Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-06-08
NO. B.
About Boards.

The history of hair is interesting; for next to a mans head is his hair; and by the rhilanthro- pic rule "nlhI alienum hunaanun'' 1t is at least worth talking about. It is remarkable that iashlon should be as capricious about boards as bonnets. Excepting few cases of conscience, she seems from the time of Moses until now, to have controlled the style of boards with her usual deSpotism. The ews indeed wore their boards with religious care and considered it in the last degree humliating to be shaven. It was the same in the early days of Christianity, and the Saviour and all the apostles save one, are represented as wearing long boards, which we know to have been the custom of their times John' alone appears in the pictures without a beard, deprivation which contributes a good deal to that eiIemlnate look which the painters have always given him. With the Greeks and Romans the fashion was changeable, as it was also with the Saxons. The Greeks usually wore their boards, except when in mourning. The Romans, on the contrary, let their boards grow as sign of sorrow. Cesar (Augustus) is related to have trimmed his beard in fashion o1 hls own, and once to have cut it all off, Alexander the Great rcconed his own beard an ornament, but ordered his soldiers to be shaven because ne said the beard gave a handle " to the enemy who could thus the more easily cut off their heads. The history of the beard in Eng lahu Is notable, and shows as many vicisStudes as there have been political mdtations-everv imaginable style having been in and out of vogue since the time of the Heptarchy. Onthe whole, however, boards of some form have car rled 1t against the barbers. In the reign of Henry l. the full beard was in fashion though the clergy denounced it as immoral" We have not seen their authorities; but they were probably metaphysical, and about as fine spun as the old question of the schoolmen " de lana caprtna." In the reign of Richard Ceur De Lion, shaving was again practiced by the great mass oi Engllshmen, but the custom changed before the dynasty, and boards were worn as before. In King J ohn's time, some wore boards, some m0StacheS, and others shaved the whole lace; exactly the same diversity prevailing under John'S reign as under the rule of Victoria A similar license of custom obtained in the regn of Edward II, though old men and men of high rank were, for the mos part, unshaven. Edward III, was distinguished by long, flow Ing beard, and of course shaving was deemed in ba'i taste by all loyal subjects During the reign of Henry V, Englishmen generally shaved their chins, but wore mustacheS. Henry VIII wore his beard entire, and in his usual despotic way commanded the court to follow his exam pie. Bloody Mary" looked upon boards with favor, and none were cut off during her reign except by decaptation. All her favorites, dukes, cardinals and bishops have come down to us ln their portraits with long beards.- Queen Bess " was equally partial to boards any; mustaches; which took during her reign the most varied and fantastic forms. In the time ot Charles l, boards began to go out of fashion, but were restored with the restoration of Charles II. Whskers and mustaches continued in vogue fir a while, but soon gave way to the razor and presently universal shaving prevail, d throughout the kingdom. It is observable that Ill the matter of boards the puritan has been as changabe as the cavalier. Cromwell and his psaIm-siugEg soldiers wore the fiercest kind of mUsiaches; and John Knox thundered against pope and cardinals through beard of patriar- chal eXuberauce. The Pilgrim Fathers" too, were fond of hair with reasonable trimming, and saw no ungodhness in wearing an appen- dage which God had made. But the fashion changed after while, and for many years, until quite lately, a clergyman who should have so much as ventured on whisker, would have been deemed both profane and heretica and would pcobably have lost his clerical head for his hair. Such are the freaks of fashion in matter of more moment, one would think, than the cut of coat or the shape of shoe--since nature is beyond art and the work of God of more certain worth than any device of man. But we do not propose philosophical, much less a theological dissertation on beards
 We will hazard the assertion however, that what may be called the "natural" and the physiological arguments in their favor have not yet been answered. It may be added that the beard is distinguishing mark of manhond; and it has been hinted that the appropriate spheres of the sexes are plainly indicated by this mat ter of beard to the utter confusion of all ''strong- minded' women, from Mary Wastoncraft to Lucy Stone. It Is asserted also that only those who have shaved many years, and thus stimu- lated an unnatural growth of hair, find their boards (when at last permitted to grow long,) coarse, harsh and incouvcnient. This k proba- ply true; but it may fairly be doubted. in such Cases, whether it be not better to keep on shaw ing. In respect to appearance, we think nine men of every ten look considerably the worse for their heards-such as they are The ex- ccptional man is sometimes the handSomer for hs hair On the whole, we are of opinion that the strength of the argument lies on the hrsute side of the question. Meanwhile we shall con- tinue to patronize the barber as heretofore- Exchange.