The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-01-30
PERSONALITY OF PEOPLE SHOWS
ITSELF IN THEIR WALK.

woman VINO steps with Patnful Accu-
racy-Ah, Hero Comes tho Man With
Steady Tread and Manly Carriage.
1t is Plutarch who says that can &C
ton of small note, a short saying or jest
will distinguish u PERSONS real character
more than the greatest sieges or the
most important battles" and Lavater,
the father of physiognomy, declares that
no man can set a glass upon q table
without b~etraying to a certain extent
his individuality. True, no doubt, but
one must have the keen vision, the we'll
trained eye, in order to interpret these
mystic signs. The indications Of char
acter as exhibited in the walk of a per-
SON, however, are patent to every be-
holder and may be dociphered by the
most untutored, the least astute.
Sit by your window some fine morn
ing and watch tho mon and women as
they pass to their varied ~avocations.
Take, for example, the man just ap-
preaching. His chin is elevated to an
angle of 20 degrees, a self important
frown corrugates his brow, acomplacent
smile plays about his mouth, he struts
rather than walks. Need l point him
out as u man of boundless %conceit, Of
monumental brass, Of colossal gall? His
amiability is imperturbablc, for one who
is absolutely self satisfied is apt to take
an imdulgent view of the world at large.
His faith in himself is limitless. No
traitorous feeling Of self distrust will
ever cause his failure. He will under
tako without the slightest misgiving
what a man of ten times his ability would
hesitate to attempt. His success in lifo
is assured, and yet cannot help feel
ing that if traced to it's roots it would be
found to spring from defects rather than
merits.
The dress OF tho woman coming lust
behind him is arranged with mathemat-
ical eXactness. The placing of each pin
has been Il matter of special care. Her
lips arc compressed, her hands clasped
primly before her, her steps are taken
with painful accuracy; there is not u
~hairbreadth's difference in tho length of
them. If you follow her to her home,
you will find that the same scrupulous-
ness prevails in the disposition Of every
thing about her. The furniture is ar
ranged with rectangular eXactness,
there is not a pin out of place in her
bureau drawers, and tho jars upon her
pantry shelves are m%arshaled like SOL
diers on parade. She will accomplish
no great work in life, however. She is a
p~recisionist and spends her timo labori-
ously doing nothing. And. also, take
care of this III She is absolutely
uncom promising, and all about her must
be Topped off or stretched out to fit tho
prOCrusteau idea Of order which exists in
her own mind.
But don't--you who are in search of d
wifo-fall into the opposite error of choos-
ing as q life companion the girl with tho
frouzy head, the skirt OF whose dress
dips in points, whose gait is careless,
who swings her arms as she walks. Sho
ID generous, warm hearted, good natur-
ed, possessed of noble traits, but con-
fusion, with all its hideous train of evils,
follows in her wake. Ono foresees for
her an untidy, chaotic household, irreg.
ular, i'll arranged meals and uncleanly,
badly governed children. If her husband
happens to be a strong, an exceptionally
strong man, he will simply be supremacy
wretched and uncomfortable. If not,
his ambition will be paralyzed, his dis
position spoiled; he will escape the phys
ical discomforts Of his situation by every
means i'll his power and perhaps drown
the recollection Of them in drink.
The man with the shutting, uncertain
gait, whose steps seem to be directed by
no guiding power within, is weakmind-
ed. There is nothing which moro surely
betrays feeDleness of intellect than the
walk. And he Of the awkward gait, the
restless manner, the furtive glance, is
tho morbidly self conscious man, who
cannot for q moment divest himself Of
the senseo Of being observed; who lives,
80 to speak, under a glass case. And he
OF the soft, cautious tread, who gives you
the impression of creeping upon some
OBJECT as u cat creeps up upon u bird, is
feline in his nature. He is not to be
trusted; he is treacherous; every faculty
OF his mine Is poised for a spring.
Let me commend to your confidence
the man just coming into vlew-the man
with the earnest eye, the manly carriage,
the firm tread, who walks with simple,
straightforward directness, as il toward
som given point. He is "stable in all
his ways" He has a distinctly defined,
well considered purpose in life, toward
tho attainment of which ho advances
with answering steadfastness, never
turning to tho right or tho left, never
allowing himself to be drawn into by
paths, no matter how alluring. His vic
tory is assured, his success merely u quos-
ton Of time.
And so might one multiply types ad
minimum, for the variety in mankind is
limitlcss. Nor is it to DO wondered at
that the characteristics of men and wom-
en- exhibit themselves in the gait, for
the motive power, the propelling force,
is from within.
In his account Of Catalina, Sallust,
tho great master of nature, has not for
gotten to remark that chs walk was
now quick and again slow" AZ an indi-
cation of u mind revolving with violent
emotions. Philadelphia Times.