the beholder. Yet, where
the red rose and the white rose
nestle side by side the white carries
of the honors.
The architectural change now
going on in the building world
wherein shades mcllowed of buff
drab, old gold, colonials and
pearls are changing the streets from
sordid disagrceablcnesS TO bcautiiy
colorings and give a certain luxury
and refinement red can never as
sumo nor revive. lc, alone survive.
THE white stripe OF the mortar
joint does not blend in the brain,
but only in,ensiiies the general de-
sire TO avoid the facadesand pass II
by as speedily as possible.
"a case at point, wherein a
Paris landlord painted his store
front glaring red. The renters
across the street had a dry goods
store; the glare of the red facade of
the opposite side OF the street SO
detracted from tine show windows,
and caused such a glare in refrac-
ton that the Judgment OF the
court was for heavy damages
against the owner OF the red
iron,cd facade. At the trial II was
clearly proven, that the flaming rcd
was a detrimcut To the showing of
the colors OF the dry goods in the
show windows on the opposite side
of the street, and that the painting
was a spite job, to injure the dry
goods landlord, and his lessor