Weekly Delaware State journal and statesman., 1861-11-01
ABOUT Boards.


The beard, being the peculiar feature OF the
rrayer sex. has never been subject to quite so
many caprioes of fashion ns the hairi but inc
attributes, SO to speak, Of that manly GIT OF
nature have nlwnys been highly esteemed and
associated with the most serious events oi ny.
From the most ancient times, in the las. INC
beard has been treated with superstitous regard:
The Egyptians, who we're not thick-bearded
race, shaved all but the very tip OF the chih
and this bit Of beard was evidently highly Vene-
rated. for it is seen most carefully preserved IA
a special case both in the statues and IN the
mummy-case eiiigies; but when in mourning
the whole beard was left to grow Ihe iahhioh
of oil people but the Egyptians seems 10 have
been 10 wear the natural beard, and the monu-
ments of Nineveh show that they bestowed tue
most elaborate care on their boards. The beard
vas the badge Of the philosopher, though prop
ably there were wise men without boards, ior
persius distinguishes Socrates rs the md9tsieF
bqrbqtus aud in after-times when shaving was
the fashion set by Alexander the Great the
beard was assumed in such ostentations propor-
tions by the philosophers, that the saying Arose,
a long beard does not make a philosopher anu
when would-be philosopher was found out,
was said 90 his wisdom stopped at his oeard
Just as we say Gan the wisdom's in the Wig.
Shaving was ordered by Alexander the Great Tor
the MacedOnians, because the beard was iound
to be too good hold for on enemy in battle,
aud the fashion was followed very generally, but
not by the Athenians 1t must have been about
this time IN. o. 30Ol that shaving became the
custom amongst the Greeks and Romans, when
according to Varro and Pliny, the hrst barber
was brought to Rome from Sicily, and Seipio set
the fashion of shaving every day. Then, IN
fact il was not considered decent to go unshaVeh
for day. as ii lately was with US anu "heh
Marcus Liyius, after being banished, was re-
stored he was ordered by the Censors to shave
before being allowed TO take his scat 10 the mousse
The Emperor Hadriau restored the heard, as
plntarch says, tn hide some scars upon ms race
but more probably the Emperor, with his taste
for works of art and natural beauty, wisheu 10
recover this ornament Of the sex, and to put nn
end to the practice which made men look so
much more like women than nature intended.--
The Fathers or Pattiarchs Of the primitlVe
| Christian churches wore their boards Clement
| of Alexandria saws - The beard adds to tile
beauty Of man, as fine head Of hair does 70
| that Of a woman /" and Tcrtullian, VINO lNeu ia
the third century, cites particular canen Wnicn WI,
| forbade The priests to shave. The Council OF
Barcelona, held in $40, says; " Let no eeoiesi-
astic allow his hair to grow or shave his beard
| The Pones wore the beard until the separation
Of the Greek and Latin churches in the eighth
century, when Leo Ill and all the Lalln clergy
cut of their boards as mark OF distinction
from the Greek priests, who retain theirs to TINS
day. Pope Joha XII. was deposed in 9b3 for
I having, among other crimes, worn his beard
| In ENGLAND the custom Of the ancient dauls
Of gearing the moustache only was followed as
Cesar expressly describes, by the Brltons
though the Drnids and the bards Feiairad cir
heords and the Welsh commonly wore the nous
taehe alone. in the ancient style, so late as tho
twelfth century, The Anglo -Saxons preferred
the heard; they generally cultivated iorked
hoard and the Danes often q three-iorked one.
In these times, indeed, the prejudice against "A
/, man who either had no beard OF shaved was very
= strong lie was often reproaohed as coward li
I EuMnl0
? Coufessor in the British Museum shows HIN
with the beard. The Normaus grew thick ano
v bushy boards but William the Conqueror, as j
: 10 distinguish himself from the Sazons, came
y sbaven man. William Rufus wore his beard, a
!, ibid oil persons Of rank at the time. Inc oear'
y hoontinued till the First Edward, when the nous
u Vtache only was assumed, and was the fashion III
~ Henry viii. started the beard again ahd dur
Rs hSTSiS psFrsa = W 5teesa s5e % IN ssa v o.
'S traits Of Raleigh and Bacon, became universal.
Clean shaving came into favor again with th
degenerate days of Charles l - partly W
Imagine from the effeminate tastes Of the ag'
but chiefly from its being impossible to wear an
a. hair on the face when such monstrous wigs a
- - but smothered the features. The reign Of th
IT, \. barber was absolute till the time Of "the FRS
y gentleman in Europe" who may be said to hav
~ Invented the long approved style Of whiske
y known as - the muttonc chop, aud We beley
~ also the brushed-up and rough style OF hni
"a Though his Royal Highness's was superb Wig
- called the " Bruus." William Nv. was too plain
y sailing parsonage to think Of the fashions
y but with the reign Of Queen Victoria the genera
70 desire to be more natural, which means to b
j more elegant, has taught ladies' the most becom
y ing modes of dressing the hair Of which we Gu
y fluid any record. Aud as to the boards, it
curious to see that in this, If in no other respect
y the age manifests the taste Of an Ehzabetha
=, era.
~ ~ The beard is now SO very generally worn a
VI naturei with us, as it has been for longer tim
le by the continental nations and the Americans
u =, that the movement appears to have settle
~ ~ down into n regular custom. Those who thu
III make themselves comfortable and avoid tn
JIG morning irritation Of the razor may now ret
pretty safe from the asides OF " hirsute mon
~ ~ strosity," or 'horrid creature" with which I
ns one time their entrance into polite society va
-, met The fashion has become so far aoeepte
ea s that boards of every shape and color are to
oi seen from the golden and silky growth of Ii
" Young Hercules, to the stiff Iron gray OF q
ny middle aged man, aud the flowing white Of ii
s comfortable old genteman.-Iemp Bar