HOW TO READ HUMAN NATURE/PART 18
CHAPTER XVIII
EYES, EARS AND NOSES
It
has been said that "the eyes are the windows of the soul," and indeed
they do express a something that is not possible to any other
part of the face or body. When unrestrained the eye correctly portrays the
innermost feelings and emotions affecting and influencing us, and in many cases
we are able to get a clear and unobstructed view of the soul behind the eyes by
gazing into them. But, alas! it is possible to mask the expression of the eyes,
and to counterfeit emotions and feelings which do not exist within the mind.
Men and women trained in the arts of dissimulation and concealment, may, and
do, conceal their thoughts and feelings which ordinarily would be reflected in
their eyes; and many, especially women, are able to counterfeit feelings which
have no real existence in their minds or souls. We have seen women bestowing
upon the unsuspecting "mere man," the most artless, ingenuous
"baby stare," while at the same time their minds were filled with
craft and cunning. We have seen others whose eyes portrayed the most absolute
innocence and truth, while their hearts were filled with selfish, base
feelings, and their minds with cunning schemes. The trained diplomat and
skilled gambler successfully mask their thoughts, and their eyes reflect
nothing of their secrets; and, upon occasion, they are able to throw into their
eyes any desired expression. The best authorities on Physiognomy hold that the
mouth is a much more reliable index of thought and character than the eye—for
the eye may lie, while the mouth betrays itself even when attempting the
counterfeit.
But,
nevertheless, the eyes do betray character, not by their
expression but by their shape and form. Habitual mental states reflect in the
outer form of the eyes, in spite of the care of their owners not to let them tell
the secret of the thought and feeling of the moment. The story is told not
by the expression of the eye, but by the muscles surrounding the eyes,
the eye-lids, etc. In fact, the eye-lids supply the greater
part of that which we call the "expression of the eye," their
contractions and relaxations producing the effect.
Secretiveness,
cunning, and closeness are denoted by closely drawn
eye-lids, a furtive look often being imparted thereby. This position of the
eye-lids has been likened to an instinctive inclination to draw the eye-lids
together to hide the expression of the eye, but it probably arises from the
original trait of the animal to protect his eyes from attack when engaging in a
fight, or raid. As an instance of this, it will be found that a feeling of
cruelty, or desire to hurt another, will manifest in a compression of the
eye-lids, and a tightening of the upper eyelid which assumes a straight
form. Frankness, truthfulness and honesty are, in the same
way, indicated by open, free looking eyes. This expression may be counterfeited
upon occasions, but the counterfeit may be detected by observing the eyes when
the owner is off guard.
The fighting,
destructive, motive feelings are indicated by straight lines of
the lids. Affection, benevolence, sympathy, and love, manifest in
curving, drooping, full eye-lids, the absence of straight lines being
marked. Amativeness and Alimentiveness show in very thick
eye-lids, giving a sensual gross expression to the eyes. Destructiveness manifests
in a tightening of the upper lid, and a bearing down upon the eyeball. Approbativeness gives
a peculiar "coquettish" relaxation of the upper eye-lid, which is
suggestive of the desire to wink in a meaning manner. Humor gives
a peculiar contraction to the eye-lids, and at the same time producing the
little lines radiating from each outer corner of the eye-lids—the
"laughing wrinkles." Ideality, Optimism, and Mysticism impart
an open expression to the eyes. Cautiousness, when large, also
gives to the eyes an open, almost startled, surprised expression.
Large,
protruding eyes are held to be indicative of wordiness, talkativeness, and
lack of careful thought—the desire to talk for the pleasure of hearing oneself
talk.
In
connection with the subject of the outer form manifesting in the eyes, we would
call your attention to the quotation from Prof. O. S. Fowler, appearing in
Lesson XIII, in which he speaks of certain of the Perceptive Qualities which
indicate in outer form in the region of the eye, as follows: "The shape of
the eyebrows reveals the size, absolute and relative, of each, thus:
When all are large, the eyebrow is long and arching; when all
are deficient, it is long and straight; when some are large and others small,
it arches over the large ones, but passes horizontally over those which are
small. This rule is infallible." In connection therewith, we suggest that
the student re-read carefully Chapter XIII, which deals with the Perceptive
Qualities which manifest outer form in the region of the eye.
EARS
Many
physiognomists pass lightly over the subject of the ears as an index of
character, while others seem to specialize on this feature.
The round
ear is held to indicate the Vital Temperament. The oblong ear,
the Motive Temperament; and the pear-shaped ear the Mental
Temperament.
Quality is
held to be indicated by the relative delicateness in the moulding of the ear, a
coarse, misshapen ear being held to indicate an uncultivated nature; while a
delicately moulded, shapely ear is held to indicate culture and refinement.
A long,
narrow ear is held to indicate an ambitious, striving nature. An
ear pointed at the tip (upper part) is held to be indicative
of selfishness and general "foxiness."
NOSES
Fig. 21
A, ROMAN; B, GRECIAN; C, CHERUBIC
All
physiognomists agree upon the importance of the nose as an index of character.
The majority of people recognize the sign of a large, strong nose, on the one
hand, and a small, weak nose on the other.
In
Fig. 21 we see the three general forms of the nose, the Roman; Grecian and
Cherubic; respectively. The Roman nose is held to be
indicative of Self-Esteem, Combativeness, Destructiveness and Acquisitiveness.
The Grecian nose is held to be indicative of Ideality,
Conscientiousness, Reverence and other "higher qualities." The Cherubic
nose is held to be indicative of feminine qualities, social
attractiveness, and emotional qualities. There are of course innumerable
modifications and combinations of these three general classes.
Fig. 22
THREE TEMPERAMENTS
In
Fig. 22 we see the classification adopted by some authorities, who divide the
nose into three general parts, each of which is held to indicate one of the
three Temperaments, and the Qualities which are related to each. Thus the
hard bony part, including the bridge, indicates the Motive; the tip and end,
the Mental; and the "wings" on each side of the nostrils, the Vital.
There is much truth in this classification, and a careful study of this
illustration will aid the student in his understanding of noses as an outer
sign of character. In fact, this illustration may be used as a basis for the
whole subject of the meaning of noses as outer signs of character.
Large
nostrils indicate strong Vitativeness and physical well-being, and often strong
Emotive Qualities. Narrow, small, or tight nostrils indicate weak Vitativeness
and Vital Force. An authority says: "If the nostrils are wide-apart, the
man is merciful. If the nostrils are wide-open, like those of a bull,
resemblances to that animal prevail in violent wrath and hard breathing."
The
tip of the nose indicates the several mental qualities. The sharp pointed tip
indicates an inquisitive, prying, investigating nature—a general
"sharpness" so to speak. A blunt tip indicates a lack of
"sharpness" and inquisitiveness. The upturned tip, or
"pug," indicates a trifling, superficial, gossiping tendency. As a
general rule the sharp tip indicates thought, while the rounded tip indicates
feeling.
The
bony part of the nose, when prominent, indicates the strength of the Motive
Qualities, such as Combativeness, Destructiveness, Acquisitiveness,
Constructiveness, etc. It generally accompanies the people who push forward and
"do things" in spite of obstacles—it is the nose of the great
generals, and the majority of great financiers.
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