The Van Buren press., 1873-03-18
Our Noses.
Telling Mans Character by HIS Nasal
Famous Faets "a Which
IL has been Prominent
Feature.

Fsdture.
The human nose il feature capable
Of wonderful depth Of expression. IL
may, indeed be called the gnomon of the
mental dial in the human face, aud indi-
Gates what " time of day it is in the in
dividual. 1t is the handle by which one
is enabled to lay hold of his capabilities
and susccptibiliti 5, and particularly to
estimate his courage 1t Is the presiding
seat Of instinct aud sagacty. II IS here
that nature has placed the feclors OF ami
mails, from the giant prohoscis or trunk
of the elel hant to the delicate snd dimsn
ulive antenna of the fly.
Experiences has abundanuy proved
that good nasal deyclopmen, is good
thing Unfortunately it is not every man
that can boast of this physiognomic de
sideratum. Mankind may be divided in
to long noses aud short noses, but be-
tween these two extremes there is an IN
finite variety There are, indeed, noses
of fevery kind and degree, and all clearly
express some quality or condition OIL tue
moral and intellectual man.
Tae dialcLl now is to classify so nu
merous collection. There is the cogi
talive nose. the apprehensive nose tne
inouisitive nose, the combatlvc nose, the
defensive nose, the aggressive nose, the
irritable nose, the secretive nose, the con
fding nose, the acquis',lve nose, the eco
nomical nose, the toper's nose, the pugi
lists nose, the sentimental nose, and the
nose which can never look sentimental
under any proyocation. Then there Is
the tragedy nose aud the low comedy
nose, the burlesquc nose, and even the
vegetable nose. There arc noses hook.
and crooked, sharp and fat, round and
square, noses which turn up and noses
which hang down. Some noses are
merely pimples, others are carbuneies'
and while wo occasionally hear OF
double nose, some persons, unfortunate
for them. have no noses at all There
are some noses one meets with in the
street which ono can not help envying
they are so prying and pertinaeious, so
promiscnt aud important, that they ap-
psar sure to make their way IN the world
Looking at tbs organ as sign oi
mental development it might be SAID that
the Roman nose means eXecutveness,
martial courage; the Greek nose refine
ment, the Jewish nose, inquisitiveness !
aud the snub nose, undevclopment, Ihe
men with suub noses, it has been remark
ed, arc, however, rather an smlable class
Of individuals There is rich store OF
humor and drol.ery about their noses,
which causes the wearers to be much
sought after rs boon companions. They
are often cunning shavers, "feliows
or indnite Jest aud most excellent fancy
Abstractly considered, nee refrousss
is not prcpossessing Looking at the
nose Itself, we would not form high
opinion of the mental or moral qualities
Of the bearer OF such a nose, yet 1t IS an
undeniable fact that many men who nave
been born into the world with snub noses
have risen 10 great cmlnence, and IN the
race Of life have often left behind them
men with far better oncs Nay, weknow
instances in which men with most ridicu-
lous looking noses have contrived to
step over the heads Of men with large,
imposing, aristocratic Roman noses. AS
a rule. however, the long nose carries
the day.
A thin, pinched roso Is universally ad.
mittsd to he q characteristic or sordid.
self morurying aud miscrly individuals.
and is SO employed by painters, novel
lists and dramatists. A sharp, hooked,
flexible enc accompanies a propensity to
scandal The cock nosed men are busy,
busting race, remarkable for their self
conceit, their cool assurance and loquac-
ity-the kind of men that will not be "pu;
down BY vulgar clamoi, SIR" Persons
gifted with nasal expansion (vulsarly.
horse noscd) are generally individuals
fan enthusiastic temperament. A slight
dilation Of nostrils, to express triumph
/. assigned to the Apollo Belvedsre, by
the same rule, Fabulous and breathing
nostrils are given by seulptors and paint
teis to their evil demons aud titans, as
the outward sign Of arrogance and def
ance.
1t will be found that the most cxtraor-
dinary men Of every age have been DIS
tinguishcd by having extraordinary noses
beginning with the ancicn,s, Scipio Ma
slca derived his name from the promi
nent share of this feature possessed by
him; so did Ovid, surnamed Naso, on
which account Pope represents his HAT
torers pcrsuadng him that he had "a
nose like Ovid's;" Cicero's nose was dis
tinguished by a vcctll (eiter); Syllas by
a protusion Of piinples. This latter made
great figure in those days, and the
Athenians, while he was besicging them,
cut number OF jokes on il. They CON-
pared it to a mulberry drcdged over
with meal, A" as we read in Plutarchs
Life of Sylla. This joke, as many 9th
er jocose things often do, cost the inven-
tors of it very dearly when the revenge
ful dictator put his nose within the city
gates. The nose Of Cromwell was we'll
calculated to vic with that Of his Roman
prototype, il wo may credit Cleveland,
Birkonhead, and other contemporary
writer's.
CromwclI's face" says Birkenhcad,
"wears a natural tiffany, and his chin
NAV furnish rusty coat Of mail. His
nose is . comet in grain. Certainly it is
no human feature, but the emblem. OF .
mandrake And yet this basilsk would
king it. " Napoleon the First was wont
to say. Give me man with plenty OF
nosc-long nose, long head. His best
generals were, as a rule, remarkably we'll
provided in this particular. His own