Evening star., 1895-11-01
TO RESEMBLE EACH OTHER.
The Theory That Man and Wife BE
come Alike In Features.

The Theory That Man and Wife Be-
come Alike in Features.
From the New York Herald.
A society Of Swiss photographers has
been making some curious experiments
lately with view to establishing the old
proposition that man and q woman who
have lived long and happily together come
at length to resemble each other, not only
in disposition and temperament, but also in
face and feature. The experimenters have
taken photographs Of seventy-eight couples
and Of a like number Of brothers and sis
ters. On careful inspection. 1t is said, 1t is
found that the married couples are more
like each other than the brothers and sis
ters. A foreign exchange. therefore, con-
cludes that there Is a stronger force availa-
BILE for the production of family likeness
than that of hereditary transmission.
This proposition does not go unchallenged
in New York. number of physicians to
whom have submitted it for corroboration
fatty declined that tribute to the Genevese
photographers. Not one of the doctors
would even discuss the question in a seri-
GUS vein.
After the doctors, the photographers A
man who has been making photographs for
forty years says he has personally posed"
Eo less than 250.00O persons. In that num-
ber necessarily were many old married
couples, to say nothing of their children
and grandchildren. He has had an oppor-
tunity to observe the force of heredity, as
well as that of marital association.
A Photographers Opinion.
''The phenomenon which the Swiss pho
tographers claim to have observed" he told
me. docs not occur often enough to war;
rant the statement Of its being at all uni
versal. On the contrary. 1 think it is ex-
ceptional. And then again, the resemblance
is more temperamental than physical. and
is more apparent to the eye than to the
Photographic instrument. What 1 mean
by that is that the resemblance, when 1t
exists is more often In the expression than
in the forms. This confirms my PROPOSE
tion that it is temperamental and not phys
ical
1.-The strong resemblance. whether physi-
cal or mental, occurs only between two
very passive natures-ir whose makeup
there is what the phrenologists term a
lack of combativeness. The love of peace,
and perhaps the love for each other, pre-
vents the exhibition of sssertiveness on the
part of one or of the other.
This resemblance never occurs where
there is strong dominating spirit.
.'Of course, my statements are opinions,
and not ipse dixit. My impression is that
where one nature strongly dominates an
other the weaker ore grows less strong and
further away from the mate than where
the natures are more equal.
THE marital relation as existing between
strong characters mas Deen one OF great IN
terest to me. 1 have noticed that the great
representative men, who have delayed mar
riage until mature judgment could be form
ed, and where they have selected with what
enc might call wisdom, have chosen for
their wives very passive. domestic natures.
I could mention a great many illustrations
that have come under my eye in my long
career. Such marriages are very harmoni-
Gus. peaceful and lasting. and the parties
grow closer together as they become older.
1t is, so to speak. an agreement to differ
In such cases no physical resemblance is
developed.
MY observation would lead me to say
that only passive temperaments, living qui-
ct, uneventful lives, will resemble each 9TH
er both mentally and physically, to de-
gree only. But this is rare that it can
rot be noted dominating quality in the
human economy.
This will be confirmed by people who
are familiar with New England, or who
have Travelled abroad and gone among the
peasantry of the old world who will so
strongly resemble each other that a whole
community seems to have been cast in the
same mold. 1t is especially true of the
Swiss peasantry, and that fact may explain
the sweeping character of the Genevese
photographers deductions"