The Washington times., 1922-05-10
EFFECTS OF COLOR
SOME DELIGHTFUL AND SOME DLSTASTEFUL
Garrett p.
BY Garrett p. Serviss-

can't see ripe cherries on a tree II
they are more than 300 feet away.
In fact. all small objects OF "A dark
red color appear black to ne at a
distance. sometimes get too
much red in the flesh tints OF por-
traits. But ! can see red as well
as any other color when both are
shown in equal Quantities at a red-
sonnble distance.
Now, claim I Rnn not color
blind. for to my eyes everything
appears exactly az II does to a
camera. OF various COlors having
a given value, rel affects the sen
sitive plate the least, and there
fore photographs 1t Just as | see
II. small specks like cherries becom-
ing mere shadows among the
leaves. Why should the color red
affect many people just as il does
a bull. while II really is the color
having the least vitality OF them
all? Is there anything about red
that should infect the eye moro
than 1t does the sensitive plate?"
This gentleman would certainly,
I think. be rejected as an applicant
for the post of locomotive engineer
on the ground OF color blindness
His ingenious likening Of his eyes
TO Photographic plates suggests
that detectives will never be able
to use photographs for tripping up
false witnesses in train collision
cases.
On the other hand, II there is n
resemblance between the sensitiv-
ity OF his visual organs, retina, op-
tic nerves, etc, and that of the pho
tographer's emulsions. 1t may be
worth his while TO experiment uDon
his possible coordinate ability to
see, as the sensitized plate does.
far beyond the violet end Of the
spectrum.
Proof of the actual possession Ut
such power by the human eve
would he very interesting ard
might lead to important disCl2s-
ures. It might have a bearing on
the extraordinary powers OF vision
by which some OF the lower ami.
mails are able to see things imper-
ceptible to human eyes.
Concerning the strong effect OF
red upon many persons, II may be
said that there Is very likely n
similarity, to that extent at least,
between the sensitivity of thoir
eyes and that OF the eye OF a bull
The effect seems to be somewhat
of the nature Of n shock, which
alone may be enough to account
for the arousing of the combative
propensities of the bull.
But Taurus Is not alone in being
powerfully excited by the vibra-
tions of red light. Turkey cocks,
if my memory serves me, will
chase red rag, or gObble oh
streperously at sight of one, and
IL is also very effective in arousing
the apparent enmity of brakes, and
ganders, though II often eX-
cites terror rather than anger.
The evidence seems TO be strong
that red produces through the
nerves of sight an effect analogous
to that of a loud. vibrant sound.
It has been suggested that n
principal reason for striking i'm
preston made by red Is because
nature has used it so little. This
Ia familiar to artists as one of the
principal causes why red holds the
first rank as a decorative color.
But red surely Is not the color
having the least vitality Of them
ALL"
II holds it's own in artificial
illumination better than any other
and 1t lies at the end OF the visual
spectrum where the inherent en-
erRy of the radiation waves is
greatest. Yet in experiments made
in France many years ago by the
military authoritiesN was shown
that persons wearing red vanished
amid the prevailing hues Of the
landscape at shorter distances
than others dressed in colors less
atrILlnn rrhan aAAn nAar hn