42 THE REASON WHY : 



&quot; lie tliat is ^iddy thinks the world turns round.&quot; SIIAKSPEBB. 



touched his eyes, as the things which he felt touched his skin.&quot; During the time 

 of his blindness he had received such an imperfect idea of colours which, by a very 

 strong light, he was then ahle to distinguish, that a sufficient impression had not 

 been left by which he could again recognise them. Indeed, when he saw them, he 

 said the colours he then saw were not the same as those he had seen formerly ; he 

 did not know the form of any object; nor could he distinguish one object from 

 another, however different their s5/e and configuration might be ; when objects 

 were shown te him which he had known formerly by the touch, he looked 

 at them with attention, and observed them carefully in order to recognise 

 them again ; but as he had too many objects to retain at once, he forgot the greater 

 part of them, and when he first learnt, as he said, to see and to know objects, he 

 forgot a thousand for one that he recollected. 



It was two months before he discovered that pictures represented solid bodies ; 

 until that time he had considered them as planes and surfaces differently coloured 

 and diversified by a variety of shades ; but when he began to conceive that these 

 pictures represented solid bodies, in touching the canvas of the picture with his 

 hand he expected to find something solid upon it, and he was much astonished when, 

 upon touching those parts which seemed round and unequal, he found them flat 

 and smooth like the rest. 



He could not support much light at first, and every object seemed very large to 

 him ; but after he had seen larger things, he considered the first smaller ; 

 he thought there was nothing beyond the limits of his sight. The same operation 

 was performed on the other eye about a year after the first, and it succeeded 

 equally well. At first he saw objects with his second eye much larger than with 

 the other, but not so large, however, as he had seen them with his first eye ; and 

 when he looked at the same object with both eyes at once, he said that it appeared 

 twice as large as with the first eye. 



119. Why is sight essential to the firmness of most of our 

 attitudes ? 



Because we judge of the position of our bcdies by other bodies 

 vrhich we see around us. Thus, when we are deprived of this means 

 of judging of our equilibrium, as when we are on a house, 

 or any elevated place where we are only surrounded by the air, our 

 standing becomes uncertain, and it sometimes happens that we 

 feel giddy, and cannot stand at alL 



120. The utility of sight is still greater if the base of support is very narrow ; a 

 rope dancer could not stand erect if he were not constantly directed by the eye as 

 to the position necessary to be preserved, in order that the perpendicular drawn 

 from his centre of gravity may fall upon the base of support. This connection 

 between sight and attitude is furthor demonstrated by the uncertain postuies which 

 bund pei sans assume. 



