El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-06-15


set IN distorted way, and may even
assume a look of horror. Thus one
reads occasionally that an individual
who has met his, fate through violence
still wears a terrOr-stricken expression
the implication being that the latter
reflects the state of his feelings at the
moment of his demise.
The fact Is, however, that II the in
dlTldual thus tragically done to death
had promptly been laid flat on his back.
his face would have assumed an en-
tlrelv peaceful expression. The facial
muscles, after life has departed. are. alb
solutely inert, and, responding to the
influence Of gravity. fall into position
accordingly. People ordinarily die in
bed; the body Is placed on its back. and
when the head Is in this attitude, all
the muscles of the face smooth them
selves out. Those of the forehead and
about the mouth which by their con
traction express anxiety OF pain are
wholly relaxed, giving the look of a
peace that passeth all understandings
so sadly familiar TO Us all
Why the Dead Smile.
The beginning of a smile in a living
person, Is a relaxation of the muscles
at the corners of the mouth. Hence It IS
that the face of a dead person wears
q a
cuiar kind, inscrutable, as If of know
mysterious and pulling. But 1t Is an
expression happily suggestive of an I'm,
utterable calm, devoid of suffering.
1t happened a few years ago that the
wife Of q retired admiral IN the navy
residing in Washington, was thrown
out of her carriage and killed Incl
dentally, her face was much disfigured.
Her husband had no portrait of her
and so got Mr.. Dunbar to make a cast
of her left hand, wearing the wedding
rlng-this being afterward reproduced
in marble.
The making of such casts of dead
peoples hands or of hands and arms,
Is not at all uncommon. One was tax
en- by Mr.. Dunbar from the right hanI
of chief Justice Waite, of the United
States supreme court, and another Of
the hand of Frederick Douglass. thea
nous negro statesman-whO. bv the
way, was hall white. in two instances,
also, he has made casts of women's
Feet. because they were unusually beau
tlful, and surviving relatives wished to
preserve them.
The sculptor does not use a death
mask as a model after which to make
a slavish copy for bust or statue. 1t
helps him by measurements. and by
preserving such details as wrinkles and
the outline of the hair where the lat
ter meets the face. But the main
thing gained BY It Is the reproduction
of the bOny structure, which does not
alter after death, as the muscles do.
In some cases a skull Is actually mod
eled from the mask, BY measurements
of the latter, and upon this the muscles
are anatomically laid. in elay. with the
1,r1-- - -
If any are pTOcurable- By such means,
with the employment Of adequate skill,
a counterfeit pTesentment of remark
able accuracy Is Observation-Disclosures
tally mechanical, that IS to say. but
supplemented in the finishing processes
by the artistic talent of the sculptor.
for the production of ifelike ex-
preston.
The famous HOudOn bust of Wash
ingtOn, by lar the most satisfactory eX-
listing likeness of that great man, was
made from a life mask---which, of
course, Is much more desirable for the
purpose than a death mask. HoudOn, a
French sculptor of celebrity, was asked
bv Dr.. Franklin to come to this country
for the purpose of taking the mask;
he did so. and, before his departure,
made a mask also of franklin himself,
which Is represented today by a bust
in the possession of the American Phil
osOphicaI society, in Philadelphia. How
much more valuable these are, histOri-
callv speaking. than any ordinary sculP-
tured likeness Is obvious enough, mas
much as they present to view the very
features of the two men, nodded direct
from the originals
Making a Life Mask
4 life mask IS made substantially in
the same way as a death mask, the
person to be taken Tying flat on his
hack while the operation Is being per
formed. But there Is this difference,
that breathing must be provided Tor;
and the immortal Washington. while
the plaster of paris was waiting to
set" on his face, had to get his supply
of air through a small glass tube IN
serted IN one nOstrIl-the tube beng
provided with a flange to prevent It
from falling out.
In later DAYS a quill has been used
more commonly for the same purpose:
But 1t IS not really necessary, LOT, II
the work be carefully and skllltully per
formed. one nostriI may be left free OF
plaster the substance being merely
smeared around it. The subject Is
always cautioned to be very careful not
TO breathe through his mouth; Tor, II
he should do so, some of the moist
plaster might be carried into the open
ing Of his windpipe, and hardening
there, choke him to death.
Abraham Lincoln went through tins
rather distressing operation on two oe-
casiOns. The first time was in 1860,
when it was performed by a Chicago
sculptor, Leonard W. Vol6. He had
then no beard. Casts were made at the
same time of both his hands, clenched
into fists. and one of them holding a !
Eod. Again. so days before he was as
sassinated, another life mask was made (
Of him by Clark Mills, of Washington. /
He then wore the chin beard which Is
so familiar as Il feature of his physiOg- |
nOmy- Both Of these masks. and the |
hands as well. are now preserved in 4
the National Museum. They are not, /
however, the only existing copies, /
whereas the mask of Mckinley Is j
unique. the most having been destroyed /
Immediately after it was taken
One reason why life mask. OF, next J
best, death mask. Is so desirable from 1
the viewpoint Ct the sculptor. Is that !