The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-04-16

and in the centre diminutive rep
resentation of the head, small and
dark. hand placed behind the head
is visible in the glass, but only so far
as the fingers are within that portion
of the reflection which is seen vaguely
and hazily and not sharp-defined and
black. Ordinay objects, placed before
the mirror, show in the glass the clear
reflection of things behind them. The
glass is X Ray in its operation on the
eye, if it is not so in fact; and that yet
waits on demonstration.
A Visit to the Glass.
Yesterday at noon l went with Mr..
Milton to examine the glass. He ex-
planned that the day was dark and
cloudy and that we might not have as
good an illustration Of the powers of
the glass as would have been possible
had the light been stronger. The
glass, however, did it's stunt in fine
shape. Through the clothes one could
see what appeared to be the certain
lines of bones, clearly distinct. one
saw another's hand, which he knew
was behind his arm, plainly through
the dim outlines of what he knew was
his flesh. The black line of the cloth
ing was indicated as a faint aureole to
the substantial anatomy of ones per-
son. We went through all the tests.
Perhaps the most striking was that
with the foot. Standing on tip-toe on
one foot, with the trousers raised. the
appearance of the bone of the leg and
of the foot was most distinct. Turn
ing the foot on the ankle, it looked as
though one could see the bones of the
leg turning in their socket on the
ankle of the foot All this, mind you,
through the shoe, the outlines of which
were family visible as in the case of
II. ,I- ~, =
legs! From the front or from the side.
the effect was the same, except that
from the side view the heel bone was
distinctly visible From the front the
heel was naturally lost to sight, the
long, curving line of the bone of the
feet narrowing to the point of the toe,
startling in the vividness of it's sharp
shadow.
A Doctor Mystified.
Going home on the car, told of this
visit to a prominent doctor of the city.
Despite the fact of his incredulity, his
interest was aroused. We made an
engagement to visit the house again.
All the way, the doctor kept saying:
Now if you are putting up any joke
on me"
But l had seen and we went the
one confident, the other mystified at
the very fact that the confidence re-
1lldlleQ 10 the emu Vi the eAIilDllIuIh
Together we went through the var
ious tests of the mirror. We changed
it's position. put it in different lights.
The effect was in each case the same,
except as the stronger light gave the
clearer results.
What do you make out of it?'' l
asked the doctor.
He shook a puzzled head. 81 don't
know 1t can't be an X-Ray, because
it is reflection. 1t is bound to be en-
optical delusion Of some sort--what,
| cant pretend to say. And" said the
doctor, did you notice that while the
shadows in the foot and leg and hand
were very distinct, you saw but one
bone? There are of course several
bones in each and, in the X-Ray pho
tographs, the spaces between them are
well defined by the light spaces in the
picture
And the doctor and went to his Of
flee and looked at pictures of legs and
feet taken by the X-Ray, in which the
bones and the spaces between them
were more or less clearly defined.
But however lacking in scientific
the theory may be, one
who looks in Mr.. Millions mirror will
be ready to swear that he has seen
his own bone beneath his clothes and
his flesh.
A WhatyoumaycaIIigra
And it must be remembered that the
result in the case of the mirror is OBJ
tanned on cloudy day, or by the light
of an ordinary lamp, whereas the de-
tail of the X-Ray photograph is pro-
cured after from five to ten minutes
exposure under the most powerful
light known to science acting on spe-
ciaIly prepared and especially sensi-
tized plates.
Who knows what this magic mirror
would be capable of il there were
thrown into it's enigmatical depths the
searching rays of even a moderately
powerful electric light and reflector
In the meantime, the mirror is per-
forming the usual functions of piece
of domestic furniture and furnishing
mystification to the curious visitor
who is becoming more numerous as
the fame of the glass grows ana
spreads.
The Whatyoumaycallig is
Great and unique institution!