Personal Appearance and the Culture of Beauty; With Hints as to Character (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1877 Excerpt: ... CONCLUSION. We have now touched on every important point bearing on personal appearance and its improvement, and also the art of character-reading. Perhaps we have omitted topics worthy of notice, and perhaps, too, we have not handled those noticed in a way acceptable to all, but we plead that the novelty of the idea of our book has left us without one to guide us, and, also, that we have done our best to do justice to every subject. And here we may state that our facts are drawn from observations and reflections noted down during the last seven years, and, also, from a careful examination of the opinions of others in all ages, which we have been led to know through the composition of a laborious Work on matters somewhat related. In all that we have said our aim has been to be clear and practical. We have spoken without any reservation save that suggested by honest propriety, and without any other purpose than to make everything said intelligible, interesting, and useful to everybody. From repeatedly indulging in digressions, or something much akin, we have run the risk of being incoherent at times, but we have tried all along to reason, to develop and teach principles rather than throw together, without system, a mass of disjointed details. Addressing ourselves as to people of common sense, we have not seen fit to be childish in the use of language or to be burdensomely minute in regard to common-place matters. We think, however, that our style has been sufficiently simple and full to suit anyone of ordinary capacity and intelligence. But we may remark that we have been dealing with themes which cannot by any manner of treatment be made understandable without some mental effort on the part of the reader. Not many if any subjects more intricate could engage...