The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1864-11-26
About Boards.

The beard. being the peculiar feature of
/ the gravcr sex. has never been subject to
/ quite so many capriccs Of fashion as the
hair; but the attributes, so to speak, of that
manly gift of Nature have always been highly
esteemed, and associated with the most Sc
rious events of life. From the most ancient
times in the East. the beard has been treated
with supcrstitouS regard. The Egyptians.
who were not thick bearded race. shaved
all but the very tip of the chin: and this bit
Of beard was evidently highly vrncrated
| for it is seen most carefully preserved
in special case. both in the statutes and
in the mummy case efigcs bat when in
mourning. the whole beard was left to grow
, The fashion of all people but the Egyptians
seem to have been to wear the natural beard
and the monuments of Ninevah show that
they bestowed the most elaborate care ON
| their boards.
The beard was the badge of the rhloso-
phcr, though probably there were wise men
without boards, for HerSils distinguishes
Socrates as the magisier barbufus and in
aitcr-timcs when shaving was the fashion set
by Alexander the Great. the beard was as
sumcd in such oStontatious proportions by
the philosophers that the saying arose, "a
long beard does not make philosopher =
and when a woull-bc philosopher was found
out, it was said his wisdom stopped 1T his
beard Just as We say, "A the wisdom in
| the wig
Shaving was ordered by Alexander the
! Great for the MaccdonianS, because the beard
was found to be too good hold for IN enc.
my in battle. and the fashion was followed
very generally but not by the Athcnians.-,
1t must have been about th, time (B. c.
! BOO that shaving became the custom a.
mongSt the Greeks and Romans. when ac-
cording to Narro and Piiny. the first barber
was brought to Rome from Sicily. and Sci
pho set the fashion of shaving every day.
| Then in fact, ii was not considered decent to
so unshavcn for a day, as it lately was with
US: and when Marcus livi,S, after being
baniShcd was restored he was ordered by
the Censors to shave before being allowed
to take his seat in the house The emperor
lladrian restored the beard as Plutarch says.
to hide some sears on his face. but more
probably the emperor with his taste for
works of art and natural beauty, wished to
recover Thu ornament Of the sex, and to put
an end TO the practice which made them
look more like women than Nature intended
The Fathers or Patriarchs of the primitive
churches Wore their boards. Clement of
Alexandria says, '''rhc beard adds to the
beauty of man as lnc head of hair does
| to that of Il woman !; and Turtulliun. wA
lived in the third century, cites particular
canon which forbade Tic priests to shave
The Council of Barcelona. held III $40. says.
''l.et no ccclcSiastic allow his hair to grow
or shave his beard The Popcs wore the
beard until the separation of the Greek and
Latin churches in the eighth century. when
Leo III. and all the Latin clergy cut off their
boards as Il mark of distinction from the
Greek priests who retain theirs to this dav
Pope John MI. was dcpoScd in o3G for hay
ing, among other crimes. worn beard.
| In England the custom of the ancient
| GaulS of wearing the mtStache only was fol.
lowed, as Caesar expressly describes by thu
l'ritons though the Druds and the Wech
commonly wore the moustachc alone. in the
ancient style, so late as the twelfth century
The Anglo Saxons preferred the beard they
cultivated forkcd beard and the Danes
often thrcc-fork one. In those times.
indeed the prejudice against man who eth
or had no beard or shaved was very strong
! He was often rcproachcd as coward for no
other reason.
The seal Of Edward the Confcssor, in the
British Museum, shows him with u beard. -
The Normons grew thick and bushy boards
but William the Conquercr, as if to diStin-
gush himself from the SaXons, came Il sha-
ven man. William Rus,,s wore his beard.
as did all persons of rank at the time. The
beard continued till the First Edward, when
the moustache only was assumed, and was
the fashion till Henry VIII. started the beard
again and during the heroic period of
Elizabeth. the wcl-trimmcd, manly beard.
as We see it in the portraits of Raleigh and
Bacon, became universal.
Clean shaving came into favor again with
the degenerate days of Charles H.. VIC i'm.
arine, from the cffeminate tastes of the age,
but chiefly from its being impossible to wear
any hair on the face when such monstrous
wigs all but smothercd the features. The
reign ofthc barber was absolute till the time
of the ''frst gentlemen in Europe" who
may be said to have invented the long APP
proved style of whisker known as ''the NUT
ton chop and We believe and also the
brushcd-up and rough style of hair Though
his Royal Highncss' was superb wig) called
| the 'Brutus." William VI. was too plain
sailing parsonage to think of the fashions
but with the reign of Queen Victoria the
general desire to be more natural. which
means to be elegant, has taught the ladies
the most becoming mode of dressing the
hair of which we can find any record. As
to the boards, it is curious to see that in
this, if in no other respect the age manifests
the taste of an Elizakcthian era.
The beard so generally worn and natural
with us as it has been for longer time by
continental nations and the Americans, that
the movement appears to have settled
down in q regular custom. Those who thus
make themselves comfortable, and avoid the