Cecil Henry Bullivant

Phrenology is that science which may be said to provide a chart or map for the discovery of the treasures existing in the “estate under the hat.” It is of Greek origin (phren, the mind; and logos, science), and is closely allied to craniology (Gr.: kranion-logos, skull-science).

The difference between these terms is as follows:—Craniology is a mere acquaintance with the skull. Phrenology is a full and detailed knowledge of its contents.

This study is not founded on superstition, and the phrenologist is neither charlatan nor magician, for, just as a man’s mind may be revealed by the contour of his features, the twitching or tightening of his lips, a frowning or smoothing of the brows, so the physical formation of his skull reveals the propensities, talents, virtues, and weaknesses peculiar to his nature. The thin leather of a bulging purse indicates an amount of coin; a closer observation demonstrates of what this coin is composed—cents, dimes, or dollars—and in the same way the skin of the skull bulges, and close study and knowledge of the locality of its developments show the various qualities endowed.

The student must possess a chart (Fig. 1), and memorize it before he essays to indicate character by means of phrenology, for its kingdoms are as well defined as the counties on a map.

Fig. 1.—Phrenology chart.

There are forty-two faculties or organs in all—some more prominent than others, according to the disposition, temperament, education, profession, and personal inclination of the individual.

1.	Amativeness	15.	Self-esteem	29.	Size
2.	Conjugal love	16.	Firmness	30.	Weight
3.	Parental love	17.	Conscientiousness	31.	Color
4.	Friendship	18.	Hope	32.	Order
5.	Inhabitiveness	19.	Spirituality	33.	Calculation
6.	Continuity	20.	Veneration	34.	Locality
7.	Vitativeness	21.	Benevolence	35.	Eventuality
8.	Combativeness	22.	Constructiveness	36.	Time
9.	Destructiveness	23.	Ideality	37.	Tune
10.	Alimentiveness	24.	Sublimity	38.	Language
11.	Acquisitiveness	25.	Imitation	39.	Causality
12.	Secretiveness	26.	Mirth	40.	Comparison
13.	Cautiousness	27.	Individuality	41.	Human nature
14.	Approbativeness	28.	Form	42.	Suavity

These may be divided into six important classes:—

1. The social region, which includes—

A. Amativeness.—Normal—interest in and love for the opposite sex. Too prominent—material. Too small—coldness and indifference.

B. Conjugal affection.—Normal—constant and faithful love. Too prominent—jealous and selfish. Too small—fickle and inconstant fancy.

C. Parental love.—Normal—self-abnegating love for children. Too prominent—indiscreet monopolizing. Too small—absence of tenderness.

D. Friendship.—Normal—sociability, warm attachments. Too prominent—too exacting, infatuations. Too small—inability to make friends.

E. Inhabitiveness.—Normal—love of home and native land. Too prominent—intense dislike to travel. Too small—a desire for constant change of scenery.

F. Continuity.—Normal—the power of concentration. Too prominent—the prevalence of one idea, self-centered. Too small—lack of concentration.

2. The selfish propensities—

A. Vitativeness.—Normal—vitality, joy of living. Too prominent—extreme dread of illness and death. Too small—callous of calamity.

B. Combativeness.—Normal—courageous, antagonistic instincts. Too prominent—quarrelsome. Too small—want of mettle, cowardly.

C. Destructiveness.—Normal—hardness and durability. Too prominent—vindictive. Too small—lack of interest, inability to endure pain or misfortune.

D. Alimentiveness.—Normal—good and healthy appetite. Too prominent—gluttony, fastidiousness. Too small—want of appetite.

E. Acquisitiveness.—Normal—thrift and economy. Too prominent—avarice. Too small—extravagant, a spendthrift.

F. Secretiveness.—Normal—reserve, tact, discretion. Too prominent—deceit, intrigue, falsehood. Too small—indiscreet revelations, thoughtlessness.

G. Cautiousness.—Normal—apprehension, prudent care. Too prominent—timid, over-anxious. Too small—reckless, foolhardy.

3. Self-controlling faculties—

A. Approbativeness.—Normal—appreciation of public opinion, courtesy, manners, good breeding. Too prominent—ostentatious, “playing to the gallery,” undue love of adulation. Too small—ignoring of general opinions, unconventional.

B. Self-esteem.—Normal—individuality, personality, a proper sense of personal importance and ability. Too prominent—conceit, egoism, tyranny. Too small—sense of inability and incompetency.

C. Firmness.—Normal—will-power, assertion of self, determination, fortitude. Too prominent—overbearing, perverse, illogical. Too small—inability to concentrate or overcome.

4. Moral sentiments—

A. Conscientiousness.—Normal—high regard for honor and duty. Too prominent—morbid hypersensitiveness. Too small—want of principle.

B. Hope.—Normal—optimistic trust and buoyancy. Too prominent—foolish disregard of experience. Too small—an inclination to despair, sad and melancholy.

C. Spirituality.—Normal—trust, faith, religious, devout, reverential. Too prominent—fanaticism. Too small—cynicism.

D. Veneration.—Normal—chivalry towards the old, admiration for the great, modest, quiet demeanor. Too prominent—obsession. Too small—disrespectful, irreverent.

E. Benevolence.—Normal—philanthropic inclinations, humane, charitable, generous. Too prominent—imprudent giving, waste of sympathy. Too small—selfish blindness and indifference.

5. Intellectual faculties—

A. Individuality.—Normal—a desire for knowledge, respect and regard for the feelings of others. Too prominent—over-curious, spying. Too small—lack of humor.

B. Form.—Normal—ability to remember faces, shapes, and general appearance of buildings, &c. Too prominent—sensitiveness to want of beauty and contour. Too small—inability to observe shapes carefully.

C. Size.—Normal—the power of judging proportions at a glance. Too prominent—too much sense of comparison. Too small—incapable of judging length and breadth.

D. Weight.—Normal—mechanical and mathematical inclinations. Too prominent—great regard for the laws of balance and gravity. Too small—awkward movements, want of harmony.

E. Color.—Normal—the art of blending colors, delight in nature. Too prominent—hypersensitive of uncongenial environment; the clashing of colors is torture. Too small—a want of artistic sensibility, taste, and appreciation; perhaps color-blind.

F. Order.—Normal—ability to plan, to arrange, to discover the best method for doing business, &c. Too prominent—prim, fussy, fastidious, the mind obsessed by little things; extremely fretted by want of method in others. Too small—slovenly, chaotic, Bohemian; duties performed or left according to mood and inclination.

G. Calculation.—Normal—the power of mental arithmetic, the summing up of events. Too prominent—self-interest, any kind action done for the sake of some return, cold, distrustful. Too small—financial imprudence, inability to make accounts balance.

H. Locality.—Normal—swift sense of strange surroundings, an observation of streets and buildings. Too prominent—a passion for explorations. Too small—want of observation of new things.

I. Eventuality.—Normal—interest in present events. Too prominent—undue regard for trivial incidents. Too small—inability to remember recent events.

J. Time.—Normal—memory of periods and length of time, love of punctuality. Too prominent—inordinate importance attached to dates, &c. Too small—slackness in punctuality.

K. Tune.—Normal—sense of euphony in speech, harmony in music. Too prominent—passionate love of music. Too small—want of appreciation.

L. Language.—Normal—fluent and attractive speech. Too prominent—prosy, garrulous. Too small—inability to express thoughts clearly and concisely.

6. Reasoning faculties—

A. Causality.—Normal—power of fathoming and understanding what is read or heard. Too prominent—theoretical knowledge rather than practical. Too small—deficiency in arriving at independent conclusions.

B. Comparison.—Normal—acquiring of sound knowledge and discarding what is worthless; discriminating between what is true in art and literature and what is false. Too prominent—undue importance attached to words, carping criticism, invidious, harsh. Too small—credulous, easily imposed upon.

The student will at first find considerable difficulty in determining the exact position of the different faculties. It is only by close study of his chart, practice on human heads, and experience, that he will at length achieve unerring ability to distinguish, blend, and separate the different characters, inclinations, intellects, and emotions with which the human mind is gifted.

Bald-Pated Friends

In case the would-be phrenologist is not possessed of an amiable, bald-headed relation, he should endeavor to ingratiate himself in the favors of a hairless friend, for there is nothing so excellent for practice as a thatchless skull. Indeed, he is fortunate who has a large circle of bald-pated friends and acquaintances, for, even if he dare not attempt to find out their qualities by the sense of touch, he may achieve much by observation.

Women’s heads are the most difficult to examine, and never should the student exhibit his art on the well-coiffured damsel. There deception lies, for what seems to him an abnormal development of “bumps” will in all probability be artificial pads used by the fair one to discipline her tresses into fashion’s latest erection, to say nothing of hairpins and many other mysteries which the mind of a man, be he ever so learned in phrenology, can never hope to fathom.

The woman who is really curious to have her faculties read must consent to unpin her locks, so that the hand of the phrenologist may come in contact with her head; and he must possess a sensitive touch, which quickly discerns the different developments of the skull.

Phrenologist—and Man!

Students of phrenology will be astonished to find what a great deal of information may be gained by means of careful observation, when actual investigation is impossible. No opportunity should be lost of studying shape, poise, and balance of the human head. From the temples and brows of the man occupying the same seat on an omnibus a great deal is to be learnt, in spite of his headgear; the faculties 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, and 35 will probably protrude, and demonstrate what degree of love of form, size, individuality, eventuality, alimentiveness, destructiveness, vitativeness, conjugality, and amativeness exist in his nature.

Churches, concert rooms, and theaters abound with opportunities for the scrutiny of masculine heads, and upon each is engraved those abstract qualities furnished by the memorized chart.

The phrenologist should take pains to keep his hands and nails perfectly clean. He should bathe them between each experiment, as the natural grease of the hair soils them, and no one likes to have his skull touched by unclean fingers. It is essential for him to possess and cultivate a buoyant disposition, which will tend to help and encourage him, and not to condemn a subject for the weaknesses of character he discovers.

Few ills have no cure. This is as true of mental inefficiency as of physical ailments, and the prophecies of the humane phrenologist are set in the major and not the minor key. Every individual, however seemingly worthless or uninteresting, possesses some divine gift, which perhaps lies dormant and neglected through his ignorance of its existence. Here it is that the phrenologist is able to let a chink of light penetrate the darkness, and a few kind, judicious words will do much to bring back the latent self-respect to him who has despaired of being released from the fetters of evil habits, intemperance, sloth, or indifference to the liberty of wholesome well-being.

The motto of the student should be never to condemn. When he has once reached the secret of identity, he should set himself to appeal and rouse the dying spirit of manhood to a new resurrection of power and achievement, for probably adverse and bitter circumstances, heredity, and poverty have done much to batter down the higher nature and develop the baser qualities of the man whose faculties he examines; and he can only dimly imagine, but never fathom, the strength of the temptations that warp the various molds in which the human mind is set.

The Humorous Side of Phrenology

In drawing-room exhibitions, only the lighter side of phrenology should be dealt with. A fund of humor and wit can be demonstrated here, so that instruction is blended with amusement, and it is not unfitting to use animals as illustrations of different qualities. For instance, the refrain in the once-popular lyric, “But the cat came back,” clearly testifies that this animal possessed the nodosity of inhabitiveness to a marked degree. Not so the man of music-hall fame whose pathetic pleading, “Please don’t take me home,” stirs our heartstrings most potently, or “Bill Bailey,” the wanderer. The small dog that ogles a larger comrade engaged with a bone, but who fears his mightier powers too greatly to venture open attack, possesses “cupboard” affection rather than amativeness.

The blinkered horse, were it granted speech, would doubtless demonstrate the fact that it has cultivated the faculty of spirituality in no small degree, for its sense of the unseen is remarkable.

The bull has only to kick up his heels and lower his horns at a red parasol to vindicate his apt discernment of color. The manner in which the watch-dog registers the shape of his enemy’s calves in his memory is a truly astonishing sign of his sense of form and locality. The serpent’s feline smile at the bird is eloquent of its sociability and expectation; its glistening coils are the personification of blandness and invitation to embrace. Stay-at-home oysters are famous for domesticity. The fish swallowing the hooked worm illustrates a beautiful trust and faith in the providential plans man culminates for his welfare. In the hobbled ass, wandering over and over his patch of grass, economy, adhesiveness, and a very praiseworthy amount of application are shown.

It might be well for the ambitious phrenologist to study the skulls of these and other animals, birds, and fishes, for in these the unadulterated essences of virtues and vices and instinctive propensities are discovered. The human head may be likened to a very rich pudding composed of very different ingredients, flavorings, and strata of coloring, and sugared with conventionalities and hypocrisies. The animal, on the contrary, exhibits its true qualities as frankly as a sirloin of raw beef suspended in a butcher’s window.