Washington telegraph., 1853-05-11
Ladies with Boards.

-
1t was found necessary in Rome, at one
time to pass a law against the cultivation of
the beard by women. Cicero mentions IL
(De Leg55uS, lib. 2) They commenced
by shaving but the art of promoting TIE
growth Of hair upon lias and chin. by chem
ical applications, was carried to great per-
fection. 1t was understood 10 be a method
of disputing the sovereignty Of thc master
sex.
1t i recorded in the Pognias, That the
women Of Athens attained wonderful .Lill
at one period, in so wearing their hair as to
initiate the wllisker upon the check and Jaw
Advantage was taken Of this to make
show Of them a. soldiers, on the invasion of
the city, thus doubling the apparent forces
upon the ramparts, and effectually iutimida
Ting the enemy This fashion Of antiquity
was copied BY the women Of Lomhardy, a
late period, every dame of quality being
whiskered, to all appearance with a most
luxurious growth of hair, short and curly,
from Temples to chin. The Egyptian wo-
men, at one time, wore upon the chin pen
dant plant called the DcrScd, in imitation If
tie growth Of the beard. Their statues and
mummies represent this. j certain rela-
ton to the beard was given 10 women BY
customs Of ancient Rome, where 4 second
wife formally adopted the male children Of
her husband, by shaving their youthful
chins with great ceremony, and caskering
this their frs crop Of manhood ia golden
box
The inhabitants of the Isle of Cyprus
represent their goddess Venus in painting
aud sculpture, with beard. Their books
state that they wished 70 enlow tile Mother
Of Love with the one gift that Jupiter de-
MED to women--deuied, because, having
given them every other charm, lie feared
that this crowning race might draw upon
them the incense and worship due only to
himself
In the land . lana, n collection Gf songs
and sonnets published in France il the SIX
tcenth century, it il recorded ~ truth Of
Art, that the expression Of the beard is that
of gravity and modesty: aud it is added
that nature denied it to woman to save her
from the danger Of cutting her face by oc-
casional shaving, as She could not be long
enough still to submit safely 10 The process
OF the razor.
That the beard i not always denied to wo-
men, there are various proofs Ill history
liippocrates mentions Phetusa. a woman
whose beard took to growing during the ab-
sence of her husband Pythias in exile. A
Swedish grcnadier was taken prisoner hy
the Russians and presented to the Gar, III
1874, who turned out TO be woman with
beard foot and half long. There is 4
portrait Of bearded woman in the royal
gallery at Stuttgart. Tier name was Bar
tel Graetic. and her chin was buried il dark
hair. In 1926, the fashionable rage of the
Carnival at Venice, was danscuse, who had
never been exceeded in grace and supple
ness, but who lad black and thick beard
Of silken and remarkable beauty. Margue-
rite, the Queen of the Low Countries, was
heavily bearded Naturalists tell Us that
there is a race Of women in Ethiopia, whose
hair upon the face shows no difference from
that Of men. 4 French work upon ex-
preston and beauty, declares that nothing
il more captivating and mischlcvuusly piq-
uant than slight down Of silky black upon
the lip Of a pretty woman. Notwithstand-
ing this opinion however, the history of
chemistry shows rs that the art Of removing
and suppressing the growth of hair EPon the
female face, las been pursued with great
pains taking the 'depiiatay Jlaids" being
numberless, and advertised for sale in all
ages. Home Journal.