Combe says: "This faculty loves exquisiteness, perfection, and the beau-ideal; gives inspiration to the poet; stimulates those faculties which form ideas to create perfect scenes; inspires man with a ceaseless love of improvement, and prompts him to form and realize splendid conceptions; imparts an elevated strain to language, and shows a splendor of eloquence and poetic feeling; and gives to conversation a fascinating sprightliness and buoyancy—the opposite of dryness and dullness."
In addition to the above characteristics, which are largely due to the co-operation of Mysticism, Infinity, and Reverence, there is another set of manifestations which were largely overlooked by the older phrenologists—the activity of the Imagination in connection with Constructiveness. This combination of Constructiveness and Ideality is found in the great scientists, inventors, great financiers, and others whose plans for "building up" show that Ideality has been also very active in the direction of picturing "what may be"—the ideal which Construction makes real. In much mental constructive work, there is found the artistic element, which arises from Ideality. This Quality manifests outer form in the upper and frontal portion of the temples, just where the head begins to curve upward, and just in front of, or under, the edges of the hair (see group figure). It is just above Constructiveness, and just below Mysticism and Imitation, a position which throws light on its several phases of manifestation above noted.
Infinity. This Quality manifests in a strong realization of the grand, the majestic, the vast, the illimitable, the infinite, the eternal, the absolute, the omnipotent, the omnipresent, the omniscient. It is the realizing sense of The Great. Those in whom it is large are impressed by the sublime, the majestic, the grand, in nature or in thought and conception. Niagara; the great work of the architect; the thunder-storm; the giant redwood of California; the ocean; or the thoughts of Infinity, alike appeal to the one in whom this Quality is large. If Reverence be large, the trend of Infinity will be toward religious ideas—the greatness of God. If the intellectual faculties be in the ascendency, Infinity will lead to high conceptions of Space, Nature, the Infinite. If Ideality be large, Infinity will incline toward the grand and great in art. If Constructiveness be well developed, Infinity will impel to the creation of great works, enterprises, buildings, schemes, or what not. Infinity influences everything in the direction of largeness and greatness. This Quality manifests in outer form on the side of the head, about midway between forehead and back-head, and about midway between "top and bottom" of that part of the head which contains the brain (see group figure). It is back of Ideality, and in front of Cautiousness; below Optimism and above Acquisitiveness, on the side of the head where the upward curve begins.
Humor. This Quality manifests in a strong appreciation of the ludicrous, humorous, ironical, facetious, and raillery. Spurzheim says: "Those who write like Voltaire, Rabelais, Piron, Sterne, Rabener, Wieland, and all who are fond of jest, raillery, ridicule, irony, and comical conceptions, have the upper and outer parts of the forehead immediately before Beauty (Ideality) of considerable size." Combe says: "I have found in the manifestations of those whose Wit (Mirthfulness) predominates over Causality (Logic) a striking love of the purely ludicrous; their great delight being to heap absurd and incongruous ideas together; extract laughter out of every object; and enjoy the mirth their sallies created; and therefore agree with Spurzheim that the sentiment of the ludicrous is its primitive function." Those in whom it is very large are apt to be regarded as trifling and undignified, and people often lack respect for them. Those in whom it is weak are apt to be over-serious and dreary. A sense of humor is valuable in many ways, among which is its influence in letting us see the silly side of much pretentious nonsense which might otherwise deceive our reason and judgment. Many a solemn and dignified fallacy or error can best be attacked through a laugh and a realization of its absurdity. This Quality manifests outer form on the upper and lateral part of the forehead (see group figure). It is just before Ideality and just below Imitation. When large it gives a square and prominent shape to this part of the forehead.
CHAPTER XII
THE RELATIVE QUALITIES
The seventh group is known as the Relative Qualities, and is composed of the following four particular Qualities: Human Nature; Suavity; Sympathy; and Imitation; respectively. The designation "Relative" is applied to this group, by reason of the fact that its activities are concerned with the relations between the individual and others of his kind. The group manifests outer form in the front-upper part of the head, beginning just above the line of the hair, from which it extends backward toward the top-head. (See Fig. 8.)
