Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 November 1895 — Artificial Faults. [ARTICLE]

Artificial Faults.

Many things which are harmless in themselves are often condemned for wliat they are supposed to lead to; social pleasures are looked upon askance, and trifliftg things said or done without the least intention are exaggerated into serious transgressions. Honest opinions are made a cause of reproach, and failure to meet conventional requirements is regarded as a blot on the character. One would think there were enough in the world to be repented of and abandoned without setting up imaginary ones that have no foundation and can serve only to bring needless trouble and to confuse the moral sense. Observations and calculations have led Mr. A. Mallack to conclude that insects do not see well, especially at a distance. Their composite eye, however, has an advantage over the simple eye, in the fact that there is hardly any practical limit in the nearness of objects it can examine. The best insect eye examined would give a picture about as good as if executed in rather coarse woodwork, and viewed at a distance of a foot. In England and Scotland milkmaids believe that if they forget to wash their hands after milking their cows will go dry. This superstition is diligently fostered by the owners of the cows.