Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-08-03
TIE NOSE.

the different features as "siBus
.c,er"-laying down what he claims to oe
unmis,akable indications Of temperament
and talent. The Nose is denominafed
the "s.rong point Of the physiognom's1
I,s central position. its infinite variety OF
shapes, Its intimate connection with the
eve in holding expression, its dignity
when it is bold. its beauty when 1t Is 1ie'
clan, its valor when it is Roman It's ex.
ceeding vulgarity when it is snuo' all
combine to make its differences an excel
len, theme for speculation and happy con-
lecture, and to rescne it from the ignoo'e
reputation Of having been constructed
merely for the purpose OF smelling OF
taking snuff, and Of being tweaked by an
enemy. Mr.. Wells observes, the nose can
never be made a dissembler. Skill may
disguise the expression Of the mouth ; the
chin may be hidden by the beard; the
hat may be slouched over the eyes ; but
'the nose will stand out and make its
sign in spite Of all precautions" It is
suggested that from this point Of view
there is something dreadful in s~upposing
a knowledge of Mr.. Wells science to be
generally difused-as generally compre-
hended, for instance, as the rules Of arith-
metic. What would life be without q
little s~ecretivenesss How could the
world go on if all men were as open as
the days. II we ihad been made, as the
ancient philosopher suggested-eveIy man
with a fine bow-window in his bosom
we should have guarded, we may be sure,
against intrusion and inquisitorial glapces
by going buttoned to the chin ; but the
nose de6es any suppression Of these
involuntary revelations Of character.
It projects, a beaked ~promontory, or mes
ties between the checks like a mathemati-
cal point, without length, breadth, or
thickness. Masking would be vain ; for
the masker would be at once suspected Of
malice prepenss in his proboscis; trades
men would give orders to their clerks to
have nothing to do with customers Of a
certain nasal pattern 4; ladies would reject
their lovers, employers discharge their
servants, sick people dismiss their doctors,
and litigous people supersede their law
yers, upon discovering, after a careful
perusal Of Mr.. Wells book, some latent
iniquity, some token Of the incapacity Of
these funcsionaries. All the world would
be at loggerheads in a twelvemonth upon
the absorbing question Of noses.
Mr.. Wells divides all noses into Eve
classes-the Roman, the Greek, the Jew
ish, the Snub and the Celestial. The
Roman is executive, the Greek artistic,
the Jewish commercial, the Snub is a sign
of undevelopment (as in infants and the
Celestial Of inquisitiveness. Broad noses
are cogitative /; noses extended downward
are apprehensive; an undue extension in
the same direction indicates melancholy ;
prominent noses are combative !; and Of
these, some are defensive, some irritable,
and some aggressive. Stephen Girard had
a thick nose, and made a great deal Of
money. There is a grade Of noses for old
women who save scraps Of everything, and
another for negroes who "don't know
muffin bout it." Women generally are
deficient in noses ; but Mr.. Wells believes
that, by proper education. they may en-
large that feature indefinitely.
We must agree in the statement
that, as Americans, and proud Of
our country, and thinking it to be the
only o%mnipotent and omniscient land in
the world, we should be gratiied to learn
that we have q national nose Of our own /;
for, if we have the finest scenery upon the
face Of nature, why should we not have
the finest noses upon the faces our citi.
zens II the Greeks and Romans, and
even the Hebrews, had national noses,
Heaven forbid that we should be found
wanting in our private and peculiar pro-
tuberance! It.. is sharp. and so are we.
1t is prominent, and SO are we. 1t is
combative, and so are we. It is an eclec-
tic nose, with o little Of the Roman and a
touch Of the Grecisn-a combination, in
fact, OF all the separate beauties Of all other
noses whatsoever. Hurrah for the Amer
lean National Nosei