The Naturally Independent.
- "Standing on his own legs" is a well-known trait of the Muscular. Dependence is bred of necessity. This type being able to get for himself most of the things he wants, rarely finds it necessary to call upon others for a.s.sistance.
Love of self-government, plus fighting pluck, both of which are inherent in the Muscular Irish race, are responsible for the long struggle for their independence.
Likes Plain Foods.
- "Meat and potatoes" are the favorite diet of the average American Muscular. The Alimentive wants richness and sweetness in food, the Thoracic wants variety and daintiness but the Muscular wants large quant.i.ties of plain food.
The Alimentive specializes in desserts, the Thoracic in unusual dishes, but the Muscular wants solid fare. He is so fond of meat it is practically impossible for him to confine himself to a vegetable diet.
When He is in Moderate Circ.u.mstances - The Muscular is most often found in moderate circ.u.mstances. He is rarely far below or far above them. Most of the plain, simple, everyday things he desires can be secured by people of average means. He does not feel the necessity for becoming a millionaire to obtain comforts like the Alimentive, nor for extravagances like the Thoracic.
When He is Rich.
- Philanthropy marks the expenditures of this type whenever he is rich. He does not spend as much of his money for possessions but enjoys investing it in what he deems the real--that is, other human beings.
The most plain and durable things in furnishings, architecture and service characterize the rich of this type in their homes.
The World"s Work Done by Musculars.
- Broadly speaking, the fat man manages the world, the florid man entertains the world, and the muscular man does the work of the world.
He composes most of the day-laborers, the middle men, the manual and mechanical toilers the world around, as we have stated before.
He could get out of his hard places into better paid ones if he did not like activity so well, but lacking the love of ease and show he is willing to work hard for the necessities of life.
Simple Habits.
- The Muscular"s nature does not demand the exciting, the gregarious or the food-and-drink things that lead toward laxity.
He is seldom a dissipator. He likes to go to bed early, work hard and make practical progress in his life.
He leads the simple and yet the most strenuous existence of any type.
Entertainment He Enjoys.
- Plays about plain people, their everyday experiences, hopes and fears are the kind that interest this type most.
The "problem play" of a decade ago was a prime favorite with him. He likes everything dealing with these everyday commonplace affairs with which he is most familiar.
He frequently goes to serious lectures--something the pure Alimentive always avoids--and he especially enjoys them if they deal with the problem of the here and now.
He cares little for comic opera, vaudeville or revues because he feels they serve no practical purpose and get him nowhere. This type does not attend the theater merely to be amused. He goes for light on his everyday experiences and usually considers time wasted that is spent solely on entertainment.
Music He Likes.
- Band music, stirring tunes and all music with "go" to it appeals to this type.
Reading.
- True stories, news and the sport page are the favorite newspaper reading of the Muscular. He does not take to sentimental stories so much as the Alimentive, nor to adventure so much as the Thoracic but sticks to practical subjects almost exclusively.
Being active most of his waking hours, and strenuously active at that, the Muscular is often too tired at night to read anything.
His Favorite Sports.
- The most violent sports are popular with this type. Football, baseball, handball, tennis, rowing and pugilism are his preferences. All experts in these lines are largely Muscular.
Physical a.s.sets.
- His wonderful muscular development, upon which depends so much of life"s happiness--since accomplishment is measured so largely thereby--is the greatest physical a.s.set of this type. With it he can accomplish almost anything of which his mind can conceive.
He is capable of endless effort, does not tire easily, and because of his directness makes his work count to the utmost of his mental capacity.
Physical Liabilities.
- A tendency to overwork is the chief physical pitfall of this type. The disease to which he is most susceptible is rheumatism. But owing to his love of activity he exercises more than any other type and thus forestalls many diseases.
Social a.s.sets.
- His generosity is the strongest social a.s.set of the Muscular. He is usually straightforward and sincere and thereby gains the confidence of those who meet him.
Social Liabilities.
- His loud voice and his plain ways are the disadvantages under which this type labors in social intercourse. He needs polishing and is not inclined to take it. His pugnacity is also a severe drawback.
Emotional a.s.sets.
- Understanding, enthusiasm and warmth of heart are the emotional qualities which help to make him the public leader he so often is. These have made him the "born orator," the radical and the reformer of all ages.
Emotional Liabilities.
- His tendency to anger and combat are shackles that seriously handicap him. Many times these lose him the big opportunities which his splendid traits might obtain for him.
Business a.s.sets.
- Efficiency and willingness to work hard and long are the greatest business a.s.sets of this type.
Business Liabilities.
- Pugnacity over trifles costs the average Muscular many business chances. He has to fight out every issue and while he is doing it the other fellow closes the deal.
He is inclined to argue at great length. This helps him as a lawyer or speaker but it hurts him in business. Curbing his combativeness in business should be one of his chief aims.
Domestic Strength.
- Practical protection for the future is the greatest gift of the average Muscular to his family. He is not as lenient with his children as is the Alimentive nor as effusive as the Thoracic, but he usually lays by something for their future.
Domestic Weakness.
- Cruel, angry words do the Muscular much harm in his family life. They cause his nearest and dearest to hold against him the resentments that follow.
Should Aim At.
- Taking more frequent vacations, relaxing each day, and curbing his pugnacity should be the special aims of this type.
Should Avoid.
- Superficial and quarrelsome people, all situations requiring pretence, and everything that confines and restricts his physical activity should be avoided by this type.
Strongest Points.
- Democracy, industry and great physical strength are the strongest points of this type.
Weakest Points.
- Inclination to overwork and to fight const.i.tute the Muscular"s two weakest links.
How to Deal with this Type Socially.
- Don"t put on airs nor expect him to when you are meeting this type socially. Be straightforward and genuine with him if you would win him.
How to Deal with this Type in Business.
- Remember, this type is inclined to be efficient and democratic and you had better be the same if you wish to succeed with him in business.
He is intensely resentful of the man who tries to put anything over on him; and demands efficiency. So when you promise him a thing see to it that you deliver the goods and for the price stated. He does not mind paying a good price if he knows it in the beginning, but beware of raising it afterwards. The Muscular is serious in business, not a jollier like the Alimentive, nor a thriller like the Thoracic, and he wants you to be the same.
Remember, the chief distinguishing marks of the Muscular, in the order of their importance, are LARGE, FIRM MUSCLES, A SQUARE JAW and SQUARE HANDS. Any person who has these is largely of the Muscular type, no matter what other types may be included in his makeup.
CHAPTER IV.
The Osseous Type.
"The Stayer"
Men and women in whom the Osseous or bony framework of the body is more highly developed than any other system are called the Osseous type.
This system consists of the bones of the body and makes what we call the skeleton.
Just as the previous systems were developed during man"s biological evolution for purposes serving the needs of the organism--first, a stomach-sack, then a freight system in the form of arteries to carry the food to remoter parts of the body, and later muscles with which to move itself about--so this bony scaffolding was developed to hold the body upright and better enable it to defend and a.s.sert itself.
[Ill.u.s.tration: 7 Osseous "the stayer"]
Man is a creature who, in spite of his height, walks erect. He can so do only by means of the support given him by his bony framework. The human body is like a tall building--the muscles are like the mortar and plaster, the bones are like the steel framework around which everything else is built and without which the structure could not stand upright.
How to Know Him.
- Prominent ankles, wrists, knuckles and elbows are sure signs that such an individual has a large osseous or bony element in his makeup.
When you look at any person you quickly discern whether fat, bone or muscle predominates in his construction. If fat predominates he leans toward the Alimentive, no matter what other types he may have in combination; if firm, well-defined muscles are conspicuous, he is largely Muscular; but if his bones are proportionately large for his body he has much of the Osseous type in his makeup.
The "Raw-Boned" Man.
- "Raw-boned" exactly describes the appearance of the extreme Osseous. (See Chart 7) Such a man is a contrast to others in any group and a figure with which all of us are familiar. But that his inner nature differs as widely from others as his external appearance differs from theirs is something only recently discovered.
As we proceed through this chapter you will be interested to note how every trait attributed to this type applies with absolute accuracy to every extremely raw-boned, angular person you have ever known. You will also notice how these traits have predominated in every person whose bones were large for his body.
Though this type was the last to be cla.s.sified by science it is the most extreme of them all.
Physical Rigidity.
- An impression of physical rigidity is given by the extreme Osseous. Such a man or woman looks stable, unchanging, immovable--as though he could take a stand and keep to it through thick and thin.
So vividly do very tall, angular, raw-boned people convey this impression that they are seldom approached by beggars, barked at by street vendors, or told to "step lively."
His Size Looks Formidable.
- The power of his physique is evident to all who look at him. The strength indicated by his large joints, angular hands and general bulk intuitively warns others to let this kind of person alone.
He is therefore unmolested for the most part, whether he walks down the streets of his home town or wanders the byways of dangerous vicinities.
His Ruggedness.
- This type also looks rugged. He reminds us of "the rugged Rockies." He appears firm, fixed, impa.s.sive--as though everything about him was permanent.
Externals are not accidental; they always correspond to the internal nature in every form of life. And it is not accidental that the Osseous looks all of these things. He is all of them as definitely as they can be expressed in human nature.
The Steady Man.
- Of all human types the Osseous is the most dependable and reliable. The phrases, "that man is steady," "never flies off the handle," "always the same," etc., are invariably used concerning those of more than average bony structure.
Immovability His Keynote.
- The keynote of the bony man"s whole nature--mental, physical and moral--is immovability.
Once he settles into a place of any kind--a town, a home, or even a chair--he is disinclined to move. He does not settle as quickly as other types but when he does it is for a longer stay.
Think how different he is from others in this psychological trait and how it coincides exactly with his physiological structure.