Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 84, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 June 1902 — SPECTACLEB FOR SOLDIERS. [ARTICLE]

SPECTACLES FOR SOLDIERS.

Prejudice Against Their Dae Dying Out in European Armies. Because of the necessity of making the soldier a good marksman the 'army regulations in continent Europe have allowed the use of spectacles. It is strange logic, however, that sees In this a proof of national degeneration. It is. In fact, the reverse, because it shows that we are at last becoming aware of tbe stupidity of tbe prejudice against spectacles, and that it is easy by tbeir use to make a good and useful soldier of one who, by reason of bad vision, was a poor soldier because he shot at random instead of with precision. That it is evidence of ocular degeneration In the nation or race there 1b not a particle of scientific or statistical evidence. Ametropia, which causes amblyopia, is probably decreasing with the progress of civilization, says American Medicine. Civilization makes us need glasses more because we need to see bettef, not because the eye Is poorer than It was. We know of one railway superintendent who was so opposed to spectacles that his trainmen feared to use tbelb, and thus ran constant danger of accidents. Doubtless many wrecks have been due to the poor vision which Itself was caused by lack of proper spectacles. The only objection to their use by soldiers, engineers, etc., is that in rain and fog the lenses require protection or frequent cleaning. An indirect benefit of the army regulations may be that at last some continental ophthalmologist may some time learn the art of refraction, and that he may teach others, so that in the course of centuries millions may secure the good vision and the consequent health and usefulness of life now denied them by unprofessional ophthalmology.