YELLOWST DNE FALLS ,
cases a beautiful pink , in others blue ,
brown , and so forth. Leaving these
paint pots and mud geysers , we reach
the mouth of the Grand Canyon. This
is said to be the most wonderful can
yon in the world , in the coloring and
formation of the rocks , which form
the great walls. They are something
Indescribable , and contain all the col
ors in the rainbow , but the predomi
nating color seems to be gold , or yel
low , from which the park derives its
name. Driving along the edge of this
canyon to the point of prominence
which extends from the road out into
the canyon you look down many thou
sands of feet into the Yellowstone
river , which rum at the bottom of the
canyon , and , although a body of water
some thirty rods wide and quite deep ,
it seems like a mere blue thread windIng -
Ing its way along the bottom of the
jjreat cliffs. Nearly half a day was
dnsumed in winding pur way down
the steep cliffs and narrow paths to
the bottom of the canyon , which af
fords one a most excellent view of the
colorings looking up on both sides.
"Reaching the bottom of the Great
Falls , which are higher than Niagara ,
It almost takes one's breath to watch
the seething torrent of water coming
from such a magnificent height. As it
falls into the canyon the roar is deaf
ening and the mist and spray are
thrown up in a vast white cloud for
some hundreds of feet. These falls ,
while grand , do not compare in beauty
with the upper falls , which , though not
BO high , is much wider and falls over
terraces of rocks , which makes it more
artistic. While in the Grand Canyon
I had rather an exciting experience.
As we started to make the ascent , my
self and a lady friend took a little dif
ferent road from the rest of the party.
As we were following a narrow path
along the side of the very steep ascent
we suddenly became aware that we
were traveling over what is called the
Sliding Rocks , which are very small
stones lying very evenly on the
ground , which have the appearance of
being solid until you step on them ,
and had it not been for timely assist
ance we would have certainly gone
down the precipice and thus have
probably cut short our park experi
ence.
"Dr. Seymour is looking remarkably
well , and expresses himself as having
been delighted with his western trip ,
which has extended over three months
and included all the principal cities
in the north and west. "
ONE OF OUR SOUTHERN SEA
PORTS.
( From the Omaha World-Herald. )
Dr. W. I. Seymour of this city , who
is known to many of our readers and
who is spending the winter in Texas ,
writes an interesting letter from there
regarding the great Texas seaport and
other cities in the Lone Star State.
"Of course , I ain following the opti
cal business , as usual , and have been
trying to interest the people down here
in my method of straightening cross-
eyes and have succeeded in making
quite a stir among the cross-eyed in
the community.
"I have promised a number of my
friends letters about the State of Texas
and , perhaps , you will be interested in
knowing something about the great
Texas seaport , Galveston , and my im
pressions in regard to Houston , in
which city I am spending the winter.
This city is decidedly on the improve ,
being the largest commercial city in
the state , and the prospects for a ship
canal from the Gulf of Mexico to this
point seem to be very bright , in fact ,
an appropriation has already been se
cured for this purpose and the work of
widening and deepening Buffalo river
on which Houston is situated will
soon commence.
"This is a great cotton market. In
fact , cotton is the back bone of this
country , as corn is of Nebraska and
the low price means hard times in pro
portion. Money seems to be very close
here , or rather the money in the state
seems to be in the hands of less people
proportionately , than , is the case in
Nebraska. The middle class does not
predominate here as in the northern
states.
"I have visited all the principal cit
ies in the state and find many features
of interest in each one. Dallas and Ft.
Worth , in the northern part of the
state , are lively , busy towns , after
the northern style , and in the southern
part of the state San Antonio , Houston
and Galvestion represent the older and
more conservative cities , and are very
unlike any them town , in both
architecture and business customs.
Business is conducted on a smaller
margin and closer lines the floating
population being much smaller than it
is in Nebraska cities.
"Houston is fifty miles inland , and
there are four competing roads , which
give desirable rates to Galveston , the
great seaport town of Texas. I spent
several days down there wandering
YELLOWST ONE LAKE.
_ \
ibout and taking in the sights , so nov
el to a 'land-lubber. ' . i , ;
"In traveling over southern Texas ,
one would gain 'the impression that a
large portion of it is swamp , { particu
larly at this time of the year , as water
stands everywhere. Upon approaching
Galveston , we passed through swampy
land for many miles , then deliberately
struck out over Galveston bay , over a
bridge made of driven piles and reach
ed the city , after a mile of travel over
a portion of the great Gulf of Mexico.
This quaint , old city is built on a long ,
narrow island , the water being very
shallow except on the south side ,
which is deep enough for the largest
ships to land at the wharves. Galves
ton is frequently called the 'Oleander
City' because of the great number of
oleander trees to be found there. Some
streets and avenues are completely
lined with these low bush-like trees ,
which , when covered with their
exquisite pink wax-like flowers ,
look like huge bouquets and lend a
charming touch f color to the scene.
Very few trees beside the oleander will
grow in Galveston , as the soil is very
poor and sandy and the high winds
that prevail there at times , seem to
stunt and dwarf the few cedar trees
that do scramble up along the beach.
Speaking of Galveston beach , I must
grow enthusiastic , as it is one of the
finest I have ever seen. It extends the
whole length of the island some
thing over thirty miles and is so hard -
and smooth that it is a delight to dri e
or wheel over it. In fact , it is even
more comfortable to ride over than an
asphalt road , and its popularity as a
drive may be evidenced by the long
line of carriages , buggies and convey
ances of all descriptions that pass up
and down its smooth surface every
pleasant evening.
"Galveston is said to be the home of
the pirate , Lafite , who was supposed to
have buried all his wealth in a certain
grove of trees where he had his home.
The grove still stands , and , in fact , was
bought by some credulous mortal , who
thought he would find the hidden
treasure , and so had all the land about
TINTED SPRINGS , YELLOWSTONE PARK.
the premises ploughed up again and
again , but-all to no purpose. The pi
rate , perhaps , was not so rich as he
was reported to be , or perhaps his con
science hurt him before he died , and he
may have given it all to have mass
said for the repose of his soul. At any
rate , it was never found , and the
search has long been abandoned.
"The city of Galveston is very nicely
laid out and has a good many public
buildings which are quite a credit to
the place. The Ball high school is a
beautiful piece of architecture , but one
would never take it for a school. It
has more the appearance of a public
museum or library. The Galveston
system of schools is very fine , I am
told , and a great deal of money has
been bequeathed by private individuals
for educational purposes.
"We wandered down to the piers and
inspected the great English and Ger
man freighting vessels which were ly
ing at the wharves , being loaded with
cotton , which goes directly to the old
countries to be manufactured.
"Galveston is not as popular from a
passenger point of view as New Or
leans ; in fact , passenger boats do not
run in here in large numbers , but as a
cotton market I think it is equal to
any other seaport in the south. We
were permitted to go upon the boats
and inspected them from top to bottom
tom , becoming familiar with the way
in which the seamen live. There are
also many schooners and ships that
come in here which carry cargoes to
the New England states. One ship
will be Idading with cotton-seed oil in
barrels , another will be taking on lum
ber as this part of Texas is the great
yellow pine region and still another
will be loading up with cattle.
"Oysters are very plentiful in Gal-
veston , and the small boy who hat
nothing better to do will be seen sort
ing over small oysters which have been
discarded by the dealers , cracking
them open with his knife and eating
them with great enjoyment. Others
will be hanging over the edge of boats
dragging the oysters loose from their
moorings on the piling , while the tide
is out.
"After wandering about the ship
yards for a time we took a car across
the city and came to the resort side
which is called 'The Beach. ' We spent
Sunday , the 19th of this month , down
there , and found it very comfortable ,
dressed as we were in our summer
clothes , sitting in the shade.
"The habits and customs of people
in this section of the country are-so
utterly different from those at home
that there is always something new
and interesting to be seen.
"Railroad trains provide separate
coaches for the negroes and , in fact ,
the colored population are a race by
themselves , practically speaking , as
the white people intermingle with
them very little , except to employ them
as servants. The negroes have their
own schools and churches , but the vast
majority of them are exceedingly
thriftless and lazy. They seem to get
along very well , however , except when
a 'norther' strikes the country , which
entails a great deal of suffering in this
country , although the thermometer
lacks a great deal of ever reaching the
Nebraska mark. The houses down
here are not built to keep out the cold ,
and when the mercury gets anywhere
near zero , which has occurred but once
while I have been here , it means in
tense suffering among the poor whites
and negroes.
"The colored man I brought with me
from the north has requested me to ex
press his opinion about as follows :
That he never has been this far south
before , as he was born in Arkansas ,
and he has no use for southern negroes ,
and , in fact , is counting the days until
he can get out of a country where they
seem to have no respect for the darky.
"I expected to take a trip to Cuba
when I left home , and possibly will dose
so yet , as it is not far from here , al
though the novelty will not be as great
now that I have met a number of people
ple from there who have told us much
about the country and customs of the
people.
"Speaking of Houston , I believe this
will be the most important city in this
state , as the building of the ship canal
will undoubtedly cause a great boom
here. I had nearly forgotten to men
tion the fact that there has been con
siderable Omaha capital invested in
this city. In fact , quite a large addi
tion was built , called 'Houston
Heights. ' The prime mover in this un
dertaking was a Mr. Carter from
Omaha , who is known to many people
there , I think , and who succeeded in
having a good many fine factories built
and , in fact , laid out the prettiest part
of this city , but for some reason hard
times , I presume it seems to have
fallen through , and they are now wait
ing for a second wave of prosperity to
bring back all they have lost.
"Speaking of the people here , I have
had occasion to learn their peculiari
ties in many respects. One of the
principal features , I think , being their
readiness to make all kinds of prom
ises with no intention in the world to
keep them , purely as a social matter , I
suppose , but very annoying in a busi
ness way. Another thing I notice , and
which demonstrates the fact that they
are behind the times , is the lack of fine
public buildings , such as they have
being very poor. There is one very
handsome church here , which is said
to have cost $100,000 , and is a very c
handsome piece of architecture , but the
theater and hotels are not at all up to
the standard and are not what one
would expect to find in a city of 70,000
population.
ELECTRIC PEAK , YELLOWSTONE PARK.
People Believe They Have Them
When Such Is Not the Case ,
DISEASE IS NOT SO COMMON ,
A Few Remarks About Pteryjjlum and
Tholr Cure , Gathered in an later-
view wltli Dr. Seymour.
An eye specialist , who meets all
classes of people , has many amusing
incidents in his life , some of which
can be attributed to the ignorance of
the general puolic regarding their own
anatomy. It is an every-day occur
rence in stating their trouble to the
doctor for people to say that they have
a cataract or that they have been told
they have one by some celebrated
physician , whose renown must have
been confined to a very small circle
and whose greatest hob"by seems to
have been telling people they were go
ing blind , whenever he found his skill
unequal to the emergency.
As a matter of fact , cataracts are not
nearly so common as they are reported
to be. Frequently a slight growth on
the outside of the eye is supposed to be
a cataract , but in reality a cataract
only comes back of the iris and the
condition is a cloudy or opaque ap
pearance of the crystalline lens , which
acts as a curtain drawn -before a win
dow , as a full-fledged cataract com
pletely darkens the sight. j
A peculiar defect of the eye called
pterygium is frequently mistaken for a
cataract , when in reality it has nothing
to do with the actual sight ; however , if
allowed to grow they will sometimes
pass over the cornea and cover a portion
tion of it. This particular trouble is
one that is quite common and the cause
of much annoyance , as these growths
are continually becoming irritated and
red , giving the eye a blood-shot and
bad appearance.
In following up this trouble , it was
learned that people who are exposed to
dust and outdoor work are apt to be
affected in this manner and especially
is it common among seafaring men ,
though of course , it is not confined to
any particular class of people , and any
one is liable to have this defect.
This abnormal growth , which gives
the eye such a disagreeable expression
and which is a continual source of any-
noyance , can be perfectly cured by
properly fitted glasses , which are the
only satisfactory method of getting rid
of them and at the same time it does
away with the necessity of an opera
tion , Which for so long has been con
sidered the only way to remove them.
In cutting them off , there is usually a
rough place left , and the disease is
liable to manifest itself again. By
means of scientifically prepared glasses
the cause of the defect is directly treat
ed and the eye is not only protected.but
the strain is removed , which keeps the
pterygium growing.
Even cataracts are not as serious as
many other eye troubles , as it is pos
sible , by a very delicate operation , to
open the eyeball and remove the lens
intact and the sight may then be re
stored by an artificial lens , made in
spectacle form.
People should not become discour
aged because they have been told that
they have a cataract , as a skilled spe
cialist can often counteract , to a great
degree , the effect of a slight cataract ,
if genuine , by treating the eyes prop-
Brly with glasses which will aid and
strengthen the vision until such time
is an operation may become necessary.
These few statements should be par
ticularly interesting to people who are
iffected with these growths on the eye ,
is they were gathered in an interview
ivith Dr. W. I. Seymour , now so widely
snown throughout the state , and who
lees not make assertions without being
ible to prove their truth beyond a i
loubt in the minds of the skeptical ,
md this , without charge , to those who
iccept the Invitation in the same broad
ight in which it is offered.
fl IFPt OR AN FYF
H Liu Ui\ fill LlL ,
A Subject Discussed by Educators
in an English School ,
DECIDED IN FAVOR OF AN EYE
Most People Would It.ither Lose a
Thau Be Deprived of tuo Use
of an Eye.
A very interesting debate formed the
feature of commencement exercises re
cently in an English school. The ques
tion was : "Resolved , That a man could
suffer the loss of a leg easier than the
loss of an eye. " It is needless to say
that the affirmative side won , as the
eye is considered the most valuable of
all the faculties. If your eyes are per
fect you are indeed fortunate. If they
are impaired you are equally unfortu
nate , for while doctors are numerous
for every other organ of the human
body and by mechanical devices the
loss of a limb can be partially atoned
for by skilled mechanics , the loss of an
eye is irretrievable and the cause of
continued anxiety on the part of the
unfortunate individual for fear of los
ing the other one. The loss of a limb
does not materialljr hinder a man from
following certain pursuits of life , but
there is nothing in the way of em
ployment which does not necessitate
to a certain degree the possession of
good sight. Have you , reader , ever
brought this matter home to yourself ?
Have you ever tried covering each eye
in turn and trying your eyes for read
ing and looking at distant objects and
learning for yourself if you possess
two perfect eyes ?
Specialists are numerous in every
line , but by the careful observer , or by
one wlio has ever had any trouble with
their eyes , it is admitted that skillful
opticians are rare. There are very
many reasons for this , chief among
them being the fact that until recent
years there were no regular graduates
in this line , that branch of science be
ing entrusted to the family physician
or the jeweler , but the advent of the
professional optician , who makes glass
es his specialty , has changed all this.
To-day intelligent persons who
realize that they must seek assist
ance in regard to their eyes , make
this matter a careful study and ascer
tain from their friends , and by the
exercise of their own good judgment ,
learn who is to be trusted to fit them
with their first pair of glasses , and
here it might be well to add that the
fitting of the first pair of glasses is of
the utmost importance. The founda
tion is then laid for the careful build
ing up and improvement of the sight ,
or the first step is taken towards a
gradual breaking down of this most
precious organ , and peculiar to say , it
is often the lens which seems to be the-
most comfortable that is apt to do the-
most damage. This is particularly true
with regard to children , as a child will
invariably select a lens which is too-
strong , if its judgment is relied upon
at all in the fitting of glasses.
In many of the Eastern states , wher © ,
this subject has been thoroughly agi
tated , legislation has been passed to-
prohibit the selling of glasses by people
ple who are unfamiliar with their na
ture. It is difficult for one who knows-
inything about the injury that Is
wrought by cheap glasses to under
stand why these things are not regu
lated in this section of the country , as.
rigidly as the selling of drugs , which.
ire only allowed to be distributed by
? rofessional pharmacists , and then , ' \
mly to people who understand how to- %
ise them. _ *
Of course these regulations will all
: ome in time , but it is to be hoped that
he better enlightened who have the
ipportunity to secure the best advice
> n this subject will take advantage or
t
There is no genius in life like the.-
; enius of energy and activity. D. G _
