The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-10-07
~ Theory OF Perfumes

DR.. Fabris, Of France, who is eminent
both rs a botanist and Psychologist, was
preparing an exhaustive work on ''The
Function Of Perfume in Flowers" when q
brilliant idea flashed across his BRAIN lie
was at the moment engaged upon a chapter
treating Of the effect which different per
fumes produce upon human beings, as illus
tratcd by the well known facts that the
smell Of saucr-kraut causes the Frcnchman
to thirst for German blood, and that the
smell of the Venetian canals at low tide
awakcs in Hlc visiting tourist wild desire
to fly anywhere, anywhere out of the world.
The thought occurred to the learned Doctor:
Are not all our impulses due to the intlu-
cncc of perfumes, and is it not possible to
make the human nose the grea: instrument
CT education This thought led to the long
series of careful experiments which finally
enabled him to formulate rules for the pro-
duction of female character at will. 1t is a
curious fact that DIR. Fabris found early in
the course Of his investigation that the
grosser nature of man could not be affected
by perfumes to any very great extent, while
the more sensitive feminine nose yielded
promptly to even the most delicate per
fumes. At present, therefore, the Fabris
system of nasal education is limited to the
gcntlcr sex, though the discovcrcr has not
abandoned the hope Of mastering the secret
of the masculine nose. DIR. Fabris's cX-
pcrmcnts were made with the aid of
seventy eight small girls of between o and
15 years of age. Small girls suitable for
scientific experiment are cheap in Venice,
but the Doctor would nave spent fortune,
if necessary, in his Investigations These
girls lie divided into six classes. Each
class was kept day and night in an atmos-
pherc stepped IN some particular perfume.
The effects OF these specific perfumes were
carefully studied, Ill Il the result is really
startling. The class of girls in musk con-
sisted Of thirteen members chosen at ran
dom. At the end Of six months every girl,
without exception had become plump, Ian
guild, and conspicuously good tempered un-
less under extreme provocalon. Though
DIR. Fabris found that musk produced Il de-
sire for wearing fine clothes and jcwclry, il
was also evident that il did not stimulate
taste for personal ncatncss, though per-
haps this was due to lndispositon to take
any unnecessary trouble, which is the char
actcrislic effect of musk. This experiment
convinced the investigator that an amiablc,
languid and snowy girl, with Il tendency to
undue postponcmcnt in the matter of
changing collars and cuffs, may be pro-
duccd by the aid of musk in from five to
six months, out of the most scraggy, spite
full and viciously active material The cf-
feet of the perfume of the rose was pre-
ciscly opposite to that of musk. The girls
Of the rose class grew thin, abnormally neat,
excessively prudish, and decidedly unami-
truth was developed in twelve Of the thir-
ri Tiplc anhinntnl IN
result which was the more remarkable since,
in other respects, they were unusually
strict in obeyng the tcnchings of the
Church. For this style Of girl there is, of
course, little or no demand, except in those
parts of New England where every girl is
expected to bccomca school teacher. 1t is,
however, of great Importance for us to
know the real effect of the rose, and from
this date onward we may expect that con-
scientiOus fathers and husbands will see
that this Objectionable perfume docs not
enter their houses. Gcranium was found
to produce fur sample of girl. Those
subjected TO its influence developed the
plumpncss OF the musk girls, Il decidedly
independent spirit, and tendency to free
thinking in matters of religion. This kind
OF girl would probably meet With large
demand in our western and n0rtn-wes crn
States, where personal beauty and strength
OF character are much priced, and where
orthodoxy IN religion is not regarded as cs-
scntial. DIR. Fabris is inclined to think
that by the alternate action of gcranium
and violet a modified girl might be pro-
duccd who would he IL decided improve
ment upon either Il pure gcranium or Il pure
violet girl. This however, remains to be
proved by further experiments Very sat.
isfactory results were obtained by the use
of violet. The girls upon whom this per-
fumc was employed became gentle amiablc,
refined, devout, and thoroughly truthful.
They also, however, developed some intli-
cations OF melancholy, and were, ns Il rule,
lacking in physical and moral force So
far rs the Doctors investigations have been
pushed, violet appears to give the best re-
suits. 1t is to be hoped that his cxpccta-
tions as to the alternate use of violet and
gcranium will be justified; for in that case
we shall be able to produce girls who will
bc almost fnu!tlcss. The only other per-
fumc with which DIR. Fubrs cxpcrmcntcd
was patchoula, and the results were most
dscouraging. At the end of two months
the girls OF tho patchouli class had de-
vclopcd nearly every undesirable quality,
and 1t was perhaps good thing that mob,
justly maddcncd by the scent of pachouli
which radiatcd from the Doctor slabora,ory,
broke into the premises and destroyed
everything they could lay their hands on,
including the girls of the patchouli class,
and several valuable articles of furniture
and scientific Instruments.