The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-12-20
ALL ABOUT NOSES.
The Nose as a Measure Of Mental
Capacity.


Avolume Of magazine papers by the
late Frederick Cozzens has just been IS
sued under title 1.-THE Sayings of DR..
Bushwhacker and other Learned Men"
The learned Doctor once upon time
measured Tor said he meaSured) the noses
Of eminent men, and here arc few oil
his conclusions:
"All that is required to be known furth'
er Is whether, the dimensions ola nose
being given, It is possible to arrive at n
fair estimate Of the subsidiary mental
powers, If not, indeed, at q regular scale,
such Us Kepler has laid down with regard
to the planetary system. To this We I'M
swGr in the affirmative. Let lis take the
wisest Of brutcs as an Instance. -s.
1.-THE height Of the tRllest elephant in
the iungles of Africa Is ten feet and u
half, and tho length Of his prObOscis, from
the lower sutur0 of the cOrOnal bone (O'
tr0Rtis, to the tip, is exactly seven feet
and an inch. Now, II we add to the
height of the elephant his weight and cir
conference, we find the proportion Ofthe
organ to tho sum total to be exactly 10
11.OO per cent. um. II we take, rs an of.
set to this, the cOmmOneSt and most iI'
miliar geological example, viz, the pro-
portions existing between tho weight,
height, and bulk Of the hippOpOtamus,a and
the length of his nose, we find them OK
pressed in round numbers by the fractions
132.330O0. And it Is curious scientific
fact, that the mental capacities Olthe two
animals-l mean the power Of mind-the
think that is in them, when carefully
measured exhibit nearly the same figures.
II, then, guided by these astonishing re.
suits, we take up any plethoric body OF
men-say tho United States Congress, or
the State legislature, for instance-it is
very easy to determine precisely their In
tellectual value, in psychological point
Of view.
"The average ofa board OF aldermen, re-
duced to the scale of half an inch TO the
foot, exhibits so near m approximation
to the proportions Of the lesser animal
that VIC might call them the 'hippopotami,
and be accurate enough for ordinary pur-
poses.
ION the other hand, if we attend meet
ing Of strong.minded women we find q
prOdigious development OF this feature.
Strong.mindGd women have immense
noses, with some flat hats and variety
of spcctacles. Jews also Hre singularly
gifted; but we make allowance Of at least
One.third for organs OF this pattern, on ac
count of the natural hook, from the eye
brows to the tip.
I'VE once had the honor Of being in.
innate with ono Of the most profound
scholars and thinkers in Holland, who was
so long.nosed and near sighted that he
wiped out with his nose half OF what he
wrote with his pen-thereby showing n
memorable instance Of wisdom. The
average length OF fully developed, INTEL
lectual male nose, is precisely two inches
and half from the indention between the
eyes to the extreme end Of the cartilage.
"Washington's nose wOs2s inches; but
the Presidential average has, so far, been
what We have stated Gbove-JefEcrsOn,
tor example, representing the longs, and
Fillmore the shorts. Wellington and Ma
poleon differ only the sixteenth ofan inch,
both being above the average; Lord
Brougham, who Is on encyclopedia Of
general information, follows feature u
three inches in length tho average nose
of the Century Club is 2 DIG; ThackG-
rays nose is 2s-prccisely the length oil
the nose of the Father Of his country
President Johpson's is 9 ZIG; Irving's,
2 7-12; Bryant's, 2 Gil; Dickens, "a;
Durand's, 3 7-13, General SCOTS, 3 $40;
LongEellow's, 3 Gil; General Sherman's,
81; NIacauley's, 2 so; Farraguts, p;
Commodore Wise's, l 7-19; Tennyson's
2 Al; HOfTman's, 2 7.13; the average
nose Of this city is /; in Phil
adelphia, II; McClellHn's is 2 8.12; Yer
plank's, "a; Bayard TaylOrs, 2 Gil; We
shall have Fredrika Bremer's by next
steamer; tho nose of the Academy Of De.
sign, 9 so; Browning's 2 so; Miss Mu.
lock has very respectable feature for n
woman, being q; jean Ingelow, "a; Bon.
ner's, 81; Stewards, nearly 3 inches, and
our own snubs
I'm making our measurement we have
had the greatest difficulties to encounter,
by reason oil the foolish desire Of many to
DO represented as measuring more
than they arc entitled to. But rs we
know by experience how often scientific
data are put aside as worthy Of no credit,
because of few trihing defects or
errors, we have been guided only by our
instruments. We know II is very hard to
refuse q sixteenth Of IN inch, when II Is
asked by q friend as particular favor,
but, nevertheless, our reflections must be
accurate and reliable. or else they will be
Justly condemned. In pursuance Of our
theory VIC have engaged Mr.. Pike, the
eminent mathematical instrument maker,
to construct FOR us nOsomCtGr, Of the
greatest capacity, and will, from time to
time, furnish our readers with the results
of observations taken Herewith"