6. Do not believe you can remove wrinkles by filling in the crevices with
powder. Give your face a Russian bath every night; that is, bathe it with
water so hot that you wonder how you can bear it, and then, a minute after,
with moderately cold water, that will make your face glow with warmth; dry
it with a soft towel.
* * * * * {98}
Form and Deformity.
[Illustration: MALE. FEMALE.
Showing the Difference in Form and Proportion.]
1. PHYSICAL DEFORMITIES.--Masquerading is a modern accomplishment. Girls
wear tight shoes, burdensome skirts, corsets, etc., all of which prove so
fatal to their health. At the age of seventeen or eighteen, our "young
ladies" are sorry specimens of feminality; and palpitators, cosmetics and
all the modern paraphernalia are required to make them appear fresh and
blooming. Man is equally at fault. A devotee to all the absurd devices of
fashion, he practically asserts that "dress makes the man." But physical
deformities are of far less importance than moral imperfections.
2. DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDIVIDUAL.--It is not possible for human beings to
attain their full stature of humanity, except by loving long and perfectly.
Behold that venerable man! he is mature in judgment, perfect in every
action and expression, and saintly in goodness. You almost worship as you
behold. What rendered him thus perfect? What {99} rounded off his natural
asperities, and moulded up his virtues? Love, mainly. It permeated every
pore, and seasoned every fibre of his being, as could nothing else. Mark
that matronly woman. In the bosom of her family she is more than a queen
and goddess combined. All her looks and actions express the outflowing of
some or all of the human virtues. To know her is to love her. She became
thus perfect, not in a day or year, but by a long series of appropriate
means. Then by what? Chiefly in and by love, which is specially adapted
thus to develop this maturity.
3. PHYSICAL STATURE.--Men and women generally increase in stature until the
twenty-fifth year, and it is safe to assume, that perfection of function is
not established until maturity of bodily development is completed. The
physical contour of these representations plainly exhibits the difference
in structure, and also implies difference of function. Solidity and
strength are represented by the organization of the male, grace and beauty
by that of the female. His broad shoulders represent physical power and the
right of dominion, while her bosom is the symbol of love and nutrition.