The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-07-28
SPECS AS A CURE
FOR ANY CRIME
DR.. William M. Richards of New
York Reforms You By Making
You See Straight
THE NEWEST FAD IN REFORMS
He Has Put Glasses on Hundreds Of
Offenders with Good Results-Ex-
amines Eyes Of Women in Night
Court and finds an Odd Case.


New York City.-Cain did not wear
glasses. If he had he might not have
killed Abel. A number of other catas.
trophies might have been averted by
the timely application of a pair of
spectacles. If you want to reform a
criminal clap pair of glasses on him,
for the chances are that defective
physical vision has impaired his moral
views. Such is the theory of DR.. viii.
liam NJ. Richards, and he hopes in.
side Of year to be able to back his
theory with statistics.
In compiling his statistics and in the
search for subjects DR.. Richards has
visited the District Attorneys office,
several police courts, the Elmira Re.
formatory, the Magdalen Home and
various other institutions. At the El.
mira Reformatory he found that most
OF the boys were suffering from alb.
normal vision, that in the majority of
cases poor eyesight had led to truan-
cy, truancy to bad companionship and
that to crime.
At the Magadalen Home he fitted
glasses to twenty inmates, and every
one of these, he said. found work on
getting out and kept it. One girl in
particular had lever been able to keep
a job more than few days. She was
considered stupid and lazy. Since
leaving the home two months ago
wearing a pair of glasses she has
been steadily employed by firm of
wholesalers and is still working there.
At the time he examined her she was
unable to make out the largest type
on the test card at a distance of four
feet.
DR.. Richards is now trying his
scheme on some 200 second offenders,
burglars, holdup men and grafters of
various degrees, and he hopes that IL
they do not lose their glasses they will
be desirable citizens by the time they
emerge from seclusion. Most of the
glasses are provided by the Shaarath
Israel. which is much interested in
the work.
DR.. Richards visited Magistrate Bar
low in the night court and examined
the eyes OF some Of the women prison
ers. The result showed, he said, that
many Of the women brought in had
something the matter with their eye
sight, and it was entirely possible that
il their vision We're restored to the
normal they themselves would be able
TO lead a normal life. AS the prison.
ers were arraigned he scanned each
closely. When Googoo Nellie, a wom-
an from the East Side, with rather
prominent eyes, came up the doctor
could not restrain his enthusiasm.
Look at her! Look at herr" he eX.
claimed delightedly. She's as blind
rs bat. She can't see a thing"
Or. Richards led the bewildered and
somewhat fearful Nellie into the ex.
animation room.
DO you like to read?" he asked her
abruptly.
Googoo was nonplussed. Never be.
fore in all her long police experience
had anything like this happened to
her. Not knowing what fatal conse.
Quences might follow reckless an
swer she muttered something inaudi.
bly, while her foot traced nervous cir
cles on the floor.
What kind of books do you read?"
persisted che doctor; history, bio
graphy, fiction-what?"
Nellie was in a quandary. Should
she give the preference to biography
or history? Fiction was out of the
question. There was a disparaging
curl to the doctors lips as he said
fiction" that warned her to steer
clear of it. But if she said historical
or bio-bio-whatever it was, why, he
might ask her what books she had
read. She resolved to take a safe
middle course and avoid the snare.
Il don't care much about readin',"
she admitted finally, AN l don't get
time to read much outside of the
newspapers" and then in a brilliant
attempt to escape from the cross-ex-
animation she added: Jennie out
there reads more'n do. She's a great
reader, Jennie is. Why, you don't
hardly ever see Jennie but what she's
got book under her arm"
The doctor refused the bait so craft
lily offered. however, and proceeded to
a few simple tests which convinced
him that Googoo's eyes were a prime
factor in her waywardneEs.
Now come around and see mo-" he
said as he finished. "and you'll soon
be able to read as we'll as Jennie and
be able to get steady employment and
keep off the street as we'll"
Sure" said Nellie. slowly and with.
out eagerness.
Several more were examined and
promised to come and be saved from
their eyes.
AS for Googoo Nell. the policeman
failed to make out case against her