Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-09-20
THE ART OF TEARS.
HOW Laughing and Crying Destroy or
Develop Beauty.
From the Home Journal

From the Home Journal.
The approach of age shows itself
about the eyes. Lines come family
at first, then deeper and deeper, until
the lncIplent crows feet are indicated.
developed, revealed. The woman
who, looking in her glass, perceives
these fatal lines diverging from the
outer corner of the eyes, knows that
she has reached an era in herlife. She
recognizes it with a sigh if she be a
vain, a lovely or a worldly woman ::
with a smile perhaps, if she has chill
dren III whom she can live her youth
over again. But it can never be a
gay smile. None of us men or wom-
en- like to see your-that precious pos
sesslon-slipping away from us. But
we should never be on the lookout for
crows feet or gray hairs. Looking
for them is sure to bring them; for
thinking about them brings them.
Tears form part of the language of
the eyes, which is eloquent enough
when sparingly used and which should
be sparingly used for other reasons
than that of adding to their mute elo-
quence. Tears are disfguring ex-
preston of emotion, and those who
get into the habit of weeping over ev-
cry small veXation, do much toward
acquiring a careworn, miserable ex-
preston, and are sure to look old be-
fore their time. Excessive weeping
has been known not only to injure,
but actually to destroy the sight. Few
women look pretty or even interesting
IN tears, though it has been a pleas
ant fiction In poetry and romance to
suppose they do. Many women, some
men and most children make most
disfiguring and distorting grimaces
while crying, and the lady who
thinks that she can work upon a mans
feelings by a liberal supply of tears,
| should carefully study a becoming
mode of producing them before her
looking glass. Grimaces soften no
hearts, and tears accompanied by the
! usual distortions have a hardening
effect, if not visible one. In a pret-
tily written book, now probably out
of print, purporting to be the story of
the life of one of MiltOn's wives, the
author makes thatpoet say Of his wife's
eyes after crying, that they resembled
the suns clear shining after rain"-
q very pretty natural object indeed
but during the rain itself the observ-
er is not inclined to be so compliment
tary.
Grimaces of a somewhat similar
order are frequently made during
the action of laughter. Care should
always be taken with children to pre-
vent their falling into this habit. It
frequently reaches to such a pitch as
to render the laughter positively un-
slightly. The face is distorted and out
of drawing, the eyes disappear and
the lips are drawn up, revealing half
an inch of pale pink gums. This
popularity sometimes runs in families,
partly from unconscious imitation. I
know one family whose grimaces
during laughter are most ludicrously
alike. When they are all assembled
at the dinner table, and a joke goes
round, there is not a single eye left in
the family. Much, if not all, of this
could be prevented by due care in
childhood. The laugh can be cult
waited quite as much as the voice.
Actresses take lessons in laughing,
with occasionally very charming re
suits. [ do not, however, advise that
such teaching should begin in early
childhood, less it might destroy spon-
taneity, but [ very strongly recon-
mend mothers to check a disposition
to make grimaces during their chill
dren's indulgence of mirth.