The Dickinson press., 1890-12-27
STUDY IN MEMS BACKS
CHARACTER is SHOWN THERE AS
WELL AS IN THE FACE,

Backs That Ono Is Accustomed to See.
Descriptions of the Thoughtful Back.
tho Purse Proud Tacl and Othcrs.
The back Of an individual is an easy
study-the whole of him, his figure and
walk, his shoulders nodded by the habits
of his life, the carriage of the head, tho
wearing of the clothing. Face to face
we see the man as he desires to be seen;
but behind his back we take him by sur
prise, and catch sight of his character.
Follow the thoughtful man as he wan
ders through the streets, seeing nothing.
| While he walks his head and shoulders
bend; one knows that his eyes seek the
ground just as one sees his feet linger
on it. In this manner it must have been
that Macaulay walked in his famous
night wsnlerings, when he traversed
the London streets and saw nothing, a
contrast to the night walks of Charles
Dickens, who trod the same streets aud
saw everything, with head characters
tically held back and slightly to one side,
an energetic observer rather than deep
| thinker.
Very different from what we may call
the refined and intellectual back is the
back Of the broad and vulgar figure who
struts past us us if he owned the street.
His glory is not in his mind or heart.
but in his pockets. Flo has habit of
sticking up for his rights. Even his
collar sticks up, and his hair, to CORE
spond with his inner self, is bristling.
He thinks he can buy anything, from a
picture, of which he knows nothing, to
IN elector, who knows nothing of him.
The purse proud man will never hand
money out of that pocket for charity,
unles, he is pretty sure that his name is
in a printed list Of subscribers.
THE RoGUE's BACK.
Not 30 the wealthy man who has a
heart above gold. Look ut him, a back
view, as lie stands at public meeting
called at some time of calamity or need
He is sure to be there. If the hall is
overcrowded you can SEQ him standing,
never complaining of the lack of seats;
he is there for the comfort of others; he
forgets his own. He is Il large hearted
man, and everything about him is large
The big hands are only waiting behind
him to give freely, the broad back can
bear goodly share of others burdens
AS for the back Of the rogue, it is of
infinite variety. If there We're only one
sort we might all make what soldiers
would call reconnaissance to the rear
and detect and outwit him. There is
the sharp dealer Of the business world,
who is remarkably spruce at the back
and the adventurer of society, who eau
bow like the first gentleman in Europe
and ten thousand more varieties, from
the welcher on the turf up to the gentle
man who ought to be baronet, and
who has lived for the last thirty years
on that statement and on charitably COL
lecting for the savages of Borrioboola.
He could straighten his body if he liked.
but his mind is fixed in curves of cum
ming. He and his principles are as
crooked as wriggling eels. He can press
others to his will, too, as he presses his
cane to curve like himself.
His spare form is not the thin, bent
back of the student. The back of a
boohworrn is another kind of bend-a
curve to be respected. Nor is it the
stoop Of old age. The back is an index
of age as well as of character The
small child stands q square, upright
atom of humanity. The man grows
straight to his full height; then his
shoulders broaden; then his shoulders
f0ryxyorl o,,1 hio 1,o,1
BACKBONE
There is an old saying to describe IL
man Of weak character that he has "ro
backbone" There is not much back
bone in the man who walks as if not
quite sure where he is going to, who
| drops his letters and never cares to
straighten his shoulders. Follow him
and note how his hat points backward
and you know from the angles to which
he has set his hat and his whiskers that
seen front face, his aspect is not wise
Still he is good natured fellow, and by
some instinct we read on his back that
he has an ambition to be amusing. One
is perfectly certain that the man with
such a back sings comic songs, and
| SlussiAy Sei tttiI Glldt Lo ueVeT huOWS
when people cease to laugh at the song
and begin to laugh at himself.
| But there is such thing as having
too much backbone, and that is rather
worse than having too little. When a
man has too much backbone his heart is
not, as people say, Sin the right place" {"
Sometimes there is no room in him for a
heart at all Now, there are some men
in whom force of character is carried
into tho extreme, and becomes hardness
and habitual severity A severe back is
a pleasanter sight to see than severe
face. 1t is not what we would call the
just and rghteously indignant back,
which is straight and noble, fine thing
and venerable. 1t is the bulldog shoul-
dered back that denotes the domestic
oger. His bald head shines.
One knows that in the front the veins
are bursting. His mustache has been
twisted to sharpness by angry fingers.
His hands are clinched or pushing might
lily against his hardset knee. He could
strike, but he has too much pride. and
bis orders are harder than blows. lie
has habit of getting his arm crookedly
bent to lis knee in self restrained wrath.
There are, indeed, many backs that
are more gladly seen than the CORE
spending faces. The back of the bore is
a goodly sight, while, on the other hand,
when sool-by is grievous, how much
precious regard is wasted on the dear
Characteristic, well known back that
never knows what loving looks went
after it.--Toronto Truth