The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-10-23

Lung TEEN are certain signs OF weak |
ness and pusillanimity. Melancholy
persons seldom have we'll arranged,
white teeth: It's because they have
dyspepsia, Mr.. Lavater, don't you
know Finally, Whoever leaves his
teeth foul, and does not attempt to
clean them, certainly betrays much of
the negligence of his character, which
does him no honor" True as gospel !
hold the nose to be the foundation
or abutment of the brain, says our au-
thor. A beautiful nose will never be
found accompanying an ugly counte-
nance. A hooked nose usually denotes
melancholy. Sharp-nosed people are
witty. 'T The great men of France, in
my opinion, generally have the charac-
teristic of their greatness In the nose"
MIR. Lavater quotes from some old au-
thor this concerning the nose: The
nose Is the seat Of derisiop. It wrinkles
contemn." So you see there is a deep
phys1ognomical philosophy In the act of
turning up your nose. In the illustra-
tlons, which are very copiOus all through
the work, our phyisognOmist prOnOunces
a fellow with long, sharp nose and a
little squeezed up mouth, 6 a rhymer
or wrangling lawyer" The two are
! classed together physiognomically it
seems. ! don't know which il Aatters.
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
g 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
chin.
"The mouth habitually held open is
a sign OF fool" Please don't forget
! that. Our author declares profoundly
! that almost all painters have failed to
/ hit the general theory of the mouth.
| 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 1 couldn't find that
! the great phys, ETC., said in particular
| what the sign was when the mouth
| turned down at the corners. So far as
have noticed mouth turned down at
the corners is always the mouth of a
hypochendriac and sneak. That isn't
according to Lavatar, however.
! Arched eyebrows are feminine. eve
brOws straight across are masculine.
Straight across eyebrows, in connection
with nose, forehead and chin in SYM
/ merry, 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. 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
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
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 moss fear
/ fully henpecked husband of his time.
Opposite the cOuntenanoe of a man
with a squint eye, and otherwise Ben
Butlerish in looks, is tackled this de-
scription, like an explanatory label:
Unbounded avarice, unfeeling
wickedness. knavery unequaled." The
great Benjamin'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 il
around. In the usual copies of famous
objects of Greek art, and the famous
ancient lines of beauty, Mr.. Lavatel
finds only an expression of meanness
and if he "dare say Sc" 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 nose and forehead
would be blockishIy stupid" Can
any person having a 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 -
1 always thought so, too, but was
afraid to say it.
Lavater on the woman question would
make an inexpressiblv funny chapter, II
one had time to write it out. It has
not been quite a hundred years since
the time of Lavater, but this world has
1 moved long, long way since then.
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 a satisfaction to know that at
last Lavater has "views, decidedly.
And he states them in four lines, in pa
renthesis, at that. He says
("I reluctantly apply the word
thoughtful to women. Those who have
the most understanding think little or
not at all. They see and arrange ina.
ges, but trouble themselves little con-
corning abstract signs.'O
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. in my youth avoided
women, observes he, s'and I never was
in love-" I don't believe 1t Or, if IL
is true, John Caspar ought to be ashamed
of himself. A man so wise that he new
er was in love is Just little bit too wise
for this world. I can forgive Mr. Lava
ter all that trash about women, though,
on account of what he said about those
sappy Greek heads.
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