| Week-Day Religion |
Chapter 23 |
Page 2 |
It is a well known and universally accepted principle that the soul gives to the body its form, and that the life writes its whole history in the features of the face. A beautiful character will transfigure the countenance. You look into it, and you read refinement, purity, delicacy, peace, love. In like manner, an evil character hangs its curtains at all the windows, and you see at a glance selfishness, cunning, lust, deceit, falsehood, malignity, coarseness, unrest. So all spiritual culture is toward beauty, for as the heart becomes filled with the holy graces of the Spirit they make themselves manifest in the transforming of the features.
It was sin that shattered the original splendor of the human form. All blemishes, disfigurements and deformities have been produced by violations of divine laws, by over indulgence of passions and appetites, and by diseases and infirmities resulting there from. Hence all true searching for beauty must be along the path on which it was lost. Those who would recover and retain loveliness of form and feature must seek to have the divine laws written upon their hearts and assimilated in their lives.
The observance of the physical laws of our being is of vital importance. These are inexorable. There is no forgiveness for their violation. A large part of the misery and wretchedness of this world comes from the disregard of these precepts. The beauty as well as the comfort and happiness of men and women would be immeasurably advanced if all could be brought to obey, strictly and invariably the simple laws of physical life.
Then still more essential is the observance of moral and spiritual precepts. The soul informs its own dwelling. There is no beauty in the idiot’s face. The most perfect features have scant loveliness when there is a vacant mind behind them. Selfishness wipes out the soft and tender lines and leaves the cheeks faded and cold. Meanness degrades the majesty of the countenance and takes the kingly glory from the eyes. Greed petrifies the features. Anger, nourished and cherished, writes itself upon the visage. Impurity of the soul and life robs the expression of the bloom of innocence and hangs its telltale marks all about the face. It is utterly vain to hope to be beautiful with bad tempers, groveling tastes or base passions ruling in the heart. The face may still wreathe itself with smiles. The greatest pains may still be taken to cherish and retain the bloom and freshness if innocence. But it is in vain. A discrowned soul cannot long preserve in its palace the splendors and glories of its days of power and majesty. The inner life writes every line of its history on the features, where the practiced eye can read it’s every word.
So, also, beauty of soul exhibits itself in the expression. Kindness wreathes the face with gentleness. Holy thoughts refine the countenance. Grand purposes, noble resolves, high aspirations, clothe the form and features with dignity and power. Sincerity and truth transfigure even the homeliest looks.
Page 2
<< Prior Page 1 2 3 4 Next Page >>