The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1847-09-04
From Leigh Hunts Men. Women, and Books.
0rmUtV.
CRITICISM ON THE Mourn

The mouth, like the eyes, gives occasion
TO so many tender thoughts, and is so apt to
lose and supersede itself in the affectionate
sofiness of its effect upon lis. that the first
impulse, in speaking Of it. is to describe it
by sentiment and transport. Sir John
Sucking, in his taste Of an under lip, is
not to be surpassed:
"Her lips were red, and one was thin,
Compared with that was next her chin,
Some bee had stung il newly"
The upper lip. observe, was only compare
lively thin. Thin lips become none but
shrews or niggards. A rosiness beyond that
Of the checks, and good-tempered sufli.
cheney and plumpness, are the indispensa-
BILE requisites Of good mouth. Chaucer,
great judge, is very Peremp,ory in this
matter
"With pregnant lippes, thick to kiss percase
For lippes thin, not fat, but ever lean,
They serve Of naught; they be not worth a
bean;
For il the base be full, there is delight"
The Comrf Of Lone.
For the consolation, however, of those
who have thin lips and are not shrews or
niggards, We must give it here as our opin-
ion, founded on what we have observed,
that lips become more or less contracted i'm
the course OF years, in proportion as they
are accustomed to express good humor and
generosity, Or peevishness and a contracted
mind. Remark the effect which moment
Of ill-temPer or grudgingness has upon the
lips, and Judge what may be the effect Of
an habitual series Of such moments. Re-
mark the reverse, and make similar ihg-
ment. The mouth is the frankest part Of
the face. 1t can the least conceal the feel.
ings. We can hide neither ill.temper with
it nor good. We may affect what we please,
but affectation will not help us. In wrong
cause it will only make our observers re.
sent the endeavor to impose upon them
The mouth is the seat Of one class of emo
tons as the eyes are of another; or rather,
it expresses the same emotions, but in a
greater detail, and with more irrepressible
tendency to mobility. 1t is the region Of
smiles and dimples, Of a trembling tender
ness. Of sharp sorrow, OF full and breath.
ing Joy, Of candor, OF reserve, of carkinp
care, Of liberal sympathy. The mouth,
out Of its many sensibilities, may be fancied
throwing up one great expression into the
eyes, as many lights in the city reflect a
broad lustre into the heavens. On the other
hand, the eyes may be supposed the chief
movers, influencing the smaller details Of
their companion, as heaven influences earth.
The first cause in both is internal and deep
seated.
The more we consider beauty, the more
We recognize its dependence on sentiments.
The handsomest mouth, without expression,
is no better than mouth in a drawing.book
An ordinary man, on the other hand, with
great deal Of expression, shall become
charming. One Of the handsomest smiles
we ever saw in a man was that Of cele-
brated statesman who is reckoned plain
How handsome Mrs. Jordan was when
she laughed, who, however, was not a
beauty. If we only imagine a laugh full
Of kindness and enjoyment, or, "giddy
laugh" as Marot calls it-un petit r;s
tolasre-we imagine the mouth handsome,
as a matter Of course; at any rate for
the time. The material obeys the spirit.
ual. Anacreon beautifully describes the