The Shasta courier., 1863-02-28
The Language of the Eye.

The eye can threaten like loaded. levelei
gun, or can insult like a kicking or Kissing,
or, In its altered mod. by beams of kindness.
1t can make the heart dance with ioy. The
manners of the eye, language is inadequate
to paint. When a thought strikes us. the
eye is fixed, and remains gazing at dis
tance; and enumerating the names of per.
rons or countries-as France, Germany.
Spain, England, Bohemia-the eve winks at
each new name. There is no nicetv of
learning sought by the mind that the eyes do
not vie in acquiring. .'The artist,h says
Michael Angelo, ''must take his measure
wish tools not in bis hand, but in his eye''
And there is no end to the catalogue of its
performances, in indolent vision Of health
and beauty, or the strained vision ofsart and
labor. The eyes are as bold as liens, rowing,
running, leapingi here and there, far and
near. They speak all languages. They wait
for no introduction. They are no English
men-ask no leave or age or rank; they re-
spect neither poverty. nor riches, nor learn
ing. nor power, nor virtue, nor sex, bnt in
trude and go again, and go through and
through you in n moment of time. What in
undation of life and thought are discharged
from one soul into another through them !
The glance is naturel magic--a mysterious
between two entire strangers-and moves all
the springs of wonder. Communication by
the glance is, in the greatest part, not SUBJ
ject to the control of the will. 1t is the bod
lily symbol of indentity in nature. We look
into the eyes to know if this or the other form
another self. The eyes will not lie, but they
make faithful confession of what inha abitant
Is there. The angels that inhabit this tenn
porary human form show themselves at the
door, and the imps and demons also. The
revelations are sometimes terrific. The con,
fession of a low, usurping devil is there made.
The observer will seem to feel the presence
OF horns and hoofs, where he looked for inno-
cence and simplicity. 1t is remarkable that
the spirit which appears atthe windows of the
house, at once invests itself in new form of
its own, to the mind of the beholder. Eyes
contain in their language as much as the
tongue, with the advantage that the occular
dialect is understood all the world over.
The language of the eye is very hard to
counterfeit. You can read in the eyes Of
your companion, while you talk, whether
your argument hits him, though his tongue
will not confess it. There is a look by which
man shows he is going to say good thing,
and a look when he has said it. Vain and
forgotten are all the fine Offices of hospitality,
II there be no Holiday in the eye. How many
turtlve Invitations are avowed by the eye,
though dissembled by the lips. A man comes
away from a company; he has heard no i'm
portant remark, but if in sympathy with the
society, he is innocent of the fact of such a
stream Of life as has been flowing to him
through the eye. There are eyes which give
no more admission into them than blue ber-
les. Others are liquid, and deep wells that
men might fall into. And others are oppres-
sive and devouring, and take too much no.
tice. There are asking eyes, ard assuring
eyes, and prowling eyes, and eyes full of
faith-some of good, and some of sinister
omen,