Evening star., 1932-08-23
THIS AND THAT.
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

A correspondent wants to know why
he is able to Judge a person better by
| his mouth than by any other feature
The mouth is a giveaway," he says
He is right. The mouth is the first
| feature of the face, rather than the
eyes, as is sometimes held.
The mouth holds all that is left OF
the pSeudo-science of physiognomy
which in past ages had the authority
which attaches to chemistry today.
Physiognomy was science once, and
while there are some people who pro-
fess to think 1t is such still, the truth
seems to be that 1t has not had the
same standing since its practitioners
were indicted as rogIes and vagabonds
by act of Parliament in 1743.
There we're two branches of the
Science" then, that of telling the state
of the mind from the human Inca
ments, and that of divination from the
same. 1t was this latter branch and
its practice which was run out of Eng
land.
Scientific developments of the past
two centuries have shown that there
| is actually no very definite and tangible
relationship between ones looks and
ones mind, or heart, or soul. or what
ever one chooses to call ell the rest
of one.
Elaborate charts have been worked
out to prove that this relationship does
exist, but these are taken with a grain
of salt by all save those whom such
things faScinate, mainly because they
are more mystical than reasonable.
On the other hand, it is undoubtedly
true that every human being, with few
exceptions. has some sort of system
of his own, which he applies every
time he meets stranger.
He may have difficulty in explaining
how his System" works, but he will
not be long at arriving at a conclu-
sion as to his opinion of another.
II don't like his mouth" he may say
or he may ascribe his failure to "cot-
ton" to another to the poor fellows
eyes. or nose, or chin.
The chin formerly was held In high
repute as an outerward guioe to inner
disposition. 1t was believed that firm
chin. pushed well forward, denoted a
fighting temperament, and that re-
ceding chin. on the other face, showed
timid. shrinking disposition.
This ready means of dividing ones
acquaintances into sheep and goats, into
firm" characters and weak" charac-
tiers, was forever receiving knockout
blows, when it was discovered, by even
the least critical, that often the man
with very defiant chin had a very
weak will, in some direction or other
| whereas some acquaintance with a chin
which receded almost to the zero point
| left nothing to be asked for when II
came to being self-willed in certain 9TH
er directions.
The fact, however, that most people
do evolve some rudimentary set OF
character reading directions for them
selves, based on a good bit hearsay
and great deal of personal experience
shows that there is a lot of life left in
the old-fashioned study of physiog-
nomy, after all.
Phrenology, or the study Of charac-
ter by humps and bumps on the skull
long ago passed into oblivion, but there
is many a person today who feels that
he can Judge" another human being
merely by taking a good look at him
This good look" of course, Is sc
often obviously superficial that ever
the man who feels his power along thi:
| direction learns a great deal of dlscre-
| ton.
| Time has proved him wrong so many
| times!
II do not like that fellow" he says
with conviction. And he is right, et
the moment. He might be able to give
several good reasons, as he sees them
why he does not like the man. He i.
not in the position of the Legendary
wit. who said, 81 do not like thee, DR.
Fell; the reason why cannot tell, bu
I do not like thee, DR.. Fell"
DR.. Fell was the victim of prejudice
no doubt, but our present character
reader will be able to point to the line!
of the mouth, which impress him as the
lines of shifty, evasive man.
The weeks go by, and he finds thai