River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-05-11
BY KATE UPsoN CLARK.

fers the Pearl.
BY KATE UPSoN CLARK
(Author of bringing Up Boys" etc.. Pres
ident of the Wheaton Club,
New York;
Copyright. 1905, by Joseph B. Bowles.)
A distinguished lecturer has recently
said that after all, it is the expression
which gives the beauty to face, far
more than doll-like features or artistic
coloring."
This may not be strictly true, especial
~ when tie opinions of the great mass
of the young and thoughtless are in
cluded. The beauty which pleases cal
low youth of 20 might prove highly I'M
satisfactory to the same man at 80.
And mere regularity of feature and brill
liancy OF coloring do appeal to a far
larger section of our population than
many suppose.
Yet the expression of the face is an
important factor, and is far too little
considered by our girls.
The subtleties of expression are unac-
countable, and yet they are perfectly
obvious. Who has not seen plain face
flame out into almost beauty under the
influence of great happiness? And
who has not seen a handsome one be-
come ugly under the stress of some in
ward malice or hideous anger?
Some great writer has said that the
expression which good life leaves on
the face is reward enough" There is
surely something fascinating in the calm
frankness with which one who has no
concealments-no dark befoulments, in
his soul--meets the gaze of his fellow
men. One who habitually thinks only
of whatsoever things are honest, pure,
true and of good report, must neces-
sarily have a different look on his face
from that which covers heart in which
guile turks continually. An eccentric
and eminent physician used to say: "All
women are as fiat as diShwater until
they are at least 80, because they never
learn to think until then"
- .
It has been asserted in one way or an
other by many great writer's that most
human beings think altogether about
themselves, and that if they ever suffer
themselves to dwell in their thoughts
upon some other matter, it is simply in
relation to themselves that they con-
slider it.
Perhaps our girls have a greater
temptation to think constantly of them
selves than any other class of our popu-
lation. Sydney Smith once remarked
that we are constantly preaching to
our girls the doctrine of handsome is
that handsome does, when we know per-
fectly well that upon their looks on some
special occasion their whole future
might depend. "Most girls, however"
he adds, "have sense enough to detect
the fallacy in our reasoning, and act ac-
cordingly."
This is true, and the consequence is
that many of our girls are thinking from
morning to night only of themselves
their looks, their clothes-what So-and-
So thinks of them-what So-and-So said
of them-what they will do or say in this
or that case-self, self, self, in every pos
sible phase, until a disgusting self-con-
seriousness becomes written upon their
every feature.
Now there is an hour or more every
morning and, again, every night when
it is the duty of all civilized beings to
think of themselves until they have
done what they can to make themselves
acceptable members of society. But
after ones toilet is carefully and thor
oughly made, do try, my dear girls, to
dismiss self as much as possible from
the mind. AS you sit In the car, as you
are going to sleep, or as you are taking
your walks, have some good book, or
some good piece of work to think about.
What you think about is going 20 make
it's mark upon your face. You cannot
escape it. The vacancy of the thought
less will settle there, or the vanity of the
selfish, or the vulgarity Of the curious
and the prurient, or the recklessness of
the irreligious and passionate.
Learn bits of good poetry, and say
them often to yourself when you find
your mind wandering into selfish or
foolish channels. The habit of dwelling
evitably refine and exalt even plain
face, for the expression does indeed have
much to do with beauty. 1t is pity that
more care is not impressed upon boys
in this direction. 1t seems impossible
that some men could continue their evil
practices if they realized how they were
all written out upon their faces, to the
disgust of every beholder. And the
thought of evil sets it's mark almost as
Enthusiastically upon the countenance as
does the actual doing OF the evil deed.
There are few who are capable of orig
inal thought. Most of us have to gain
our thoughts from others. The vast
majority of Americans get their
thoughts from the newspapers, and yet
it is the universal testimony of foreign
ers that there is no country in the world
where public opinion is so powerful as
here. Men are learning, no doubt, to
form their own opinions, and, amid all
the corruptions Of our institutions, the
public opinion of this country is, as a
rule. sound.
1t is true that our girls may net have
much power of thought. Yet one can al
most always tell college girl by a
single glance into her face. What is it
which marks her off from other girls Of
her age? 1t is simply the intelligent or
the bright and a2sgnated, often slightly
humorous :, look, which comes from