;-W
My Two
' l^earrof
NIGHT
Told Jt>?/
Rev George R
Van De Water.
Rector oP
St. Andrew??
New York
C 0
"I Love a Picket Fence, I Love
a Mud Puddle, I Love Everything
Around Me?Now I Can
See Them All Again. I Can
See, See, See!"
WEV. YORK. ? A man just past
middle age, gray-haired and
^ ruddy-faced, sat thumbing a
Bible. He was the Rev. George
R. Van De Water, D. D.. rector of the
big New York Church of St. Andrew,
and the place was' the study in his
home. No. 7 West One Hundred and
Twenty-second street.
As he read through his thickrimmed,
big-lensed spectacles he smiled.
And then he laughed?the laugh
of a man In Joy.
"What a great thing It Is to Bee!"
he exclaimed. "1 have come out of
the great darkness?I can see again.
1 can see, see. see!"
He showed the front page of the
Book.
"This Is what I have written," he
added, earnestly. There It was In hlB
own handwriting, the handwriting of
the man who had started into the dark
four years ago and now had come out
Into the light:
"This Bible, most comprehensive
and in the best type and on the thinnest
paper, was given me by my brother
John during the year of my blindness
for my use after the operation.
" 'Open Thou mine eyes, that I may
* see the wondrou- things of thy law*?
Psalm CXVHI."
And then this:
"It was the tlrst book I read after
the operation, when I had received
my glasses."
"Whereas I was blind, now I see!"
he uttered solemnly, gazing through
his big glass lenses. Theso the oculist
gives to take t^> place of the lens
of the eye removed by the operation
for cataract. It was a few days before
that his church had held a celebration
of thanksgiving in remembrance
of his return to sight. Both
cataracts have been removed from Dr.
Van De Water's eyes, and again he
can see. His brother John passed into
eternal darkness only the week before
sight came back to tho eyes of
Dr. Van De Water.
MT? 11 ? -a w- '
rrw cttu i*ettii7.?, sain ur. van tie
Water, "what It means to go blind and
then have the Joy of sight returned.
How it happened I can't tell; it might
have been my experiences at Santiago
In the Spanish war"?Dr. Van I)e Water
was chaplain of the Seventy-first
New York there?"or it might have
been Inheritance or accident "
First Glimmer of Fearful Truth.
"I heard the real truth in 190S. 1
had never been to an oculist In my
life?1 wore glasses merely to help
me see more clearly. But in that year
1 noticed that things were getting
dimmer?there wasn't enough light. I
began complaining that our church
wasn't light enough for me to see
plainly; at home 1 began to believe
that the gas was dim."
Dr Van De Water looked up through
his big lenses and smiled reminiscently
And he told of how he had
gone to his regular optician to have
hla glasses changed.
" 'l*ook here.' the man said to me.
'I know you're a man who wants to
know the truth. I'm not going to lie
to you?you've got cataracts on both
eyes. See a specialist right away.'"
Cataracts!
Who can realize what they mean
unless they, too. have had them. It
means that the sun goes out. that it Is
midnight at midday! Things grow
strangely dim In broad daylight. It
gets grayer and grayer and then at
last you grope your way in an nwful
never ending night. You are blind,
where once you could see!
Such were the experiences of Dr
Van De Water As the days passed
they became darker nnd darker, but
he mentioned it to Mrs. Van De Water
alone, ever hoping for the light. The
affliction comes slowly, sometimes
blindness does not arrive for two
years
Foresaw Day of the Dark.
In 1910 he went abroad in the hope
of staving off the awful day when the
world would go out. He and Mrs. Van
Da Water visited Oberammergau to
see the Play of the Passion. He had
to take held glasses with him to see
the actors perform, and he knew that
the day couldn't be long postponed?
the day of the dark.
"One eye went before the other."
the clergyman said, "but still I could
make out things. We went to the
Villa Serbellon. above Belaglo, on
1
"Oh, What a Beautiful World It Is! Go
' to Reali;
/
Lake Corao. opposite Caddenabbla.
That lake waB the last thing I really
could see. 1 caine heme practically
sightless!
"But I hoped?yes, I hoped. And 1
prayed. I hoped to prolong my vision
by Iridectomy and took the chance?
it was useless.* And my eyes went
out on that last awful Sunday in
1910."
The clergyman was referring to that
day when he went to the reading desk
to read the litany for his congregation.
He found that his eyes had failed him
completely?he was stone blind, and
the types could not reach his brain.
"Please finish it." he said to his Assistant.
turning helplessly away.
"I am blind," he said to peop:e in
the pews, some of them weeping. "I
have lost my sight; please bear with
me."
But let him tell some of the rest of
hiB story, as he revels today in vision
that is perfect when he puts on his
big lenses?he cannot see without
them.
Joy of Restored Sight.
"I love a picket fence. 1 love a mud |
puddle." he said, wiping the tears |
from his one time sightless eyes. "1
love everything around me; I can see
them all again. To think of going
blind; not to know the faces of your
friends, first, and then noting that It
was going blacker every day?It's all
too horrible!
"So 1 went to Dr. John E. Weeks.
'Patience,' he told me. 'you must wait.'
And I could only take a chance on one
eve At n tlmo. -i-i
- - - ? ? ?uc, mo noiv was too great. I
If we failed on one eye, we still bad
a chance for the other.
"Other eyes helped me?those of
my good wife and of my curate, the
Rev. Mr. Ivie. My wife read me my
personal mail; my curate took charge
of the official business of the church.
I decided to learn to write, though
blind. Half a dozen members of my
congregation caine in and read to me
every day for two or three hours. It
is hard to realize what it means to
have such friends when they must be
eyes for you.
"And 'patience!' Dr. Weeks was
saying to me all the time.
"The sexton led me to the pulpit
every time I preached, and led me
out again. 1 walked about with a
cane in the familiar streets near my
house and the church. One day a
pathetic thing happened. a man
bumped into me. 'I'm blind.' he said,
'please help ine across the street
And I could only say. 'So am 1. I'm
blind, too.'
Struggle to Save Eyesight.
"But still I had to wait. The cataract
had to form itself before I could
go on the table for I)r. Weeks. 1 was
in such a condition that I couldn't
| baptize a child or deliver the Sacra
[ ment. I learned the service by heart,
but when there was a funeral I had
I to be led to the coffin. I had to be
I put to bed at night. And 'keep doing
things,' was Dr. Weeks' everyday talk
to me. 'You must work on if we are
t~oing to save your eyes."
n. n~ nr?i?. *?1J -? 1 ' -
1<| . T an nr ?? aici iuiu U1 ni8 struggles
to see his fingers in the broad
daylight, when he held them in front
of his eyes; of the falls he had when
he tried to make his way abont his
own home in the darkness that was
his; of the weary waiting for the
time when Dr. Weeks could say,
"We're ready, now!"
And of his thoughts when he could
see nothing:
"1 learned most of the psalms by
heart," he said. "I revelled in Robert
Burns, and especially in his 'Epistle
to a Young Friend.' I had Whittier
read to me?his 'Hymn on Eternal
Goodness.' And over and over again
they read to me John Forster's essay
on 'Decision of Character' But everything
was as night to me. And I had
to wait.
"During all those long weary
months, from October to April. In the
darkness, my mind unconsciously went
back to my boyhood days. I could
recall the days when 1 didn't wash
my face and when I never wanted to
take a bath The old-fashioned hymns
came back to me. I remembered belter
these things than what had happened
only a few short years before.
But I was blind"
Seemed the Dawn of Heaven.
i ne Clergyman waa speaking along
bM&BW ***WlNlS6i3eSl*tai6s#55^r^M
pretty rapidly now; he was getting
to that day of days. The operation
lasted only a half hour. His eyes were
bound up for three weeks.
"Then Heaven dawned!
"One morning Hr. Weeks came In.
and the bandages were taken ofT. He
laughed a bit and showed me some
I ?"r?- " nai s niiii: nu asRt'n, whu
j Just a bit of a quiver in his voice."
Hit Eyesight Given Back.
Dr. Van Do Water brushed his
hands across his eyes as he told the
story.
"It was a watch," he said, slowly
and almost In reverence, "and I could
see the second hand spinning around!
He had put a lens over one of tuy
eyes, and it had worked. Then they
bandaged me up again In the dark
for three more weeks. And It was
only one eye?the other was still
blind!"
Dr. Van De Water paused for a moment.
He took off his spectacles.
"Can you realize, can any man. ,
that without these glasses I can't see
a single thing? A man and a tree
look the same to me. Without those
big lenses your face looks like a piece
of paper."
"And now see."
He picked up a newspaper. Futtlng
on his glasses, he read the print
without trouble.
"Yes," he ran on, "they gave me
back my other eye, too, and now I
can see. Oh. what a beautiful world j
it is! God is good, and 1 have been ;
brought to realize it."
Dr. Van De Water has had five pairs
of spectacles since his sight was given
back to him, each one a little more
pnrrprt f Kor? rru 1 ? ,1'tl ~
...... wuou mi: ill Dl, 1 IIITU IS lllllt;
left to do
On Thanksgiving day he could go
Into the pulpit and read his sermon
with ease?"the most thankful person
there."?New York World.
Will Throw Light on History.
A valuable and interesting discovery
of English royal documents has
Just been made. It comprises all state
papers, private letters and general
correspondence of Kings George III,
I and George IV, which have been missing
from the crown papers. It was
supposed that when George IV ascended
the throne he destroyed his father's
papers and afterward his own.
Their loss always has been deplored,
for they covered an Immensely interesting
period, including the American
war of independence, on the Inside
history of which, from the Hritish
side these documents could shed Invaluable
light. All these missing papers
have just been found in the cellars
of Apstey House, residence o?
the Duke of Wellington, whose grandfather.
the great duke, was one of
George IV's trustees They have lain
In the cellars 101) years Their char
acter was discovered by accident,
when some repairs were being carried
out. Three van loads of them
have been removed to Windsor, w here
the royal librarian has been entrusted
by the king with the task of arranging
them and selecting parts of
them for publication.
Advance News.
Joseph Jefferson, the actor, tells th<?
i f/? 11i r% tr cj t ?-? l.i? " * 1
.. ??wij ouuui mn lamer, the
late Joseph .Jefferson, so well beloved
by all theater goers,
j For a Ions time before his doa'h.
| Mr Jefferson was very sensitlvo upon
, the subject of his retirement from the
stage. When he was playing in one
of the southern cities a paper came
| out with the news that he had decid
ed to leave the footlights at the exi
plration of his engagement In that
; city.
I Mr Jefferson resented the printing
of such a story, and the reporter who
had brought It in was called upon to
tell how he got It,
"Why," he explained, "the city edl
tod told me to see Joseph Jefferson and
ask him if it were true that he was
I soon to retire."
"Well." he was asked, "did you see
j him?"
"No." ho replied; "T went to his hoI
tel and sent my card up to his room,
and it was sent back with this writi
ten on It: 'Mr Jefferson has retired
1 "qa
I /wu ncn, i nno coorl authority I
for the story."?Llpplncott'a.
a* _ -M W&tfa' r*
1
I
* ' '
. . ;
*
d Is Good, and I Have Been Brought
T* It."
Y< 1 " '-f- - 7
V r s '
. 'I I y 4 ' -\ .? OfF)
FEAR COLLAPSE OF ST. PAUL'S
Protest Made Against Digging a Subway
Under the Cathedral in
London.
London.?A new danger threaten*
St. Paul's cathedral, in the opinion of
those responsible for the fabric, the
proposed trawmay tunnel that forms
an Important part of the St. Paul s
bridge schemo being regarded with
apprehension.
"The parliamentary bill seeking
power for this new venture has just
been deposited by the London county
council, and so we feel that we must
make our protest at once," said Canon
S. A .Alexander, treasurer of the Cathedral.
"The danger arises out of the fear
* -tertalned by our expert advisers.
iimi inf proposed suuway, through
which trains will run from a terminus
at Chcapside, under the east side of
the churchyard and Cannon street to
a point near the new bridge, will
,
A
iife
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: J.
'SwifiBi
' vWiJ,! JyR ! ' p
t- vr-v^A
-Sb A*'^?
;
London's Pride: St. Paul's Cathedral.
drain our foundations. The cathedral
is built on water bearing soil above
the clay, and the constant danger is
that this soil may become dry, and do
crease In bulk, thus leading to settlements
of the foundations, and cracking
of the walls. Indeed, Mervyn
Macartney, architect to the dean and
chapter, takes so serious a view of
any such drainage that he is unable to
say where the damage might end.
When we remember that Holy Trinity
in Kingsway which stands beside a j
similar subway, had to he rebuilt, we i
cannot hut do all in our power to j
save St. Paul's from the possibility of |
ruin."
WARNING TO AMERICAN BOYS
must Cut Out Hookey and Get Good
Education, Says Superintendent
of Schools.
Syrncuse. N. Y.?A warning to the
American boy to take full advantage J
of the high courses of education, lest ]
his foreign brother outstrip him, was j
uttered by N*. C. Schafler, superlnten- j
lent of education in Pennsylvania, in |
an address before the memberk of the 1
state's educational societies now in
session here.
"There nre today at least 40 profes
-ions which require a high school edu- ;
uition by way of preliminary training." ;
said Dr. Schaffer, "and the boy who j
quits school before finishing the four
years high school course shuts against j
himself the door of opportunity and ,
makes it impossible for himself to enter
the vocations which aspire to be
ranked with the professions and which
have within their ranks the leader of
American civilization.
GRANGE PEEL AIDS SURGERY
Tests at Philadelphia Show Counteracting
of Nausea Adds to Physicians'
Success.
Philadelphia, Pa.?Orange peel as
an auxiliary to ether to counteract
the nauseating effects of the anesthetic
was given the final test of a :
series at the Woman's Homeopathic !
hospital, and has convinced the resident
physicians that a new weapon to 1
be used against human suffering has '
boon given to tho modical world.
"Of the twenty surgical eases In
which we have used the orange peel ;
oil as an auxiliary to ether." said I)r.
[tenners S Smith of the hospital staff. |
"we have found it perfectly successful i
in all instances but one. That one case I
was due to a fault In administering
tho oil."
The orange pe?l oil is administered
by i airing it into the ether cone with 1
tho ether.
"No Place for Honest Man," Dies.
New York.? Adolph Kohlenberg, a
printer, committed suicide in his
home, 1004 Forrest avenue, the Bronx,
by drinking carbolic acid and shoot- '
ing himself in the head. The cause i
of the act was his having been
swindled out of $1,000 by a man who ;
advertised for a partner in the printing
business.
Kohlenberg, who was forty-seven
years old. left a letter for his wife, |
saying this world was no place for
an honest man to live.
"When a man works hard and saves
a few dollars some wise fellow comes !
around and swindles you out of it. I 1
get roped in every time, therefore my |
life is a failure. 1 am better dead j
than alive." wrote Kohlenberg, who
added a postscript requesting that he
~>e burled in his full dress suit.
Chorus Girls Get Bibles.
Chicago.?Chorus girls in the "F ivolous
Gcraldine" company found Cid
eon Bib'es on their dressing tables.
*1 *1 * nil
Smokes Cigar While Hi:
(TrnTi JTV veST^A y'^Sgl
^ ^^??? t,CAK
WASHINGTON.?Senator Shlvely of
Indiana looms up as a real hero,
lie refused to tnkn An animthollo nnH
smoked placidly a long black cigar
while surgeons cut off one of his toes.
And the senator, despite the encomiums
that are coming his way, Is
modest about it. He would have preferred
that his heroism should have
gone unsung, but the facts about the
scene In the operating room Anally
leaked out and the senator finds himself
in receipt of letters from various
parts of the country commending his
"nerve" and expressing the view that
he has about the right sort of stuff
in his makeup.
When Senator Shlvely made up his
mind that a surgical operation was
necessary he confided his view to his
physician. Dr. Z. T. Sowers, who
agreed with him.
"When will you be ready to have
the toe taken off?" asked the doctor.
"This evening," answered the senator.
Senator and Cabinet Min
A STORMY verbal encounter between
a cabinet minister and a
senator of the United States furnished
a morsel of gossip here the other day.
Senator Ashurst of Arizona thlnkB
the mining laws are something atrocious.
even when properly enforced.
When decisions are rendered under
this act he can find no expressions to
cope with the situation. One of these
obnoxious opinions was handed down
ana Mr. Astiurst cleared his decks
for action and sailed down to the interior
department.
The senator told the secretary that
in his humble judgment the decision
rendered against his constituent was
the most unjust, unsalted, unripe and
swaybacked distortion of law and common
sense into which he had ever
bumped.
The secretary Informed the senator
that the opinion was tv.enty karat
fine, platinum tipped, warranted to
keep at the equator and in accordance
with law and practice.
"Did you ever try a mining case?"
shouted Mr. Ashurst, after the sands 1
in the dictionary began to run low.
"Do you mean to Insult me?"
shrieked Secretary Fisher, who was
admitted to the bar twenty-five yeurs
ago.
Tragic and Comic Ele
<<INT() the sordid and often tragic
1 business of seeking public offices
there sometimes Intrudes an element
of the romantic and quite frequently
of the comic," said a United States
senator from a southern slate.
"Not long ago I got a letter from a
hungry Democrat, a loyal supporter of
mine, who advised me that he would
like to get the appointment of commissioner
of the United States patent office.
hut he wanted me to understand
that this desire on his part was not
to be construed as any evidence that
ho would decline the offer of postmaster
of the village In which he lived.
Another one of my fellow citizens who
had, as I supposed, written and asked
This Dog Has Reasoning
JASPKIt, an educated dog. entertained
n party of scientists at the
Smithsonian institution the other day.
He was examined by Dr. Frank Tinker,
zoologist, and Charles I). Walcott, secretary
of the institution, and described
as "wonderful."
It was demonstrated that Jasper Is
familiar with .100 words and that he
understands any reasonable command
given by his master, Dixie Taylor.
The following night Jasper was the
guest of honor at a party of scientists
given by F'rof. Alexander Graham
Hell.
For the edification of the Smithsonian
staff, the dog wrote on a typewriter,
distinguished between "man"
and "woman," picked up bits of paper
and put them either in a cuspidor or
a waste basket as directed to do.
"Go Into the room across the hall,
find a typewriter, and write," said Mr.
Taylor to the dog.
* - -_,v,>
' 1' 1 . " *
> Toe Is Being Cut Off
Ths physician was not prepared for
Buch a ready response and suggested.
that next day would be a better time.
When Shlvely arrived at the hospital
he was enjoying a good cigar?in fact,
he had negotiated only about half an
inch of it, and as there was about
Ave inches of good "smoke" remaining,
he was loath to part with it. He
states positively that he had no Intention
of pulling off any heroics, and
the only reason he clung to the cigar
was that it happened to be a
mighty good one. He was hustled
into the operating room, and he never
flinched while the toe was being removed,
following a light local application
of cocaine.
As for hlB refusal to take an anesthetic,
Senator Shlvely claitns no
credit on that account.
"There are two ways of rendering
a man insensfble to pain," said the
senator. "One way is to take a basebail
bat or a big stick and hit him a
resounding blow on the head. The
other way is to give him an aneBthet- ?
{r> Ir* tKo flrof noao Vv rv la nv?l tr\
have a mighty sore head for a time
after returning to consciousness. In
the latter case there will be a sickening
aftermath of nausea that Is almost
unbearable. In either case it Is
a complete knockout. My personal
preference Is to endure the pain while
the operation Is in progress."
ister in a Word Duel
It was explained by the angry senator
that he did not Intend to Insult
the secretary, but that he really
thought the head of a great executive
department should have a little horse
Hense; It would not Impair his useful- ness,
and might prove wondorfully
helpful in mining decisions.
In turn the secretary intimated to
the superheated senator that he was
weary of scolding and denunciation.
He conveyed the impression that the
senator might And a number of suitable
climates, but all of them were
outside his office.
This broke up the party. The senator
backed through the door. The
secretary looked out of the window
until he snw the visitor stalking
down the street, being determined to
guard against flank movements and
rushes.
ments of Officeseeking
my Influence to get him a small federal
Job, wrote me a second letter In answer
to my acknowledgment of his
first favor, saying that I had completely
miseonstruted his meaning. He
had not Intended to apply for a minor
place, but wanted my help to get
named as a member of the interstate
commerce commission. ,
"Every senator has these experiences
as a part of his routine work, and my
applications are not at all exceptional.
The most remarkable and extraordinary
Incident In this line that ever I
know r*f WOO O rovoron 1 ? ?
?... .. .. Kimoai vi iuo iHKuiar
order. in this caBe a young fellow
living in one of the territories applied
for a Job as postal clerk in the railway
mail service. It happened a good
many years ago. and nobody will be
hurt by the narration at this late day.
By some curious mix-up the application
wont to the wrong department
and to the utter amazement of the
man and all his friends a commission
was sent him appointing him associate
justice of the supreme court of the territory.
He took the office and kept
it for the full term and was. so far as
1 know, considered a very fair judge.
Power, Say Scientists
uJ -?
The dog obeyed, undirected.
"l.ook out the window and then
push this book over," said Mr. Taylor,
placing a book on its end on the floor.
The dog looked out of the window,
turned and pushed tbu book over with
his nose.
Jasper obeyed commands that he
had never heard before, this, a number
of the scientists said, proved that Jaaper
has reasoning power that Is ah*
normally developed, going lar beyond
the range of pure animal Instinct or
acquired training.