St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1915-10-20
STATE OPTICIANS
Semi-Annual Meeting Held Here
Last Thursday-PracticaI Papers
and Banquet.

, The semi-annuaI meeting of tn
Vermont State Optical society wa
: held here Thursday, it being the frs
5 meeting of that organization in thi
r place. About 40 opticians were in at
; tendance and the sessions were hell
at Pythian hall. Good interest wa
manifested in the practical paper
presented and everyone seemed pleas
: ed with the gathering.
, President Leo H. McKiver of New
! port was in the chair and H. F. Jor
dan acted as secretary pro tenn. The
meeting was opened with a business
session in the forenoon at which the
matter of the time and place of the
annual meeting was left with the ex
ecutiVe committee. The business was
followed by a short talk by w. J.
Bigelow on the subject of "Advertis-
ing" and an address by c. J. Cleve-
land of Rutland on ''The Transporta-
tion of Lenses"
The visiting optometrists took din
ner at the st. Johnsbury House and
in the afternoon resumed their SEES
sion. Able addresses were given by
Cases." and A. S. Haskins of this
place who gave an illustrated lecture
Light and Color" including patho-
logical changes and spectrum analy-
sis
A fine banquet was served by o.
| H. Smith e Son in Pythian Hall in
the evening. President McKiver act
ed as POSTMASTER and there we're re-
sponSes by G. J. Cleveland and H. F..
Jordan. The main address of the eve
ming was George H. Brown of Man
chester, N. H., on 1.-The Advancement
in Optometry." Mr.. Brown assisted
in the first organization of optomet-
rists at a meeting held in Boston
about 20 years ago when the New
England Optical Asso was
formed and later in organizing an as
ISOLATION in New York so was able to
tell of the earlier organized efforts of
the members of the profession:
Speaking of what organization had
accomplished he said:
eve have put the practice of OPP
tometry under state regulation in 30
states with the result today that
people of these states are vastly bet
ter served in their eye sight needs
than ever before. Not only does every
new Conner to our ranks have to show
his qualifications, by passing a COM
petent board of examiners, but the
man who came earlier by examina
ton, when requirements were less
than at the present time, and the men
who are practicing under an eXemp-
ton certificate, are both equipping
themselves with the most up-to-date
educational information at their COM
mand and their offices with the best
~ r01na Cinor nd a.
tive spasm without the use of drugs,
and correctly diagnosing the most in
tricate visual defects. This many of
them are doing to a surprising de-
gree. The day is forever gone, thank
the Lord, when in Maine, New Hamp
shire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Connecticut and in any other
of the 35 states which have registra-
tion laws, a man investing a few dol
lars in cheap spectacles, can then
go about from house to house, prey
ing upon the ignorant, alarmed and
suffering; robbing many of dollars
they can i'll afford to lose, and in
many instances, leaving legacy or
mental disturbance, while nothing, or
worse than nothing is left in place
of their ill-gotten gains. These trail
the fair name of Optometry in the
dust, and make respectable, self
respecting, and efficient optometr1sts,
the Scapegoat.
9'My good friend, Haskins, l pre-
sumo was not the only one in Yer
mont that DOTTED his coat, and saw
Optometry written in bold letters in
your organic law, but l do know that
a number of years ago the bridges
were burned behind your workers, |
and they stayed in the campaign until
victory perched upon their banner. Ii
the spectacle wearers of your state,
knew how much these efforts had ac-
tomplished for them, they would feel
under everlasting obligations.
Several optometrists in this coun-
try today are doing real research
work, and are finding the field of
remedial work for those suffering
from color asthenopia, a very fGsc1n-
ating one. Our st. Johnsbury host,
Mr.. Haskins, has done much work
along this particular line. On several
occasions he has instructed and en-
tertained our New Hampshire OPTIC +
metrists, and is one of the authorities
ON colored lenses and combinations.
Only a few short years ago, spectacIes
Wera contraindicated that did not i'm
prove vision, but today many ocular
-efexes are remedied by glasses that
10 not improve vision, but they sooth
The nerves and make comfortable eye
work, that otherwise would be far
from comfortable But we have not
yet arrived! I am sure that more
accurate work will be done in the fu- :
,ure field of refraction, than the best
n any school are now doing, and that
We shall find many helpful and legiti-
nate uses for spectacles not now well