Smyrna times., 1869-06-30
The Depth of Beauty.

Personal beauty is not thing of slight sig Ii
and its varieties are almost infinite. n
We associate beauty with the form, with t,
the manners, with the gait, with the mien, y
but chiefly with the expression of the coun- il
tenance. A person of shallow taste, who C
sees only the lilies and the roses of the complex
ion, the color of the eye and hair, and the Y
regularity of the features, will find beauty in Q
the mechanical face of human doll. With y
one man, beauty is an expression of sweet G
ness; with another, of timid gentleness; with
third, of innocence; and with still another, of
roguish archness, or lottiness, or thoughtful
ness. But whatever may be the character of I
the beauty that strikes or holds us, all thought
full paople will agree that the main element, if
not the substance, of facial beauty is express
sion.
But we write as though personal beauty
could only be predicated of women. Not SO.
Beauty may adorn strength as we'll as delicacy.
A man, indeed, cannot Justly be called pretty
without being also petty; and many uneducated
people, understanding beautiful and pretty to
mean the same thing, are shocked to hear beau
ty ascribed to a noble-looking man. But even
these persons would not object to the associa-
ton of the word with mans mental qualities. |
| His fancy or his character might be beautiful, |
though he himself might not. But as tree,
with all the roughness of its bark, and all the |
|
be beautiful; so may man, Notwithstanding
his ruggedness as compared with woman. Was
there not beauty in the great brow and magnih-
cent look of Webster, as of mountain inspir-
ed with intelligence? Is there nothing beauti-
full in the almost celestial face of John Fletch-
er as the canvass has transmitted it to our
times2 Yes, notwithstanding the coarse, hard
beard, the over jutting, shaggy brows, the close.
ly-cropped hair, and the great promontory Of a
nose. The same graces, the same sweetness,
the same mysteries of love, sincerity and sim
plicity, so often seen in woman face, are quite
as clearly seen in mans; in his they are manly,
as in hers they are wOmanly. That mysterious
/ something we call expression belongs to neith-
er sex exclusively, but to the face of humanity,
and beauty selects its home with either sex,
according to its fancy.
al If the beauty of the human face lies almost
wholly in expression, what degrading adage
is that which speaks of it as " only skin deepl
3 Why, this is not even true OF picture. The
Z beauty Of the portrait is indeed expressed in
collocaton of cOors, but is it no deeper than the
E; pigment? Is it not as deep as the soul Of the
artist? And if the artist be true painter, it is
not as deep the soul of the man who sat for it?
4 Docs it not reveal the qualities of his mind and
| heart? While you look on it you see, not the
i picture merely, but the man; and it you flood
it with lampblack, you only mar the matter of
T. the picture expression is historic reality,
quite lndeStructlble.
IS This becomes still clearer and much more
" striking when we drop the picture and como to
Ie the living person. Is beauty only skin deep
Il in the faces which are seen through the glass
!, es of affection2 Far from it. The skin may
a wrinkle, the checks fade and sink, the brow
a. corrugate, the nose sharpen, the hair whiten
rs and with all this change the old expression OF
a wisdom, purity, sweetness, generosity, frank
ID ness or courage may still retain its place, anC
d "lover and friend may be almost unconscious
OF any change whatever. The great matter
g. the sum of all beauty the look and quality o
~ the soul, is still the same. And even wher
st friends have been long separated, and have come
ID together again only after time has wrought
in great b pdily changes, the power, the Immortal
is ity of expression vindicates ITSELF At the iirs
es gaze the effect of years strikes us, and we say
h. "Ilow alteredl" We are shocked, almost stun
h. ned, but when the features are lighted up b.
or discourse, and the allrevealing smile agai
d. darts its ray across the cOuntenance, we breal
SO out with Waldegrave:
n ain each dear face
=; The changing hand of time may not blame.
" For there 1t hath but wrought reverend grace
w Aud hue OF beauty perfected the frame
we "And well know your hearts still the same,
et They could change-ye look the way
m As when n n orphan first to you came"
We To saw that personal beauty is only skin dee
IL is to deny the profound connection and symp'
lot thy between the soul and the body-that tn
an- body exists for the purpose of exteriorizng tt
un mind, whether in word or work, In art or SC
he encs. 1t is to say, when the gilt has been woI
ool from the cover Of Milton, and the leaves hay
become dog cared finsy and yellow, that i
The beauty is gone. But the best books are Il
by most used and the worst worn. SO 1t is wit
the the best people. The keen sword cuts quick
$ a through the frail scabbar1i the powerful so
one abounding in beautiful action, shakes it's te
I'M to its very fastenings,, but all the while
be- peers out through Its thin covering. 1neee
inc the soul is ever young; the expression is
ire portrait while rag of the canvass remain
ed, -Methodtst.
ing ar n ~. w.Ilor hoe heen made Il
two MrS. " HAaly -: - 1nbuoo Uoroj