Charles Henry Taylor Biography


	This biography appears on pages 286-289 in "History of Dakota Territory" 
	by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				CHARLES HENRY TAYLOR.  

	Charles Henry Taylor, educator and optometrist, was born in 
Sandwich, New Hampshire, on the 5th of June, 1842. His father, Charles 
Taylor, likewise a native of the old Granite state, made farming his 
life work, but while so engaged took an active part in public affairs 
and at one time served as a major in the state militia. He was a son of 
Samuel Taylor, who was also born in New Hampshire and was descended 
from a long line of New England ancestors, the progenitor of the family 
in America coming from England in 1648. While in the east Charles 
Taylor was united in marriage to Dorothy Morrill, a native of Maine, 
and they became the parents of four children, of whom Mr. Taylor of 
this review is the eldest. in the year 1854 the family removed westward 
to Iowa, following Dr. Taylor, who had made his way to that state in 
the spring of the same year. There the family engaged in farming.  

	In the public schools of Sandwich, New Hampshire, Charles Henry 
Taylor acquired his early education, which was supplemented by study in 
the Holmes Academy and the Lennox Collegiate Institute. He began 
studying medicine under the direction of his uncle Dr. Alfred Taylor at 
Hanover, where his uncle was demonstrator of anatomy at Dartmouth 
College. While pursuing his medical studies he became interested in 
tile theme of individuality in teaching the development of the powers 
of the preceptive faculties, and later, in 1867, propounding the theory 
that the eye was susceptible to the same development as any other 
bodily organ or function, the old theory being that the eye was the one 
organ created so nearly perfect that it was impossible to improve upon 
it. As early as 1707 Antoine Maitre-Jan described "complaints which 
arose from the strain of the eye." Moreover, in 1824 Kitchness referred 
to "people who required glasses but neglected to use them." In 1832 
Willer told of "symptoms arising from strained eyes," and in 1837 
Sichel explained "a group of complaints arising from excessive use of 
the eye." While urging a due consideration of individuality in teaching 
pupils and a proper heed of the diverse sense organs, Dr. Taylor 
asserted in 1867 that he "could see no reason wily the eye could not be 
improved in acuteness, in power and in endurance by proper culture as 
well as any other organ." Early in the '60s he became interested in 
regard to individuality in teaching and it led to a study of the sense 
organs in regard to the technics of idiosyncratic and idiopathic 
conditions. Since then he has been engaged in an independent pursuit of 
the most satisfying conclusions which prove to rest in harmony with 
nature's conditions pertaining to the sense organs. He is the 
originator of the oculo-didactic system of optometry and has devoted 
the greater pelt of his lifetime to the teaching of his advanced 
theories of practical sense training, and since 1886 has presented the 
subject of special eye culture in many of the schools and colleges of 
the middle west, among them being the Nebraska Normal College of Wayne, 
Nebraska; the State Normal School at Madison, South Dakota; and the 
State Agricultural College of South Dakota. He served as special 
instructor at the Blind Asylum at Vinton, Iowa; the Blind and Mute 
Institute at Faribault, Minnesota: and the Carleton College of 
Northfield, Minnesota. He has also served a score of other schools and 
institutions in similar capacity, in addition to caring for a large 
private practice. He has been an original and forceful writer and has 
contributed articles to optical journals. In June 1914, William E. 
Huston, ex-secretary of the American Optical Association, visited Dr. 
Taylor at his home in Yankton and made arrangement for a series of 
articles to appear in "Optometry" and also for manuscript which is to 
be published as a textbook within the near future. The Doctor belongs 
to the American Association of Optometrists and the associations of 
South Dakota, Minnesota, and Nebraska.  

	In 1870 Dr. Taylor was married to Miss Rachel Ross and following 
her death he was married on the 21st of April, 1880, to Miss Emily 
McFarland. By the first marriage he had a son, Dr. Harry TV. Taylor, 
who is a graduate of the Rush Medical College and now resides in 
Mobile, Alabama. There is also a son of the second marriage, Charles 
Henry, who is an optometrist of Rochester, Minnesota.  

	Dr. Taylor has resided in Yankton since March, 1886. He is 
independent politically, while fraternally he is connected with the 
Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. His life has been devoted since 
1884 to the science of eye culture to avoid the use of glasses through 
corrective training, and he is one of the chief contributors to The 
Optometrist of Kansas City. His investigations and researches have 
brought to light valuable truths and his labors have been a distinct 
and valuable contribution to the world's work.