Year: 1877

| Mr.. Gladstone 0n the Color Sense.
In the October number of the Nineteenth
Century Mr. Gladstone writes on "The Color


Sense" and in the great variety of subjects
that he has lately touched upon and dealt


with more or less exhaustively there is
none, as it appears to us, in which he has


been less successful. His main. theme in


this article is, we believe, in it's broadest
sense physiological truth; but it is not
true as he puts it, and his arguments in sup


port OF its truth are singularly feeble and


wide of the point for writer whose po-
lemical strength is ordinarily SO manifest.


In it's simplest statement the theory is that
the so-called color blindness now noted in
exceptional instances was once a common
condition Of the human race; that the
capacity to perceive colors-the condition
of the cerebral substance, in virtue of
which the impression of light on the
retina is perceived rs blue, red or
yellow-is comparatively late acquisition.


There is but little doubt that the history
of the human brain is progressive from
/ some point not far above that OF several OF
the lower animals to it's present state, with
its enormous wealth of peculiar attributes


and if this be true there must, of course,
have been period when man did not per-
ceive the effect of the refraction of light as
he did not perceive many other phenomena
that are now regarded with equal familiar
ity; as there was also, in oil likelihood, a
period when he did not possess articulate
language. But if it is admitted that there
was certainly period when man first began
to distinguish between mere light and cer-
tain of the effects and appearances of light
in relation to objects, is there any good rea-
son to believe that this period is
so recent that there exists literary evil
dences of it? That is to say, that
it comes within the full blaze of what
for this purpose must be regarded
as historic times 1t is not strange that
even Mr.. Gladstone completely fails in the
effort to prove what is SO contrary to all
probability. Quite other periods than any
included within recorded ages are to be
stages of the growth by which the brain be-
came not only what it is, but what it was in
the earliest times of which there is any other
evidence than that of the stones. But it is
in his effort to prove his case out of Homer,
and in the treatment to which he subjects
certain passages for this purpose, that Mr..
Gladstone becomes simply irrational. There
may be found in Homer plain indications
that he recognized silver color, gold color,
copper color, tin color, ivory color, wine
color, grass color, rose color and violet color.
and he has abstract words equivalent
to our green, yellow and red. But
with all this it is attempted to prove that
all his perception in the case of these objects
was restricted to their greater or less light
ness or darkness. Homer calls the dawn
rosy fingered but Gladstone says that this
is merely that the rose was light, not that it
was red. But why should two objects so
commonly red thus be put together when
thousand other objects would more effec-
lively have exhibited the comparison of
light? Homer might, if the theory were true,
have sometimes spoken of the tin dawn, but
he never did. But if there be any apparent
defect in Homer's reference to colors why go
SO far as an organic deficiency of the race to
account for it, when there are good reasons
nearer by? Might it not be the defect of
language? Or might the trouble not be with
Homer's eyes? il Mr.. Gladstone rejects the
tradition Of Homer's blindness he yet be-
lieves in Homer, and that he was the author
of the two poems. But it in the language of
the two poems he finds general failure to
appreciate color with any intensity it may
be rational to accept this as an evidence in
support of the tradition, as On indication
that the poet dealt with colors as memories
rather than experiences but it is scarcely
SO to use it as crutch for a lame theory.


The Coal Mine Disaster mt Blantyre.
AS the soldier entering the battle field and
the sailor departing on perilous voyage
are surrounded with unknown dangers, to
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