The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-01-19
Suffering to be Beautiful

The French say that we must suffer
if we would be beautiful, and this ap-
pears to have been and to be the opin-
ion of most peoples, savage or civilized.
Beginning with hair, we find that saw
age, like civilized men and women. will
not let their hair follow its natural bent
nor keep its natural color. 81 never
saw you wear your hair quite so light as
that" some one said to a young lady
lately when examining her portrait.
The natives of the Western Pacific
wear their hair, naturally dark, rs light
as they can, by the aid of lime obtained
from burned color. The Venetian la
dies used to spread their locks in the
sun to bleach them. Science has pro-
vided the modern fair with different
kinds of auricomous fluid! AS to shay
ing, savages are often as particular
about it as Stendhal,' who shaved every
morning during the retreat from Mos
COW. The sdiscomforts of shaving the
head with a shell or sharp piece of
flint have often been commented on. 1t
is necessary for friend to sit on a saw
ages head when he is being shaved.
Afterward he gets up and sits on his
friends head. 1t is easy to imagine the
Joy of these children of nature when
some bits of broken glass come in their
way. Then they enjoy what they think
the luxury of a really easy shave. In
some countries man, selfish man, COM
pels the woman to shave, while he in
dulges his vanity by wearing mis- own
hair. in greasy but elaborate mop.
The finger-nails are not usually en-
couraged to grow more than nine or
| ten inches long, because Of practical in
conveniences which attend this decora-
tive arrangement. A Chinese ascetic,
however, encourages his nails to extend
in variety of curly shapes, an indul-
gence which we should not grudge to a
man whose comforts and amusements
are cut down to the lowest figure, and
who thinks that he is earning heaven
by turning this life into hell. Tat
tooing hurts dreadfully, especially
when people go in for having pat
terms alto reLierO on their arms, backs
and bosoms. When the whole body is
converted into a surface covered with
spirals, like pre-Raphaelite wall-pa-
per, the victim can only be supported
by the appreciation of q strong aesthetic
conscience. In some cases, of course,
tattooing means no more tnan our GUS
tom of carrying visiting cards. The
marks merely show to what family q
lady or gentleman belongs, and. ON in.
specting these. n maiden at once knows
whether any black fellow she meets is,
for her, an eligible husband. If their
marks are the same they must not think
OF marrying. This arrangement pre-
vents many ''disappointments,' as a
girl knows at once when it would be
hopeless for her to give away her heart
lihe nose. lips and ears have naturally
leen much decorated, The Australian.
and certain races on the northwest
:odst OF America used to wear sucl
} huge bones in their noses that they
J we're forced to keep their mouths wide
, o,leh 10 breath. In Peru the lobes o
, the ears used TO hang down to the shoul
derS.e .. ,., f..... ... p
; While savages cut the nose, ears, lip
ami other parts of the frame into vari
Gus conventional designs, it is reserves
forciy,tlitipu AChinese, European ant
american Ito attack the really usefu
organs. Thus savage may chop OF
his little hnger by way OF proving tina
he has come To years of discretion. a
, the Mandans did, or he may have hi
: 'front.' teeth knoeked out for the sam
; purpose, as is the manner Of the Murri
su, ha will not ruin his chest or deforu