Modern Science
Praised for
Saving
Sight
' 5
OR. J. ttOdEPftfftE BAKER SlP
BW YORK. Science prom-
Isea to innko bllndnesa a
thing of the past. In fact,
tho eminent oyo specialists
of Now York say that there
is a bright outlook for the
human oyo by reason of tho great
progress mado In the treatment of eye
diseases.
Medina! regulations making the caro
of tho eyes In babies and the constant
Inspection of tho eyes of school chil
li rcn obligatory by law are rapidly
diminishing tho causes which, in
years gono by, rosulted in blindness,
ears tho Now York Herald,
i Nevertheless experts aro agreed
that the distinctive feature of tho
American eye is hyperopia astigmatism,
or farsightedness, due to the nervous
wtraln of American life, which causes
a shortness of tho eyeball, as a result
of nrrostcd development, as differenti
ating from Germans, among whom
mylopla, or near-sightedness, Is most
prevalent.
' Hyperopia, or farsightedness, is,
however, not r.n cyo dlseaso but mere
ly a condition which causes headaches,
nausea and nervous ailments peculiar
to tho nervous tension of American
life. Thero is nnother cause, how
over, that has much to do with the
strain on American eyes, and that Is
tho habit of reading badly printed
newspapers, books and magazines on
railway trains and Btrcot cars. ' . , ,
y Too Close Print to Blame.
, Even In the homo the reading of
cloeo print is acknowledged to bo a
proline causo of eye weakness. There
fore tho action of the Herald in using
larger typo in Its news columns has
been widely commended.
So eminent an authority as Dr. J.
Herbort Claiborne in the treatment of
the eyes says: "It was tho rational
and reasonable thing to do in view of
tho existing conditions. I bavo for a
long time been preaching in favor of
having all nowspapers and books,
especially those devoted to educational
purposes, printed in large typo,
Spaces between letters and between
printed lines should bo wider in order
to glvo ease to tho oyes when reading.
This fact has been at last recog
nized by tho board of education, which
Js now taking caro that all school
books shall he printed In larger typo.
Dr. William H. Maxwell, city superin
tendent of bcIiooIb, in speaking on this
subject said: "I have read a great
many things written by doctors on tho
subject of tho effect of illegible type
on the eyesight. The board of educa
tion adopted a new list of books last
June, und in doing so enro was takpn
that all the books accepted wero
tirinted In largo type."
Furthermore, one of tho chief cares
bf tho department of health of New
York city is to sea that tho eyes of
the school children shall be in perfect
(condition. Mr. ThomaB Darlington,
'commissioner of health, says: "Tho
tehlld of to day will bo the man of to
morrow, and the hope and outcome of
our cxlstcnco as n peoplo rests upon
that assurance of physical virility
which wo can offer to the futuro.
Service of Patriotism.
' "The world Is awnko as never be
fore to tho import of this danger that
threatens. Saving the babies and
keeping tho children healthy is not
merely humanitarian Impulse. It is
civic and national service aud the
highest type of patriotic duty.
"In considering the health of the
baby and Its chance for life, wo must
take into account the conditions sur
rounding Its birth. For this purpose
the division of child hygiene was
formed. This year flvo different
agencies havo volunteered the services
of nurses who have worked under our
direction. Tho department has bad a
staff of Its own, numbering 41. Dur
ing tho porlod between April 15 and
September 1, a total of 57,015 first
visits wero made. Of these 18,165
visits were mado to births reported
by mldwives. There wero reported
02 cases of sore eyos and a confirma
tory diagnosis of ophthalmia neonato
rum by tho ophthalmologists of tho
department, was mado in 22 cases at
tended by mldwives. This remark
able result is undoubtedly duo to tho
fuct that tho department insists upon
the use of a ono per cent, solution of
Eilvcr nitrate dropped Into tho oyes
uf si! i cy; lxir-u Infpntc. In 1 itbar
words, blindness at birth has been
practically abolishod in New York."
Much Good Work Dono.
Dr. S. Josephine Baker is tho hoad
of tho Now York, health department's
division of child hygiene. In speak'
Ing of. the work of tho nurses and
physicians in her department from tho
period of April 15 to September 1, Dr,
Baker said: "So far na I know, this
is tho first authentic investigation in
which data wero obtained on which to
baso statistics regarding mldwives. It
snowed that tnero must huvo been n
great Improvement over conditions
which wero alleged formerly to exist
In Now York city last year thero wero
reported 125,000 births, of which 55,
OOO wero reported by mldwlvefl.'
"It is most decidedly not true," said
Dr. J. Herbert Claiborne, ono of Now
York's eminent cyo specialists, "that
blindness is on tho increase. In no de
partment of medicine havo such
strides been made as In the treatment
of ophthalmia. In ono particular alone
wo have reducod percentages of blind
ness following upon b'rth from twenty
to thirty per cent to one-half of one
per cent. In skilled institutions and to
one to two per cent in hospitals,
where less care is exercised. In other
wordB, whero previously 100 children
were born with ophthalmia neonato
rum, twenty to thirty went bllnd( Now
this percentngo has been reduced by
Bklll and supervision to one-half of
one per cent
Much Good In Crede Method.
"Ophthalmia neonatorum is the dls
easo which in former times was tho
curso of infants, particularly among
tho lower classes. It was the causo of
blindness In twenty to thirty por cent.
of all tho victims of tho dlseaso in nil
the lylng-ln hospitals of the world.
"Since then wo havo adopted tho
Crede method. This was tho method
instituted by Dr. Credo of Lclpslc,
Germany, for tho treatment of all chil
dren from the moment of tholr birth.
By this method tho eyelids of tho
newborn child are separated and two
drops of ono per cent solution of ni
trate of silver aro dropped Into each
eye.
"In many countries tho Crede
mothod has been made obligatory by
law, and it Is enforced In levernl
states of tho union. It is tho endeavor
of ophthalmologists to have this cus
tom mado obligatory among nil per
sons who are accoucheurs. That man
who to-day does not use tho Credo 1
method at tho birth of a child is guilty
of a crime.
The Crede mothod is one of the
greatest blessings that ever camo to
the human race. It has been In use
for tho last 15 years, and previous to
that time the blind asylums of the
world were flllod with victims of this
preventable disease.
Eyeballs Too 8hort.
"We're a hyperoplc race. Our eye
balls are short, and to overcome it
wo'vo got to use a mucclo of accommo
datlon In a vicarious way. This, how
ever, is not a dlseaso.
"Tho very beginning of all peda
gogy Is the proper adjustment of the
visual and breathing organs. Before
any child Is sent to school Its eyes.
noso and throat should bo examined.
Wo rush our children In a shameful
tho blind asylums with children who
havo been blind from youth.
Guarding Against Trachoma.
"Tho next most common causo of
blindness is trachoum. All tho great
transatlantic steamship companies
havo surgeons on board who aro on
tho lookout for this disease. It Is nn
Illustration of tho stringency of this
law that any lino which permits a case
of trachoma to bo passed is fined $100
for each case. Tho Inspection is most
cautious.
"Tho two diseases mentioned, tra
choma and ophthalmia neonatorum,
constitute tho greatest causes for the
destruction of tho human eye. Al
though wo haven't found tho causo for
trachoma, as we havo for otfhthnlnlln
neonatorum, tho disease, Is becoming
loss frequent In this country because
we aro preventing its spread through
tho adoption of modern methods In Its'
treatment.
"Other cases of blindness are acci
dental, such as tho death of tho optic
norvo, or glaucomn, tho hardening of
tho eyeball. But as a matter of fact
all other causes of tho destruction of
the human oyo nro not to be compared
in tholr eltccts to those of the two
leading diseases beforo mentioned.
Blindness caused by cataract Is amen-
ablo to treatment and 1b opornblo In a
majority of cases,
"Now, hero wo como to ono of my
fnds, nnd that Is that the refractive er
rors of tho country arc duo to hyper
oplc nstlgmatism, n condition in Which
the eyeball is not dcvolopcd up to its
normal length.
"Hyperopia Is farsightedness -and In
this country tho proportion of hyper
opia errors to other causes of cyo
troubles is as throe nnd four or al
most Ave to one. This can bo seen by
an Inspection of the eye hospitals.
Effect of Rapid Living.
"This fault, for it Is not n disease,
bears In a mcasuro on tho subject of
American development. It Is caused
primarily by arrested development
Our lives nro such rapid, lives that wo
rarely como to fruition beforo passing
away.
"Hyperopia Is farsightedness. It
gives pain nnd discomfort. It is duo
to a shortness in tho length of tho
eyeball, and tho strain on tho musclo
of accommodation causes hcadacho,
nauscn and other Ills.
"In Germany, on tho contrary, tho
lars to tho bar Flf'. qualm la o ...
tho dally average conuimptloii of but
tormllk at the Itotol Knickerbocker
bar. Browno's chophouso has put 'in1
a big porcfclnln churn U keep butter
milk handy for Its devotees of tlio
Rlalto. Thrco or four hundred drlnlCB
of it is tho dally average consumed
by tho sporting cloniont which fre
quents tho Union cafo In Broadway,
and the Uourso nnd other saloons la
tho financial district sell moro butter
milk than mnlt liquors.
Buttermilk appeals to tho "hard"
liquor drinker more than to tho con
sumer of beer, according to statistic
Jans of tho crooked olbow. They also
hssort that whisky and wine drinking
go with speculation nnd malt liquors
do not pointing for proof to tho popu
lar saloons In tho Wall street district,
where consumption of beer nnd nlo 1b
insignificant and whisky Is going
across the barn In n steady stream
from ten to four o'clook.
Only n fow years ago big and little
lights of Wall Htreot mado ft dally pil
grimage In hot weather to tho little
booth In Hattery park, opposlto tho
barge oinco, tho only place In that
region where buttermilk wns Bold.
Within two blocks of thnt bo6th tho
other day the German proprietor of a
saloon was almost hysterical at tho
sight of the whlto Hood his bartondera
wero unloosing, whllo tho boor pumps
wero almost silent.
Buttermilk served In Now York's
saloons Is not the by-product of tho
old-tlmo dairy form, which It was too
much troublo to market nt three cents
n ciillon nnd was fed to the pigs. It
Ih n specially prepnred fluid, retain-
Ing In modified nnd rlponod form near-1
ly all of the components of the best
fresh mile Now York Herald.
E
How Minnie Shadowed H. Sylvester Jones
By MARY E. HOLLAND
(Copyright. KW, by Dally Btcry I'ub. Co.)
ELDERLY MEN KEEP ACTIVE
Some Methods by Which They Pro-
serve Their Efficloncy Secrets
of Good Health.
Tho activity and good health of tho
man over 40 Is ono of tho features of
tho present day. .
"Undoubtedly," observed a mombor
of tho Itoynl Statistical society, "eld
erly peoplo appear to maintain what
ono may call a greater eillclcncy than
they did yenrs ago. I think this Is
largely duo to tho great growth In
medlcn' skill and also to tho fact that
A quiet, unobtrusive looking ntitonio-
bllq drew up beforo n third-floor de
tective hgency on ft certain sldo street
of down-town New York. A heavily
veiled woman desconded, Bpoko a fow.
whispered words to tho chauffeur, nnd
mado her way to tho grimed door, on
whoso glass panels nppoared tho
legend: "Sharp & Son, Prlvnto Detec
tives."
"Do you handlo divorce enses?" she
Inquired, bluntly,
Tho brisk, norvous man beforo her
swept his eyes ovor hor qulotly
gowned llgurc,
"Thnt depends upon the character
of tho caso," he rejoined, cautiously.
Tho veiled woman took u quick stop
toward him. "I wish ovldonce that
will procura mo separation from my.
husband. Can you furnish It?"
Tho brisk man pondered. "Have you
rcaBon to bcllovn that your husband'
Is or, unfaithful?"
"On tho contrary, I hnvo every rea
son 'to. bollovo thnt ho Ib not"
The brisk man pondered again. "You
are sotting us n difllcult prohlom, my
dear woman. Such cases, you must
know, Involve heavy expenditure. I
may Bay n very heavy expenditure"
Ho paused as ho darted another
shrewd glance toward tho veiled client
beforo him.
"Will you nnino nn cstlmato of that
expense?" bIio nuked, quietly,
"Certainly; wo could not conduct
such a caso under $5,000."
Tho woman drow a roomy purso
'.tUnnfcT-
nJVyJ wits cue of !as
HEAR si&TTED EYE
uTtfscn,E carves.
JSP) ACCOKMODATIOifv
Z.QTEET cHftlLl X"' J """""11
".W?1 lW R '"VITREOUS
wVr mntcra raWtv,
1 NORM AX, EfYE j
IIIMHIIJIII I - ' '
sHfQl4SWW? SCO 111-
proportion of myopln or nearsighted
ness Is very great An explanation of
why It Is not so common In this coun
try lies In a high degrco to tho fnct
that tho illumination of American
homes is hotter than anywhero else In
tho world. An Interesting thing In
this connection Is that In Germany in
the homes of tho woll-to-do one may
see on tho pianos In tho place of
piano lamps tho old-fashioned sconces
for cnndles. Tho myopln In thnt coun
try 1b undoubtedly caused In a great
degree by bad Illumination.
It Is undoubtedly duo to tho great
care which Is being exercised In the
treatment of tho oyes and by preBcrlb
... . -1 tirrinnr ulnsseu tlint tllO llOlTllMO
way. in tne pumic acnoo. system or y ... : , whlpU xIst.,, 2-,
UIDUUOVD Vlfc v.w J "
years ago do not exist or occur very
rarely.
this country tho epitome of pedagogy
In tho early stages is that it is mado
obligatory that nil children must havo
their eyes examined for rofractlvo er
rors, besides having the nose and
throat examined.
"We have a regular battalion of
young, doctors who aro examining chil
dren in the schools. If they find any
whose vision is lacking, such children
at nt nnpA Rtnt in thn hnftnltal nr
homo to be corrected. Children who BUTTERMILK MUCH IN FAVOR
are suffering from headaches are im
"There Is a bright outlook for tne
human eye. Ono hundred years irora
now the blind asylums will havo
shrunk to absurd dlmonslovs. Blind
nesB will be restricted to proventlblo
causes, such as cerebral tumora, acci
dents and the like."
mediately relieved. .In fact, tho chll
dren of this country are achieving
education with less pain and dlscom
fort than was ever known beforo in
the hUtory of the entire world
"Fifty years from now tho blind
asylums will not have anything near
Declared to Bo a Drink That Satisfies
Without Exciting That Awful
Craving.
Regular drinkers of "hard" liquor
in Now York havo suddenly discover
ed that buttormllk is a bevorago which
tha number of inmates they havo at Kratlflea and satisfies, but does not in-
pre'sont. Blindness is becoming less obrlato, and havo adopted it to such.
frnnuent in all civilized countries, an oxtcnt that It takes all of on
which havo reduced to an absurd por- man's time In tho Waldorf-Astoria to
nnUu tli at aizaasn -which Msm JUlaW nnrrv Jaca pf bUttcrmiUc from tho eel-
peoplo particularly those In rcsponsl
bio positions study tholr physical lt
iicss fnr more than used to bo tho
caso. Tho man of 45 or 50 appears to
day, by careful dlotlng, golf nnd
healthy oxorclso generally, to keep
himself fnr moro alert and youthful
looking than his father or grandfa
tlior nt a similar age.
"My view," said tho mlddlo-agod
head of a prominent city firm, "Is that
men In tho city preserve their effici
ency nowadays far longer than they
used to do. I know old men, ns you
may call thorn, who Btlll beor upon
tholr shoulders tho responsibilities of
sonio big concern. Years ago thoy
would havo been sitting nt homo 1b
tholr slippers at such an ago."
"Klderly men study their appear
anco fur moro than they used to do,"
said tho manager of a city bank. "Thoy
wear collars aud tics nnd styles In
dress which moke them look smart
and youthful. From my cxporlonco It
certainly seems that tho eldorly man
Is very loath to leave tho scono of his
activities nowadnyH, I put it down to
ouru being an abstemious ago. Dt
rectfty n man has a small ailment ho
coos straight to his physician. What
tho medical man tells him to do ho
docs exactly. HU ono deslro Is to
keep fit, and ho managoB to do so."
A Hard Life.
Irritated citizen Aren't you
ashamed of yourself going about with
that strect-orgau and leading eucIi a
lazy .ifo?
Street Organist Lazy life? Why,
dr, llfo with mo Is a long dally grind
Baltimore American.
from hor cloak nnd counted out ton
yellow-hacked bills. .
"Hero 1b $1,000. If you will. bring
mo ovldcncq that "will secitro n dl
vorcc, I will iticreaso It to $10,000,"
The brisk man smoothed tho bills
cnrcsslngly. "And who Is your hus
band, mndtiiii?"
Tho veiled woman hesitated and
then pronounced a name tlmt brought
a low, involuntnry whlstlo from tho
other's Hps. It wns that of ono of
tho best known men of Wnll street.
Tho detcctlvo gazed after tho de
parting llguro of his client, with puck
ered brows. But ho did not rcnllzo
until a wcek'tt "shadowing" of II. Syl-
voster JonoB had proved Ineffectual,
just how difficult was tho prohlom bIio
had left him. To till intents und pur
poses, H. Sylvester Jones was n
model husband In tho oyes of tho law.
On tho eighth day a bright Ideacnmo
to tho hoad of "Sharp & Son." For a
momont iio sat with a broad grin on
his face. Then ho pushed a boll and
a young woman In a plain dross nnd
with a careworn face, cntorcd from an
lnnor room.
Tho man spoko a dozon curt sen
tences, Btrnlght to tho point.
"I want you to got acquainted,
Minnie, with H. SylveBtor Jones."
Minnie opened her tired oyoB very
wldo.
"I fancy that your best mothod of
approaching him Is at tho thoatcr,"
continued hor employer, briskly. "I
happon to know that ho Is u continu
ous, not to say an enthusiastic patron
of tho drama."
"You mean the show girls?"
"Not he. That Is whoro I need your
services. At tho psychological mo
mont, wo will secure you a scat,. That
seat will bo directly next to our dis
tinguished gentleman. You will oc
cupy It for tho better part of thrco
hours. Do you catch the point? If
you will manage your cards right,
When you Icavo tho theater, you will
bo acquainted with him, very woll ac
quainted. After that point you wl
mako your own plans. What Mrs.
H. Sylvester Jones wants is an affi
davit of Infidelity."
Tho detective paused.
Mlnnlo stiffened hor shoulders nnd
a. quick Hush sprang Into hor palo
Checks, A keen observer might havo
so&n that under certain conditions sho
might bo beautiful. Gradually tho
tired eyes dropped and tho bent shoul
ders relaxed. MJanlo had conquorpd
herself. She was thinking of sick
mother nnd llttlo sister. -
"And what do I got?" sho asked.
Tho detcctlvo held up tho' ten yel
low-backed bills. "Thcso: nro yours
for tho aflldavlt. You know whorolto
go for tho clothes. I will telophone
you If wo mako nrrangomonta for to
night If not, wo'll try for to-morrow
night. Wo aro bound to succeed Rome
time nnd then It is up to yoil."
As it happened, on tho third "oven'
Ing 11. Sylvester Jones stopped. out ol
his nutomobllo nnd entered tho Fffth
nvcnuo theater, Flvo minutes latot
n stylishly dressed young woman fol
lowed him down tho nlslo and slipped
Into tho noxt seat. It was Minnie
but n very different Mlnnlo In ovonlnR
dress nnd rouge, nn nltogother charm
ing nnd fnsclnntlng Mlnnlo. Two mln
utcs beforo tho orchestra began, she
dropped hor handkerchief. H. Syl
vester Jones extended It to her po
litely. Sho smiled nnd ho looked at
hor again. Sho was a girl tp no
tice. Boforo the closo of tho l&et act h3
had mado n hesitating reninrk, and
she had answered It, and ho hnd made
another, and beforo tho closo of the
Bccond net, they wero chatting ge
nially. When tho final curtain de
scended, they left tho theater together.
Au agent of "Sharp & Son," loitering
In the comer, noticed tho clrcum
stanco and reported it to his chief.
Tho lnttor smiled brondly and tho next
morning eagerly awaited Mlnnlo'a ar
rival. When noon camo and sho did
not nppcnr, ho looked worried. When
ovonlug enmo without hor, ho sont fot
his ngent and tho two conferred to
gether, Tho noxt day hp received n
noto. It was a rcmarknblo note, and
under It was tho scrawling signature
,ot Mlnnlo:
"I do not wnnt your $1,000, and 1
hereby resign my position."
Tho detcctlvo sworo and called for
his agent again. Tho latter' looked
glum nnd stnrtcd on a Bonrch for th
missing girl. Ho found hor tho noxt
week at n fashlonnblo sutto of apart
monts, with two servants, a pearl
necklace und nn array of diamond
rings thnt dazzled him.
"Tho chief wants yoUr affidavit,'' h
began, curtly.
"Ho can't hnvo It, and I don't wnnl
him to bother mo nny more."
Tho detcctlvo bounded from his
chair and Mlnnlo tosBcd her head. "Mr.
Jones has asked mo to bocomo hli
wlfo nnd I hayo a.cceptcd his, offer!"
Tho Htntoment was trup, ThQ s.qjiom
of "Sharp & Son" had lndoedprovon
a boomerang. Tho mlUlorialro. liad
fallen in lbVe with tho girl who bad
been sent to trap him, nnd hntV ten
dered her not onily his wealth, bWhli
namo. Tho fortunes of tho detocttvi
ngoncy, however, wero only under a
temporary cloud. II. Sylvester Jonei
bluntly told his wife that cither ho oi
who could go to South Dakota and re
turn single Mrs, Jones took tho west
cm trip nnd a few weeks ago tho de
cree of divorce wm granted.
H. Sylvostor Jones married Mlnnlo,
and everybody Is satisfied, with the
exception of "Sharp H Sous." Thoy
haven't got their romnlnlng $9,000 yet,
und there doeBn't Bccm to bo any ren-
Ronablo prospect of their evor being
called to receipt tho bill.
Too Much Idealism In China.
Itovlowlng "China," by Mortlmoi
Mcnpcs and Sir Henry Arthur Blako,
a writer sayB! "Tho root fallacy ol
tho Chlnoso political Idon, which alone
is rcsponsiblo for the low pluco ta
which tho country has Butk In th
scalo of nations, Is tho dlsreputo ol
tho soldier. Tho grndntlons of tho so
clal fabric nro: (1) Tho literati, foi
mind Ib supcrolr to matter; (2) the
agriculturist, for ho produces from the
soil; (3) tho nrtlsnn, for ho Is n cre
ator from tho raw m.itarlnl; (4) the
mcrchnnt, for ho Is a distributor, (5)
tho soldier, for ho Ih but a dostroyor,
So China Is a sad example of what
exccsslvo idealism may do for tho no
tion. Her nrmlos havo been, for the
most part, mcro hordes of undisci
plined men, sometimes commanded by
robberB roprlovod for that purpose on
account of their supposed courago,
Yet a 10 per cent lovy on tho popu
latlon of China would furnish an army
of forty millions."
Furious Fun In English 8oclety.
Now for tho game, tho most populat
at country .houses this autumn. Yoi
may call It a variation on tho old gami
of consequences. Each guest has a
strip of paper and pencil. Eact
writes:
"Why Is " (choosing tho name
of Bomo woll known person, or a
friend or acquaintance known to the
gcnoral company), nnd then turm
down his strip of paper and passes l
on to tho noxt guest.
Now ouch writes"; "Like a
(choosing what slmllo ho will), Agalc
tho strips aro passed on. Tho thlri
tlmo each guest wrltos tho answer:
"Bocnuso ho or bIio ." ThUB
"Why Is Winston Churchill llko
plnno organ? Becnuso ho files from
pillar to post" Tho Gentlowoman.
Fog. .
Admiral Seymour, discussing fog a
ono of tho Hudson-Fulton banquets,
said, with a laugh:
"Off tho Newfoundland Banks, you
know, tho fog is often so thick thai
tho captain has to get out and lead the
ship."
