The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1869-10-22

whence comes that subtle thing
which has 30 marvclcusly ,ncorpor-
ated itself with the physical linea-
ments. 1t may be born Of trouble
"a trouble that has fastened upon
the face, and tcaseo it into beauty
as the wind makes beautiful the
snow flake. Trouble there surely
has been for there is no mystery
without sadness and the sad mys.
terry Of these faces must have been
wrought by tie vexing Of years.
There arc faces that seem wanting
in depth, albeit they are full
fraught. Such faces are falsehoods-
Yet they are false unknowingly.
They cannot speak the. mind /; the
lineaments are of the hardest mar
Bile Natures chisel has worked
dexteriously enough its part; but
life has failed to penetrate the gram
tie front. It hiss avenged its in
capacity by certain deep seams ;
but all deiicaey is wanting. Wa
miss the luminous effcct-the shin
ing of the soul behind. Such faces
come upon US rudely but nat with
the disappointment Of i@naturity.
The full fruition of divine art 10
there /; only its ccarsencss blunts
our sympathetic perception. -ct
We need not forget that to the cum
ming eye Gcd is as visible in the
rude root as in the rose. Nay, He
symbolizes his workmanship by
what is false and fair. The scowl
Of the murderer, tho greeting Of
lovers eyes are the productions Of
the same Art, each exquisitely per-
fec. in its kind. ~.- q
There arc faces that haunt the
memory where net, when encount- :.
cred, may not be recalled. They
stand out from the darkness Of night
and fade and faint along the dreams
Of sleep. You have seen them in
the street, but did not pause to
consider them at the time. There
was nothing indeed, so it seemed.
aboat them tSstartle you into at
tention. 1t is only when they re-
appear that they surprise, or alarm,
or terrify. ~,
There are facts to be encountered
all dispassionate, save in the eyes
which barn with the passions that
deny their intelligence to the face. d
When the wearers of such f3eshy
masks die, their souls escape
through their eyes. They would
ana them the only outlet With
other men the spirit might depart
as the perfume departs from the
aeYer. Tho soul seems to chafe
at'being pcnt up within such mar
row limits as the eyes. You can.
see it dilating and contracting up
on the keen retina, as one who ap~
proaches a widow to find egzssa
and retires, and returns again and
again. b.
There are faces which ali men
meet, which all men know. which
all men love. Whey they aeapRcar
unto the eye they do nsa haunt.
they soothe. They arc nintssering
faces: face which sceTaa esowne1.
like a saint. with a halo, Of light of
whose subtle irradiation the heart
is alone sensible In such faces 10
to be found no pcrsnni6oation Of the
'iarker emotions Of lifs> TLa hips
and the eyes arc genial With = ten
lerncss to which wisdom has i'm
parted the exquisite refinement Of
! faint sadness. Saeh faces caE-
not offend, either in the rejeetions
Or in their beseeshings /; either in
heir gladness when confronting
despair, or in their peaeefulness
when opposing anger. nor in their
owe when facing hate. Upon them
humanity has stamped it's fairest
impress They are not more des-
,ribable than faces which arc wierd,
'r cunning, or intellectual. or
or depraycd. But they
tho idealism al think ers
IN the Madonna. all painters Of
Charity, all dreamers Of some
'weetest achievement Of God strive
% realizs. Nor let them be held
because Of this fault
cssncss of expression or non-ex-
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