The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1856-03-27

A Lady on Beards.

fair correspondent Of the Home Jour
nal has the following sensible remarks on
the wholesome habit of wearing the beard,
which has lately come into fashion:
"1t is astonishing what change few
years has wrought in regard to shaving
Once, everybody shaved, but now. much
mistake, if every gentleman has not found
to shave or not to shave, question sug
gested by his morning toilet Alas for the
razor-strop man! His occupation l.; nearly
gone. ] hope he will succeed in finding
another, for tho present generation will be
a bearded race.
WAS quite interested last Winter in
reading Il Natural History Of the Human
Speeches. by Licutenant-Coloncl Charles
Hamilton Smith, in which lie states that Il
bearded race are the c"nIucring races. For
this reason the hcarllcss races are :vcrsc to
union with them. This aversion he states
to be the result Of experience, proving the
superior activity Of those who have sprung
from such races. Jenghis, Ti,nur and Ma
did Shah, were directly or in their ancestry,
descended from Cauc:,sian mothers, and
hence, also, the Jealous exclusion of the
European women from China. The pro-
grcSSive nations, he tells us, are bearded
and hairy race. Saml,son'. strength lay in
his hair. B"rrit Of that, his mighty power
WAS gone. The lion is the king of the
forest. How much Of this beauty he owes
t" his magnificent name. Shave linn, and
he is King no longer.
cannot imagine why beard is given
to man, unlrss it is to try his patience, if
lie is to spend his time in daily cutting it,
as it 'laily asserts its ryl; to Il manifested
existence. The beard is an emblem of
manly power AMI dignity, anil is certainly
an element of manly beauty. The Father
OF the Faithful, and all the ol.i Patriarcl,s
and Prophets wore boards 50 did our Sa-
viour, when he dwclt us man among the
hills of Ju:!c;,. SO, too, most of the vcner-
able livincs who have transmitted to It's
their schemes Of theology. It is u modern
innovation tn shave off the whole bcard.-
1t wts not common before the commence
m"nt of the last century. Moses forbade
the Jews 10 mar the corners of their beard ::
an'! David, when his Enl,ass:u!ors were
i:'sutcI by IIanan's shaving off onc.f.alf
# L..
Jcrirll" till their hcarls hal grown.
"Whilr the beard property worn, is an
ornament, it is sometimes rendered hileou>
10y the manner in which ii i, iri,l,:,ri. i
round MISS Of hri>!cs on tie chin is never
becoming, yc: sometimes thin. checked, long
E'ceI gentlemen clonsa.e their countclanccS.
III this way often these tufts impart :; low,
animal expression they never confer Dig
n,y nor beauty. Some few are greatly
improved by full wl,i>kers, others bv !,
mouS,ac'Ie. Some look hest with the beard
rather close. I. requires IN artists eve to
decide on what is most becoming Nature
leaves varying outline to the beard,
which is more perfect than any semi circle
cut by the razor.
'perlaps you may think I lave wan
dered from my proper sphere in writing
about hcarls. had no idea of doing so
when commenced this letter; you must
charge it all to snow storms. must leave
the subject Of ladies' dress for another
day. "Yours, &c,
"ANNA HOPE"