The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-01-22
CHARACTER IN GAIT.
PERSONALITY OF PEOPLE SHOWS
ITSELF IN THEIR WALK.

MA "ho ShePS . "AhA~a HSSu
racy-Ah. Here Comes the Man With
Steady Tread and Manly Carriage.
II IL ~fIutarch who says that "An &C
ton of small note, a short saying or jest
will distinguish a persons real character
more thar the greatest sieges or the
most important battles" and Lavater,
the father of p~hysiognomy, declares that
no man can set a glass upon q table
without betraying to a certain extent
his individuality. True, no doubt, but
one must have the keen vision, the, well
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 deciphered by the
most untutored. the least astute.
Sit by Your window some fine morn
ing and watch the men and women as
they pass t. their varied ~avocations.
Take. for example, the man just APP
preaching. His chin is elevated to an
angle of 20 degrees. a self important
frOwn corrugates his brow, a cOmplacent
smile plays about his moSsh. he struts
rather than walks. Need | point him
out as a man of boundless %conceit, of
monumental brass, of colossal gall? His
amiabillty is imperturbable, for one who
is absolutely self satisfied is apt to take
an indulgent 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
take without the slightest misgiying
what a man Of ten times his ability would
hesitate to attempt. His success in life
is assured, and yet one cannot help feel
ing that if traced to its roots It would be
found to spring from defects rather than
merits.
The dress of the oma coming Just
behind him is arranged with lnathemat-
zeal rxactness. The placing of each pin
has been q matter of special care. Her
lips are compressed, her hands clasped
prlmly before her, her steps are taken
with painful acrUrAry; there IS not IL
hmrbre4lth's difference" IN the length of
them If yOl follow her to her home,
you Will find that the same ~SCrupulOuS-
ness prevails i'll the disposition Of every
thing about her. The furniture is ar
ranged with rectangular e~xactness,
r th"r" is not a pin ont of place III her
bureau drawers, and the Jars upOn her
pantry shelves are marshaled like SOL
dirrs on parade, She will accomplish
no great work in life, however. She is a
preciSiOniSt and spends her time labori-
Ously doing nothing. And. also. take
| care of this woman. She is absolutely
. uncompromising, and all about her must
be lop1ed off or stretched out to fit the
procrustean idea Of order which exists in
her OWN mind.
But don't-you who are in search of a
wife-fall into the opposite error of choos-
ing as a life companion the girl with the
frOuzy head, the skirt of whose dress
dips in points, whose gait is careless,
who swings her arms as she walks. She
l is generous, warm hearted, good natur-
. ed. possessed of noble traits, but con-
fusion, with all its hideous train of evils,
follows in her wake. One ~foresees for
l 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 paralvzed. his dis.
position spoiled; he will escape the phys.
ical discomforts of his situation by every
=. means in his power and perhaps drown
the recollection of them in drink.
The man with the shutting, uncertain
f gait, whose steps seem to be directed by
, no guiding power within, is weakmind.
, ed. There is nothing which more surely
1 betrays feebleness of intellect than the
, walk. And he Of the awkward gait, the
! restless name, the furtive glance, il
the morbidly self conscious man, who
cannot for a moment divest himself OF
the sense of being observed: who lives,
sc to speak, under a glass case. And he
of the soft, cautious tread, who givesyou
q the impression of creeping upon some
object as a cat creeps up upon a bird, is
feline in his nature. He is not to be
Lrusueu; ne'ls rreacnerous; every faculty
= of his mind 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 if toward
some given point. He is stable in all
his ways" He has a distinctly defined,
well considered purpose in life, toward
the attainment of which he advances
with answering steadfastness, never
} turning to the right or the left, never
2 allowing himself to be drawn into by
paths, no matter how alluring. HE vic
tory is assured. his success merely nou"s-
ton of time,
And so might n multiply types al
infinitu1n, for the variety i'll mankind is
| limitless. Nor - it TO be wOQlertd at
that the characteristics of men r".' >yom.
1 en- exhibit themselves in the "a. for
t the motive power, the propeil'12 force,
t is from within.
n In his account of Catallne, SaIIi1st,
h the great master of nature, has not for
< gotten to remark that Ibis walk was
now quick and again slow, as an indi.
cation of a mind revolving with violent
emotions. --Philadelpaia Times.