The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-10-29


terlstlc of their greatness in the nose. I"
Mr.. Lavater quotes from some old au-
thor this concerning the nose: "The
nose is the seat Of derision. It wrinkles
( contemn." So you see there is a deep
| physiognOmical philosophy in the act of
| turning up your nose. In the illustra-
tions, which are very copious all through
the work, our phyisogn pronounces
fellow with long, sharp nose and a
little squeezed up mouth, " a rhymer
or wrangling lawyer" The two are
classed together physiognomically it
seems. ] don't know which it fiatters.
Come We now to the grand feature
which man possesses and other animals
don't, the chin. "The more chin, the
more man, !" is the axiom wherewith our
author begins his chapter On chins.
I" The chin is the keystone of the super
structure" Large chins are positive,
small, retreating chins are negative. A
! projecting chin is a sign of craft. ga
defOrmity in the chin is indeed much
to be dreaded" So look out for your
4 chin.
"The mouth habitualIy held open is
\ a sign of a fool" Please don't forget
! that. Our author declares profoundly
| that almost all painters have failed to
I hit the general theory of the mouth.
I But couldn't discover from anything
in the book what the general theory
\ of the mouth was, so am at sea there,
| and can't impart the valuable informa-
| ton to you. Also I couldn't find that
| the great phys, ETC., said in particu lar
what the sign was when the mouth
| turned down at the corners. So far as
have noticed a mouth turned down at
! the corners is always the mouth of a
hypochondriac and sneak. That isn't
according to Lavatar, however.
Arched eyebrows are feminine, eye
brows straight across are masculine.
Straight across eyebrows, in connection
with a nose, forehead and chin in sym
metry, and some other little points
betoken character much past common.
White eyebrows signify weakness. The
nearer the eyebrows are to the eyes the
more earnest, deep and firm the charac-
ter will be. 81 find more strength,
manhood, thought, combined with
brown eyes than with blue. +
Greenish eyes are a decisive token of
ardor, fire, courage" Lavater quotes
from Paracesius concerning gray eyes :
"Gray eyes generally denote deceit,
instability and indecision. Now, that s
a mistake, if not a whopper. GRAY
| eyed people are the best people in the
world. Among all the eyed people I
know, don't think of one who isn't
I uncommonly bright, decided and spir-
tied.
One of the most prominent character
| istics of the face of Albert Duerer our
author discovers to be fortitude. I
! should think the poor man needed it, in
| view of those traditions which hand
him down to pOsterity as the most fear
fully henpecked husband of his time.
| Opposite the countenance of a man
with squint eye, and otherwise Ben
! Butlerish in looks, is tackled this de-
scriptiOn, like an explanatory label:
" Unbounded aVarice, unfeeling
wlckedDess. knavery unequaled." The
great Beniamin's spirit, in another
body, must have been on the earth in
, Lavater's time.
Our author has his sly drive, here and
there, at the famous fashionable classic
Greek profile, which people always clap
| upon breastpins and vases, and even
upon stoves, till one is sick of seeing it
around. In the usual copies of famous
| objects of Greek art, and the famous
ancient lines of beauty, Mr.. Lavater
/ finds only an expression of meanness,
I and if he "dare say &C." of vague in
sipidity. The so-ca led Greek profile
of nose and forehead in a straight line
is to the "physiognomical sensation" of
Lavater simply "insupportable. That
is the very word he uses. He finds
nothing in the least like it in all nature.
1t is simply an impossible nose and fore
head, and if it were possible, the per-
son having such a nose and forehead
would be blockishly stupid" "Can
any person having q sense of truth and
nature suppose this (the so-called Greek
profle) natural and true ?" wrathfully
exclaims the author of our three
volumes. "Depraved is that taste
! which can call this graceful -
always thought so, too, but was
afraid to say it.
Lavater on the woman question would
make an inexpressibly funny chapter, if
one had time to write it out. It has
not been quite a hundred years since
the time of Lsvater, bat this world has
moved long, long way since then. I
know now, though, where all the old
fogies and female seminary proprietors
get their cant phrases and pet express
sions about the sphere and nature of
women. They are from Lavater, every
one. It's satisfaction to know that at
last. Lavater has views" decidedly
And he states them in four lines, in pa
| renthesis, at that. He says
c'I reluctantly apply the word
! thoughtful to women. Those who have
the most un6 Outstanding think little or
not at all. They see and arrange ina
| ges, but trouble themselves little con-
| corning abstract signs. y
What in the world would women do
if they didn't always have men along
to explain emp In justice to the proph-
ct of physiognomy, however, it must be
said that he cOnfesses he is "but little
| acquainted with the female part of the
| human race" GIN my youth I avoided
women" observes he, "and never was
| in love-" don't believe it Or, if it
| is true, John CaspRr ought to be ashamed
| of himself. A man so wise that he new
er was in love is Just a little bit too wise
| for this world. 1 can forgive Mr. Lava
ter all that trash about women, though.
| on account of what he said about those
sappy Greek heads.
/ There are three hundred and sixty
| pictures in the work, mostly heads of
! people whom the author physiogno-
mics. There is not head or face in
the whole work which resembles our
American head or face. The American
! type, whatever they may be, has been
| developed entirely since the days of
Lavater. I wonder whether it is good
or bad &?
One last quotation, for a settler: ''No
| one whose person is not we'll formed
can become a good physiognomist."
! So, If you are not good looking, don't
attempt to judge peoples faces.
Corn ACclimated in England.
A|Out a hundred x,aars ac,o Tr5;o,,