In one way the observer and admirer of this art cannot possibly be mistaken, for he that neglects his teeth, suffering them to decay through contempt of pub lic opinion and indolence, may be safely pronounced an unhappy character, with many evil propensities.
The chin alone remains to be noticed in this slight survey of the human face, as connected with the internal operations of the soul or mind. The projecting chin is said to mark something decided, and the receding the reverse ; and it has been asserted that the presence or absence of strength is frequently demonstrated by the form of this part of the countenance ; it has also been remarked, that sudden indentings in the midst of the chin are peculiar to men of excellent cool under standings, unless attended by marks of a contrary tendency. When the chin is pointed, those so formed are supposed to be penetrating and cunning, though it seems there are people with pointed chins who are different at least in the lat ter particular ; and here again the chin offers a certain criterion for the physiog nomist, who may securely pronounce a large fat double chin an appendage of gluttony. "Flatness of chin speaks the cold and dry ; smallness, fear ; and round ness, with a dimple, benevolence." After all, it will be admitted, that this science, if such it, can fairly be denomi nated, must be precarious, and, in some respects, delusive. It cannot, however, be doubted, that there is an apparent correspondence between the face and the mind : the features and lineaments of the one are directed by the motions and af fections of the other ; there is, perhaps, even a peculiar arrangement of mem bers of the face, and a peculiar disposi tion of the countenance to each particu lar affection of the mind. Some, indeed, have asserted, that the language of the face is as copious, and as distinct and in telligible as that of the tongue : to this, however, we must beg leave to object ; it may be as sincere, but certainly not so intelligible. The face has been said to act the part of a dial-plate, and the wheels and springs within the machine actuating its muscles, shew what is next to be ex pected from the striking part. But if, by repeated acts, or the frequent entertain ing of a favorite passion or vice, the face is often put into that posture which at tends such acts, it may, in some 'measure, become fixed, and almost unalterable, in that posture, unless some present object distort it therefrom, or some dissimulation hide it ; and hence it has been assumed that much accuracy would enable one to distinguish, not only habits and tempers, but also professions.
We have asserted that all men are in voluntarily physiognomists, but the im pression made by the first sight of a person, is generally too slight to leave an injurious bias upon the mind of the ob server; and it is fortunate for man that this is the case, otherwise prejudices would be generated which might set half the world at variance with the remain der. We have thought it necessary to
explain the nature of the science under consideration, but we by no means re commend its study, as nothing can be more dangerous to the existing harmony of society ; besides, every person is not prepared for this pursuit, which requires a sound judgment, a good education, a perfect knowledge of what human fea tures are in their pristine shape, and of the numerous causes which occasion their derangement. For instance, it is very evident that a peevish habit, and a me lancholy countenance, may be produced by a series of misfortunes ; besides, the writer of this article has had an oppor tunity of observing two persons who have been the victims of excessive anxiety, whose faces now possess a character to tally foreign to that which they possessed a few years past, one a handsome man with perfectly regular features, passing through the streets under the influence of deep thought and perplexity, suddenly per ceived that every object changed its place ; in short, the eyes were turned in wards towards the nose, in which posi tion they remain, and he will squint, as the term is, to the last moment of his life : a physiognomist, a stranger to this fact, must conceive a very different cha racter of the man from the truth : the • other person, enduring the same species of mental perturbation, experienced a slight paralytic affection, and from that moment the right corner of his mouth has been drawn downwards, producing an appearance of immoderate grief, even when the rest of his features are enliven ed with pleasure. "No one," says La vater, " whose person is nut well-formed, can become a good physiognomist. Those painters were the best whose persons were the handsomest. Reuben, Van dyke, and Raphael, possessing three gra dations of beauty, possessed three grada tions of the genius of painting. The physiognomists of the greatest symmetry are the best. As the most virtuous can best determine on virtue, so can the most handsome countenances on the goodness, beauty, and noble traits of the human countenance, and on its de fects and ignoble properties. The scar city of human beauty is the reason why physiognomy is so much desired, and finds so many opponents. No person, there fore, ought to enter the sanctuary of phy siognomy, who has a debased mind, an ill-formed forehead, a blinking eye, or a distorted mouth. "The light of the body is the eye ; if therefore thine eye be sin gle, thy whole body shall be full of light ! but if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness : if therefore that light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness 1"