NEW KNOWLEDGE in regard to the development of keenness of sight, has come to the front in the last few years, much of it being based on hints that had been made some time ago; but that have been put into new uses at the present time. We advise the careful rereading of the lessonjust preceding this, in order to understand in what way the power of vision becomes dulled and weakened. We have seen that a part use of the eye-muscles results in flattening of the eyeball. We have also said that one kind of use of the eyes, as in reading, will cause dullness of vision. In fact nothing will so weaken the eye-power as one kind of use in reading or in looking at objects.

Any person knows that his eyes focus on a printed page at a certain distance, say something like fourteen inches away. In writing he must have the paper about that far from him. So he goes through life focussed to a stated distance. This is what is meant by one kind of use of the eyes, as in reading or looking at objects.

The power of sight should not be allowed to become stale. Any set of muscles that does the same work always in the same way will become muscle-bound. There is nothing better for the health and long life of any part of the body than variety.

In the preceding lesson we deal with the muscles that move the eyeball. In this lesson we deal with the eyeball itself as a moving globe. In other words, we recognize the fact that the eyeball will adjust itself by its own power to any distance possible, to any focus possible, and to any size of object possible By this we mean within its range of action.

It is this habitual sameness of use that leads to the weakening of the power of vision, and the need of glasses from other reasons than the flattening of the ball. This need has been avoided and dispensed with by the following practice.

1. Stand at a place where you can see some object at a distance; perhaps a house or tree or hill. Hold in your hand some picture. Look to the distant object long enough to make out what it is; that is, whether it is a building, a tree, a hill, or some other thing. Having determined what it is bring the gaze to the picture which you hold in your hand. By this action you will have compelled the eye to change its shape inwardly, or by its inward structure, in one instance reaching out to the distance; and in the other instance closing in to the picture that you hold in your hand.

2. Having done this a number of times, select some object not more than half the distance away, and repeat the change of focussing.

You may be near-sighted, in which case you will not see the clear lines of the distant object. You may be far-sighted; and in that case you may not be able to see a nearer object sharply. It is to overcome these differences that this exercise should be repeated many times. The movements of the eyes may be as rapidly made as you choose; but do not allow the picture to be blurred; that at least should have sharp outlines. The distant object may from defect of vision be a very bad blur. After a number of trials made from time to time, and repeated often, you will be surprised to find that the blur of the distant object is lessening.

This decrease will go on effectively according as you secure a sharp outline of the picture in your hand. If you fail in this you will fail in the other part of the practice.

If the progress is too slow, select some nearer object that you can see distinctly, and shift the focussing several hundred times; then select another object a little farther away, and continue the practice. In the course of time you will note the gradual decreasing of the blurred condition of the very far object.

We have thus far proceeded on the theory that you cannot secure a sharp outline of the distant object. In case this is obtained at the beginning of the practice, all the better; for, even if a blurred object becomes sharp, the practice is to go on for the purpose of developing a very keen eye-power.

We have knowledge of many notable cases where persons who have carried this practice to a successful termination have been able to dispense with glasses altogether.

The second stage of the same line of practice consists of the following exercises:

1. Obtain a part of a newspaper that contains an advertisement in large type. Obtain another piece of the newspaper that contains an advertisement in smaller type, but yet larger than the reading type. Then the third piece is to contain some of the reading type, of the average size. The fourth and last piece is to contain some very fine, closely set type. Here are four different sizes of type.

2. The eye will easily take in the largest two sizes without the aid of glasses. If glasses are required, get two sizes of type large enough to be seen without glasses, and that will admit of a sharp focus.

3. The first part of the practice consists in focussing the gaze on the largest size type; then instantly shifting it to the next largest size type; then to the next; and finally to the smallest.

4. In making these shifts, hold the gaze long enough to secure a sharp outline; but no longer. The value of the practice is in the speed in which the eyes must change their shape to meet the change in focussing.

5. This practice will not show results for a while. It can be taken in connection with the other practice of using a distant object and a picture that is held in the hand for shifting. Each will help the other.

6. It will be of service to make it a daily habit to indulge in both these lines of practice. Soon it will be found that the eyes are getting stronger; eventually they will show such a decided increase of power that you will choose to continue the exercises for a long time; for there seems no limit to the accumulation of keen strength of vision that is possible.

In reviewing the methods taught in this system under the division of the eye, you will note that the general smoothing out of the face is employed for the purpose of overcoming the concentric drift of the muscles about the eyes, due to adverse control of some kind. Then we put into action the circle of muscles that move the eyeball, thereby exciting the flow of blood, the increased nutrition of the parts, and the collectivity of magnetic units, all of which bring to the eye a very great increase of power. This result is quickly observed.

In this lesson we deal with the eyeball itself as an organ equipped with constructive muscles that are endowed with the ability to change the focus by changing the shape of the ball within itself, as distinguished from the action of the outer muscles that pull it in all directions in order to restore its lost form. Thus we have three groups of influences working to make the eyea much greater organ in every way.

The present lesson may be omitted if it is too uninteresting, for the development of magnetism does not depend on this practice.It merely is one of the causes that help materially. It doesa very useful work in restoring the eye-power of youth and thereby enabling one to dispense with the wearing of glasses.

It also brings a new fire and brilliancy into the eyes, which quickly attracts attention from other persons.

A partial use of this practice, while not doing away with the wearing of glasses, will assuredly save a person from continually increasing the magnifying power of lenses as age comes on. In fact it will avert any further aging of the vision; and by partial practice alone.

A successful eye-doctor recommends the practice daily of reading coarse type, and instantly changing to fine type, then back to coarse, and so alternate many times at each session of exercising the eyes. While no results may be noticed for some days or even for a few weeks, in time the eye will become much stronger, and its power and keenness will have increased many-fold.

A climacteric step may be taken now by adopting the tense action of the eye in conjunction with the tense use of the voice. At just this stage will the eye become fired with great fervor, keenness and magnetic life. Your friends will notice a remarkable change in you.