The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-12-02
THE EYES.

vi all the features the eyes are the most
expressive, at least the most capable of ex-
pressing any kind Of emotion if it be real
But when we come to classify eyes accord
ing to their shape or color etc, and to lay
down rules as to what these indicate, we
feel ourselves, comparatively speaking, cir
cumscribed. Still there are a few general
rules which may be laid down on this sub
iect. About the shape of the eye we can
not say much, because that is for the most
tolerably uniform, nor are we aware of any
particular Indications afforded by such vari
have noticed, 1. e., that very round eyes
generally express dizziness, heaviness, and
want of character, like those of the bird
they so much resemble. A prominent pa
pill is said generally to produce short sight
which is often accompanied by talent
for acquiring languages that we can not
help thinking there must be some conncc-
ton between the two. Phrenoogists ac-
count for this by saying that the organ of
language pushes the pupil forward. This
may usually be the case, but it does not
always produce this effect (or if it does
then it must follow that IA prominent pupil
does not necessarily indicate short-sightl,
for we have known two persons whose tai
ent for languages was most remarkable, but
whose sight was not, as far as we could
Judge, short. Eyes which are situated very
f,r in, IL E,
certain amount of deficiency of intellect;
what the opposite fault denotes we can not
exactly say. Eyes which can never look
you straight in the face generally indicate
want of straight forwardness. and create an
unconscious feeling of mistrust in those
who look at them, which, like the rattle
snake, serves as sort of prov idential warn
ing, telling us that danger is near. We
allow that similar effect may be produced
by shyuess, but in that case it is not un-
likely to wear off on closer acquaintance:
in the other case it never wears off Eyes
which possess the opposite characteristic of
ths-i e., that of looking you steadfasly
in the face without tiinching-are seldom,
perhaps never, found in persons of an art
full, underhand disposition.
steadfast gaze, if it be not as it some
times is an uumeanng stare, or mere
wistful look like that of "a dog expecting
food, but of a searching, penetrating char
acteT, will be generally found to imply a
great power of influencing, or. perhaps we
-, h,+
iced, is said to he the power of a concen-
trated gaze that we have been told there is
no animal, however ferocious, which might
not be kept in check by any one who had
courage to look him steadfaSlly in the face.
though, as few could trust their own hearts
were they to encounter a wild beast, it
would be a tempting of Providence to try
the experiment, the more SO as moments
failure OF courage might be fatal. We
once saw Van Amburgh, the celebrated
lion.tamer, in den of wild beasts, but his
eyes did not exhibit that fixed gaze which
we have noticed as being SO powerful in its
effects on the human race: the balls seemed
to be in a state of perpetual motion, such
as had we not seen 1t, we should nave
thought the human eye incapable of sus
tanning, where there was no motion of head,
and which he resorted to because he was
obliged to encounter many ferociouS
beasts at the same time, SO that it would
not have been safe for him to remove his
gaze from one of them for one than \ sin
Gle moment.
1t would be needless and indeed nearly
impossible, to go through all the phases of
feeling, all the various emotions, which dis
play themselves in the eye, or all the states
IF mind which it indicates, for there is
nothing in human nature which it can not
picture; but great many of these ind ca
tious though they may easily be recog,
nized, can not be described, nor can We
lay down rules for their discovery: for they
do not belong to any particular class of
eyes.