LECTURE ON PHYSIOGNOMY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXI, Issue 7246, 21 May 1884, Page 4

LECTURE ON PHYSIOGNOMY.

“Faces and Noses” was the subject of the opening lecture of the course Dr J. Simms purposes delivering in Christchurch on physiognomy or character-reading from the study of the human face, and a numerous audience assembled to hear him, in the Oddfellows’ Hall, last evening, although the weather was far from pleasant. Dr Simms visited Christchurch three years ago, when he lectured to good houses. Since thou ho has travelled extensively, and increased his collection of pictures considerably. In fact, the walls of the Oddfellows’ Hall were covered with portraits of celebrated persons and notorious scoundrels, which serve the purpose of elucidating the lecturer’s remarks. Dr Simms has a humorous and commonsense style of address which carries his audience with him, and keeps their attention fixed throughout. He is an American, as is betrayed by hie manner of speech, and his references to the

lelehrities he has met and dine/l with have something of "Yankee tall ■ talk about them. But this is bv t.b way. He is well worth hearing, and ha« evidently devoted much study to his subject, which he treats comprehensively' Probably many would be astonished at hi s " statement that the brain has nothing to do with thinking, but that. Dr Simms says is because they know nothing about it’ Tho thought power, he considers, is i n the blood, and upon the state of this depends tho soundness of mental faculties. jj e had known instances of lunatics and idiots who were made whole in mind by having calf’s blood injected into their veins, and his, audience took the joke when he informed them that probably many there would be the better for having a pint or so of calf’s blood pumped into them. Being a student of character,- Dr Simms could not let off without notice those characteristic classes of men, lawyers and politicians. The former he dismissed with a string of hard names, but of the latter he formulated a definition, “ A politician is a low, debased man who would change his coat any time to get into office ; one who 1 ikes an apple dumpling and would tell any lie to get it.” The resemblance of certain human faces to those of animals gave the lecturer plenty of scope for hia humour, of which the free use of pictorial illustration heightened the effect. Much amusement was also caused by the delineations of the characters of such of the audience as were bold enough to come forward for the purpose. Dr Simms lectures again to-night.