Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-07

r FAVE you ever been induced In mo-
Fl ments of frivoity to visit one OF
4 L those places of amusement known
as a topsy-turvy house? Do you recall
how silly it appeared to see the baby
apparently sound asleep in it's crib. sus-
pended from what should have been the
ceiling? Do you recollect your feeling OF
chagrin as you surveyed the carpets SEEM
ingly stuck against the ceiling, While the
pictures stood in dignified rows few
feet from the floor or what usually an
swers to that name? But that was in
freak "sideshow," you say.
As matter of fact, however. so far
as your eye itself is concerned you see
everything upside down. At this very
moment your physical eye, so to speak,
is seeing this paper upside down. and
were it not for your brain you might not
have been able to read down as FAR as
this.
Were the objects We look at To sud-
denly become apparent 10 us exactly as
they are mirrored i'll our eye the world
would be new and strange place. one OF
grotesque shapes and fantastic pictures
The ardent lover would see his dainty
sweetheart glide toward him head down.
The loving mother would see her baby
toddle to her in the same manner Trees
would grow roots up, buildings would rest
on their roofs the water would form
almost unknown and unexplored region.
But thanks to the human brain. that
catastrophe is averted and things appear
TO they really are
The reason for this inverted picture on
the eye is the same as in the case of the
camera If you look through the ground
glass at the back of the camera you will
find your picture inverted The reason
for this inversion has been explained by an
oculist who is an authority on the sub
ject.
''The eye" he said, els nothing but
small camera. The pupil is the opening.
the iris. the colored part around the pupil,
expanding and retracting, according to
the Intensity of the light, and thereby
changing the size Of the opening. Behind
the pupil is the lens OF the eye,
double convex lens.
Objects throw off rays of light in
every direction, but the principal ones IN
connection with this subject are the
horizontal rays These rays reach out
horizontally and strike the Tense of the
eye. When the ray OF light enters the
lens II enters denser medium ana IN
consequence is detected. This deHectich
Is continued when the RAYS or ilSnt ieaNe
travelling toward the retlna, Wnlcn Is q
thin coating at the back of the eyeball
This detection causes the rays or llSht
entering at the top Of the lens to travel
toward the bottom, while those enter
ing the lower part of the lens go to-
ward the top Of the retlna. Inns CAUSES
the rays of light coming from the top ?l
an object to reach the lower poftion vi
the retina. and visa versa Tor the other
rays. In that way the lower part OF the
picture reaches the upper part or the re-
Una. and the upper part the lower pol-
ton, making the picture in consequence
inverted"
These rays of light entering the eye
are called light vibrations After tney
reach the retina they are transmitted
TO the brain, being called. after they
leave the retina, nerve vibrations. Ine
optic nerve enters the eyeball sllShtiy
at one side. 1t is the distribution OF
this nerve over the back portion OF the
eyeball which forms the retina From
the retlna of each eye run the optic
nerves which divide into two parts
one going to the left brain. the other
TO the right brain. These nerves con-
Vey the light vibrations which nave
reached the retina, and the result Is the
appearance of the object we are looking
at. All this happens so quickly that
IL seems simultaneous"
\ well known oculist in Washington
dlspelled the idea that il any one OF