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THEORY OF COLORS. 



the eye to be green or blue, but to the light which they reflect from their sur- 

 faces. A red object is one which reflects red light and absorbs all other col- 

 ors, a blue object one which reflects blue light and absorbs other tints, and so 

 on. The color of a body, then, or more properly, the cause which produces 

 the color, is the quality possessed by its particles to reflect certain lights and 

 absorb others. 



That the color which seems to belong to a body is not really inherent in the 

 body, or inseparable from it, is proved by showing that we can give any color 

 that may be desired to a body by exposing it to light of that peculiar tint. 

 Thus if a piece of blue cloth be illuminated by a beam of pure red light, it 

 will appear red ; or, if by yellow light, it will appear yellow ; but neither the 

 yellow, nor the red, will be as vivid as the color it would exhibit if illuminated 

 by blue light. 



