The Washington times., 1907-06-24
:: Hot Weather Thoughts for the House1c1e ::
Genus and Looks

In the works of scores of writers is
to be found some saying. put sometimes
in one form, sometimes in another, to
the effect that the great parsonage bears
upon his countenance the badge of his
sovereignty
This Is generally true, perhaps; but
there are so many exceptions that one
is reminded of the little girls remark
about the French language. French
would be very easy" she said, plant
lively, IF it only wasn't mostly made up
OF irregular verbs and exceptions"
Our geniuses are largely of this kind.
Some of them show their genius on the
outside, but a great many do not Among
those who do, there is a Fictitious ele-
ment who try TO look singular; in the
| fear. seemingly, that If they do not wear
long hair or queer clothes they may be
mistaken for ordinary people. They do
not count, in the accurate classification.
One of our brilliant contemporaries
has lately announced, with a great
flourish OF trumpets, that no dark-eyed
man has ever risen to the first rank or
greatness. The genuine Beniuses are all
biue-eyed, according 10 this gentleman,
and no matter how beautiful, you may
consider the dark Orbs Of your bright
boy, you may as well lay aside all
vaulting ambitions for him He can
never amount to anything very much,
unless YOU can get the color Of his eyes
changed-which even the beauty eN-
pertS have not yet learned how 10 90:
You can have your nose built over, ana
your skin taken of by bits and en-
tirelv replaced by new You can lose
your hair and teeth and the world need
never know It; but II your eyes are
black, no human art can give them the
blue Of the conqueror.
T~ gs q historical
Julius Caesar had dark eyes Perhaps
our own Daniel Webster does not pc
long in the first rank, but surely MS
| eyes were very dark. Thomas Jenerson,
also. had dark eyes. Various authori-
ties have asserted that oliver Cromwell,
Raphael. and George Eliot had dark
eyes but a search OF some thorough
ness fails to verify these statements
When one is looking for statistics con-
corning eyes or hair, IL is astonishing
to find now little attention has been
paid TO such matters by biographers!
It is said that most OF the great Italian
painters had dark eyes, but IL would
take much time TO prove or clsproVe
the fact.
Another learned man has lately de-
Clared in public that eloquence and
curly hair almost invariably go together
Most of our modern men wear their
hair so short that, unless IL is positively
kinky, one cannot tell whether II is curly
or not. Probably there have been just
as curly-haiTed.
The retreating chin. the low forehead
and the small nose have fallen under
the ban. Yet there have been many
great and good men who have had one
or all OF these supposed disadvantages
The human character Is made up Of so
many ingredients that IL Is quite pos
sible to atone for a weakness in one di-
reCtfOn by an extra strength in another.
Those who have been depressed by com
ments OF this sort. which they have
heard or read, may well take courage.
Everybody has his weak points-but,
luckily. most have their strong ones.
too; and these may more than even
matters up"
In point Of fact genius has resided in
the most unpromlsing human frames.
Some have been fat. some thin. Some
have been tall others short. Large fea-
lures, small features; red hair. black
hair; eyes of all COlOrs, noses Of all
shapes: a merry or a mOrose disposition
genius may go with any one OF them
Therefore let no mother worry about
her children. Their looks may be
against them. but they may be genluses
for all that