Smyrna times., 1897-02-17
"SIN SHOWN IN THE FACE" !"
An Address on the Human cOuHtenance
Made by Prof. A. E. Willis at Y.
Nj. c. A. Central Hall.

An address on "Sin in the Human
Face" was made at the Young Mems
Christian Association, Saratoga, and
Charles streets, by Prof. A. E. Willis,
noted physiOgnOmist, of New York.
He said in part:
"Sin, in its relation to morality, is
the violation of Gods laws. In the
scientific relation, suppose, one would
say that it was the perversion of mans
passions, faculties and propensities.
In all Gods works we find beauty-in
the flowers, in the birds, in the insects
in everything. The perfection of
beauty has centered in the human face.
But sin and Satan have marred it.
'There arc two forces that tend to
destroy and degrade it-vice and igno-
rance. Virtue and education beautify
the face. When / speak of education
I do not use the word in its narrowest
restrictions, but in its broadcast. Lii
quor is not the greatest curse of this
country to-day. although it is terrible
enough. Licentiousness is that
don't believe in that gospel which
breaches to save the soul and neglects
the body. Search the Scripture and
you will not find a reference to the
resurrection of the soul, but many to the
resurrection of the body.
'There are three peculiarities of the
face. Form, color and expression.
The character of the latter is partly
hereditary and owes more to mental
and moral conditions of the man or
woman. In regard to hereditary, 1
often hear persons expressing their
opinions as to the proper eductiOn of
this child or that child; what is best
for his or her peculiar disposition, and
so on. My friends, the education
of the child should be begun twelve
months before it is born. What we
want is doubly-born children, and the
parents are the first consideration.
Thoughts and habits, influences
/
with the forming of facial expression,
and thus, in a way, you are one and all
practically the architects of your own
bodies.
every one is like this gentleman at
the organ. AS he touches one key ii
responds with sound, and so on, as
his fingers sweep up the keyboard he
extracts a variety from his gamut. So
with you, as you excite one emotion il
is recorded in the expression. The
worries of life betray themselves in
frowns, surprise in the lifting of an
eyebrow, laughter in the twinkling Of
an eye and anger in the drawn lips and
knitted brows.
GAS your thoughts are good or evil
as your associations are pure or impure
your associations moral or immoral
so surely is their record in your face
For proof of this look into the faces o.
little children, budding and blooming
in innocence, and compare their ex
pressions with that of some besotted
old sinner. Indelibly are character
and life stamped in the human counte
nance, that all who run may read.
'There are three diversions of thu
mind that act directly on the facial ex
preston. They are the intellectual
moral and social faculties. The dis
tributions of these qualities, of course
vary in every head, and to these inc
qualities, in many instances out of al
propOrtionate distribution, is due mos
of the unhappiness of this world. FO
instance, man with great intellectual
ity marries a woman who possesses al
elaborately developed social faculty
She is loving and requires a return Q
her love, which the undemonstrativ
intellectual man, being deficient il
; this quality, cannot make. Literally
, you might say, he freezes her out, an
the result is a broken heart for tn
woman and another domestic tragedy
eve should strive in every wa
. to elevate and even our faculties
J Persons who are possessed Of too muc
a of the moral should interest themselve
7 in the intellectual, as the latter shoul
! in the social and moral influences.