The Express.
London, England, 1853-11-29 00:00:00

THREE MONTHS' EXPERIENCE OF A BEARD.

A hirsute gentleman, who is a commercial traveller,
and an esteemed correspondent of the North Braish Daily
Moil, favours that paper with the following:
Three months ago I read an article in liausehold Wards
headed" Why share ?" I was at the time suffering trona n
severe attack of rheumatism in the jaws. This complaint,
the writer asserted, would be almost entirely prevented by
wearing the beard. "if so," said 1, '• I will s'.ave no
more." This was the first time that the thought of wearing
my beard had erus,id my mind, and I at once came to the
conclusion that to eh ,ee was absurd, and therefore received
forthwith to abandon the razor. The question, " What
will people say ?" had to me no terrors; fur I could see at a
glance a thousand arguments by which objectors to the
hairy reform could be entirely demolished. So, without
further thought, I walked out to business unshaved.
The first day my roughness was noticed ; the second it
was thought I had been at the coast; the third the barbers'
rise of prices was spoken of; the fourth I boldly announced
my resolution. I then found, to my surprise, that almost
all thinking men approved of my determination, and only
regretted that they had not courage to follow my example,
which they said they certainly would do when beards be.
came a little mere fashionable. Not a few shavers whose
II beards had two or three days' growth thought my beard
surely uncomfortable, as they felt theirs quite long enough.
To these gentlemen I replied, " Your beards are in the very
worst stage; in other three days that feeling of unshaven
discomfort will give place to a cosey furry sensation, quite
unknown to any save the few who have abandoned the
razor." This is really the ace. My beard felt uncomfort-
able for about four days, after which I felt an improvement
every day ; and now, in the very pleasant feeling of natural
warmth over my entire lace, I am reaping the rewarl of
having in this matter returned to nature's laws. Since nay
beard has been three days old I have never had one touch
of rheumatism in my jaws—a disease to which I was be-
coming subject in cold weather. In a word, I feel the
beard a great improvement, and now would as soon think
of shaving my head as my face.
I need hardly say, then, that I recommend the general
adoption of the beard. The idea of men, especially in this
cold weather, daily cutting off the natural respirator and
muffler, and then, as many do, bandaging their mouths
with cloth, seems to me so absurd, that I Lave no patience
to argue the question. To all determined shavers I would
say ' Shave on, and when in your folly you laugh at the
man with the beard, endeavour if poasible to conceal the
gold clasps with which the interior of your mouths are de-
corated, by your foolish fashion I f removing the natural
protection of your teeth." I can say nothing of how the
beard affects the lungs. I have to thank God for a first.
rate pair, and therefore am not very sensitive as to what
affects these organs, but as I move about in Glasgow and
lidinburgls, and breathe all sorts of air, I feel quite assured
that many of the strange compounds that so pointedly
salute the nose, are none the worse of being riddled by the
moustache before they pass into any man's lungs, especially
those of the delicate. _

The chief opponents of the beard, I have found, are very
ignorant women, who are in no way loth Is express dew
entire disgust at what they are pleased to call the abomi-
nable filthy fashion. Women of cultivation speak in quite
a different tune ; they du not quite approve, yet are ready
to remember that all the worthies of antiquity from Adam
to John Knox wore beards, and they do think a bearded
man is more maaly in appearance ; but with a smile they
ask," How will you ever mauve to kiss your sweetheart ?"
If this question is answered by a smart practical illustration,
almost any of them will admit that the beard is not so ob-
jectionable after all.
Although as a whole my beard has been popular, I could
fill a volume with the queer things that have been said to
me about it. One friend, whose cautiousness is extreme,
asked me how my beard suited when I had bills to discount.
To this I answered, " I never in commercial matters go be-
yond my depth, so I can afford to look queer if I have a
' mind." One old lady hoped I did not wear my beard to
show that I had a contempt for the ministers of religion.
She had heard that the wearing of beards was indicative of
this contempt. I convinced the worthy woman that I was
a regular attender of an orthodox church, and loved and
respected my warm-hearted pester. One old Quaker I
met thought there was not a little vanity in wearing the
excrescences on the face. To the old Quaker I answered,
" Vanity or no vanity, I will stick to my beard as firmly as
thee and thy fathers have stuck to the plain collar, and if I
do so, I will no doubt command even thy respect." The
Quaker shoo; his head and said, with a smile, "Thou hest
a handsome face, and 1 would think it more so if thou wouldst
remove the hair." I was about to reply, when a gentleman,
quite a stranger to me, took up my defence. We 'wire
seated at the commercial dinner table at the moment.
" Friend," said the stranger, " thou art arcing, and our
young friend is right. Hod never gave the beard to be cut
off every morning; it was no doubt meant to be worn, and
think our young friend deserves the thanks of us all for
being amongst the first to introduce the very desirable
fashion. 1 for oue," he added, "am resolved to follow his
example." "Do so friend," sabi the quaker, " but 1 will
shave yet a while." I learned that my defender on this
occasion was a medical gentleman in the service of the Lon-
don Board of Health. I have pleasure in seeing as 1 now
move about, that I am in no way singular in the heard re-
form. All public meetings. I observe, have now a COlibi•
derable sprinkling of beards, and I have no doubt we, who
are as yet quite in the minority, will soon be able to add to
our present stock of arguments, one that will be more
powerful than all others, and which is contained in the
brief sentence, " beards are fashionable,"

INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS.
The second meeting for the season of the above
gook 'y tookeplace yesterday evening at the riciety's roams,
Grout -nar.street, and was very fully attended. The chair
wro ta. en by Mr. T11031A3 11. WT.tTT. In the course of
the orelisilillarY business, M. Bensignat, architect, of Lille,
Was' elects d a corresponding member; and Professrr
Douala.= ~:nnounced several handsome donations of
drawings, Be., from fore'gn artists, at the same time com-
plaining of the bu'ckwardness of to, Eighth section of the
profession in inini:se matters. The gifts having been
suitably acknowledge I,
Mr. C. VuesToN proceeded to read his promist d paper
on the subject of painted gigs, and its adaptability to archi-
tectural purposes. He contended that it was equally applica-
ble to Greek, Palladian or Gothic architecture, provided that
the character of the building was considered in the decoration.
Having described the various modes of constructing
painted glue designs, by mosaic and enamelling, the lec-
turer proceeded to examine the mode of design adopted at
different periods, entirely condemning the medieval, and
giving but a very qualified approval to the Cinque Cento
period. He examined successively the works of the twelfth,
thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries—praising the first for
the brilliancy of the tints employed, which qualified the
formality of the design; and passing slightly over the two
subrequent centuries, to come to the sixteenth, in which
an immense advance was made, in the substitution of the
rotund for the fiat mode of carrying out the design. Inter-
esting details were given of the mode in which
the improved manipulation was effected, and the
lecturer proceeded to allot the different styles. The
painted glass of the twelfth century he thought best
adapted to the early Normun architecture, while to the
renaissance he would give the more perfect decoration of
the sixteenth. He contended also that painted glass might
be applied with success in the case of Greek edifices, pro.
sided that rich tints were used sad the flat style of design
adopted. Models might be found in the ancient les-
teilated pavements, and Flamm had proved how suc-
cessfully classical designs might be applied to the
delineation of scriptural subjects. To palladium structures
he would apply the more advanced or rotund style of the art,
and Gothic buildings might be best illuminated by win-
dows coloured and designed in harmony with their own
period. in conclusion, Me Winston wished to impress
upon his audience that his object was to direct their atten-
tion to the art, and not to the defects of the periods to which
he had alluded, being of opinion that all that was good
might be extracted for the benefit of the nineteenth cen-
tury, provided that painting glass was treated as any other
branch of the tine arts, and subjected to the ordinary rules
of taste and extemporary criticism. The lecture was mast
attentively- listened to, and loudly applauded at its termina-
tion. A short discussion on the subject matter concluded
the businces of the seance.

POLISH REVOLUTION.

A meeting of sympathisers in the efforts of the
people o; Poland to regain their nationality was held last
evening at the Na.ional Hall, Holborn, to commemorate
the revolution of 1830.

The meeting was summoned for half-past i o'clocl:, but
eonsidersble delay took place in opening the business. It
soon appeared that this was occasioned by a daference in
the chartist camp (the great majority of the persons present
being composed of that body), for the moment Mr. Julian
Harney, who had been announced in the bill as the chair-
man, appeared, he was assailed with groans, hisses, and
other demonstrations of hostility by a large section of the
meeting, and when the motion for his taking the chair was
put, a scene of confusion and uproar ensued which beggars
deseeiption—orics of " Who sold the people ?" "No
Harney," " Turn out the spy," and other equally compli-
mentary recognitions of the intended chairman resounded
on every side, and three were speedily followed by a rush
of the malcontents, who it was said were of the O'Brien
section of democrats, to the platform, of which, after a
brief resistance, they partially obtained possession.
A Mr. SAMUEL HEATH then proposed as an amendment
that Mr. Lockhart take the chair. He and his friends, he
said, had every sympathy with the unfortunate Poles, but
the, would not permit Julian Harney, who had betrayed
the cause of democracy is this country, to preside over any
meeting to express the feelings of the English democrats
towards those who had strugg:ed and suffered for the demo.
erotic canes in other countries.

♦ Mr. TAILOR seconded the amendment, and denounced
hir. Barney in equally strong terms.
An attempt was then made to put the amendment
to the vote, but this the supporters of the origi-
nal resolution resisted. From very high word,
the hostile parties soon came to blows, and presently
(the 00Brienites having received some addition to their
numbers) the platform became the scene of &regular battle,
about 20 couples being engaged in fisticuffs at the same'
moment, under the shadow of two blood-red flags,
which, displayed probably to give a fitting tone to the
meeting, waved their sanguinary draperies over the com-
batants. The foreigners, of whom there were several pre-
sent—Poles, Germans, Italians, and Frenchmen—at first
looked on in astonishment, and when with great difficulty
they were made to understand that what they witnessed
was but a struggle between two sections of a party who pro-
teased to hold precisely the same opinions, but had chosen'
different leaders, their efforts to restore peace (each man
speaking at the top of his voice in his own language),
mingled with the oaths and curses of the belligertnts,
formed a confusion of tongues which probably approached
nearer to the original Babel than anything in modern
times.

This scene Laving continued for some minutes, some per.
son introduced a policeman, who managed to separate the
hostile forces, and the foreigners striking up tne " Mar.
" at the same moment, a kind of truce was agreed
to; and while the preliminaries were bei g arranged it
was suggested that some person who was neither a
Ifarneyite nor an O'Brienite, should preside. This was
agreed to, and a M. Jourdon was installed into the poet
of honour.

A amber of addresses were then delivered, principally
by Pules end Frenchman, and ri.clutious to the following
effect were proposed and agreed to :
1. That the partition of Poland was an outrage of the black-
est die, both as regards that country and the whole family
of nations. That tyranny ever justifies insurrection, .nd
therefore the revolution of November, ism, though unfor-
tunate, reflected glory on the Poles and commanded the
sympathy of all people.
2. That the revolution was caused partly by a blind depen-
d: nor upon foreifn cabinets, but principally by the selfish
conduct of the Polish aristocracy, and declaring that Poland
in her neat revolution must summon all her sous to arms
in the name of the republic, and look for her regeneration
through the triumph of democratic equality and social
justice.
3. That the Turks having manifested a generous hel-
-1 pitality to the defenders of Hungarian and Polish nationality,
having always repudiated the partitioning of Poland, and
now being engaged in a defensive struggle for their own
independence against Russia, are entitled to the sympathy
and armed support of all European people, and this meeting
believing that the Turco-Russian struggle is pregnant with
hopeful opportunities for the enslaved nations, trusts that
the oppressed of all lands will unite for their common
deliverance and to overthrow their common oppressors.

THE BALLOT IN AMERICA AND E\'GLAND•