Great Men's Eyes.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 11 September 1914, Page 2

Great Men's Eyes.

It seems that at last genius is discovered not to be allied to insanity, .but that rather all its eccentricities are due to eye strain.

Brain specialists, for instance, are asserting that if Carlyle had had properly-adjusted glasses and a good electric light to work by, instead of a skylight, over his desk, and that illumined by a London fogmuch of the time, he would not have been such a grumbler and dyspeptic ; in fact, eye strain was the cause of all his eccentricities. All geniuses, in fact, would have been optimistic, says science now, if the v y had only had bifocal glasses at the right time. The same unnormal eyesight is given as the cause of many tragic paintings. That famous artist. Turner, would never have painted the slave ship in a storm, but would rather have depicted the peaceful landscapes that so many artists paint when their eyesj are properly fitted with glasses. Wagner, too, if he had worn the correct spectacles and had had that decided tilt to one eye remedied, probably would never have written about Walkyrie and dragons, but would have written pleasant dances, and even ragtime, instead. Darwin also was another victim of eye strain. Doubtless he would never have given to the world his theory of evolution which stirred society up if his eyes had been normal. De Quincep suffered from bad eyes, Surely he would never have taken opium if he had had glasses ; but then, on the other hand, the world would have missed his opium dreams. And, after all is considered, scientists conclude society could better dispense with spectacles than with geniuses.