The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1890-02-07
NAVE YOU a DOUBLE CHIN,


O. q, - Tsssa Of lt, - It e Said to In.
A!sass stsesg Character.
The great justification Of the double
chin rests, Of course, on It's unrivaled
value q al index Of character-and such
q characteri Il Is really natures patent
Of nobility. This was long ago discerned
by the great master Of physiognomy. It
is not difficult 70 divine what Lavater
thought Of double chin. He carefully
points out that man differs from the ami
mai chiefly by.his chin. laying it down
rs On axiom that the chin is the distinct
i've Characteristic Of humanity: conse-
qucntly doue5e chinned people are doub
" differentiated from the beasts that per-
tsh. which tGEQeatly to their credit. He
expressly t4kG for his model of "thc
thinker. ftaiissof sagacity and penctra-
tor" a man with q fleshy double chin.
coupled with nose rounded at the end
The portrait lie gives is even better than
the letter Rress. rs the gentleman is
limned with at least i've chins, 60 that his
lower jaw was vista Of magnificent dis
tances like Washington.
This happy physiognoely of the double
chin. coupled with tho rounded nose,
characterizes, he tells US. the mind which
can rise to heights. and which follows
its designs with rejecting firmness, UNI.
alleged by obstinacy. Let, therefore.
those with double chins rejoice. whether
they possess rounded noses or not. and
quote Lavater in gratitude. He gives
again another example of the double
mention. and the face so endowed. he
says enthusiastically, is reasons own
image. He quite revels in this feature.
He takes an example of Raphael with u
beautifully rounded double chin, and in
criticising It lie acknowledges that the
profile is wanting in truth, harmony and
grace; but then. asks he, how is it it SO
strongly takes captive our sympathy?
Where lies the illusion? Merely in the
chin, he answers, and. as tho chin is Il
double one, tho matter is no longer a
mystery. He points triumphantly to
Ciccro's magnificent double chin, and in
burst Of eloquence says of Wren's that.
if you can find a man with (among other
things) such chin as that, without
being gifted with some extraordinary
talent, he renounces forever the science
of physiognomy.
What Lavatcr lfas thus laid down ex.
pcrience amply corroborates. The double
clinned, therefore, should hold their
heads up higher, in the consciousness OF
modest merit. and give FREQ play and
just prominence to their certificates OF
character. 1t is, as limited above, rather
difficult at present 10 tell who is endowed
and who is not. Portrait painters are
craven enough to dissimulate double
chin: they leave it to a caricaturist, who
seems to think it great fun for u popular
statesman or poet to have two chins.
whereas those appendages are the secret
of their success. Some of our more Oh
servant writers have got IL glimpse of
the truth; Wilkie Collins. for instance
He very properly credits Count Tosco.
the man of daring, resource and deter
mination. with a double chin, to which
Fosco's pet cockatoo calls public atten-
ton BY rubbing its head against it 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 see
whether his appearance corroborates La
vater's views. Shakespeare undoubtedly
foresaw the point, as he forcsaw every,
thing else, but he was sufficiently artful
to wear just enough beard to place it in
eternal doubt whether he had double
chin or not. Thus he leaves it open to
all parties, single-cllinncd or double, to
quote him as an instance of anything
they like, which, after all, is the great,
use which Shakespeare has always been
put to.-London Standard.