THE NOSE IN LITERATURE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 771, 10 December 1886, Page 8

THE NOSE IN LITERATURE.

Bbooklyn Magazuth.

The nose is suoh a prominent feature is physiogonomy—-prominent in respect of attracting attention, whether it be unduly large or exceptionally small—that it is not to be wondered at that it has been-made the text for so many witty allusions. One interesting writer has written on the ‘ Joy of One’s Nose.* In his essay ho speaks of the pleasure we have in smelling exquisite perfumes, not only natural ones, like the odor of flowers, but colongnes, musk. ‘ patchouli,’ and the spicy odors that rejoice some souls—cloves, mace, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In the garden, by the seaside, in our kitchens,.and at our toilet tables, the nose makes us happier than we could be if there were no perfumes, no odors, or noses. Many of the poets have sung the praises of the nose. The reader will recall the stanzas of Cowper which we used to read in our school-book, wherein the question is attempted to be decided whether the spectacles belonged to the nose or the eyes. Tongue, the lawyer, was a true representative of his kind. He could argue a 3 well for one side as for the other ;

* Then shifting his side (as a lawyer know® how), He pleaded again on behalf of the Eyes ; But what were his arguments few people know, For the Court did not think them equally wise. . -

So his liordship deoreed, with a grave, solemn tone, Decisive and clear, without an if or but,

That whenever the Nose put hi# spectacle# on. By daylight or candlelight—Eyes should be shut.’- _ ■ ' ' . . The red nose has always been a prolific sub* ject for poetsand wits. Falstaff’a speech to Bardolph about his nese is often quoted r—-* Thou art our admiral ; thou bearest the lantern in the poop—but ’tis in the nose of thee ; thou art the Knight of the Burning Lamp.’ This, it is said, is a Yery old joke. The admiral’s shin was distinguished by a light in the stern, and mention is made In an old book called 'The Wonderful Year,’ published in lfiOSf, of a Dutohman who had an exceedingly ruby nose, who was offered a very big bonus to stand in the poop of the admiral, * only to save the charge of candles.’ An old author, in 1584, speaks of a friar who, when he went out of a dark night, needed no candle, * his pose was so rod and bright; and although h« had but little money in store in his purse, yet his nose and cheeks were well set with rabies.’ r To these very old allusions we can, trace the origin of the modern allusion to a red nose, when it is called & lantern. Another speech ** of Falataff’a is when he sees a flea sticking on Bardolph’s nose, and calls it c a black soul burning in hell fire.’ An Irish gentleman onoe declared to Foote that if a certain manhad treated him in a certain way he would pull him by the nose. * Pull him by the noso 1’ said Foote ; * you might a* well thrust. . your hand into a furness.’ When we come to big noses we recall the. joke of the Freshman saying to the Sophomore, 1 1 wonder why my moustache doesn’t grow under my nose as at the corners of my mouth V And the Sophomore replies, * Too much shade.* Among the many Heidelberg traditions of duelling is the following :—Two students fought, and each sliced off the other’s nose. The noses fell to the ground, and, being picked up by the seconds, wore plastered again on the faces of the The operation succeeded, but in the hurry the noses bad been changed; the aquiline man henceforward had a snub, and the snub man had an aquiline. Some time r ago there was a nose show in Austria. Eighty persons, we: are told, competed for the prize offered forthe most extraordinary nasal prominence, in form, size, and color. The jury decided that only three out of the whole could be admitted . to compete for the prize, which was finally adjudged to a competitor from Vienna, possensed of what was stated to bs * a gigantic nose, of a deep violet blue.’ Curious- cases of; noses being restored are mentioned iahistory. A Spanish writer says that when he was in Africa he saw a quarrel between a Spanish gentleman and a military officer, in> which thelatter struck off the nose of the-former, and it fell in the sand. The surgeon washed it in warm water, carefully replaced it, bound it up, and at the end of eight days found it perfectly healed. TaliacotitM records a similar ease, in whioh a man, losing his nose, left it in the gutter while he pursued his opponent. 'On his return the nose was applied; and adhesion followed. I>r Barthelemy records the case of an officer at Ixyons, in. IBls>, who had the end of his nose out off in a duel. Be put the severed portion in his pocket, kept it warm, returned home and sent for a surgeon, who replaced it and adhesion followed. DrReynault gives a case in which a nose adhered after it ha l bean bitten off and kept in theowner’s pocket for five hours. Artificial noseaare generally attached to the face by spectacles. About five years ago a Ban Francisco dentist made for a Chinese woman, whose face was horribly disfignred. a celluloid nose. The organ was attached by a ■ gold spring to the upper jaw in the manner in which single teeth are affixed. The spring ran up to where the bridge of the nose shonld have been, and to this spring the. artificial nose and lip were attached by an india-rnbber loop. The combined pressure of the spring and india-rubber drew the celluloid mask so close to the face that, being moulded to fit the cheeks, it would have looked quite-natural but for the lack of that transparency which living tissue possesses. Of course our funny paragrapher had to have his say after this bit of news appeared. He at once boldly stated that a man but We»t had a cork nose. * When he keeps sober,’ said the writer, 1 it gives him no trouble; but when he is out drinking* 1 with, his friends they want to borrow it tor a stopper every time they lose their corks out , of their flasks.’ There is a true story of a French Senator, a very handsome man, wha had a lanro nose, of which ho was somewhat proud. He was once riding in a train, when a child, .who was in the same carriage, and who had watched the statesman for some time with dilated eyes, began to cry aa it its heart would break. The mother could not' console it. The little one was afraid of the Senator’s nose, and the mother quietly explained that her child had just come from the masquerade, where he had. been particularly excited by the display of large noses. She

conc’uded by requesting tho statesman to take off his nose, ‘ for you, I Eee,’ she explained, for some reason best known to yourself, ore prolonging the carnival.’ -The'Senator protested that he could not accommodate her, assuring the lady that his proboscis wss not a false nose but his own. * Touch it,’ said lie. The lady gave a pull at the Senator’s nose, but it did not come fiff in her band. ‘A thousand pardons,’ ebe said, ‘but pray, ob, pray, hide it with your hat!’ The distinguished statesman complied with this singular request, continued hie journey with his nose in his lia!, and the child’s screams subsided.