144 ANDREW JACKSON HOWE. 



gluttonous drinks and foods, and cultivated selfish 

 propensities, the features of such a face beget aver- 

 sion in the mind of the beholder. 



It has been eloquently declared that every man is 

 the architect of his fortune ; it might as truthfully 

 be said that every man is the carver of his own 

 facial expression. If a man wear a severe look, he 

 has cultivated that tone of countenance. It never 

 came by accident, nor grew carelessly like a weed. 

 An habitual face is the work of years. That disap- 

 pointed maiden of fifty never acquired a hateful visage 

 in thinking and wishing well of her neighbors ; and 

 the old shrew around the corner never obtained that 

 woeful countenance while doing good to the feeble 

 and unfortunate. 



The good Mrs. Bountiful did not stamp that lova- 

 ble face of hers with benign expressions while trying 

 to pull down a rival or somebody enjoying prosperity. 

 Her smile is a perpetual benediction. Every body 

 that meets her looks happy. 



The Rev. Mr. Holly has the expression which the 

 coal-heaver would pronounce "Apostolic," yet how 

 was that facial expression obtained ? Why, it was 

 secured during many years of divine thoughts and no- 

 ble actions. A right-minded man has been limning 

 that face for a long time. That serene beauty never 

 came by chance it was attained little by little, and 

 is a marvel of excellence. 



Canova said he could not appreciate the beautiful 

 in the world till he had made it a study for years. 

 "We are not critics of human faces till we have had 

 great opportunities to study character in its various 

 aspects. A keen detective at a crowded fair will 

 catch a glimpse of every pickpocket present, though 



