The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-29
THE CHIN As AN INDEX.
A FL ce-Reader Tells What He Thinks or some
MEMS Features.

Whom a tace-reader was asked for his opinion
of an article. THE Chin as an Index" printed
in the ST. Louis CT nique, he replied:
The thing is unscientifc. The writer says
the protruding chin marks tho get there type
Of man: that the broad chin denotes DE-
mtg; that the dimpled chin indicates co..
guet'ishncss; that the relr, , Ing cl.i. T. the
chin OF failure, and that the other kinds OF chin
which he describes stand for the ether traits
OF character which he associates with them.
His statements arc unsupported by proofs or
illustration from life or from pictorial ART. Had
he given the names OF people. notable historical
PERSONS. rather than contemporaries, having
chins OF the several varieties spoken OF, his
description of the traits Of their possession
each case presented. one could have formed
his own opinion as to the correspondence be-
he seeks 10 associate with It. tortez, for OK
ample, omw and Peter the Great were Ger.
tainiy men 81 the Eet-lheFe tyl 9, but he would
$50 also In regard to the other kinds OF
chin, from the dilsnlfed and the coquettish TO
the executive and the humble. l would say, let
HIM show nc the portraits OF some Of the parties
whose chins give confirmation TO his theory.
eminent men OF past and present times has led
ME TO heliove that Il face-readcr muet be very
wary when he makes remark upon he chin as
the features. OF plenty OF men who are yet
among the living. There wa: in New York
lAdI year " Iul'tHUt II bC5t FltblALu "a IN
}ig or helplrs, or easily Discouraged; yet no
one Tho 5aw him while ne was here f failed to
which retreats almost out OF sight, so that not
even his pest friend would speak OF / as pro.
truding. What about hiatt Again. IL Wal be
admitted that Bismarck belongs 10 the get
there type Of humanity and yet his chin falls
bChind the frontal line and a!so 'ie i!Im' OF, tie
tn..ar bone: u 10 lar from protrusl"e' Look at
Lhr can OF tho puS!ligC, rlLZsiniaons.
4 could take UP all Of the !, inds of chin de-
| arrinpl in the tVip 1Dr'a article and show Won
That penny OF the people VINO have any one Of
the kinds do not poseess NE mental or moral
in that periodical, who must DO a very poor sort
OF facc-reader.
ing a mans feature, rom his chin aud nose to
h. nPper story. can make Il lrGtty iair GieSs
as to the natu.. Of MI inIisiotS ttaits; bmt
right, and everybody knows that IL icy often get
thing, wrong, more Especially whei. they have
lie Or OVERWHELMINGLY aD' / repeat That il | is Very
hard to get at the characteristics Of any ones
10 get ut them by any or ali OF tho Lneaments
Of his face; Many a great man has had lea
vuros which would very, surrey cad the sharp
sions rom them. Who. upon see.ng the face
OF Thomas CARLYLE, without kpo wing Of h:
great thinker that he wal
There have been pleAty OF heroes whoee
features could not be made 10 rhymei and some
saints whose faces would never remind you o.
a chernb; and any number OF otnor people DC
tween whose facial conformation and menta
traits II would be impossible 10 tracs tho cor
respondence. ! know a strong character who
has Il neck OF no account, an ANONYMOUS mouth
inexpressIve eyes, a narrow brow, and no
much OF "a chin; you couldn't guess what kline
OF a soul he had BY looking at him. A witty
writer once said that II Cieopatra's nose ha'
been shorter, the face of the world. might hav'
been changed; and perhaps 1t might: Look u
that feature in Socrates. or in some OF the mum
inied Egg ptians who were once lords OF tn
Me, or In several Of the English Kings, or il
LsLrly al the nlustrious Chinese, or In most o
the Finnish bardb, or III Squads OF the Germal
princes. I have seen a picture OF Capt, Kidd
once famous AZ a pirate, and / seemed, whe
carefully. s%cannedi,, as thoIgh genius wer
ugly enough TO DO the nephew OF the Old Sci
p1nt. Thus things were, and thus they arc yel
So II goes all along In history, and all throug
the inscrutable apparitiOns OF time.
You had better throw into your waste bal
tor in the CtiH'Qae who talks about china"