Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-01-20
A STIFF UPPER LIP.

hand to turn the scales when the fates of
others are in the balance; defers to him
if he have great mental gifts; admires
him for personal beauty and grace; loves
him for large ge-heartedness but it never
thoroughly respects him unless he has
shown that he knows how and when to
keep a stiff upper lip.
"Keep a stiff upper lip, old fellow'
is the parting counsel of one friend to
another, who is standing in the shadow
of some great trouble Of that sort which
causes all men to turn their eyes on the
sufferer to see how he bears it. Under
these circumstances there is not man
but instinctively knows that if he can
only perform that little facial feat sue
cessfully, his battle is more than half
won. Some men can never do it at all.
Some try, only to break down lamenta-
bly,. There are mouths and mouths
With some mouths the keeping of a stiff
upper lip is a physiological impossibility.
If you want to see the most perfect fail
ure of such an attempt, watch an impul-
sive, sensitive child whose feelings have
been wounded, but whose natural pride
instinctively suggests concealment of
the trouble. The lips begin to culver
ominously; then the eyes, in turn, show
signs of rebelling against the discipline
which is sought tc be enforced upon
countenance accustomed to be made an
index of all that goes on within. Next,
a sob forces itself up from the throat,
and brings the ready tears with it, and
the tears are the signal for an uncondi-
tional capitulation. Down goes the
treacherous under lip, and up goes the
forsaken upper lip, which cannot posi-
bly, preserve its equilibrium after the de-
fection Of its twin brother and nearest
ally. The control over the muscles of
the mouth which is necessary to the
preservation of stiff upper lip, and
which typifes frmness is only gained
after long and repeated struggles. 1t is
an important part in that unconscious
self-education which begins so early that
no one can ever exactly know when he
took his first lesson in it.
And this is why so much stress is laid
on the keeping of stiff upper lip. The
simple physiological fact implies so much
else of the gravest Importance which
lies behind it. 1t means so many things
that we can only name few of them.
1t means making up your mind to keep
it made up; not wearing your heart at
the sleeve ''for davis to pick at And
in some cases it means having so utterly
conquered impulsive feeling as to forget
altogether at least how to give way to it
1t means brave bearing up under adver
sity; and this last of its meanings is the
noblest of all. But how is it done
that is, the facial part of the process
The jaws are brought firmly together
the front teeth overlapping each othe
and the lips pressed together. In thi
) position you have the best possible ply
sical illustration of a stiff upper lip
1t always goes with the firmly set jaw
and you really can not have one withou
the other. AS long as you can kee]
4 your mouth in that position, you az
good for stiff upper lip. But wit
strong emotion wrestling for the master
+! and demanding outlet. it is not so cas-
: as you might think to keep the jaw
, firmly set The heart, the eyes, tn
d throat, the chest, all cry out against il
t Even the chin, the nose, and the eye
a hrows, join in the protest. In a state {
excitement they are all enemies to tn
: keeping of stiff upper lip, and if the
e can gain over the tongue to their sid
e they usually win the victory. Som
n people never keep stiff upper lips, an
the physical impossibility is typical
e the moral one. Others, again, keep the
d habitually too stiff. But these are
y the minority. More fine faces are spoi
ed by an undecided look about the mout
1T and chin, caused by never bringing tt
l. jaws firmly together, than rendered gri
'r by keeping them habitually too close
4. ocked.-Hoacard Glmdon.
The ship Golden Hind was wrecked
the west coast of Patagonia, in Jul
:, last, and IA Of the crew spent As da
- in two open boats in the Straits of M
i gellan. They were compelled by hu
ger to devour the bodies Of five of the
comrades, who died frnm privation a
49, exposure.
rk The Rev. W. c. Clark of Brooklyn,
Y, is now on trial before council
- the Methodist Episcopal church, charg
tn with gross immortality in originating
It. lottery scheme and refusing to aband
XIV it upon the order of the New York CO
ference The Police Commissioners ba
is caused an investigation to be made a
a. find that the enterprise is similar to thu
at church fairs only ON q larrer sea