Phrenology in Bristol
Phrenology Readings of William Edward Baglin (1839-1908) by Professor G Rudd in the Shopping Arcades, Bristol
Below is the transcript of a written report (and a copy of the first & last page of that report) on the phrenology reading of William Baglin by Professor Rudd. The reading was made shortly before the wedding of William Edward Baglin to Gertrude Rosa Burgess so that George Burgess (then retired Phrenologist) could give his blessings to the wedding. Therefore this reading would have been made sometime between June 1901 & June 1905.
Transcript:
MR BAGLIN
The natural conditions of your constitution are not unfavourable, but still the condition of health should be studied and attended to it you would retain the constant enjoyment of health. The health of the mind will depend on the health of the body, and happiness will depend on both. And it will not be difficult for you to live long and be healthy if you study and obey the health laws. The power of your brain does not fully dominate over your physical structure, but on the whole your physical and mental developments are fairly balanced. You possess abundant feeling, and all your feelings are glowing and easily moved. You are very much alive to criticism, and you will be the happier in proportion as you avoid being influenced so much by this criticism. When people disapprove of you in any respect you are too likely to be cast down in spirit on account of it. But you are as readily elated in feeling when people make much of you, for you really love for people to appreciate you highly. True and sensible praise will act very favourable upon your mind and actions, but discouragement will act most ruinous upon you. The majority of people could bear it better than yourself. Your organ of self esteem is not sufficiently developed, hence you will be somewhat wanting in dignity of character. You require a little more reasonable pride, not more love for approval – but greater inward consciousness of your own individual worth. You are apt now to underrate yourself, and live below your natural sphere of usefulness.
You have a sensitive temper, and are easily offended, but it will not render you very dangerous, your general intellectual developments indicate a fair practical intellect. You will not however be very largely comprehensive or philosophic. You have no inclination to look into mysterious or deep subjects and will therefore not be a man of great literary knowledge. You have talents for ready and acute perception, and are somewhat ingenious and wide-a-wake on some points. You can remember better what you hear than what you read, and you may learn more from observations than from book study.
Still, you might make a fair general scholar and teacher. You have a good development of language, which with your quickness of perception will render you fluent in expression and you could become an easy speaker of what you may know. You can remember places and facts well. You should concentrate your mind upon the thing in hand until it is thoroughly finished or studied, rather more than you are in the habit of doing. You are not suited for a monotonous or tedious sphere of life, but will be better adapted for a little business sphere where in there is variety of action and thought required.
You are open, free, and expressive in manner, and are not quite cautious enough some times. And liable to tell more than you need to tell occasionally. You have no deception about you, neither have you any disposition to deceive in guilty sense. Your moral qualities will not render you remarkable for reverence, buy you have much conscientious feeling, which will keenly condemn you for wrong doing. Your hopes re rather fluctuating, but you are not unusually suspicious. All your social organs are very fully developed. Hence you really enjoy a thorough friend. You love the other….. so much that they…… easily bias you. ………..ingenious one could pick you off the B……. does best easily …….. should ……………..