The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1875-10-27
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OH With Their Boards. =
WHY THE CRISP, CURLING LOCKS OF
YOUNG 'FRENcHMEN MUST GONE OFF,

WHY THE CRISP, CURLING LOCKS OF
YOUNG 'FRENcHMENS MUST GONE, OFF,
At this moment ovely one is under
arms. . Yesterday hundred thous-
and men were beating themountains, =,
and valleys, up hill ana down dale I
through prairie and forest, shooting
and = coursing, hunting, afoot and
a-h9rsebaclz, The soldiers of the
chase do not need coaxing. From
the instant the halloo sounds they
are at their work Of destruction. Let
us hope TINT one day, when the hour
for revenge strikes, the ferocious
hutsmen will be in the front rank.
Meanwhile everything is in s5ato
OF disorgitnization III the family, the
workshop and the relations OF the
lovers. A hundred and fifty thou
sand young mon Of the army of the 1
reserve are leaving their homes to
attend the rehersals of war in all
our PROVINCES. All Franco has be-
como tho thcater Of war-the word
was mover better applied. It is the
first time the army of reserve has
ever boon seen ut work. Every one
goes joyously, with the solo regret
that he must shave off his beard. It
is only France, "the queen of ma
lions" according to Borange, which
is silly enough to compel hundreds
OF thousands OF young men who aro
only to he soldiers for q month or SO
to begin by cutting their boards. It
is is an abomination. How will
they come back next month without
their hirsute glorics, those handsome
and proud young soldiers Of twenty
seven years, who arc awaited by
loving swcothcarts ? There have
been protests all along the linc-my
beard hero my board thereI But
the countorsig gn is "thc art of being
beaten" and all must submit to it.
My son, Henry Houssayc, officer of
the Reserve, whom everybody calls II
copy of Lucius Vcrus, is gotting
shaved this morning for the first
time of his life. It isa bittor trial to
see the sacrifice Of his 'crisp, curling
beard" to use the words Of Theodore
de Barvillo. What 'imbecility to
ordor the disiigrucmcnt of $4,000
mon for sham warfare, and to permit
them to wear their beard when the
real fighting begins. But France,
which leads all nations in wit, leads
them also in stupidity-I mean tho
stupidity of her rulers. Molicre has
sud, "Power is on the side Of the
beard" 1t is as silly to touch the
beard Of q soldier as the locks, of
Samson. But this is the secret. The
mon who give the order of the day
have havo white boards, and so arc
willing to shave E; and why should
handsome young fellows, with black
or blonde boards, keep theirs
AS for mysolf, 7 havo been sol
dior twice and havo always kept my
beard. The first time I had no
heard when [ enlisted !; tho second
time, the last war, there was no time
to waste i'll shaving. My beard ran
a great risk i'll 1862, after tho coup
0et0t. The strong heads, if not the
strong boards of France, gave Ma
polcon III. to understand that the
beard was in open revolt against the
order Of the day that as the mill
tary had no right to wear boards,
the civilions should not set them 4
bad example. There was d terrible
raid made in al tho departments,
from Minister to Gardo Cntmpertre:
million Of boards fell at blow AS
Il fanctionary Of State I was com
prised in tho harvest. My friond
Nieuworkerko canc to nc orc ;noyn-
ing. He WAS sIcnownod for his beard;
but he had cut it down onc-half,
training English gardens oveY his
faco. He was incSpressibly Iudi
crous, although melancholy meun-
dered through al the paths be had
fashioned from check to chin. L
swore in his presence that / would
not cut my beard. But Bacciocchi,
who wos secretary of the orders Of
the Emperor for the civil. service,
came to warn mo that I was in re
bcllion--that my beard was the sole
one which remained among all the
hnbitues of the Tuileries that [
must resign myself to the sacrifice.
"Well, [ will not! J" I said. "Tell tho
Emperor that will give up my
place sooner than my beard" Bac-
ciocchi fred Zip. "You arc nothing
but q Merovingian. Napoleon I.
was clean faced before his people as
before history He had no benrd,
nor mustahes, nor goateo, nor whis-
kers. lido not see why you should
be so Obstinate. In vain + replied
that Napoleon ended his days at st.
Helena for having shaved his beard.
He went away unconvinced, threat
ening me. with the thundors Of min
isterial censure. But the English,