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LOSS OF VISUAL ACUTENESS.
It Is interesting to compare the visual
acuteness of the normal eye before and
after the effect of some purely physical
cause that may be within the realm of
either potato or civilization. Taking a
few instances of each for illustration, I
will cite from nature first. It is well
known that severe illness greatly impairs
the acuteness of vision of an otherwise
strong eye. Almost the first thing a con
valescent will do is to call for a book or
newspaper to while away the tedium of
the sickroom. Unless warned not to try
his eyes too much, he is apt, through for
getfulness, to overtask Ms accommodative
powers or injure the already weakened
ciliary muscle. When the rest of Ms body
recovers its normal Strength, the eye con
tinues weak. After straining the eyes
more in the vain hope that his sight will
improve the person, If he Is wise, will con
sult experienced help. If otherwise, he
will pick up the first pair of spectacles
available, regardless of whether they
should be- too strong or too weak for his
eyes. Should he finally go to an optician,
the latt 3r will often find it difficult. to fit
glasses satisfactorily.
Other natural causes that affect eyes are
wind, dust, light and heat when excessive.
Eyes otherwise good enough become weak
under such conditions. The weakness
may be due to an error of refraction, and
under most conditions the accommodative
power of the eye is strong enough to over
come the error. But under such atmos
pheric or climatic conditions as I have
. mentioned the accommodation is lessefied,
and the eye cannot find relief except by
the use of glasses. They should generally
be convex.
Having mentioned those losses of visual
acuteness due to natural causes, next in
order are causes produced by civilization.
At the outset I will say that if the patient
were to change his occupation and take
plenty of fresh air and exercise the opti
cian’s service might never be needed, but
these “ifit” are in the way and are not to
be got rid of by the average individual.
Take a boy from the country, bring him
to town and place him at clerical work,
writingperhaps all day and into the night;
put him behind a counter and let him
stand all day with one,hour free out of 12
or more, or let him sit at a workbench,
following a trade that keeps his eyes fixed
steadily hour after hour IS or 18 Inches in
front of him. Take this same youth with
hitherto good eyes and bid him use them
dajr in and day out reading for a profes
sion, or let him occupy his time in a dim
ly lighted room or bend over a desk be
neath artificial light all the time. I might
go on giving instance after Instance with
out particularizing any calling'as more
harmful than others to the eyes.
Is it a wonder that the children of this
generation are wearing glasses along with
their grandsires? Old age is no longer the
reason for wearing glasses. In nine cases
out of ten the young man needs a convex
glass to assist his overtaxed eyes in fulfill
&|their duties. i ’
In addition to these causes of weakened
vision it is hardly necessary to mention
the common evils of tobacco and alcoholic
stimulants. Again, if the strong consti
tution of a boy cannot save his eyes from
their thousand and one uses, how can frail
women escape? The ever increasing army
of women workers in shopsand offices and
the new avenues of employment opening
to them swell the number of spectacle
wearers. It has been my purpose to point
out that it is not the serious and very
plain errors of refraction that cause the
most of an optician’s patronage, and he
must often attribute the loss of visual
acuteness to other causes. —Jewelers’
Weekly.
Louisiana's Tiger Zouaves.
There were occasions during the civil
war when some of the Cons ederate soldiers
were anything but apostles of sweetness
and light.
Early in th&trouble the notorious Louis
iana Tiger zouaves came through Atlanta
on their way to Virginia. For hours be
fore their arrival telegrams kept the wires
hot advising our citizens to keep out of
the way. Rumors reached here of the
murderous assaults made by the zouaves
upon people en route, and just before ths
train was due in the afternoon the women,
children and timid citizens were in a Mate
bordering on hysterics.
When the train rolled in, the Tigers be
gan jumping off before it stopped under
the car shed, and they at once scattered In
every direction looking for liquor. The
sight of their bronzed, foreign looking
faces and their bizarre uniforms scared the
spectators into fits, and most of the non
combatants made a rush for their homesT
where they bolted their doors and did not
again venture out until the next day.
The zouaves had a few fights among
themselves, but they did not bother the
inhabitants as much as had been expected.
They were so noisy and threatening, how
ever, that the provost guard rounded them
up at night and penned them up in the
old courthouse yard, where Dr. d’Alvigney
made a speech to them in French, which
had the effect of putting them in a good
humor.—Atlanta Constitution.
A Gambol of the lAmba.
A man who attended several of the re
hearsals of the Lambs’ club great star min
strel show tells me of a bit of dialogue he
overheard the other day—a bit of dialogue
which he thinks the' public will not have
a chance to hear. Big De Wolf Hopper
was acting as interlocutor, and Bones Mar
tinotti interrupted him constantly in the
familiar minstrel show manner. At length
Hopper ceased to frown upon him, and in
the familiar minstrel show manner again
roared out:
“Now, Martlnetti, whit is it?"
“Veil, Meester Hopper," said Martinet
fl, “I want to ask you Just one question.
What does your wife say when you told
her you has been to the club?”
The first tambourine, Jeff De Angelis,
interrupted.
“Which one?" he asked.
“Whtekpne what?" roared Hopper.
“Wh* Which dub,” anawcrod De An
gelis Innocently.
“Oh!” said Mr. Hopper.
‘What did you think he meant, Mr.
Hopper?” asked Martinotti.
Hopper struck the Casey at the bat at
titude.
"I refuse to think," said he.—Washing
xm Post.
Barred From the Beer.
A man in Munich the other day was
rash enough to permit himself to make
derogatory remarks about the beer at the
Hofbrauhaus. He was cited to the man
ager’s room, and there a paper was pre
sented to him to sign, declaring that he
would retract his shameful remarks about
Jlofbrau beer. The guilty man said be
could not conscientiously sign It The re
sult has been an'ordef that he shall never
again be admitted to the sacred precincts
of the court brewery of Bavaria’s capital
CITIZEN SOLDIERS.
——— , ■
SomstimM Hard For Them to Undewtoad
th* Importance at Dlwlpline.
That the soldiers of the Continental
army—yesterday farmers and artisans—
could fight history tells, but in the
transition stage the idea of subordina
tion that marks the difference between
an Army and an armed mob was diffi
cult to grasp by men in whom the idea
of personal independence was so. strong.
The captain was-no better than the
private in the villsgte from which both
hailed, and it was not stMnge that the
private, when ordered by his superior
officer to fetch a bucket of water from
the spring, should retort: “Set it your
self. I got it yesterday. It's your turn
today.” This was not insubordination
in the view of the rank and file, but
merely the assertion of a proper spirit
of manliness.
It happened not infrequently during
the civil war that the private was a
richer man than the officer, as in the
case of Elias Howe, the inventor of the
sewing machine, who on several occa
sions presented a fine horse to some ma
jor or colonel too poor to purchase such
• mount himself. .
There was another soldier of this
stamp, Koch by name, who was well
known in Philadelphia. He left a for
tune of over <1,000,000. It fell to his
lot one night to be stationed sentinel
over a baggage wagon. The weather
was cold and wet. This set the sentinel
musing. After remaining on post for
half an hour he called lustily: -
“Corporal of the guard!”
The corporal oame and inquired what
was wanting. Koch wished to be reliev
ed for a few minutes, having something
to say to the officer in command of the
post. His wish was gratified, and in a
few minutes be stood in the presence of
General Macpherson.
“General,” said be,' "what is the
value of that wagon over which lam
sentinel?”
“How should I know? Was that all
you wanted?” responded the general im
patiently.
“Something approximate,” insisted
the soldier.
“Oh, well, SI,OOO perhaps.”
“Very well, General Macpherson,”
responded the private. . “I will write a
check for that amount, and then Lwill
go to bed. ” —Youth’s Companion.
WHAT THE. BAND PLAYED.
An Exciting Dinner Table Episode on an
Atlantic Liner.
An instance of what it calls “trans
atlantic courtesy” is related by Le Gau
lois of Paris. One of the greatest singers
of France, a woman whom it says every
body will at once identify on a mo
ment’s consideration, was returuihg
from Ne,w York on one of the German
liners. One evening, glancing at the
programme of the concert that was to
be played at dinner, she saw the an
nouncement of a triumphal march cele
brating the German victory of 1871.
“I am sure, ” she said to a fellow
countryman sitting near, “that this is
not intended as a discourtesy to us, but
I don’t care! I’m too much of a patriot
not to express my disapproval of it in
my *wn way when they begin to play
this piece. Wait and see. ”
The captain, having caught the gist
of these remarks and noticing the great
artist’s agitation, glanced at the pro
gramme to see what caused it; then,
without showing any surprise, he spoke
to one of the waiters in a low tone.
At the moment when the German tri
umphal march was due to begin the
French singer, who could hardly con
trol her agitation, prepared to leave the
table. The first chord was played, the
artist arose and stood, pale, agitated,
amazed, while the officers and other
passengers also got up and smiled sym
pathetically at her. And the band play
ed "The Marseillaise!”
How Senator Vest obtained HU Desk.
Many good stories could be told of
the alertness which senators display in
securing well placed desks, but the ex
"patience of Mr. Vest is especially worth
relating. When in 1888 the civil service
law was being discussed, Mr. Pendle
ton; an Ohio Democrat, and Mr. Dawes
had presented bills. By a shrewd bit of
politics the Republicans abandoned their
support of the Dawes bill and voted for
Mr. Pendleton’s measure, their votes,
together with the votes ‘of the Demo
crate favorable to the measure, being
sufficient to pass it. As the bill was
about to be voted on Mr. Cockrell mov
ed that its title be changed so Os to
read, "A bill to retain Republicans in
office. ” As soon as it passed, Mr. Vest
filed a claim for Mr. Pendleton’s seat
"The author of such a bill,” said be,
“will never come back to the senate. ”
Mr. Vest was right end at the begin
ning of the next congress he moved into
Mr. Pendleton’s vacant chair.-—Wash
ington Post
the Curtain Was Dow*.
▲ party of countrymen were in town
enjoying the sights. At last they oame
by one of the theaters in the Strand.
“Suppose we go in,” said one. ■
“Better see how much it is first”
said another.
After inquiring the price of admission
they decided to send one of the party in
side to see whether it K°°d enough
or not After remaining for some time
the delegate returned.
“How is it?” asked erne.
"No good. A lot of fellers flddlin in
front of a big pictur’. Come on.”—
Strand Magazine. .
Ivrsvstably. *
The man who barrows trouble gener
ally % gives his happiness as security.—
Richmond Dispatoh.
The Roman catacombs are 580 miles
in extent and it is estimated that from
6,000,000 to 15,000,000 dead are there
interred.
The mean summer temperature of
New York city is about 74 degrees, that
of Liverpool about 59 degrees.
HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW. ”
—r- ' 1
■er Attitadu Hade Him Querttaa tSta
Joke Maautacturrnf Veracity.
x ‘‘Sometime,” said the young man,
“when business is light I am going to
take a day off, and when I do some of
the comic papers will do well to engage
a largo assortment of guards.”
“Going to trlfn in some comic vers*
•re you?” inquired the older man face
tiously.
"No, I’m not,.” answered the young
man, with emphasis, “but I’ll bet when
I get through with them they vtiil
know a few things about their business
that they never knew before. ”
“Oh, they’ve been having fun with
you, have they?” exclaimed the older
man. “Bg|you mustn’t mind that It’s
all in goodafttnre, you know. ”
“They haven’t mentioned mo,” as
sorted the young man, “but they have
led me astray by a long series of inane
jests, and I intend to show them the
error of their way& I suppose you know
that I’ve been married just about a
year?”
“Yea, I heard of your wedding. ”
“-Well, just about two months after
we were married my wife informed me
one morning that her mother was com
ing to visit us. I immediately thought
of the comic papers. Before she became
my mother-in-law I rather liked the old
lady; but of course things were different
after the wedding. Consequently I
stamped around and swore a bit and de
clared that I wanted it understood that
no relative to either party to the cen
tract could step in there and run that
house. Then my wife came back at me
with the statement that if her mother
wasn’t welcome we might as well come
to an understanding at once and arrange
for a separation; I replied that she was
welcome so long as she was willing to
mind her own business, but that it was
a well known fact that no mother-in
law ever had succeeded in dojng that
yet Naturally the result was that when
her mother arrived my wife and I were’
not on the best of terms, and it didn’t
take long for the old lady to see it.
When she did see it, she acted. ”
“Roasted you, I suppose?” said the
older man.
“Roasted me, nothing!” returned the
young man. “She roasted her daughter.
I happened to overhear it, and when she
laid down the law as to the duties of a
wife my heart went out to her, and I
felt meaner than a bobtail flush for all
I’d said of her. And she’s been the same
ever since. She doesn’t mix in much if
any when there’s a ’tiff, * but I can easi
ly seejihat she takes my end of it when
I’m not there. Andgood natured! Say!
She’s the best natured woman you ever
heard of. Talk about mothers-in-law! I
wish you’d point out one of those hu
morous writers to me for a minute. I’m
feeling pretty strong today.”—Chicago
Record.
Purists and Pedants.
Many purists condemn such a phrase
as "no sort or kind” on the ground of
tautology. I should be sorry, however,
to see it disappear, because it is a land
mark in English philology. It is a relic
of the fusion of Saxon and Norman-
French. At that period many phrases of
a bilingual character crept into use, and
this is one of them. "Truthand honor”
is another, truth being “troth,” or hon
or, as in "by my troth.” “Voice” as a
verb is much objected to, coming to us
moderns as it does from American
sources—e. g., to “voice” the public
sentiment I don’t like it and never
use it, but it occurs in Shakespeare.
Notoriously many so called Ameri
canisms are old English provincialisms.
The puriste threaten, indeed, to become
insufferable pedanta It is now the cus
tom of the printer’s reader—our great
authority—to treat “none” as invari
ably singular, a contraction for no one.
But it is useful as at plural and is so
used in Shakespeare—e. g., “Speak
daggers, but use none. ” Why may we
not continue to say, “I spoke to no wo
men at the meeting because there were
none present?”—Academy.
The Middle Aged Man.
“I wonder,” said the middle aged
man, "why we take life so hgrd. At the
very best we have only 75 or 100 years
of it, and yet we fume and fuss and
worry all through it I think of it
sometimes. Here I am—well, say, 50,
with maybe 20 years ahead. The cold
chances are agaiast my getting so many,
but take a hopeful view and say I’ve
got 20. But that’s a mighty short time,
heh? But just think of frittering away
that time in worry!
" When I think of there things, I
make up my mind that, by cracky, I
will not worry any more, and, oh, I
think I take things more philosophical
ly than I used to I But let some little
thing come up! I don’t fly all to pieced
over it maybe, but it drags and grinds.
And only 20 years to live!
"What a waste of time! What poor,
miserable critters we are!”—New York
Sun.
The Supreme Court.
Justice Brewer has noted some curi
ous coincidences in regard to the mem
bers of the supreme court. The judges
are seated on the bench on either side
.of the chief justice in the order of the
date of their appointments, the senior
at the right, the second at the left, and
so on.. Before the retirement of Justice
Field on the right of the chief justice
were seated the three colors, Justices
Gray, Brown and White. None of tho
associates who sat on the right of th*
chief justice had children. Every asso
ciate who sat on the left had a large
family, and all but Judge Peckham had
grandchildren.—New York Tribune.
Too Much For Him.
"I will give SIOO to any one who can
iqual my tricks!" shouted the professor
as legerdemain, who had the stage.
"I accept your offer,” answered a
nan as be poshed through the crowd.
"Do you belong to the perfesh?”
"Naw; I manufacture gasjueters. ”
“Then I withdraw the proposition.”
-Detroit Free Press.
- '
SPRUNG TWO ACES OF DIAMONDS ON
J CONKUHO IN A JACK POT.
Very Hack Entamwed Whw His At
tonttoa Was Called to th. Error Tho
Little General VTsatod *IM» Story K»pt
Quiet, but It Was Too Good.
“I was in a poker game,” writes a
correspondent cf the Washington Star,
“in the winter of 1879, when Sehstor
Conkling and General Phil Sheridan
were players. It was a four handed
game, and John Chamberlin was tho
other player. Tills guno at Chamber
tin’s was always for a <& limit at first,
with the understanding that along to
ward morning, after v couple of hour
of warming up, anybody could suggest
the removal of the If .nit if he wanted
to. The way Cockling and Sheridan
bluffed each other that night was a cau
tion. Both men seemed to strike out
hick altogether as an element in their
good natured play against each other,
and as both cf them caught fine hands
occasionally when engaged in this tag
of war of bluffing neither of them couljj
get an exact line on the other, and it
was better than a play to study their
faces at the show downs. Conkling was
having all the success during the latter
part of the night, and it was fun to
hear Little Phil softly utter dark and
woolly things under his breath when,
time after time, Conkling would show
a hand consisting of nothing at all after
having scared Sheridan out or produce
a gorgeous set of fours or a full band at
such times as Sheridan, deciding that
the senator was bluffing, would call
him.
“‘Bite him, Sheridan, * Chamberlin
wopld say amusedly oh these occasions,
and Sheridan would tell Chamberlin to
go to the dickenssgnd call for another
deck of cards.
"We started the last round of jack
pots with a new deck. Sheridan dealt
the first mess himself, and after it had
gone around and none of the three of us
could open it Sheridan opened it him
self. Neither Chamberlin nor I had
any right to stay on our hands, so it
was left between Sheridan and Conk
ling, who staid. Conkling took three
cards and turned his little pair into
threes. >Sheridan dished himself out
three cards and bit his cigar hard when
he saw his hand. He made a<s bet to
draw Conkling out, and the senator
raised him <25. It passed between them
with these $25 bets until there was
nearly S3OO in the pot, both men scru
tinizing each other pretty carefully at
each bet
“ ‘I don’t know, so much about you
this time,* said Conkling finally, ‘and
I think I’ll just call you for safety.’
"Both laid their hands down at the
same time. Conkling had three nines,
find he looked at Sheridan strangely
when he saw the color of Sheridan’s
three aces. Both Chamberlin and my
self also saw what was wrong at the
same instant, but we only smiled and
let.tfle tw.o men have it out Sheridan
had a broad grin on his face and was
just about to rake in the pot Conkling
was gazing at the little man of iron
with a puzzled look in his eyes.
" ‘Oh, I say, there, Phil, just wait a
minute, ’.said he. ‘Do you really think
that pot belongs to you?’
“ ‘Belongs to me?’ said Sheridan.
’Well, it does if the. nose on my face
belongs to me. ’ And again he reached
over to hoe in the pot
“Conkling ran his hand through his
hair and again stopped Sheridan with a
gesture.
" ‘I don’t remember ever having seen
that sort of thing before, *he said. ‘Did
jou, Phil?’
“ ‘See what sort of thing before?’ said
Sheridan. * What in blazes are yon talk
ing about, Conkling?’
“For reply Conkling put one finger
upon one of Sheridan’s aces and then
pointed to another one of the aces.
" ‘I never saw a jack pot won with
three aces, two of which happened to
be aoes of diamonds, * said Conkligg,
smiling.
“Sheridan looked at his hand, lying
face up on the table before him, and
his face became fiery red. The conster
nation on his countenance was really
funny.
“‘Why,’ said he after a minute,
‘blamed if I don’t believe I’m nothing
better than an involuntary swindler.
That other ace, you see, is a club I
opened the pot on a pair of red aoes,
and they were, of course, these aces of
diamonds. Chamberlin, ’ turning to the
amused- boniface, ‘turn me out of doors
as a fraud and a short card player, will
you?’
“ ‘And have the army fire a volley
over the ruins of my house?’ replied
Chamberlin. ‘Hardly. Anyhow, I’d
rather see you and Conkling engage in
a rough and tumble fight over the thing.
Go ahead, the pair of you. We’ll see
fair play, ’ turning to me.
“Os course the' extra ace of diamonds
had slipped into the deck accidentally
before it left the manufacturer’s hands,
but Sheridan, when he bad in a measure
recovered from his surprise of the reve
lation, made a humorous pretension
that he had known the whole thing all
along and convulsed the three of us.by
feelingly appealing to Conkling to re
frain from exposing him to the world
for the sake of his family and all that
sort of thing. The hand being foul, the
pot was of course divided. ”
The wild young man decides to settle
down and become serious. To begin his
reform he has counted up his’debts and
found the total 146,017 francs 85 cen-
“ What are you going to doabout it?"
asked his friend.
"Pay the 17 francs and 85 centimes
at once and make arrangements for the
rest. -Gaulota
If* ths Maw Broom That Sweep* Clean.
The one thing in which we don’t
value experience is a broom. —Boston
Transcript.
ram* Hare garai ra a ■ Mana ■■■■■ %I*;M
I ■ Ml I ■
I O IVIW I nEiRO.
EXCLUSIVE USE OF THE WORD “ C ASTORIA,” AND S -
“ PITCHER’S CASTORIA,” AS OUR TRADE MARK.
I, DR. SAMUEL PITCHER, qf Hyannis, Massachusetts, 3||
was the originator of “ PITCHER’S CASTORIA,” the same
that has borne and does now on
bear the facsimile signature of wrapper.
This is the original - PITCHER’S CASTORIA,’’ which has been
used in the homes of the Mothers of America for over thirty
years. LOOK CAREFULLY at the wrapper and see that it is
the hind you have always bought Gn
and has the signature of wrap-
per. No one has authority from me to 11:2 ray name ex
cept The Centaur Company of which Chas. H. Fletcher ift
President. > /i , j
March
Do Not Be Deceived.
Do not endanger the life of your child by accepting
a cheap substitute which some dn:ggist offer yo”
(because he makes a few more p nnie* on it), the in*
gradients of which even he docs not know.
‘"Hie Kind You Have Always Bought”
BEARS THE FAC-SIMILE SjCMAYuR'E CF
•" ■
Insist on Having l
The Kind That Never Failed You.
VMX CCNTAUIt •O«F*WT. TV bUMUt •TRKST. »«»»••» «rrV.
—t. ; ..i'l - "
SHOES, - SHOES I
IN MENS SHOES WE HAVE THE LATEST STYLES-COIN TOES,
GENUINE RUSSIA LEATHER CALF TANS, CHOCOLATES AND GREEN
AT $2 TO SBJSO PER PAIR.
IN LADIES OXFORDS WE HAVE COMPLETE LINE IN TAN, BLACK
AND CHOCOLATE, ALSO TAN AND BLACK SANDALS RANGING IN
PRICE FROM 75c TO <2.
ALSO TAN, CHOCOLATE AND BLACK'. SANDALS AND OXFORDS IN
CHILDREN AND MISSES SIZES, AND CHILDREN AND MISSES TAN LACE
SHOES AND BLACK.
Z-' ■ S
TXT’ _ X 3. TTOTTNTTn
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in -lu! - i .mi
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