The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-05-22
Something About Boards.


allow the face to go unshaven-save perhaps
a small portion of the checks, which social
morality excluded from the general law
was to suffer voluntary ostracism from all
circles which paid due regard to their own
character or that of their associates. AS to
professed Christians, not to mention minis
tiers, wearing full boards, or the semblance
of hair on the upper lip, the thought would
have been too horrible to contemplate.
Chimes change and we change with
them. Boards have, for Some reason, be-
come fixed fact, and are quietly accepted
as such, though, perhaps, not without some
mental protest. Possibly California had
something to do with this, perhaps the
Mexican war, and Col. Mays famous charge
at Resaca de Ia Palma-who knows, or who
can follow the rise and fall of any fashion?
An English writer attributes the change of
sentiment in England to the return of the
bearded heroes from the Crimea; but in
America the fashion dates anterior to that
event. This writer gives, in CasseWs Mag
azine, the results of some antiquarian study
on the subject of boards, from which we
condense few passages:
1.-THE history of the beard is not an I'M
interesting subject of research, considering
the important part it has played in the
world. Most likely Tubal Cain drove
good trade in razors. At all events, we
read of shaving at a very early period as
an established custom. Joseph, released
from prison, could not think of going be-
fore Pharaoh until he had Shaved his
beard Herodotus tells us that the early
Egyptians always shaved, and made their
slaves follow their example. Yet, with
singular Inconsistency, these people wore
false boards as a distinguishing badge of
rank. Great personages-kings and gods.
wore great boards; the former huge
square miracle of curling tongs, the latter
large one turned up at the end. Little
people had little boards according to their
littleness a small tuft at the extremity of
nobody, had, very properly, no boards at
all. In their sculpture, the Egyptians de-
pict their enemies with slovenly, untidy,
and contemplate boards. But the Nine
tiquity.
''The Hebrews wore hair on their chins,
but not on their upper lips OF cheeks. .
They resented an outrage offered to the
beard as the most bitter insult possible to
enmity. The Turks would rather
be publicly whipped and branded with a
hot iron than be shaved, while the Arabs
protect their boards as an article of rel-
gious faith, because the Prophet never cut
his. Hence sultan has never known razor
to his head, though he is very particular
about shaving his slaves in the seraglio as
a token of their servitude.
1.-The beard has been worn as badge of
royalty, of ecclesiastical distinction, and of
certain professional attainments. The old
French kings were great on boards. Some
even wore theirs, like the old kings of Per-
sia knotted with the golden thread, and
buttoned with gold Being permitted to
touch a kings beard was long held by the
Gauls as pledge of protection; and for a
long while the sovereign used to place three
hairs of his beard in the seal of his letters,
in witness of his own hand and chin
"King Robert, of France, in the tenth
century, used to wear his long white beard
in battle displayed over his cuirass; and the
sight of it frequently nerved his tagging
troops, and secured him victory over his
enemies. Henry the Fourth of France was
renowned for his beard When Louis
the Fourteenth adopted the new mode, the
fashion grew general, till it became usual
for beaux of the period to carry whisker-
wax in their pockets, together with small
comb and brush, wherewith their mistresses
might arrange their moustaches. ..
"The church has always had something
to say about boards. Sometimes its follow
ers have been enjoined to wear them, to
give an air of gravity and patriarchal wis
dom to its ecclesiastics; at other times ell
vious beardless dlvines have been led to
think that pride lurked behind handsome
locks on the chin. :. The Greek and
Romsh Church have long been at issue on
this very question. At the time of their
separation, the Romanists laid down strin-
gent rules about shaving, while the Greeks
retained their old patriarchal practice of
beard wearing, and indeed protested them
selves much scandalized at the smooth-faced
images of the saints in the Romish Church.
:. The Tartars waged long and bloody
war with the Persians, simply because they
refused to cut their boards to match the
pattern ordered by the Tartar Church, and
the old Hebrews trimmed their boards
square cornered by ceremonial law. E.
"The longest beard on record is that of
John Mayo, celebrated German painter.
surnamed John the Bearded, who used to
fasten it up in his girdlc. Though very
tall man, it reached the ground when loose,
so that he could step OH it. The Emperor
Charles the Fifth used to divert himself by
making John stand in the open air among
his courtiers, that he might watch the wind
make it fly in the faces of the lords.
ssOf Sir Thomas More it is said, that on
the scaffold he saved his beard by a joke
The executioner had already lifted the axe
to strike, when his victim, looking up for
a moment, exclaimed: AT least let me put
aside my beard; that has committed no
treason, and it would be an injustice to
punish it.
TIE RESULT OF ArPLICATIoN.-Seek to
acquire the power of continuous applica-
ton without WHICH you cannot expect sue
cess. If you do this, you will be able to
perceive the distance which it creates be-
tween you and those who have not such
habits You will not count yourself, nor
will they count you, as one of them. Thus
YOU will find yourself emerging into the
higher regions of intellectual and earnest
men-mcn who are capable of making
place for themselves, instead of standing
idly gaping, desiring place without the
power to command it. Keep on striving
4, ,,,l Il