TRADES AND FACES. 64.1 



being a good deal impressed, when residing in a shipbuilding 

 town, by the intent gaze and bent brows of the riveters and 

 boilersmiths with whom I was brought in contact. One instinc- 

 tively wondered at first what there was about a harmless hospital 

 surgeon who ministered to them in times of dire trouble, to excite 

 such an air of watchful hostility. I soon found, however, that 

 no hostile sentiments were entertained, but that the frowning, 

 falconlike expression was explained, partly by the "smith's 

 scowl " above mentioned, and partly by the fact that all these 

 men were rendered somewhat deaf by their noisy work, and in 

 consequence had a habit of closely watching the face of any one 

 who conversed with them. Whether their characters in any way 

 corresponded with their acquired expressions I did not discover ; 

 there was a grave courtesy in their demeanor while in hospital 

 which was singularly dignified and pleasing, although always 

 slightly suggestive of the politeness of foes during an armistice. 



It is easy for any one to satisfy himself by making a few ex- 

 periments that the act of striking a forceful blow, even at the 

 empty air, tends not only to bring a flush and a frown to the face, 

 but also to awaken an inward glow of emotion which is the raw 

 material of wrath. We all know how certain individuals, when 

 they think it expedient to be angry, " work themselves up " by de- 

 liberately assuming a loud, harsh voice, violent gestures, and 

 other choleric symptoms. Here there can be no doubt about cen- 

 tripetal currents which pass inward from the expression organs, 

 and which influence the mind. ISTor is it necessary that the will 

 should be called into requisition in order to set such currents in 

 motion, for persons much given to involuntary blushing, and 

 who experience the distressing mental abasement and confusion 

 which accompanies a general dilatation of the arterioles of the 

 face and brain, find that any outward circumstance, such as the 

 heat of a room, which tends to redden the face, also renders them 

 liable to the psychic accompaniments of a blush. Moreover, it is 

 well known that the assumption of an expression of dejection 

 contributes to lowness of spirits, and that we find it easier to be 

 brave with our chins up and our shoulders squared than when 

 we cringe and look at our boots. 



In religious services involving an elaborate ritual, posturing 

 is made use of in all parts of the world as a remedy for mental 

 inertia. Doubtless the general prevalence of the practice is a 

 strong testimony in its usefulness, although such strategy, based 

 upon the innate tendency of the mind to conform to the body, 

 appears, from one point of view, a trifle undignified, in warfare 

 where the spirit is endeavoring to assert its eternal supremacy 

 over the flesh. 



Moreover, occasionally, the laws upon which these and like 



voi. xlvii 53 



