MOUTHS
The Orientals have a proverb which runs as follows: "By a man's eyes, know what he might have been, or may be; by his mouth, knew what he has been, and is." The study of the mouth is one of the greatest interest, and one which will richly repay one for his time and thought. It will be noticed that there is a great difference between the mouth and lips of an individual in childhood, in youth, and in middle-age, which fact shows the truth of the Oriental proverb just quoted. The mouth indeed shows what a man has been and is.
Small mouths generally denote undeveloped, childish, or babyish character, neither good nor bad.
Large mouths denote matured character, good or bad. When firm, they denote force and energy. When half-open, they denote dullness and heaviness. When showing full protruding lips, they denote sensuality and selfish passions and tastes. When very large and flexible, they denote the "windy" person who is fond of talking and hearing the sound of his own voice—when one says that another is "big-mouthed" he states a truth which physiognomy bears out.
An upward curve of the corners of the mouth, denotes a cheerful, optimistic disposition and mental attitude. Likewise, a downward curve denotes a despondent, pessimistic disposition and mental attitude. A graceful bow-like curve, shows a well-balanced and "all around" disposition.
Tightly closed lips indicate a firmness, and often a "closeness" of disposition. Loosely closed lips indicate a lack of firmness, and often a spendthrift tendency. Lips that touch lightly and protrude slightly in a "kiss-like" shape, indicate vanity, love of praise and flattery, and often a desire to be petted.
Puffed-out lips indicate sloth, dullness, lack of energy and ambition, general heaviness. Coarse lips indicate lack of refinement, and often grossness. Particularly full lips indicate Amativeness and sometimes Sensuality.
Slanting mouths indicate trickiness, "foxiness" and general unreliability. Crooked mouths, or mouths greatly out of symmetry, are held by many authorities to indicate lack of Conscientiousness, and often criminal tendencies.
Full, red, middle-lips indicate love of the opposite sex. Thin, pale middle-lips denote the opposite traits.
A long upper-lip indicates Self-Esteem. A short upper-lip denotes deficient Self-Esteem, but often also a strong Approbativeness. (John D. Rockefeller has an almost abnormally long upper lip.)
The affectionate faculties are believed to manifest in outer form in the center of the lips, because of certain nerve centers at that place. A fullness and enlargement there denotes strong affection, while deficiency in the affectionate qualities manifest in the opposite direction.
Will and self-control is shown by the relative firmness and "set" of the lips and mouth.
Besides the above mentioned characteristics, the student will soon perceive that there are certain "expressions" of the lips and mouth which, although impossible of expression in words, nevertheless may be almost instinctively recognized by the careful observer. Lips, like eyes, tell their story plainly to the careful and practiced observer. It is a safe rule to avoid those whose mouths arouse an instinctive distrust in your mind. Watch closely the mouths of people speaking to you, and you will receive many a plain signal of danger, and many an assurance of safety. The eyes, while full of information, often deceive those not fully versed in their secret code—but the mouth tells its tale in plain, simple, understandable terms, signs and symbols.
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.