Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 February 1877 — The Eyes—How to Use Them. [ARTICLE]

The Eyes—How to Use Them.

The more you avoid glaring and glancing lights in the rooms you habitually sit in the better. Therefore—although the following is certain to meet with no attention from the great majority—it is our laughably painful duty to recommend ladies to have as few mirrors and other looking glasses, gilt picture frames and moldings, bright-colored curtains and highly polished furniture, in their draw-ing-rooms as possible; and what they must have should be 90 placed as not to allow bright lights to be thrown upon them. Highly-colored curtains are additionally injurious when the windows are open, so that various brilliant and dazzling colors are flung about the room by tbe incoming breeze. A very bright carpet is a very injurious thing, ana, when combined with a brightly-painted ceiling, madness. These things may be a merry life for tne eyes, but they are a short one. A ricli-patterned, sober-toned carpet, and a soft sky-gray #r stone-colored ceiling, are my own private fancy. The almost invariable whitewash of ths Britsh ceiling would be a constant injury but for the grave fact that the British Isles are not overburdened with sunlight But whether reading, writing or working in any other way, it should always be done with an oblique light and never a horizontal light. All those who have been engaged in reading or writing during several hours at a 'stretch, ana especially at night, should carefully bathe the eyes with cold water before going to bed, and the first thing in the morning’s ablutions. "All artisans who work at a blazing fire ought often to wash their eyes with pure cold water; and so should ail those who work in wool, particularly carders and spinners, and all those employed in woolen and cotton manufactures, etc., for the fine dust, almost imperceptible, it may be called, which such works disperse, often produces cataracts, obstinate inflammations, swelled eyelids, _etc.” I once lived during weeks at a time, on the banks of an ophthalmic river in the interior of Australia; and numbers of settlers and shepherds, bushmen and diggers were afflicted every summer and autumn with sore eyes—so sore in some cases that you might have thought thev would never open them] again. One (fay a squatter who owned a sheep station thereabouts rode up from Melbourne with a great air. He was a " swell-squatter,” whd only now- and then came to visit his snug little farm on the river, 4 * to see how stock got on.” I asked his advice for the sore eyes of his shepherds and others. "It serves them quite right,” said he. “I never have these sore eyes; and you, sir, will never have sore eyes. No gentleman ever has.” Net exactly perceiving the nice distinction in this matter, I demurred. “Itis a nice distinction,” said he; "it is just that. You, no doubt, often wash your eyes with cold water. These fellows do.” There was, no doubt, much reason in this, but something else was the cause. Beside the dirtiness of neglecting the hot sand and dust in the eyes, flies often rushed into them, and were not soon or easily cleared out; there was, moreover, a very small river fly, which either bit or stung, and inflammation very speedily set in. I should have been very thankful at that time, for the sake of others (my horse included) as well as myself, to have received the following advfee: Whenever a fly or other insect, a small flying-seed, quicklime, dust, or any other minute object, gets into the eye (*. under the eyelid), "do not adopt the common habit of rubbing, or even of washing with water, but gently raise, or get a gentle hand to raise for you, the eyelid, and bend the head forward. In keeping thus the eyelid elevated and the eye quiescent for a lew moments, one feels a flow of tears starting from the organ which seldom fails to bring along with it the cause of the pain, or at least to carry it toward the corner of the eye next to the noee. from whence it may be removed by a fine handkerchief folded to a point. If this operation is not sufficient, then a finger ought to be passed frequently, yet gently,over the eyelid, from the exterior corner of the eye toward the

great can thus (or interior comer), by which means the substance is made to descend toward the lachrymal glands, from whence it may be drawn by a tine hair pencil.” If the irritating substance still remains, then we are further instructed that “ the upper eyelid must betaken as before and kept e.evated as much as possible, and the eye being then turned toward the nose, a very fine camel’s-hair pencil, dipped in cream, oil, or perfectly fresh butter (without anatom of salt in it, remember,) must be introduced be* tween the eyelid and the body of the eye, beginning at the exterior corner and ending at the interior corner.’* If the very fine hair pencil is not successful, you will be almost certain to succeed with one rather larger. Should all these efforts fail, which is extremely unlikely if they are properly performed, do not set to work rubbing or washing the eye, as you must obtain professional assistance. Be sure to bathe the eye frequently in cold water as soon as, and far some time after, the irritating substance has been extracted.— Frater't Magazine.