The Bony Type Of Man

Fine Qualities

“Bone-brain men are slow of motion, strong of mind and body, possessed of untiring energy and powerful passions, which make them disregard the groveling law of common life, by which the bulk of mankind are governed. The devise gigantic schemes of adventure, and great and perilous undertakings in the pursuit of science, power, or renown; linked to their purposes by the bony hands of a strong manhood, they pursue profoundly and accurately, without extravagance, the great business of their lives. This combination produces the grave and thoughtful, prudent and doubtful, orderly and mathematical, mechanical and inventive genii-men who are usually dignified and safe in every enterprise. They are firm in step, cautious in their vocations, and penetrating in science.”

The following verse pictures men of the brain-bone make:

“Big was he made, and tall, his port was fierce, 
Erect his countenance: manly majesty
Sat in his front, and darted from his eyes,
Commanding all he viewed.” 
-Oedipus

So, with regard to firmness and honesty of character, a few pounds more or less of bone makes all the difference between an honest man and a villain. Shakespeare was right when he had Julius Caesar exclaim while he plotted for supreme power in Rome;

 “Let me have men about me that are fat, 
 Sleek-headed men, and such as sleep o’nights
 Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look;
 He thinks too much, such men are dangerous!” 

He knew that he could bribe and purchase the silence of the plump, jolly fellows, but that the angular, long men were too honest to be bought.

Small Osseous

The Osseous does not necessarily have to be a six-footer. That stature reflects the extreme type, but for anyone whose bones are big for his body may be considered largely Osseous no matter what other combination of types go to compose his make-up.

Other Types

All the features of the various types run true to form. The Alimentive is built on circles, with small body framework compared with his fatness. The hands and feet of the Alimentive are small, fat, and dimpled to correspond with the rest of his body. The Thoratic has a kite-shaped face tapering from the cheek bones down to the chin and slightly tapering from the cheek bones up to the hair line on his head. His hands and feet are long and tapering to correspond to the rest of his make-up. The high wide chest naturally tapers toward his waist line. The muscular is built on squares and has hands and feet which are square, and which harmonize with his body. The Osseous has a bony body so his hands and feet are equally bony to correspond with the rest of his bodily framework. 

Things don’t just happen in nature. There is a reason why each person acts as he or she does. This reason is largely governed by his or her type…

Looks the Part

This rigidity is consciously or unconsciously acknowledged by all who meet the extreme Osseous. He looks like the fellow who can make up his mind, take a stand and keep it. And that is just what he does. He looks the part of immovability, unchangeableness, and stability, and he lives up to his looks. 

Not a Good Mark for Hold-ups

People who are wont to lord it over others steer clear of the extreme Osseous type. He is not approached by anyone on the street or elsewhere in a familiar way or ‘tone of voice’. The big boned, formidable, angular, tall Osseous gives others such and impression of his body muscle and mind that the ‘hot dog peddler’ doesn’t call ‘get em red hot’ at him.

To Review 

Look for big bones, joints and knuckles. Remember there are small Osseous as well as big, but most are above average in height. An oblong face with high cheekbones, oblong hands and feet, show the typical Osseous. 

Martyr of the ages

He is the one who dies for his beliefs and languishes in prison and refuses to recant. As examples of this stoical type we may mention McSweeny, Eugene Debbs, Washington and Lincoln. 

Friends

He is as conservative in the number of friends he acquires as he is in other things. He doesn’t make many friends but the few he has he stays by.

He lives unto himself more than any other type, and cares little for social life or the limelight. Therefore, he is not a good mixer. 

Reading

A few authors are all he reads. He will spend a quarter century reading one subject and ignore everything else. When he finds one author he likes, he will read everything he writes.

He will read the same paper or magazine for forty years. You see he is not changeable even in his reading. 

Marries Late in Life

As a rule, he marries later in life and less often, than any other types because of his lack of social savoir faire, and inability to win the favors of the gentler sex. There are more bachelors among the bony type than any other. 

He is the hardest of all types to live with, because he is positive, unbending, determined, contrary and conservative in providing for his family’s comfort and luxury.

His inability to make friends naturally narrows the circle of acquaintances of the mate and brings a certain amount of monotony into their home life as the years pass.

The Pioneer

We sometimes wonder how the Osseous could be a pioneer, a trail blazer, a leader in reforms, when it takes him so long to change his mind. That is because when thing go wrong, he begins to think how they can be righted. He does not jump to conclusions overnight, but takes plenty of time to figure them out. When once he has made his decision, nothing is permitted to alter or deter his action.

It took our forefathers, the Pilgrims, a long time to make up their minds what they were going to do and rid themselves of ecclesiastical and civil tyranny, but once they determined they would seek a new county, free from the yoke of the king, where they might enjoy independence now and forever, they defied the power of the throne, they braved every danger on land and sea, and amid a thousand perils on storm and hurricanes, fought the blasting elements of the rigorous winters of New England, faced famine and death and beat off the redskins. 

We Owe the Osseous Much

…The Big-boned, sturdy built Rocky Mountain man is made to withstand the hardships of life and endure perils on the outskirts of Civilization. Wherever the battle flag of man’s evolution in commerce, state or religion is unfurled in a new territory, country or continent, the Osseous is the man who will hold aloft the flag, and will, although imperiled by suffering, pain and death, ultimately plant the emblem of progress upon the world’s battlements. 

The world is eternally indebted to the Osseous type.  

-excerpted from Character Analysis: How to Read People at Sight by David Bush (1923)