Part 5

"Forehead large and overhanging, the upper part projecting beyond the lower; eyes severe and deep-set; nose sharply cut, rather small, with a slight tendency upward; mouth firm and compressed; upper lip short; lower lip projecting; chin long and prominent; jaw square; hair brushed back behind the ears, and rather long; head large; the whole character refined, intellectual, and severe."

"There," said papa, "it has taken you four times as long to write your description as it took me to make my sketch. Now let us see what idea you have conveyed to your audience."

We all set to work at once, and made our sketches, and the accompanying pictures show the result. When we came to compare these ridiculous heads one with another, and then with the one originally drawn by papa, you can imagine that we had a hearty laugh.

Of course he insisted that we had given a brilliant illustration of the manner in which artists frequently fail in their efforts to portray the characters that writers describe, and it was quite useless to try and persuade him that we were not endowed with professional skill in the use of our pencils.

Now, for the benefit of any of our readers who would like to experiment with Phizo, I subjoin a description of a profile head which papa made, and Mr. Stylus described as follows:

"Forehead moderately high and rather full; eyebrows distinctly marked; eyes large, with heavy eyelids; nose high; mouth full, with corners slightly drooping; chin full and round; hair curling on forehead, coiled at back of the head."

Now suppose our artistic subscribers try and see what they can make of this description.

End of Project Gutenberg's Harper's Young People, May 16, 1882, by Various