238 HOW TO SEE WITH THE MICROSCOPE. 



using our eyes constantly all our days. If I look across 

 the street and see a house, why, so can you; and thus 

 we have been respectively seeing houses as well as other 

 things all through life. In short, our eyes have been 

 constantly at work, and have thus been as constantly 

 trained. It may be that you have abused yours by over 

 work with the microscope if that be the case, I reckon 

 mine have the best of it. At all events, I can't see 

 how you can establish any individual superiority as to 

 vision." 



At this moment Prof. Huber had seated himself at the 

 piano and was entertaining the company by his superb 

 renderings from classical authors. In reply, I said: 

 what you affirm as to the eye must be similarly true of 

 the hands. Prof. Huber and yourself are apparently of 

 the same age, and both of you have been using your 

 hands " all your days." Whence comes that lightning 

 rapidity of action; that wondrous delicacy of touch? 

 Think you that the professor has abused his muscles by 

 over work with his five finger exercises, or that you 

 have any claim to digital superiority? But to confine 

 the case strictly to the eye alone ; how comes it that the 

 mariner can, not only detect a " sail " near the distant 

 horizon, but can also state with accuracy whether it be 

 a ship, brig, or schooner, and the direction the " sail" 

 may be pursuing, to all of which the passengers present 

 will be totally blind? 



Noi need we " go to sea" to find instances illustrative 

 of the issue in hand. The eye of the artist recognizes, 

 perforce of his experience with the esthetics of nature, 



