The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-06-24
History Of Boards and Mustaches.

Coming to Greece, we know for
certain that Socrates, Themistocles.
Arlstides, Pericles, and all the great
heroes of Athens and Sparta wore
boards; we know, moreover, that AL
cibides was in the habit of pertaining
bis, and of dyeing or painting it; as
also his hair and eyebrows. 1t is no.
ticeable, however, that the bas-reliefs
of the Parthenon, many of which are
in the British Museum, only the chiefs
wear beards-the soldiers, in almost
every case, are beardless and mus
tacheless. The same thing is to be
observed i'm well nigh all the speci-
mems of Greek painting that have been
handed down to us; that, upon vast
cups, and the reproductions of Greek
frescOes found at Pompeii.
During the first centuries of the Ro-
man Republic, the Romans of all clas-
ses allowed their boards to grow free
ly; shaving seems to have been quite
unknown. 1t was not until the year
300 BIC. that anything like razor
was seen in Rome; but at thai time a
few Greek BARRIERS had made their ap-
pearance i'm the forum; and, although
like all innovators, they were at first
received with derision, yet, after a
time they succeeded in getting Gus
toners, few at first, then more, until
at last the BARRIERS shops in Rome be-
came what the clubs are in London,
or cafes in Paris, places of lounging
and resort, where every one with no.
thing to do spends q few hours of his
time each day. AS the Romans
grew richer from the spoils of con-
quered nations, and as they began to
discard the simple life of their an
cestors for mode of living more in
keeping with their wealth, many had
slaves whose sole business was to
shave them and cover their hair with
greases. AT first this task was in
trusted to men, but Lucullus is said to
have had women trained to the work !;
and as woman's hand is much light
er, and usually more skillful, than
that of a man, the change was pro-
nounced by connOisseurs to be for the
better. BY Julius Casar's time, the
beard had fallen into thorough dis
credit among all classes of society.
slaves being the only people who still
wore it. Cesar himself was shaved
with scrupulous neatness every morn
ing. Pompey, Virgil, Horace, Cicero,
Augustus, were all clean shaved too.
Even Cato Uticensis, who had but
slight respect for the fashions, would
have thought it disreputable and un-
seemly to appear in public place
with a beard.
1t was Trajan who had the courage
to shake off the BARRIERS yoke. This
king an excellent monarch in many
respects, discovered that his shaving
occupied q considerable portion of
each day, and as he was the first En-
peror since Caesar who really felt that
he was on the throne for something
more than eating and drinking, he re-
linquished habit that cost him more
minutes than he could afford to lose.
Hadrian, Antonius-Pius, and Marcus,
Aurelius, his immediate successors
followed in his wake, and allowed
their boards to grow unclipped. Al
ter them, however, came COmmodus !;
as this exemplary monarch found the
time hang so heavily upon his hands
that he was obliged to kill flies of en-
afternoon, it was not likely that he
would discard the precious means af-
forded him by shaving, of making
half hours 60 by; BARRIERS had a new
time of it, and thenceforth continued
to have the Roman emperors for pat
rons until Edward overturned Romul-
us-Augustulus, the late imperator,
and inaugurated the kingdom of Ita-
ly, and with it the reign of mustaches.