FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140  
141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   >>   >|  
his. He takes upon himself all functions, and is a sort of ephemeral major-domo! He distributes his attentions among the company assembled according to the degree of affliction, which he calculates from the degree of kin to the deceased; and marshals them accordingly in the procession. He himself is of a sad and tristful countenance; yet such as (if well examined) is not without some show of patience and resignation at bottom; prefiguring, as it were, to the friends of the deceased, what their grief shall be when the hand of Time shall have softened and taken down the bitterness of their first anguish; so handsomely can he fore-shape and anticipate the work of Time. Lastly, with his wand, as with another divining rod, he calculates the depth of earth at which the bones of the dead man may rest, which he ordinarily contrives may be at such a distance from the surface of this earth, as may frustrate the profane attempts of such as would violate his repose, yet sufficiently on this side the centre to give his friends hopes of an easy and practicable resurrection. And here we leave him, casting in dust to dust, which is the last friendly office that he _undertakes_ to do." Begging your pardon for detaining you so long among "graves, and worms, and epitaphs," I am, Sir, Your humble servant, MORITURUS. * * * * * ON THE DANGER OF CONFOUNDING MORAL WITH PERSONAL DEFORMITY. WITH A HINT TO THOSE WHO HAVE THE FRAMING OF ADVERTISEMENTS FOR APPREHENDING OFFENDERS. * * * * * TO THE EDITOR OF "THE REFLECTOR." MR. REFLECTOR,--There is no science in their pretensions to which mankind are more apt to commit grievous mistakes, than in the supposed very obvious one of physiognomy. I quarrel not with the principles of this science, as they are laid down by learned professors; much less am I disposed, with some people, to deny its existence altogether as any inlet of knowledge that can be depended upon. I believe that there is, or may be, an art to "read the mind's construction in the face." But, then, in every species of _reading_, so much depends upon the eyes of the reader; if they are blear, or apt to dazzle, or inattentive, or strained with too much attention, the optic power will infallibly bring home false reports of what it reads. How often do we say, upon a cursory glance at a stranger, "What a fine open countenance he has!" who, upon second i
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140  
141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
friends
 

REFLECTOR

 

science

 

countenance

 

degree

 
deceased
 
calculates
 

commit

 
pretensions
 

mankind


grievous

 

infallibly

 
quarrel
 

principles

 
physiognomy
 

supposed

 
obvious
 
mistakes
 

reports

 

PERSONAL


DEFORMITY

 

FRAMING

 

ADVERTISEMENTS

 

EDITOR

 

APPREHENDING

 

OFFENDERS

 

professors

 

species

 

reading

 

construction


depends

 
glance
 

dazzle

 

cursory

 

inattentive

 
strained
 

reader

 
attention
 

existence

 
people

disposed
 

altogether

 
stranger
 
knowledge
 

depended

 

learned

 
office
 

softened

 
bitterness
 

resignation