The St. Johns herald., 1894-11-08
ACQUIRED EXPRESSION.
Facial Peculiarities Which Come
 Through Habit.
Distinctive Types That Are Found in Certain CaIIings-The Queer Ef- fleets of Occupation Ones
 Upon the Features.

 doubtless accounts for the odd si-ni larity of expression among men of the same vocation, In many such cases says Blackwood's Magazine, the condi tions are so complex that it seems in possible to lay ones finger upon the
 special items Of environment whicI conduce to the facial characteristic: exhibited by nearly all members O. certain trades and professions. What for instance, is there about the proces, of making shoes which evol1es the un. mistalable cobbler's visage? The nor. trait of Edward, the Banff naturalist ir MT. Smiles book, shows the type in a marked degree. As far as my obser. vation carries ne, the cause must be looked for in the last, lapstone and waxend of old-fashioned cordwainery: since men who work the machines in modern shoe factories, or who do CT dinary repairing, do not exhibit the ex- pression. It appears probable that the tailor's distinctive type of face may have been partially created by his habit of working his jaws concomitant- ly with his shears Let anyone watch person cutting piece of tough ma teri;.l with scissors, and he will see that the lower part of the face wags in rhythmic and spontaneous unison with the blades. Shepherds and farm labor CTS who join sheep-shearing gangs cer- tainly acquire different expression while engaged in this kind of work
 The cast of countenance by which one so easily recognizes a groom is par tiaiIy applicable from the fact that the muscles which close the jaws and com press the lips are always called into play when we are asserting our will over that of horse. Nearly all jock eys and horsemen have peculiar set of the mouth and chin, but have been unable to distinguish any special char acteristic about the eye or upper part of the face. It is instructive to com pare the vlsage of the ruler of horses witlI that of the ruler of men. The horseman's face shows command in the mouth, the drill sergeant's in the mouth and the eye. The last is un- doubtedly the most effective instru- ment in exacting obedience from our oWn species. Here we get a hint of that cause of want of dignity, that ele- ment of coarseness, which is discern able in the countenances of some men and women who have much to do with hors.s. The higher and nobler method of expressing authority is outweighed by the lower and more animal one Generally speaking, it is a strenuous contest with minor difficulties which produce thin and rigid set of lips. It is seen almost invariably in housewives of the Martha type, who are careful whose souls are shaken to the center by petty worries within doors, and the strife entrance with shortcomings of the scullery maid or the cook.
 The compressed lip so loved and so often mlsInterpreted by novelists is a sign of weakness rather than strength. It tells of perpetual conflicts in which the reserves are called into the fray. The strong will is not agitated into strenuous action by the small worries of the hour, and the great occasions which call for it's whole forces are too few to produce a permanent impress of this kind upon the features. The commanding officer, assured of his mems obedience, does not habitually keep his lip muscles in 6 state of ten sion. Look at the sea captain, the most absolute monarch on the earth. He carries authority and power in his face, but it resides in his eye and the confident assurance of his easily set mouth. Every spar and shaft and muscle in his floating realm must obey him, and he knows it, This is prob ably a reason why the sea captain and the engine drivers show certain simi- larity of type. The engine driver can make his captive giant, strong as ten thousand men, obey the pressure of his finger. His lips are usually calm, like those of the statues of the wielder of thunderbolts on Olympus. Who ever saw a man commanding a man-of-war or driving locomotive with the con- tentious lip of the school usher? The typical expressions of the members of those three liberal professions which Sir Thomas Browne says are all founded upon the fall of Adam are we'll enough recognized to have been long the prey of the caricaturist. The several distinctive traits of each, and the possible causes which give rise to them, are too complex to be dealt with in a single article. Speaking very generally, the cleric's face is indicative of authority of the thin-lipped kind, and of dignified sense of the sanctity of his office. The doctors jaw and mouth are less rigid, yet tell of decision. His eye is vigilant and sympathetic, end his whole facial aspect conveys the idea of fund of untapped wisdom. The lawyers countenance is confident and confidential, with bouncing alertness of the eye, and a prevailing expression of weighty perspicacity.