Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1888-08-10
The Windows 81; 81 The souI.

Some poetical gentleman has called
the eve "the window Of the soul, and
at all times and among nearly all peo-
pie il is regarded az the great feature
of expression; that is, by persons who
are neither amateurs in nor professors
Of that quasi science, physiognomy.
These gentlemen devote their time and
treatises as much to the nose as to tho
eyes, propounding rules or characters
deduced from the wrinkles of the fore
head and warts on the cheek, the sig
MITIGATION of the chin, the index of the
mouth and a score of other diversities
of feature.
First, as to the eyes as q feature in
national physiognomy. Lavater, when
discussing this question, gives the fol-
lowing as the result of his observations
That the Italians have small eyes; the
Germans light-colored eyes, surrounded
with many wrinkles; the English
strong, open, liberal and steadfast eyes,
and the Swiss dull eyes.
The Laplanders, according TO Button,
have narrow eyes, the pupils of yell
low brown, inclining to a black, and the
eyelids retiring toward the temple. The
eyes of the Tartars, he says, are small
and sunken, eyebrows large, covering
the ewes. and the eyelids thick. The
eyes of the Chinese are small, their
eyebrows large and the eyelids raised.
The New Hollander has a dull, black
eye, thick eyebrows and eyelids half
shut-a habit acquired in infancy to
preserve the eyes from the gnats. To
the Spaniards Button gives good eyes, ="
to the Cloths blue eyes, and to the Fin
landers heavy lids and the iris of
deep yellow.
WincFelmann holds the opinion that
the shape and color of the eyes are very
largely the result of climate and other
direct conditions. Thus, he says, the
small, half-closed, blinking eyes of the
Esquimaux are due to natures attempt
TO preserve the sight from the dry, cold
air and the effusion of light from the
snow amidst which they live. The small
eyes of all the distant and northern
nations, he says in another place, are
in consequence of the imperfection of
their growth. 1t is upon the authority
of philosophic writer named De Paw
that the Peruvian has an eye the apple
of which is black and the white not
very clear.
Eyes have always been regarded as
/ tribal indications, Tacltus, for example,
describes the Germans as fierce, with
blue ewes and red hair. The Celts are
described as swarthy and dark-eyed,
the Gauls are red haired and light-eyed,
while the Nubians and Egyptians have
always been spoken of as dark eyed.
| These characteristics have not appar-
emily changed, and it may be said
roundly that the people of the temper
ate zone have generally light-coiored
eyes, while these of the extreme zones
are dark.
OF the races, the only one that can
be said to be light-eyed is the Caucus
ian, aud even this race is by no means
uniform rs to color in its eyes. The en-
tire human history goes to prove that
the light haired blue-eyed races are
capable of the highest degree of civiliz-
alton but it does not by any means
prove that the highest degree of civiliz-
alton is confined to the blonde races.
There was period when blueeyed per
sons were rarely seen, and to-day seven
eighths of the words inhabitants have
dark eyes. Not only is the majority
on the side of the dark-eyed, but stats
tics would seem to indicate that that
majority is increasing. In a paper read
some time ago before the Swedish. An
thropological Society it was stated that
brown eyes were becoming more com
mon in Switzerland North Germany
Belgium and Sweden, and that out Of
every one hundred set of light-eyed
parents fifty-six per cent of the chill
dren had dark eyes. San Francisco
! IL,,o,;nIo