Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-06-16
The Beard Among the Anclents.

| rs that OF man himself, and since tho
earliest written history is found in tho
East, to that part # the world must we
go for tho first records on tho subject
of pogonology. Among the Orientals,
whose customs and manners are less
subject to change than those of West.
orn nations, the beard has always been
looked upon as imparting dignity to tho
countenance. To tho general rule, how
over, the old Egyptians form an excep-
tion. According to Herodotus, they
only allowed the hair of the head and
the beard to grow during the period of
mourning; Mt all other times being
carefully shaved 1t will be remem-
bered that when Joseph was sent for 10y
Pharaoh he was obliged TO shave him
self but n curious custom of the
Egyptians was that of sometimes wear
ing false beard made of plated hair
and OF peculiar form, varying accord
moners were only allowed small boards,
barely two inches long, while the beard
of king was of considerable length
and square Mt the bottom. The beard
of god was distinguished by its being
turned up at the end. BY this means
the figures of gods and kings in the
sacred subjects of the temples are easily
differentiated. The allegorical con-
nection, also, between the sphinx and
the monarch is plainly shown by the
form OF the beard. Yet, notwithstand.
ing this custom, the Egyptians abhor.
renee of the bearded Greeks and AsiGt-
les was so great that no woman would
on any account allow bearded man to
kiss her. Ladies are not quite so par
ticular nowadays.
Among the Oriental Jews, and the
Arabs, Turks and Mohammedan tribes
of Central Asia, and OF Africa, the
beard Is still regarded as sacred. By
the beard of the Prophet" " still remains
the highest and solemncst oath among
the faithful. PAgenstacher, in an old
treatise on the subject, says that among
the Turks a long beard was held in such
| respect that a man with such an append.
age was deemed incapable Of false
| swearing. Hence, when any one had a
weak case in cour. he looked out for
long bearded witnesses, who, however,
most probably knew nothing whatever
of the matter in dispute. And he
usually won the day, unless his oppon-
ent, equally artful, confronted him with
witnesses with superior hirsute adorn-
ments. There is a sweet simplicity
about this superstition and It's peculiarly
Turkish application that is emincntly
edifying. The Mohanmcdan priests of
the Indian Archipelago, in imitation Of
the Arabs, are fond OF wearing n beard,
but the utmost results Of their painfully
careful cultivation are few Struggling
and incongruous-lookiug hairs, which,
so far from gaining the desired effect,
only make them objects OF CALLING ridi-
cule. We may here note, in contradic-
I tion TO this absurd habit. the custom
pursued by most nations scantly fur
nished with hair on the face, of plucking
out, at an early period in lie, the hirsutc
! excrescences which no amount OF pains
and trouble conld ever render respect
able.
As with the Mohammedans, the beard
was much esteemed by the ancient
Greeks and Romans. We know how
/ Homer speaks of the boards Of Nestor
and King Priam. IL was, moreover,
considered to be a symbol of wisd I'm ;
/ Socrates was dubbed WagisfeT b1rbdGls
the bearded master. The Lacedmmo-
mans, however, do not appear to have
worn the beard in its integrity, for they
shaved the upper lip. According to
Athenwus Glib. ~, the custom of
shaving was introduced 10y Alexander
the Great, who ordered the soldiers to
clip their boards before the battle Of
Arbela, because n short beard would
oHer no advantage to the enemy when
fighting at close quarters. At later
period the whole beard was shaven, and
the portraits on Macedonian coins
generally represent the kings without
boards. Among the Romans the beard
was originally worn long and cut or
clipped during times OF mourning.
Pliny Lib vii. j9l says that one Licinus
Mwnas introduced tonsors into Italy
from Sicily in the year l54, 7. Il. c.,
before which date the Romans did not
cut the hair, and he further mentions
that Scipio Africanus was the first 70
adopt the custom of shaving every day.
From this time the wearing of boards
was continued chiefly by philosophers,