National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-07
ON FACES.


Lavater, think it Is, says q writer in the
Victoria Magazine, who requires all right-mind-
ed persons to have what he terms s'homogene-
Gus faces" every feature and trait and curve
in harmony with all the rest, and all leading
up to the same meaning. In sincere faces, all
the changing features do so; but it is difficult
to see why, when we take the permanent fea-
lures, these should be good faces; it is essential
to beauty, no doubt; but if the face be an evil
one its character will hardly be mended by
having no opposing trait, no redeeming feature
left. The greater Napoleon had a homogene-
Gus face, and certainly all the madonnas have
But so also Tito's must have been, and If any
one has good picture of Mephistohsles, 1 fancy
It will be the same throughout. Indeed one
would think that these people must be wholly
good or wholly bad, only that there are none
such in the world. The people we call single
hearted are likely to have homogeneous faces,
so are the simple and the vigorous. II their
circumstances suit them, they will be we'll con-
tent; but you sometimes find them at war with
all their surroundings, and then they are alto
gether unhappy-no part of their nature is at
rest. These, too, are the people who can be
killed by grief. The ordinary photographs Of
Keble, the prints of Pope Plus WI, Rousseau,
and Watts give Us unhomogsneous faces.
II, then, incongruous faces are not the hand
soonest, nor the most lo7eable, nor the opposite
thing, they are generally the most difficult to
understand and the most In need of being I'M
derstood. Probably their. owners don't under
stand themselves. When one sees one set Of
features contradicting the other, the whole
face tells US of an inward conflict, completely
of character that must be always troublesome
to the man himself, and often very inconven-
lent to his friends. And not only are these the
most in need Of being understood, but as it is
ever the struggle that pleases Us, they are also
the most interesting 60 study. Generally the
incongruity consists, think. in the mouth and
chin falling to support the upper part of the
face; and then the meaning Of 1t is most fire.
quently that the mans nature Is better than
his requirements, not being duly supported by
his energy. Now It Is wonderful how far more
common good foreheads and eyes are among US
than good mouths and chins. This Is evident
from the fact that we meet so many more
grand-looking men now they have readopted
their boards than we used 10 do; for there can
be no doubt that when 9 man has a good
mouth and firm chin he loses greatly in looks
by concealin~ these in his beard.
And this = very gratifying fact-not that
Of the boards, but that about good upper faces
being 90 much the more common. For our
next rule 10: "0bserVe the forehead to dis
cover what G man Is BY nature, or what he
may become according to his nature and the
motionless closed mouth when you would
know what he actually Is, or has become BY
habit" The upper face, the head, brow, and
eyes express the intelligence and nature Of the
man the lower part, the mouth and chin, give
ms the measure Of his resolution and strength,
his practical or acquired ability, and the tenn
Der which he himself, or his circumstances
NAV have formed In him. The movable fea-
lures which chiefly (not wholly give US the
passing changes of thought and feeling, are
the mouth and nostrils on the one par, the eyes,
eyelids, and brow on the other. In polished
society the expression Of the eyebrows and
the mouth are voluntary, except IN moments
Of selfforgetfulncss or rest, and then the lips
take the form Of the governing or habituaI dis