the cheeks; the mouth is fixed like that of an archaic statue; a look as of one on whom sorrow and care had done their worst without victory is on all the features; the whole expression is of unspeakable sadness and all-sufficing strength. Yet the peace is not the dreadful peace of death; it is the peace that passeth understanding."4 Lincoln's native tendency to melancholy and his terrible experiences of anxiety and sorrow wrote their records very legibly upon his strong, handsome features. They were nearly all surface records which vanished as by magic at the entrance of animation or pleasure, but they remained as characteristic of Lincoln's features in the recollection of persons who saw him and never had the good fortune to see him smile. Many such saw the expression in his face of his heart's unutterable anxiety and anguish and did not discover the beauty of the face itself. The unfortunate impressions this produced have been written into history and have gone into popular belief through the malice of some and the inexcusable carelessness of others. As an illustration of the seeming indifference to truth of some writers I will state that there now lies before me a copy of a widely circulated magazine in which appears a picture of the Volk life-mask, beneath which is printed the following: "Life-mask of Abraham Lincoln, made by Douglas Volk at the White House, in 1863." In that brief sentence there are four distinct and definite statements only one of which is true, and three of which are inexcusably false. The picture is that of the life-mask of Lincoln, but it was not made by Douglas Volk, but by his father Leonard W. Volk. It was not made in the White House but in Chicago, and it was not made in 1863 but in 1860. Those errors, while not seriously harmful to the memory of Lincoln, are misleading because they are not true to the facts they assume to state and they are representative of the many slovenly statements by which the public has been led to believe that Abraham Lincoln was gawky, homely and awkward. 46 Century Magazine, Vol. 19, p. 37. The statements already set forth relative to Lincoln's attire when he delivered the Cooper Institute speech, and similar statements which have appeared in books, pamphlets, magazines and newspapers are illustrative of the unfortunate habit of some writers to reproduce in their publications, without verification, disparaging statements which others have made concerning him. We have covered a wide range, and have shown how inexcusable are all disparaging statements relative to Lincoln's personal appearance when reproduced by present-day writers. There was a time when written descriptions were our only source of information as to Lincoln's looks. There was then some excuse for the belief and statement that he was homely, but that excuse no longer exists since the "infallible" testimony of art in sculpture and photography have settled the question of his personal appearance beyond the possibility of error or uncertainty. In the past, many statements by people who had met Lincoln were published and were unfortunately misleading in their influence upon the thought of the later generations. But now, whoever wishes to know whether Lincoln was fine looking or homely has but to consult his life-mask bust or one of his first-class photographs. And the world is now doing that with most satisfactory results. Replicas of that bust are being multiplied and are going into schools, offices and homes, while Lincoln's photographs are becoming plentiful in all the nation and throughout the world. Thus the unfortunate errors of the past are being corrected and Lincoln is coming into his own. Persons who knew him well understand why when he was living, he was so generally regarded as homely. He had just one unattractive feature-his lower lip was too thick to be in perfect harmony with his other features. With most people that lip was the first feature seen upon coming into his presence and it usually produced the impression that he was of uncomely visage. My own impressions when I first met him in all prob ability were similar to those experienced by others when first seeing him at close range. It was at a large gathering and he was receiving the greetings of many admiring friends. As I approached the company there was an opening in the group directly before me and I saw him at full length. Because of the distance between us I could not distinguish his features but his great height and symmetrical proportions together with his massive head, thickly covered with bushy black hair, gave him an imposing and admirable personal appearance. He stood squarely and firmly on both feet which were near together. He was erect and his bearing and movements were impressively dignified and graceful. His presence seemed august but very attractive, and I yearned to feel the grasp of his hand and to hear his voice uttering words of greeting. But as I approached him and looked into his face that lower lip attracted and held my attention and instantly produced the unwelcome and depressing impression that he was very homely. At that first view I saw his entire face as he appears in the front view photograph before mentioned, and that one slightly uncomely feature caused all his face to seem to be unattractive and even homely. Had I seen him but that once I would surely have carried away the false impression then produced. But when a few moments later I looked a second time and from a different viewpoint, his lower lip was concealed from view by the heads of people standing near him, and I could see only those features above his mouth as they are seen in the partly covered copy of the famous front view photograph and he appeared most thrillingly comely and attractive. After that first meeting with Mr. Lincoln I saw him many times but I never again noticed that lower lip. My view of his face with that feature concealed, as before stated, so transfixed my whole being that from that time whenever I looked upon his face I saw only the comely features. I made no effort, for it required no effort, to have it so. I simply did not see the uncomely feature. I could not see it so entranced was I by the vision of the strength and beauty of his face which at first I did not recognize. Upon other occasions I studied his face with the care and diligence of an enthusiastic young learner, but that lip did not again come under my observation or my thought during the period of my association with him. But the recollection of my impressions when I first met him assure me that his heavy lower lip was responsible for the belief that he was extremely homely. But, as Bartlett says, "It is to be remembered that the right kind of a thick lower lip is a physiognomical mark of sensitiveness and tenderness of nature."47 This statement of the distinguished sculptor is peculiarly applicable to Abraham Lincoln. His habits of profound and prolonged meditation usually resulted in painful melancholy which never failed to be revealed in the expressions of his countenance. And the lower lip was the one feature that most fully and faithfully disclosed the anguish of his soul and it therefore grew into an expressive symbol of the great tenderness of his nature and his deep sympathy with human suffering and sorrow. Had Lincoln's melancholy been accompanied by a spirit of resentment or of self-assertion and defense that lip would have been held firm in its place and kept thin as were the lips of Jackson, who also knew anxiety and sorrow but was never despondent nor tenderly sympathetic. Lincoln's depression arose from the kindness of his heart and his deep and tender sympathy and hence "his plainest feature," as Carpenter designates his mouth, was "expressive of much firmness and gentleness." 47 Portraits of Lincoln, p. 25. |