Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 July 1893 — CIVILIZATION AND NOSES. [ARTICLE]

CIVILIZATION AND NOSES.

Advancement of tbe Hainan Race Tells on a Prominent Feature. There is no one feature so susceptible of modification by changed conditions of life as the nose. This is especially noticeable in the immigrants who come to us from Avery country on the face of the earth. Among the degraded and downtrodden classes the nose is flattened and undeveloped; among the persecuted it is apt to approach the aquiline form, the nose of watchfulness and resistance. The conditions of American life, on the other hand, tend to produce a straight nose, larger and less delicate than the Greek nose, but a very good nose for the nation to have. And it is this type that the noses of foreigners coming to this country insensibly develop, so that it is almost impossible, so far as personal appearance is concerned, to tell from what nation one' sprung originally. That applies, of course, to the Caucasian races. Yet it would be curious to learn if the Chinese of 2,000 years ago, who discovered and invented so many of those things which we fondly call the product of our own age, had the same flat, snub noses of the Chinese of to-day. As a rule, the more cultivated and refined a race, the finer the nose, physiognomists tejl us. To be beautiful it should be one-third the length of the face. In the Mongolian races it is about one-fourth, and in the negro sometimes less. It may be looked upon as the index of the mental development of an individual, and is usually divided into five types. The pure Roman nose is rare nowadays. It is the nose of an ambitious, power-loving man, who will conquer at all costs, and who will sacrifice anything to gain his ends.

The Greek nose, on the other hand, denotes refinement, taste and love of the beautiful. “The owner of a Greek nose," says the author of “Notes on Noses,” “is not without some energy in the pursuit of that which is agreeable to his tastes, but, unlike the owner of the Roman nose, he cannot exert himself in opposition to his tastes.” The Jewish nose, as it is called, is by no means peculiar to the Jewish nation. It indicates great energy and perseverance, together with worldly shrewdness and an ability to turn everything to the best account. The “celestial,” or turned-up nose, is concave where the Jewish nose is convex. It indicates a pert, inquisitive disposition, with a fondness for asking questions and prying into secrets. Lavator says that noses which are much turned downward are never truly good. Their thoughts and inclinationa tend always to the earth. They indicate a close, cold heart, and uncommunicative nature, often maliciously sarcastic. Men with such noses are ill humored, or hypochondriac and melancholic. Noses somewhat turned up at the point and conspicuously sunk at the top under «, rather perpendicular than a retreating forehead are by nature inclined to pleasure, ease, jealousy and pertinacity. They may at the same time possess refined sense, eloquence, benevolence and ba rich in talents. Breadth of nose denotes power of deep, close and concentrated thought, while deep, lengthwise wrinkles indicate * malicious, oad character. The forehead is the seat of intellect. Should the lower part predominate, the powers of observation will be keen—there will be a love of travel, a desire to see and describe new things, with a facility for learning facts and acquiring languages. If the middle portion is largest, the memory will be good and the power of analysis great.—[Philadelphia Press.