Part 8 (1/2)
Everything we put together--from hooks and eyes to skysc.r.a.pers--is planned by our brains but depends for its materialization upon the muscles of the human body.
How to Know Him.
- Look at any individual and you will note one of these three conditions: that his bones seem to be covered just by skin and sinews (which means that he belongs to the fourth type) or thickly padded with fat (in which case he is largely of the first type) or well upholstered with firm meat.
In the latter case he is largely Muscular, no matter what other types may be present in his makeup.
In a short time you will be able to tell, at a glance, whether the padding on an individual is mostly fat or mostly muscle, because fat is always round and soft while muscle is firm and definite.
Physical Solidity.
- A general solidity of structure, as distinguished from the softness of the Alimentive and the resilience of the Thoracic, characterizes the Muscular. (See Chart 5) Poke your finger into a fat man's hand and though it makes a dent that dent puffs back quickly. Do the same to the Muscular and you will find a firmness and toughness of fiber that resists but stays there longer once the dent is made.
Not So Malleable.
- This little ill.u.s.tration is typical of the differences between these two natures throughout their entirety. Just as the fat man's face gives to your touch, he will give in to you more easily than any other type; but he will go back to the same place sooner and more smoothly when your pressure is removed.
[Ill.u.s.tration: 5 Muscular the worker]
The Muscular does not mold so easily, is less suggestible, is less tractable than the Alimentive or Thoracic but is less likely to revert afterwards.
Built on the Square.
- ”On the Square” is a figurative expression usually applying to a moral tendency. In this sense it is as often possessed by one type as another. But in a purely literal sense the Muscular is actually built on the square. His whole figure is a combination of squares.
The Alimentive is built upon the circle, the Thoracic on the kite-shape but the pure Muscular always tends toward a squareness of outline.
We repeat, he is no more ”square” morally than any other type, so do not make the mistake of attributing any more of this virtue to him than to others.
- Each type has its own weaknesses and points of strength as differentiated from other types and these are responsible for most of the moral differences between people.
No Type Superior Morally.
- Since moral weakness comes from type weakness and since each type possesses about as many weaknesses as the others, it follows that no type is superior ”morally” to any other and no type is morally inferior to any other.
Type and Temptation.
- Morality is mostly a matter of how much temptation you can withstand.
Every individual in a civilized community is surrounded by temptations of some kind most of the time. He does not want to yield to any of them. Every man and woman does the best of which his particular type is capable under a given circ.u.mstance.
Each individual resists many temptations for which we fail to give him credit. He yields only to those which make such a strong appeal to his type that he lacks the power of resistance.
In other words, each person yields to the temptations that prey upon his particular weaknesses, and what his weaknesses are will depend upon his type. In the grip of these temptations he may commit anything from discourtesy to crime--according to the strength of the temptation plus his own leaning in that direction.
On the other hand, certain ”immoralities” which appeal strongly to some types have no attraction whatever for others and these latter get credit for a virtuousness that has cost them nothing.
Praise and Punishment.
- On the other hand, each one of the five human types has certain points of strength and from these gets its natural ”moral” qualities. We spend a great deal of energy giving praise and blame but when we realize--as we are doing more and more--that the type of an individual is responsible for most of his acts, we will give less of both to the individual and more of both to the Creator.
Type vs. Training.
- The most that training can do is to brace up the weak spots in us; to cultivate the strong ones; to teach us to avoid inimical environments; and to constantly remind us of the penalties we pay whenever we digress.
Child Training.
- As this great science of Human a.n.a.lysis becomes known the world will understand for the first time ”how the other half lives,” and why it lives that way.
We will know why one child just naturally tells fibs while his twin brother, under identical training, just naturally tells the truth. What is more to the point we will know this in their childhood and be prepared to give to each the kind of training which will weed out his worst and bring out his best.
Short and Stocky.
- The extreme Muscular type (See Chart 5) is below medium height, though one of any height may be largely muscular.
The extreme type, of which we are treating in this chapter, is shorter and heavier than the average. But his heaviness is due to muscle instead of fat. He has the appearance of standing firmly, solidly upon the ground, of being stalwart and strong.
The Square-Shouldered Man.
- The Muscular's shoulders stand out more nearly at right angles than those of any other type and are much broader in proportion to his height. The Alimentive has sloping shoulders and the Thoracic inclines to high shoulders. But the shoulders of the pure Muscular are straighter and have a squareness where the Alimentive's have curves. This accounts for the fact that most of the square shouldered men you have known were not tall men, but medium or below medium in height. The wide square shoulders do not accompany any other pure type, though naturally they may be present in an individual who is a combination.
Has Proportionately Long Arms.
- The arms of pure Musculars are longer in proportion to the body than the arms of other types. The arms of the Alimentive are short for his body but the extreme Muscular's arms are always anywhere from slightly longer to very much longer than his height would lead you to expect.
The Pure Muscular Head.
- A ”square head” is the first thing you think of when you look at a pure Muscular. His head has no such decided digressions from the normal as the round head of the Alimentive or the kite-shaped head of the Thoracic. It is not high for his body like the Thoracic's nor small for his body like the Alimentive's, but is of average proportions.
[Ill.u.s.tration: 6 Typical MUSCULAR face Typical MUSCULAR hand]
His Thick Neck.
- A distinctive feature of this type is his thick neck. It is not fat like that of the Alimentive nor medium long like that of the Thoracic but has unusual muscularity and strength.
This is one of the chief indications of the Muscular's strength. A st.u.r.dy neck is one of the most significant indications of physical prowess and longevity, while the frail neck--of which we shall speak in connection with the fifth type--is always a sign of the physical frailty which endangers life. The thickness of his neck may sometimes give you the impression that the Muscular head is small but if you will look again you will see that it is normal for his bodily size.
His Square Face.
- Looking at him from directly in front you will see that the Muscular's face gives you an impression of squareness. (See Chart 6) You will also notice that his side-head, cheeks and jaw run up and down in such a way as to give him a right-angled face.
His Square Jaw.
- A broad jaw is another characteristic of this type. Not only is it square, looked at from the front, but you are pretty sure to note that the jaw bones, as they proceed downward under the ear, tend to make a right-angled turn at the corners instead of a rounded curve.
These dimensions tend to give the whole lower part of the Muscular's face a box-like appearance. It is considered becoming to men but robs its female owners of the delicate, pointed chin so much desired by women.
The Typical Muscular Hand.
- Notice the hands of the people you meet and you will be surprised to see how different and how interesting they are. Their size, shape and structure as seen from the back of the hand are especially significant and tell us much more about the individual's nature than the palm does.