The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1921-07-28
4 BILLION IN 1T.
World Waiting for Man Able To
Heal" Her SpectacleS.

Heal Her Spectacles.
Here's a chance for someone to
make billion dollars-an aspiration
that comes to most of us now and
then. Find a way to cure "specs,'
otherwise spectacles, glasses, etc.
When you knock yours off your nose
and they scatter into assorted frag-
ments on the sidewalk or bathroom
tiles, there is now nothing to do but
dig down into the reserve corner of
the pocketbook for that $3.50, if you
are mildly afflicted, or S5 if your eyes
claim eXclusiveness, and have a new
lens put in. If two are broken-well,
then, double the amount. This was
serious enough before the war put
up * you know the formula-but
now we feel almost justified in taking
out plateglass insurance on our nose
glasses.
There is another chance-spectacle
insurance!-but our billion-dollar
"big idea is different, and came upon
reading a scientific article on Heal
ing in the Mineral Kingdom. 1t ap-
pears, although we acknowledge our
long ignorance of the fact, that for a
century and a half the phenomenon of
healing in glass has been recognized
as a scientific curiosity. Sir David
Brewster long ago called attention to
it, and at a recent meeting of an
English microscopial club pieces of
healed glass were exhibited. A
magnifying glass had become crack
ed while enclosed by the usual metal
ring mounting. The ring had been
tightened up and the, broken lenses
gradually became cured or healed.
Another piece of glass had become
cracked, but when tightly clamped to-
gether the cracked parts had become
firmly joined so that the junction
could be discovered only with diff
ficulty.
And now back to our billion. Can
not some one discover simple pro-
cess by which our broken glasses may
be sent for a spell to "specs'' san
itarium and come away cured? Very
often we must admit, the task of
gathering up the remains would be
somewhat arduous, but just imagine
the money that might be made at a
Hotel Dieu des Pince-Nez or Touro
Infrmary for Toric Lenses.
One of the oddities of this process
of healing would seem to be it's SEEM
ing slowness Of operation. If the
glass fragments could simply be
jammed together till they become
one! the process would be our old
scientific acquaintance "cohesion,"
but there appears to be some other
action at work, as though perhaps
the crystals needed time to readjust
themselves.
And in connection with this curious
phenomenon, it is possible that it
was recognized correctly years ago oy
that observant creature, the American
boy? We recall that in our marble
playing days there was firm belief
among "the crowd" who played
"ring'' in the bare space between the
sidewalk and the fence, that those
beautiful marbles known variously as
"fints" or" agates," when profusely
dotted with moons through play
could, under certain prescribed cir
cumstances, become cured. The
moons" as we all understood, were
minute semi-circular cracks which,
through continued play, became so
that the surface OF the mar
BILE would crumble away. However,
there we're, as we have said, certain
processes, and among them an essen
tial was long rest, which rightly or
wrongly we were convinced would
cure the marbles of "moons." Were
we shooting closely to a scientific
truth IN. Orleans Times-Picayune.