San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-01-13
WOMEN WITH Boards.

Way Back They Were Looked on
as "Pards" OF Old Nick.
American Notes and Queries.
Two things have long been consid-
cred Distinguishing ornaments of
manhood and womanhand-a beard
and long hair. In Oriental countries
from time immemorial, q man with
a SMOOTH face inspired about as much
confid nee as boy, while q woman
with short hair was regarded as
sadly disfigured. To deprive the
one OF his beard and the other of her
hair was a mode of punishment in
Persia, India, and some other Asiatic
coun tries. A Roman with q full
grown beard had q particular name
he was called bsrbatus
Once in q while the ancient order
of things is r, versed thus: We see .
man with long hair and no beard las
the late Henry Ward Beech cry, and 8
woman with mustache, incipient
fringe and short hair las the woman's
rights champioD)
Nova woman with q beard has
ever been looked upon with fearful
curiosity mingled with q grain Of
suspicion. Such female, like Owen
Glendower, must have been born I'M
der q strange star. She is mot in
the roll" of common women. There
is meihing strange, uncanny and
wrong about her, else why should
she have q beard?
In this fashion people reasoned in
days gone by. 1t did not tase them
long to come to the OminOus cOnclus-
ion that woman with q card was
to be feared; she must be in league
with Old Nick. And so, In mediB val
days, witches were figured In the
popular imsa nation rs having point
ed chin whiskers. In all pictures Of
the OLD woman with the hroomstick
that feature is conspicuosly plain.
In Shakespeare time witches were
supposed to wear whiskers. It US
Banquo says to the weird sister !:
"You should be women, and yet your
boards forbid me to In erpret that
you are So" You remember, of
course, the scene where Jack Falstaff,
disguised as the fat woman Of Brent
ford, is trying to get out of FOrd's
house. But he is pummeled by Ford
who cries out: Hang her, witch!"
Thereupon, Sir Hugh says: think
the oman Is witch, indeed. like
not when oman has great peard
I spy great peard under her muf-
fler!'
In several notable instances Ma
ture has taken hand in the matter
It is not easy TO cay why women
should have hardly . sign OF any
hair on their faces. II the Darwin
Ian theory of sexual selection be true,
or If the theory OF physiological select
ion be allowed, there Is some expl =
nation of curious phenomena. 1t is
simply q case OF reversion, q return to
q primitive type' If q woman now.
adays has q beard.
Several instances of bearded wo-
men have been recorded. A famous
Viennese female dancer In the eigh-
tenth century had large, bushy
beard. Charles XII, of Sweden,
had q curiosity in his army In the
way of b woman who wore q beard 3
feel in length. He considered her
a sort of Mascot" Mile, de Chene
exhibited herself in London during
the year of the Exhibition of 1852,
and it is said that she had "a pr, fuse
head Of hair, a strong, black beard,
and large, bushy whiskers." That is
nothing. The thing is becoming
quite common of seeing advertised.
"A Bearded Woman" She Is the
stock in trade of our Dime Museums"
and orr "BuWery ShoWsu Whether
ten-cent freaksUhe "wonders'O are
genuine, we do not undertake to de-
eide.