Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-01-25
TELL TALE poueLe cHiNs.
What They Are Said to signify TO the
Reader Of Character.

Reader Of Character.
The great justification of the double
chin rests, Of course. on its unrivaled
value as an index of character-and
such n charactcrl II is really natures
patent of nobility. This was long ago
discerned by the great master Of ply
uiognomy. IL is not difficult TO define
what Lavater thought OF a double chin.
He carefully points out that man diff
fors from the animals chiefly by his
chin, laying il down as an axiom that
the chin is the distinctive character
istic of humanity; consequently, dou-
bic chlnned people are doubly diff
ferentiated, from the beasts that perish,
which is greatly to their credit. He
expressly takes for his model Of 1.-The
thinker. full Of sagacity and penetra-
ton" a man with a flash double chin,
coupled with IA nose rounded at the
end. The portrait he gives is even
better than the letter press, us the gen.
tleman is limned with at least five
chins, so hat his lower jaw is a vista
Of magnificent distances, like Wash
ington.
This happy physiogonomy Of the
double chin. coupled with the round
ed nose, characterizes. he tells us, the
mind which a rise 10 heights, and
which follows its designs with reflect
ing 6rmness. unalioyed by obstinacy.
Let, therefore. those with double chins
rejoice, whether they possess rounded
noses or not, and quote avater in
gratitude. He gives again another
example Of the double mention, and
the face so endowed. he says enthu-
siastically, is Reasons own image.
He quite revels in this feature. He
takes an example of Raphael, with a
beautifully rounded double chin, and
in criticising il he acknowledges that
the profile is wanting in truth, har-
Imony and grace; but then. asks he,
how is il it so strongly takes captive
our s~ympathyl
Where lies the illusioni Merely in
the chin, he answers, and, as the chin
rs q double one, the matter is no longer
a mystery. He POINTS triumphantly
TO Cicero's magnificent double chin,
and, in a burst If e~loquence, says of
Wren'ss that, il you can end a man
with (among other things such a chin
as that, without being gifted with
some extraordinary talent, he renoun-
ces forever the science Of physiog-
nomy. What Lavater has thus laid
down experience amply corroborates.
The double chinned, therefore, should
hold their heads up higher, in the con-
sciousness Of modest merit, and give
free play and just prominence TO their
certificates Of character.
Il is, as limited above, rather diff
cult at present TO tell who is endowed
and who is not. Portrait painters are
raven enough to dissimulate a double
chin; they leave it 10 the caricaturist,
who seems 10 think il great fun for q
popular statesman or poet 10 have
TO have two chins, whereas these APP
pendagcs are the secret OF their sue
cess. Some of our more observant
writers have got a glimpse of the
truth. Mr.. Wilkie Collins, for instance.
He very properly credits Count Fosco,
the man OF daring, resource and de
termination, with a double chin, TO
which Fosco's pet cockatoo calls pub
Lie attention by rubbing his head
against il in the most appreciative
manner possible. But your ordinary
novelist would never have thought of
that. As an Englishman, by the way,
one naturally turns to Shakespeare to
zee whether his appearance corrobor-
ates Lavater's views. Shakespeare I'M
doubtedly foresaw the point, as he
foresaw everything else, but he was
sufficiently artful 10 wear just enough
beard 10 place il in eternal doubt
whether he had a double chin or not
Thus he leaves il open TO all parties,
single chinned or double, TO quote him
as AN instance Of anything they like,
which. after all, il the great use which
Shakespeare has always been put to-
London Standard.