The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-08-09
WHAT Is BEAUTY.
| From the Baltimore Sun. |


There are few subjects that give rise
to more differences of opinion than the
beauty OF individuals. The artists have
standards of beauty that serve well
enough for the ideal face on canvas or
for the marble statue, but these stand
ards have little application to the
human countenance as found in living
men and women. Some of the dis
agreements respecting professional
beauty arise from the TACT that some
people regard the artistic standards,
while others care little for regularity
of features, bat see beauty only in the
mobile face aud expressive eyes. A
woman may gam reputation as beauty
because of her regular features and fine
complexion. yet disappoint thousands
who 90 10 see her because her beauty
is that of the marble statue and lacks
EXPRESSION On the other hand a
woman quite homely when her features
are IN repose may by her viyacity aud
charming expression when in animAfed
conversation earn the tributes pzl4 <
her beauty. Hamlet says that sst141
is nothing either good or bad but tn
ing makes il co." and This is partfEu
larly true OF beauty. The face OF a
stranger that appears commonplace, or
even homely, may be transformed by
the power OF love into an object of
beauty. Ii is thinking makes il 80.
When the stranger becomes the friend
or lover, one looks below the surface.
The irregular features, distigured skin
or other physical faults having become
familiar to sight, pass unnOticed, but
the changing expression, the kindly
smile, the loving glance of the eye, re-
vealiug, as il seems, something OF the
sOul-these are seen, and give the i'm
pi 0 ,si, n of beauty, espCcla IL To one
| who loves in return. Aston ling dill
ferences Of opinion respecting beauty
are due TO this condition, for opinious
| are based not merely on tie form color,
etc, Of the person who is tho subject of
dispute, but upon the feelings euter-
tanned tor him or her. The stranger
Can not see the expressions that attract
the lover to his mistress. Love, Instead
| of being blind, sees that whieh TO other
| ewes is non-existent. There Is a receipt
for becoming beautiful that can trans
form irregular features as well rs inn
prove the cOnplexiun, and that is-be
good. ) much depends upon express
sion that Il is more TO be regarded than
any fleeting advantage OF foi III or color.
1t is u fact, too, that expression depends
largely upon disposition. A recent
writer OH physiogmomy lays particular
stress upon the importance OF regard
lug both the form of the lace iR repose
aud it's expression. Many of the earlier
writers on this subject attempted to
judge character by the form OF the face,
and of course failed, because the shape,
the proportions of features and similar
characteristics depend mainly upon
n bony formations having little relation
with the elements that make up char
acter. The mobile parts and the eyes
are elements controlled in large meas
ure by the feelings OF emotions. They
give expression by which character may
J be more or less accurately judged, and
hence are of more Importance than the
forms and proportions which the old
ply ysiognoinists chiefly considered.
, Good aud kindly men and women
usually have their ainiable disposition
reflected in their countenances. AS
, they grow in years the lines become
fixed. Their habitual expression is
one pleasant to look upon. Whatever
phys faults their faces may present
, are counterbalanced by expression
One can not think OF the good as per-
sonified in anything but the beautiful
> or of the bad as personifled by anything
but that which Is ugly. But in living
: men and women this beauty or uglinesi
is to be sought not so much in form o
D feature as in expression. IT it be true
as some actors have testified, that &C
= quired expressions have a reflex actor
J that when actors look gay they fee
: happy; that when they change the ex
preston 10 one OF anger their emotion
> also changes-then kindly people un
n, consciously promote their own happi
y ness by the good deeds that find ex
preston IN their faces. They promote
too, their own beauty IN the best sense
I for there is nothing more beautiful t
u one who is privileged to see it than tn
e light in loved ones eye revealing
pure ami affectionate and kindly soul