Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1861-04-12
From Arthur's Home Magazine.
THE FACE AND THE LIFE.

did not impress me favorably. But faces
in repose do not always give right index
of character.
81 am not so sure of that" said l. "The
face in repose is, l think, the true face.
We all have two lives, the external for the
world, the internal for ourselves. And
we are with ourselves living our own in
ternal lives more than we are with the
world living onr external lives. Our ex-
ternal is constrained and superficial
thing, to be put on and off as interest,
pleasure, or love of reputation may die
tate But our internal is made up of our
real ends and purposes-is our very self,
and silently, but surely, day by day, and
year by year, is it writing on our faces a
true record of our characters. This is
why the countenances of the selfish and
evil grow more and more repulsive with
age"
Il think there must be exceptions to
this" remarked my friend.
"There may be apparent exceptions, but
no real ones, for there is an eternal rela-
ton between cause and effect.
"Look at DR.. Mayfeld," said he.
"You cite strong case," l answered.
"Did you ever know better man %
81 think him one of the best of men, !"
said l.
"And yet his face in repose, is as hard
as iron."
ut is very hard, and very homely," I
admitted.
"Yct all this fades when it lights up in
conversation, and you wonder if it can be
the same face you looked upon little
while before"
"It you study that face when the glow
of external thought and feeling has died
away" you will not find among its hard
angles and deep lines any lurking signs
of cruelty"
"No; it is not cruel face
"Nor do we find covetousness there"
at could not be there" my friend an
swered, promptly; "for of all vices, Doc
tor Mayfeld is freest of this"
Nor envy, discomfort or fretfulness.
"No."
Hard and homely as his face is. it does
not repel you"
"No," replied my friend, "there is moth.
ing about DIR. May6eld to repel. Every,
body is attracted by him.
"If internally he were cruel, selfish
envious and discontented, these repulsivc
qualities would radiate from his counten
auce when in repose, and no one could
mistake the signs. And so, in looking
more narrowly at this strong case, fnd
that it does not invalidate the theory. Ii
the instance of fDr. Mayfeld, it seems thai
spirit of more than ordinary purity hac
become enshrined in body of less thar
ordinary body, and of such an unyieldinG
substance, that scarcely susceptible i'm
pressions were made, even in the lapse o
years. But the artist soul is at work, ant
that hard face shall yet put on lineament
that to some eyes will only thinly vel
the beautiful" :"
"And SO you think the face in repose
right index to character 2"
'I do, and for the reason given"
"There is the face of Mrs. Lawson,
said nay friend "The thought of he
has just come into my mind. No on
questions her goodness. Yet her fac
when in repose is anything but pleasing
to contemplate. Her mouth has trouble'
expression, singularly in contrast with it
sweetness when she smiles"
"Mrs. Lawson has known trouble"
remarked. "She has passed through man,
fires of affliction."
"Yes; the cup of life placed to her lip
was bitter indeed, and she drank to tn
dregs."
Through many years she drank"
"Yes--through many years"
"Do you wonder that her face grew i
all these painful years into an cxpressio
Of her inner life Z? That the perpetus
trouble in her heart should have left il
unattrativa si0ns unon her countananco