Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-02-13
ONES NOSE.
A chapter on she suggestiveness of
Smells.

Wv NRHRaAttt 'AN RCAhtNf 49," 49,
broad, the ar~istocratic, the plebeian, the
impertiLent and the subdued. A very
clever writer, R. S. Wild, of England,
has written a work on the Physics and
Philosophy ofthe Senses, in which work
can be found more about noses than in
any heretofore written. 1t may be asked
OF WHAT USE IS THE NosE2
and It may be answered just as Mr.. Wild
answers it: The great practical OBJ.
ject OF the sense Of smell is, doubtless,
in man as in other animals, to assist in
the choice Of food. In this it acts pre-.
liminary TO the organ Of taste; and there
exists a natural sympathy between the
two organs. Besides this practical EN-.
ployment Of the sense, it affords to man
a refined, and delicate. and not over
obtrusive enjoyment; silently, and per-
haps unobserved, enabling him to stamp
an additional character Of sweetness
upon what is lovely in form and color;
and. fortunately, the beautiful in scenery
is generally allied with what pleases and
grati6es this sense. The mountains Of
Switzerland we associate with the flavor
which the sun exhales from her pine
forests. The banks of Tweed's 'silvery
stream, glittering in the sunny beam,
are ever in our minds seasoned with the
odor of the whin blossom, among which,
in boyhood, we searched for the
%linnets nest. A single puff Of peatreek
will make the mar Of business, immured
in his counting-house, stop his pen that
he may muse on the seclusion of the
Highland glen. Many persons find the
suggestive powers Of doors greatly supe-
rior to those even of vision; the reason
may be, that whereas vision at once
reveals its object and in the act satisfies
our intelligence, the sensation of scent
is generally anticipative, the mind is for
a time in a position Of suspense, dwell.
ing on the sensation, and busted predict
ing the cause; the impression thus be-.
comes vivid and indelible. Thus every
country and every large city we visit
has its Distinct SAVIOR, woven with its
other wonders into The mind, and which,
like a mysterious and invisible genius,
hoyers over it. The coal smoke Of
London fills the n%ostrils Of the visitor,
and never leaves them the damp, greasy
favor Of the narrow streets Of Paris,
the turfy smell OF Holland and the putrid
e~fluvia Of Constantinople give a smack
and character to each place which is
not easily forgotten"
The nose is an exception to all the
other salient objects Of tbe face, and is
eften an
OBJECT AND sUBgEcT OF NERRIMENT.
How does it arise that the nose, Of
all the organs Of the body, eXcites in our
minds the sense OF the lndicrousY ANY
imperfeciion or malformation, or any
misfortune Detailing it, is Immediately
laid hold Of as a subject Of merriment.
The eyes are the constant object Of
~pansgyric; the mouth, the lips, are
almost equal tavoritesi the praises OF the
nose have not yet heen sung, except in
Hudibrastic measure. Il It the promi-
nence and pretension Of its station that
draws this ridicule upon III The ear
turks among the folds Of the hair, listen.
ing in secret. and escapes comment; but
the organ Of smell, whose office is con.
sidered by many as Of a quis quis nature,
stands boldly forward in the van Of the
organs Of sense, although Of all Of them
it is the most helpless and vulnerable.
Does this circumstance draw upon it the
wit with which it Is universally assailed 2
II it is straight and commanding we
accord a seeming homage to it, so long
as it escapes accidents; but this is a fell
city rare and impossible. Accidents will
occur, and no sooner does an unfortunate
bit Gene than it is Immediately made
apparent how feeble a hold it possesses
on our reverence. The whole philosophy
Of the ludicrous is involved in difficulty,
which it requires the metaphysician to
%unravel. That Mephistophiles should
chuckle at the mishaps Of mortals and
at the grotesque and awkward attitudes
in which they are occasionally thrown.
is not unnatural but that the best and
grayest Of men should enjoy a joke al
the innocent defects Of humanity Is moi
easily explained. Does it arise from 0
feeling Of the incongruous and an appre
hension that the spirit Of man is but un
worthily housed in Aesh-the cogitative
philosopher cribbed up in the body, and
struggling against the disadvantages Of
his situation2 This may help TO account
for it; but as a Kantist would SLY, WI
could not laugh unless we had within vi
a laughing nature; and why, according
to the law Of our being, we should b.
destined to laugh, and what the bidder
link which SO closely connects this pecu
liar member Of the body with the hu
morous faculty, is an enigma.
AmusemeDts.
MEMPHIs THEArER.-The theater wa!