The Galaxy, June 1877: Vol. XXIII.—June, 1877.—No. 6.Various
General
The Galaxy, June 1877: Vol. XXIII.—June, 1877.—No. 6.
Various
American literature -- Periodicals
--Was there ever anything so amazing as this blue-glass craze that has
taken possession of about two-thirds of those who are included in the
term "everybody"? It would seem as if there were no limit to man's
credulity, particularly upon those subjects which concern him most
nearly, religion and the preservation of bodily health. In both he is
ready to listen to any plausible person who will tell him to "do some
great thing." Tell him that he must live a life morally pure and
physically clean and sober, that he must not sin against his own
consciousness of right, and that he must wash himself and eat simple,
wholesome food, conform himself to the indications of his physical
structure, and he will assent in a careless way, and immediately
violate every rule of sound morals and physiology. But tell him that he
must make a pilgrimage to Rome, or that he must lift six or seven
hundred pounds daily, swallow pills and bitters, or live in a blue
conservatory, and he will prick up his long ears, and do it if he can.
What wonder that quacks all make money, and that the "patent medicine
interest" should have a representative in Congress! But quacks and
patent medicines usually must have the benefit of a few years of
copious advertising before they effect their purpose; whereas blue
glass was written into popular favor with the dash of a pen. It trebled
in price in less than so many weeks. The notion that light should be
filtered of every ray but the blue one to produce the best effect upon
the human body and brain is certainly one of the most fantastic that
has been broached since the days of the medical mountebanks. The best
use to which this glass can be put is to the making of hot-beds. Let
our early lettuce and pease by all means be brought forward under
sashes glazed in blue. What cauliflowers we shall have, and what
cabbages! At present the crop of cabbage heads, to be sure, promises to
be very large through the intervention of blue glass; but much the
greater number of them appear to be growing upon human shoulders.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account