Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1871-05-11
Ugliness and its Preyentiyes.

OkIIutsS anu IEtNe1IlNeSs
How strange that, while our internal
mechanism and organization are so per-
feet, perfect symmetry in the outer man
should be SO rare-that there should be so
many plain people in the worldl Such is
the not unreasonable lament of a refined
taste, looking abroad for the qualification
OF its love for beauty and fair proportion,
and finding such rare and scanty indul-
gence OF the heaven-born longing. 1t is a
truth that most OF the people we meet in
the streets and highways are plain. We
have different standard for our home
friends, for relations and intimates, but
out of doors it is an exception to meet a
comely, nobly-formed, handsome man or
woman. 1t is surprise when we do meet
with such. So unusual, indeed, is it to
meet with perfect, or anything like ap-
proaching to perfect symmetry, that one
of the attendants on beauty is surprise
We gaze upon something rare, unaccus-
toned, startling from its singularity The
universally of this fact, stated broadly, is
fortunate for those among us who cannot
boast of anything typical or godlike in
face or form. There are enough plain peo-
ple-ordinary, some persons call it, to show
how universal is the doom-tO keep us in
countenance. 1t would be dreadful to be the
only ugly fellow in the world. But, even as
1t is, 1t cannot but be annoying to men
and especially to women-whose place, or
works, or deeds give them prominence,
not to be better worth looking at, to be so
little good-looking, as sooth to say, they
often are. What do you think when SO
many people come to see you ?" Miss Bre-
mer was asked by her American adorers.
al wish that was handsomer,n was her
reply. "When all things are blossoming,"
writes a woman of snowy, conspicuous
genius, 1T seems strange not to blossom,
too; man is the slowest aloe, and | am
such shabby plant, of such coarse tissue
hate not to be beautiful when all around
is So" Who can tell how much Gold
smiths ugliness, which made him butt
in childhood, was at the bottom of the
restless, unsatisfied vanity of which so
much is written. With men, however, the
Consciousness of ugliness has constantly
acted as an intellectual stimulus. Because
Richard Ill. was rudely stamped, wanting
loves majesty, he shaped out great un-
scrupulOus career for himself; and Mira
beau and Wilkes might, perhaps, not have
made so public figure if they had been
less conspicuously ill-favored But the
draught was probably bitter all the same.
The most successful jester on his own ill
looks finds the fun very flat in his solitary
hours, but consciousness makes him rest
less; and when it is hopeless to pass un-
noticed, his best expedient is TO be pleas
ant upon himself.
| These people are ugly because they can
not help it, but we have been led to our
subject by the reflection how much of the
| depressing ugliness of the world is of
mans own making, and need not be if
people did not fall into tricks and bad
habits of feature and countenance. We
are not going deep, we are not entering
into the question how far the principle of
selection might improve the aspect of hu-
manity how high thought might elevate,
the practice of virtue beautify, immunity
from poverty and vulgar cares ennoble the
race. What we note here is the universally
of tricks and bad habits of countenance
which need not have a worse source than
neglect of Appearances, inducing an aggre-
gate of uncomeliness for which nature is
not accountable. In keen wind and
frost people cannot command their best
looks but observe one face after another
as we drive along the road on a summers
day. How many faces are twisted into a
permanence of i'll looks merely by screwing
up the eyes against the suns raysl The
poor tramp cannot help the tan, nor the
SUM- burnt hair, nor the freckles, but the
utter abandonment of the screw-nose
|
natural coalition for miles at a tine-im.
plies an absence of self-respect; and this
he could help. 1t is the instinct of the
observer to call himself to account on
meeting one of these masks-to compose
his features, lest he should have to give
way to the degrading yet natural tempta
ton. Again, that too common downward
look and heavy mouth is a trick. One
would not like to pass the scowling navy
in an unfrequented lane; but the fellow j!
honest and hard-working; the scowl is bu
trick acquired behind his wheelbarrow
So is the grin which confers such a pc
culiar torpitude on many a countenance
for which heart and brain are by no mean
answerable And the women of tn
poorer classes in streets and railwa,
stations, what lowering brows, what aban
donment of mouth, till il has grown 4
twice the size civilization would have KEEP
il. What seams and wrinkles and erin
kles; what misplaced angles and corners
If some invisible hand could smooth then
all away, and show us only the natura
, wear and tear of time, what transforms
ton.
But, after all, active tricks belong rathe
to another class. There is the simpel
which, though sometimes indicative @
mental qualities, may be only a habit O
| lnC VI
ton, the unmeaning elevation of tn
eyebrows carrying the ears along wit
them, which strangely varies the repos
n of some physiognomies, the stare of aDser
J., eyes, the scowl of near-sightedness, th
, winks and twitches of restlessness, all in
> dicating a certain carelessness, and indi
, ference of what others think of us, whic
d results in an injustice to nature. 1t
only in some occult way that they al
e characteristics they need not be, an
man would have been handsomer veithoI
them. And how many tricks disfigure II
d lauphl "You shall see him laugh till hi
<. face be like wet cloak ill laid up" sa.
II Falstaff of Prince Hal-a selfabando
~ ment which he acquired in company whe
selfrestraint of any sort was least in b
thoughts.
7e And tricks are Objectionable, not on
lie becase they spoil a good face and exagge
lg ate the worst points on a bad one, but b
's cause in their degree they outrage prop
10 ETY.. De Quincy, who expiates on Il
meanness of DIR. PARIS personal appes
e ance, and his coarse and ignoble feature
ne is careful to explain first, that "I tn
IL write this paper have myself mean pc
IN sonal appearance" and next, that I" 10
9 men of mean appearance !" but he remarl
!, how this original unkindness of natu
Is enndnCeu Dy grlIndct, anu luItucI
d, the basalisk functions of the eye" illJ
ef trating this by the trial it was to a nervo
ce preacher to see a comical looking old mi
a from below leveling one eye at hi
Tricks arise from absence, shyness or a
all sence of superiority and indifference
the opinion of the vulgar. Biography
as full of the absurd personal habits of gre
TO men thus lifted out of the sphere of he
or est remonstrance.
As a fact, the tricks we speak of are
corded mostly of persons who have
TIA beauty to spare. Thus, Margaret Full
y, the American muse, is described as of e
treme plainness, and with trick of inc
ial sanity opening and shutting her cyclic
= No doubt the consciousness of the go
- looks, the memory of the image reflect
ni- in the morning mirror, is a preservati
against distortion and grimace; VIII
plain folks may throw themselves up
| a Co. off ha 20