AUCKLAND ATHENÆUM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9093, 29 June 1888, Page 6

AUCKLAND ATHENÆUM.

The ordinary meeting of the Auckland Athenaeum was held yesterday evenine in the Victoria Arcade, where the Society have recently taken and fitted up a comfortable room, which is open to members during the day. There was a good attendance, a good number being ladies, and the chair was occupied by the Rev. C. M. Nelson. After the minutes of last meeting were read by the secretary, Mr. C. P. Newcombe was nominated for the position of Vice-presi-dent, rendered vacant by the death of Mr. W. R. WaddeL Messrs Jourdain, E. Cox, and Smith were proposed as members of the Council, and Misses Stephenson and Newcombe were nominated as members. The chairman then called upon Dr. Girdler to read the paper set down for the evening, entitled "Anatomy and Physiology of Character: Shrews and Non-Shrews. The essay, which was a resume of a recent work by Fourneaux Jordan, F.R.C.S., was a very entertaining and instructive one. The author claimed that the character of persons could be ascertained to a great degree by observing certain peculiarities of their physical conformation. The chief of these guides were the equality of the skin, the amount and quality of the hair, and the curving of the backbone. —which term he did not use in its ordinary disparaging sensewere generally possessed of a thin, transparent cuticle, sparse hair, and had the upper portion of their spine more curved than those of a non-shrewish disposition. They were of both sexes, and as a rule were distinguishable by a fitful and restless temperament, a love of change, and were given to affectation and imitation. As a rule shrews were incapable of deep passion, &nd were in general energetic and hospitable. Female shrews particularly were great worshippers of respectability, and deferred to authority on great subjects. They rarely exposed themselves to ridicule, and had bub slight capacity for being surprised, while they were for the most part self-confident and not deficient in physical courage. From the ranks of non-shrews, on the other hand, the finest and worst characters generally came. This clans was as a rule less striking to the general observer, because less assertive, oing calm and restful in demeanour, though capable of feeling the extremes of both love and hate. Scolding was generally put down as coincident with anger, but a passionate person was rarely, if ever, a sharptonguedf one. At the conclusion of the, Eaper, its contents were discussed, and >rs. E. G. Leger-Erson and Murray Moore, Messrs. E. Cox, G. B. Lilly, C. P. Newcombo, Cranwell, and others made brief remarks upon the field of thought opened, complimenting Dr. Girdler upon the conciseness and instructive nature of his abstract.