Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1856-10-09
From the New York Mirror.l

the face, so does the hair give beauty and
elegance to the shape of the head which
would otherwise be uniformed. To whatever
age we refer we find hair has been cultiva-
ted and preserved by those women who de-
sire to please. as among the first of those
charms which gave them power over man.
kind. The aDcients differed materially from
us in their taste, for with them, and indeed
to a very late date, yellow hair was consii-
cred the most beautiful, and belonged entirely
to youth, while dark hair was the color worn
by matronly DANES and aged men. Thus
we find Demertius of Macedonia, an uncivil-
lied Charles II, dyeing his hair yellow in
accordance with this custom, Sometimes
false hair was used. The custom died in
giving place to the powdered hair intro
duced during the reign of Louis NH, of
France.
Shakespeare makes Bassiano in the
Merchant of Venice" speaking of yellow
hair, says
And You shall see ii purchased BY the weight
Which therein works a miracle OF nature,
Making them hshtest that wear most of II
So are those ersped, snaky, golden locks,
Which make such wanton gambols with the wind
Upon supposed fairness, often known
To be The dowry OF second head
The scun that bred them in the sepulehre.''
About the only exception we find to this
custom in ancient times, are those of Sappho
the "Tenth Muse" of Plato Julius
Caesar, and Theseus. Sappho is said to. have
had very dark hair. Alceus one, of her low
ers, calls her,
g Dark haired ehaSte, sweetly smiling Ssppho''
and Antipater speaks of her as
The beautiful dark haired woman OF Lesbos
Julias Cesar was extremely negligent of
his hair, and had dark hair, while Theseus
who, according to Plutarch, was "dark-
haired, handsome YOUTH" won Ariadne by a
total neglect Of hair dressing.
Milo, better known as Aspasia, so called
from her great resemblance to that great
beauty, is represented "with yellow hair, the
locks a little curled, and long and beautifully
flowing" She was the only woman in the
Court Of Cyrus, of Persia, whose favorite she
became, who did not color or adorn her hair.
From this, we judge this custom was often
at variance with the simplicity of nature.
Baily, whom we cannot but look upon as
a mailman, yet whose lines in their madness
are even more grand than those Of Lee, says
in strain gorgeously beautiful
sswiih rgbtsome brow, and beamng eyes, and bright,
Like god-hused eleud-hakes on the rosy morn.''
And Byron speaks of I" long floating au-
burn curls" and GLOSSY ringlets."
Hector, according to Homer, had black
hair, and his great enemy Achilles had yell
low hair. Describing the funeral rites Of
Patroclus, Homer says:
:. Pstroclus descent on the appointed ground.
They place, and heap the sylvan pets around.
Put great Achilles stands apart In prayer,
And from his head divides the yellow hair;
And sacred grew sperchuIa, honored Hoods
Alexander the Great had long flowing hair
and richly curled. His mother is represented
in medals Of her age, according to Plutarch,
with leaves gracefully intertwined in her
hair. 1t was a custom with the ancients to
powder their hair yellow, as it lately was to
powder white.
Boards have always been considered as
a type of wisdom. Lucian speaks of several
cases in which the beard of man was taken
as the recommendation of his skill in physic.
The golden beard of Esculapius is quite IA
nous.
Plutarch informs us that a certain omen
having been translated by the Soothers to
read that "a person of courage and superior
beauty should take the reins of government
in his hands, and suppress the tumults with
which Rene was then agitated." Sylla, who
was then in power, said, 81 am the man, for
my locks Of gold are sufficient proof OF my
beauty
Boadicea had yellow hair which fell in rich
profusion down to.her thighs.
The Emperor Nero had yellow hair as did
also his wife Popps Sabina. A single hair
coming out of her head Nero caused it to be
fastened with gold to the head of the statue Of
Juno.
Byron, who had an appreciative eye for
every point of female beauty, and language
no less beautiful to express it, says of golden
locks:
s'Here / can trace the locks of gold
Which round thy snowy forehead wave.
And again:
s'That form with eye so dark, and check so fair,
Aud auburn waves Of gemmed and braided hair.
With shape sffaiy lightness."
Charlemage had hair of an unusual color
or man in the prime Of life--beautifully
white.
Lucretia Bergia was possessed of hair
which caught and charmed the eye of Lord
Byron, and that tasteful Judge of beauty,
.eigh Hunt, added to the beauties of being
f golden hue, and luxuriant, falling in
ich profusion over her shoulders, it pos
essed the charm of length and fineness.-
leigh Hunt, in that beautiful article pub
shed in the Indicator on Female Beauty"
fter stating he is in possession of single
air of this mysterious and beautiful being
avs: 1--WE quote from memory.) aft ever
air was golden it is this; it is not red; it is
ot yellow; it is not auburn; it is golden
nd naught else, and though natural look
ng, too, must have had q surprising APP
earance in mass. Lucretia, beautiful in
very respect, must have looked like a
ision in picture-an angel from the sum-"
Mary Stuart, in childhood, had yellow
air, but in age she wore false yellow to
onceal her gray locks. Brantone SAYS Of
er gray hair:
"Si beau--si blOnde--et cendres'
Elizabeth of England wore false yellow
air, and that red. There is no accounting
DIT tastes"
Cervantes, the author of "Don Quixote,"
ad brown hair. His taste was in favor Of
elbow.
Tasso, the great epic poet. had yellow,
nd sang of no other.
A sketch of the Countess Guicicoli reads
nuS. LUZ HIATT, winch is unpatnereu OH
er head, plays over her falling shoulders in
proiusion of natural ringlets of the darkest
uburn.''
The French first introduced powdered
AIR as beauty, and among the first whom
re hear Of as using powder, is Annie of Aus
IA, vile of Louis MI, whose hair was light
rown, curling, and of great profusion. This
lyle we cannot admire. The only true state
Or hair is its natural one. "Heaven never
angs out false colors."
The hair of Ninon de LEnclos was long
nd curling, of dark brown color, which
be usually tastefully arranged and adorned
18th pearls.
Catherine of Russia had hair of beautiful
GIT brown color, which she dressed with
reat skill and simplicity.
The action of grief npon the hair has, in
lany cases, been most. effectual. Maria An
olnette's hair turned gray from grief By
On speaks of hairs gray from anguish" and
a the Prisoner OF Chillou -