302 



THE GUIDE T< ) NATURE 



Exquisite Workmanship in Glass. 

 It is only a small piece of glass — just 

 one inch in diameter, yet it costs $51.50. 

 seems an outrage on the purchaser 

 of a camera. The old glass is almost as 

 large, has the same length of focus, and 

 ipposed to be as nicely adjusted for 

 perfect lines — is "rectilinear," as it is 

 named — and the cost is only a few dol- 

 lars. It is a long time since I bought 

 one, and, when I think of it, I do not 

 recollect that I ever did buy one sep- 

 arated from the camera. Even the 

 makers did not seem to value it, for 

 they "threw it in" with an automatic 

 shutter, that trial of one's life. 



"But of what use is the camera with- 

 out lens and shutter?" you inquire. 



No use, of course, except as a pin- 

 hole device. And "nothing" is about 

 the price at which the makers seem to 

 value the whole optical attachment. 



"But what will you sell the 'box' for 

 without lens and a shutter?" did you 

 inquire. 



"Oh, just the same. It is against our 

 rules to sell a camera without a lens 

 and a shutter." 



"But what will it cost for a better 

 lens — Say a Goerz Dagor instead of the 

 regular?" 



"Oh, that will be $47.25 extra." 



"Whew ! you do not mean to say that 

 you value that lens at only $4.25 and 

 the other costs $51.50 — same size 

 (almost), focus and everything? 



"That's about it, and there will be 

 $15.00 extra for a shutter." 



"Can't see it. Oh, my! that's an out- 

 rage." And you take the elegant box 

 and the poor piece of glass, and start 

 for the fields and woods, with a grudge 

 against all makers of anastigmats, mut- 

 tering that you know they can get the 

 price from some rich fellows, who buy 

 not because the lens is worth the cost, 



but to say that they paid $51.50 for it — 



as if the $5i.5o's are their kind and the 

 S.|._'5's for "the mob." 



Then you go on for a few years, stop- 

 ping down and giving plenty of time, 

 obtaining now and then a masterpiece. 

 Every detail is perfect. Wonderful 

 depth. 



"There, you see how it is. That 

 shows it. Look at that photograph, 

 and at that ; they cannot be surpassed 

 by any anastigmat ever made, which goes 

 to show that it is all in 'a name' — and 

 that those Goerz people and other 

 makers of anastigmats, trade on their 

 reputation, and tax the rich fellow who 

 wants to boast that he 'paid more than 

 $50.00 for his lens.' " 



Then your envy and ignorance be- 

 come anger and you rush into print, 

 and it all may be summed up in a story 

 that I often heard in my boyhood. An 

 old farmer was boasting about his 

 decrepit nag: "I tell you, fellers, she's 

 got more speed and pluck than yer 

 think. She can go to Hartford just as 

 quick as any of 'em if yer only give her 

 time.' " 



Your 'old plug' of a decrepit lens gets 

 "to Hartford" in a similar way. But 

 by and by you discover that there are 

 occasions when you haven't time to 

 "give her time." 



Then the day comes when a friend 

 invites you to his home to see his den, 

 and he shows you walls covered and 

 boxes filled — every one good, and sev- 

 enty-five per cent, far and away better 

 than your three best. You climbed the 

 stairs, with an ugly look on your face, 

 your teeth clinched, and you firmly 

 intend to tell him a thing or two, and to 

 prove that this talk about anastigmats 

 is all nonsense. You had been running 

 it over in your mind, and had decided 

 to sneer at his lens, and say, "I tell you, 



