Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-15
Written for The Star by Katherine Morton

r SHOULD be very good looking"
4 writes one of my correspondents, 'lf
it were not for my mouth, but my
l. lips are heavy and protruding. Can
not you suggest some astringent or
lotion which will reduce their size?
An astringent lotion, even the strongest,
will only reduce the size of lips swollen
or distended temporarily by emotion, fever
or illness of some sort. But lips that are
too thick or badly shaped can only be made
beautiful by the use of the will by certain
gymnastic or lip exercises, patiently prac-
ticed. The mouth Is the feature which most
surely indicates a persons character. The
mouth of a sensitive person. changes so
constantly, yet so subtly, that 1t takes
very clever phys.ognomist to measure and
set down the varying expressions and their
meanings The Italians say the eyes de-
note the character we We're born with, but
the mouth shows the character that we are
making for ourselves.
OF course you may argue that some men
and women of splendid mental and moral
character and endowment have had mouths
that could hardly be called pretty, but then
what Is often called a pretty mouth by no
means indicates a pretty disposition. The
very small mouth, for instance, is often
found on a woman of shrewish disposition,
whereas the girl who complains that her
mouth Is too generous will never be found
war ting in friends, for the large mouth
indicates vitality, generosity and usually
an open-hearted and amiable disposition.
The mouth is the law giver to the counte-
nance, the ruler of the face, since the lips.
even when silent, overflow with the fullness
Of the heart. A perfect mouth, according
to SculptorS and painters, should be of me-
dunn size, the upper lip should be bow
shaped and the under one nearly straight.
The lips themselves should be neither too
thick which gives them a sensual express
sion or too thin, which imparts an appear
ance of stinginess. There are SO many
women whose beauty is marred by an ugly
or fll-shaped mouth, or by discolored or
crooked teeth, that one wonders how par
ents can permit their children to grow up
indulgfng in tricks of manner or speech
which are daily destroying the natural
loneliness of the childs mouth. The little
girl who is permitted to suck her thumb
is in a fair way to join the enormous class
of women with protruding teeth and long
ugly gums. Thumb sucking also dtstorts
and thtckens the lips.
Another trick OF childhood. and often OF
young womanhood, which is the forerunner
of an ilI-shaped mouth, Is continual pouting,
thrusting the tongue about the mouth In
unnatural positions This is also not to be
recommended for the child or woman who
wants to be beautiful. Nothing is worse
than to allow a child or grown person 20
about with the mouth open. This will In
time destroy the line of the lips beside CIV
ing the face an idiotic expression. Children
who breat the constantly through the mouth
should be taken to the doctor, who will
probably find unnatural growth In the
back of the throat or nose. This is easily
removed by a slight operation, winch is
hardly painful at all, and which insures the
child's future health as well as giving 1t a
chance to show its character in the form
of lips and mouth.
When woman finds that her lower lip
is getting shapeless or sagging at the CEN
ter, she will, If she takes the trouble to OBJ