The Glasses You Wear

Ost people one meets these days wear glasses. Is it because there is an increasing number of defective eyes? or it is because the advance in scientific knowledge of the eye reveals the defects, making it apparent that almost no one has perfect organs of vision? It is well at least that our doctors know so well how to take care of our eyes and to overcome our manifold infirmities of vision.

It is very important if we are to see well, if our eyes are to do honest work for us, that we wear the right kind of glasses. Some people do not, and therefore fail to see things clearly. They think the trouble is with the objects they look at, that they are warped or out of proportion, whereas the fault is in the lenses through which they look. There sfinDing tit

is a story of a man to whom everything appeared crooked or distorted. He was not aware of it himself, but thought things really were just as they appeared to him to be. He did not imagine that he was missing so much beauty through the fault of his glasses, and kept on wearing them without seeking for anything better. One day he was visiting at a neighbor’s house and idly picked up a pair of glasses that lay on a table and put them on. To his amazement, everything seemed different. He looked at people, and their faces were bright and clear. He looked at the furniture of the room, and it was graceful and regular — it had appeared almost grotesque before as his glasses showed it to him. He looked at the pictures on the wall, and for the first time saw their beauty. He walked out of doors, and the trees, which heretofore he had seen only in vague, gnarled form, appeared beautiful. He learned now that by using his defective glasses he had been missing a large part of the pleasure of seeing. He quickly bought a pair of glasses [230] that suited his eyes, and all the world became new to him.

There are many people who are wearing a wrong kind of glasses. There are some, for instance, who never see beauty in any other person. All characters are distorted to them. They see only the faults, the imperfections, the blemishes of people’s lives. Even the noblest and best people, falling under their eyes, fail to reveal any features that are winsome and attractive. They never have a word of commendation for any piece of work anyone else does, or for any act. Only yesterday, one tried for half an hour to get a visitor to say a pleasant word about something or somebody, but tried in vain. A number of persons were referred to in the attempt to elicit at least a word of commendation or approval, but in every case the response was harsh, critical, unkindly, censorious, sometimes almost venomous. Many generous and worthy acts were mentioned, to see if some beautiful deed would not win a cordial and kindly word, but in every instance [231 ]

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something was suggested that took away from the apparent beauty or worthiness of the acts. This person sadly needed a pair of new glasses.

Far more than we know does this matter of eyes or no eyes make our world for us. We are in the midst of most glorious things all the while, but some of us see nothing and miss all the inspiration that would mean so much to us if only our eyes were opened. We talk of a lost Paradise, but there is still a Paradise for those who can see it. George Macdonald says: “I suspect we shall find some day that the loss of the human paradise consists chiefly in the closing of the human eyes; that at least far more of it than people think remains about us still, only we are so filled with foolish desires and evil cares that we cannot see or hear, cannot even smell or taste, the pleasant things around us.” There is a little book called “Eyes and No Eyes,” which tells of two boys who one day went out for a walk together. When they came back, a friend asked one of them what [232] lie had seen. He said he had seen nothing. He had been travelHng through dust and along rough paths, but he had not seen anything beautiful or interesting in all the two hours’ walk. When the other boy was asked the same question, he replied with much enthusiasm, telling of a hundred beautiful things he had seen in his walk — in the fields and in the woods, — flowers and plants and bits of landscape, birds and squirrels and rippling streams. The two boys had walked together over the same path, and while one had seen nothing to give him pleasure, the other came back with his mind full of lovely images and bright recollections. Both had looked on the same objects, from the same points of view, but they had looked through different lenses.

There always are two classes of people among those who journey together — those with eyes which see and those who, having eyes, see nothing. There are many people who never see the stars, nor the hills, nor the blue sky, nor the flowers, nor any beauty in plant or [233] finding t))z Wav

tree or living creature. A story is told of Turner, the artist, who stood one day with a lady before one of his great paintings. The visitor looked a long time at the picture and then said, “Mr. Turner, I cannot see those things in nature.” Looking at her thoughtfully, he replied, “Don’t you wish you could, madam?”

Many of us who see nothing lovely in the objects about us wish we could see what others see. There is a way of learning to do it. We should train ourselves to make use of our eyes. Every child should be taught from its earliest youth to observe, to see beauty wherever beauty exists. This is part of the new education for young children. They are encouraged to look intently at all things about them, so that they can give an intelligent account of whatever they have seen. This training should be carried into all the life, so that we shall miss nothing of the profuse and wondrous loveliness that is everywhere in our Father’s world. The result of not using our eyes is that by and by we have no eyes [234]

—the faculty that is not exercised becomes atrophied.

Still more to be pitied than those who have eyes and see not, are those who see things distorted, through warped lenses, through untrue glasses. We should train ourselves to see only what is lovely. An old legend of Jesus tells that while the disciples one day turned away with loathing from the carcass of a dead dog by the wayside, the Master looked at it and said to the disciples, “What beautiful teeth the creature has!” Too many of us see only the things that are loathsome and have no vision for anything that is winsome.

A lady took her visitor to a window to show her a view which to her was very inspiring. The guest manifested almost disgust as she exclaimed that all she saw was an unusually fine lot of black chimneys and smoky back-buildings. The genial hostess said, cheerfully, “Why, I never saw the chimneys and back-buildings before. I saw only the hills yonder and that fringe of noble trees on the [235] iJftirDmg tie Wav

horizon!” This woman got far more out of life than her friend did, for she had eyes for the beauty and grandeur of the world about her, while the other saw only the things that were homely and without beauty. The same is true of the men and women about us, as well as of the scenes and conditions. It would add immeasurably to our pleasure in life if we would train ourselves to look for whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, in the people about us, instead of for the blemishes and faults. If we wore the glasses of love and charity, it would be in this way that we should see everyone and everyone’s work. What a change it would make for us in the world of people if we should some day put on these new glasses and look at others through them!

The aspect of all life’s events and experiences would also be changed if we wore the right kind of glasses. To many persons life has nothing bright. It is made up chiefly of things which produce discontent, complain- [236]

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ing, and fault-finding. We all know people who never have a really bright word to say about their own life and its circumstances. To them everything seems wrong. They exaggerate their trials and see a calamity in every smallest mishap. They see nothing bright in any outlook. They enumerate their troubles and sorrows with glib tongue, and even when their joys and happinesses are referred to, find flecks in them. If they could in some way change their glasses, so that they would see things in the light of Christian faith and trust, all things would be transformed for them.

What we all need, in order that we may see people and things as they are, is a heart of love. If we could see through Christ’s eyes, everything would be attractive to our vision. We can get the new glasses, with their magical power, only by getting into our hearts the mind that is in Christ Jesus — the mind of love, of patience, of trust, of joy, of peace.

“Grant us, 0 Lord, the grace to bear
The little pricking thorn;
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The hasty word that seems unfair;

The twang of truths well worn;

The jest which makes our weakness plain;

The darling plan overturned;

The careless touch upon our pain;

The slight we have not earned;

The rasp of care, dear Lord, to-day.

Lest all these fretting things

Make needless grief, oh, give, we pray,

The heart that trusts and sings.”

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In all thy humors, whether grave or mellow, Thou’rt such a touchy, testy, pleasant fellow, Hast so much wit and mirth and spleen about thee, There is no living with thee, nor without thee.

—“Spectator.”