Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-11-20
uIrSTACHES-- Boards
.osnn ON The DICTATES OF
Ve poyAL TIES AND FASHIONS.
,,,tr,an Emperor forbids Them In
.,,,aI opers-sIiitsry Buiiies Used
=, Insist Civilians Most shave.

,,eai dissatisfaction.
D..,s that It is understood that the
Ian Emperor is even more inimfcal TO
80 foustaehes than tho Austrian
GU, and so soon "a IL became known
k"' tmperor William was coming 70
ihA. an official order was issued that. in
W.. = nm imperial visit to the opera. all
N,'.qches among the male members OF the
Ir9,aai,que we're TO be forthwith ex-
n ,le Imperial Opera-fIouse were not.
.f'.r's manner, State establishment, SUP
S.l5 aud directed by the State, the
SUI u1uld probably have Indignantly
s...cl 10 obey the obnoxious rescrlpt,
I-S even NJ present. although a suilen
'-..l,.rce has been rendered to the govern
,t.r1ipance. II is said that efforts
fo made TO have the prohibition re-
5ol la soon as the German Emperor
t.. ,.~r1sscd the Austrian frontier.
~ ,mrrobably his imperial and uneasy
,,.....y has read his 1acitus. OF his own
.-.rt instincts OF mlitarism have led
t.r. 60 adopt the CONCLUSION that the
..-.h'e "uekin," especially II be be
W. ia wholly unworthy 70 wear the
.Fs establishment which pertains only
"a. lips of the gallant
vrHra OF Tx PIcKELHAUBE."
III. correspondent has drawn attention
,',.. caprice which fol centuries has or
Mod that mustRches should or should
~ boo worn.
,.u,times IN conjunction with boards
... nave been sterniy suppressed by au-
4. .-.'. but IN many instances and for
.-.hsuod periods boards and mustaches
..,.. been Voluntarily relinquished by all
-...-.s in the community in different
y .-.ri,s. and after long success have
i... suddenly revived without apparently
~. Slightest rhyme or reason.
p..s,.oually, however. there has been a
......,e cause for once more repudiating
o.. razor
l,.-.ur twenty years of the reign of
r-.. NV. the Grand Monarque wore a
s...t uustache which was known as q
.I'.a,.." nor did his Majesty forbid his
ban Lescs to adopt this graceful orna-
g.. SINCE the mustache was worn not
.. j.. the Kings rdief de ehaDibre, the
-.-lus dramatist Moliere, who was un-
..uy OF bourgeois extraction, but
... ., many of the greatest dlyines who
.....a..l IN the Chanel Royal at Versailles.
J.. 1.-I however II pleased the hing 10
.....! clean shayen, aud his subjects
...r. ard simple, at once dutifully re-
...el tLeir mustaches,
AMONG FRENCH soLDIEBs.
Tho gallant French troops who confront
o.. ..-.un brave soldiers az Blenheim and
N.....ouet had not particle of hair on
...- faces. aud Marlborough was as desti-
.....- beard and mustaches as his adver-
.., Tlutltrs; although, IN all likelihood.
H.. t.urchill, serving as "a volunteer
..... lurenne, ard known among the
I-....r soldiers as the handsome Eng
..r.u wore. "a his handsome CON-
.,. ..r dad. % slight mustache
Ibis ornament appears to have been en-
..-... abandoned during at least half of
o.. p. ,u of Louis Nv, but when con-
.r.-...a number OF foreign regiments
omitted into the French service. the
.....n- and bussars were permitted 10
...... r.v-taches IN order that they might
n,..... AN exceptionally beilicose and fero-
. .. i-Yect.
Al. .f-t military regulation in France
.,g. o. mustaches was issued III l779,
ID. ,is cavalry soldiers were distinctly
t-.. .5.u either TO stlffen their mustaches
,.t. .,.- wax or to twist them into points
... '..se az q dagger.
Even 10 the first year of liberty, equali-
.. .,3 fraternity, 1872, the French Minis
.-.t War decreed that only the Grena-
...r Corps should be suffered to wear the
u..'4.-e.
icon prohibited its use to all the in
.....y .u lls armies. with the exception of
Cd. Greuailcrs of the Old Guard. The
.tr.r,. nevertheless, obtained the much
.rt.t privilege of mustache wearing,
accepting only the dragons, whose facial
....-.,. wa, limited to muttOn-chop wins
I- lsl2 the government of the restors-
,.r ,1reuded the right of appearing IN
r...a.l,s to the GTenadiers. the Cara
.,.,r-. and the Voltigeurs, and to COM
...-.. ned officers of every rank of the ser
y.r.
rIs.1 the monarchy of July not only
We'd mustaches to be worn by all SOL
l.r- privates as well as officers, but made
t.- assumption of them obligatory.
REVOLUTION.
Meanwhile a very curious revolution had
taken place IN the facial appearance OF
..I.lu frenchmen.
Ilg popular British conception OF the
.r-y Gaul until the year 1880 was that OF
b t.rghment- visaged, wrinkled, pig-talIed,
i.u, Tered Mounseer,n IN figure and mien
-... milling baboon and dancing
.-tor
Johnny Crapaud was altogether clean
-..y,u. and his diet in the popular belief
was usually composed OF SOHpe Rdt9Te
alI ,rcasseod frogs.
Asamatter Of fact, the French emlgrants
f....l 4IfN 10 1914 NoiN Idkp4N ntib AhN'-
.tre,. ard not very frequently even IN
g..-,l ia whlskers, aud if any mustached
iIrrclmen were to be found IN the Eng
.a.I If the period IT would probably have
been ID the hulks at Portsmouth or at
dartmouth among the French prisoners
.t wax.
iu1rg al these years, moreover, the
CIVILIAN classes in France bad abstained
q, 300 decorating their countenances with
us-faclcs. not through any positive pro-
l.u.'lUu Oh the part OF the State, but be-
cause jhcy had TO submit to lneessant
mora. coercion at the hands of the mill
~, caste. who for nearly two decades
staggered over and bullied the pacific
population.
i.e swashbuckllng soldiers of the Napo-,
.somc wars, trailing their sabres ana
e,,klug theu spurs on the pavement,
twisting their long mustaches and brush
Il- uu their bushy whiskers. sneered ana
r4..r! nj the unhappy "peklns" took the
N... Of them or thrust them into the ken
De-, en- they met them IN the street. and
q they demonstrated threatened to cut OH
%. -irs of the bourgeois, whom they
f,y.ri and derided as eDsclers OF gdroo"S
tvs.
REACTION.
Tins system Of swaggering aud bullying
continued 10 modified form throughout
tie restoration. especially IN Paris, tho
garrison Of which was largely composed
g.. .l- aTistOcratic Gardes du Corps, the
ID u-lIetaiIes, and Swiss Guards.
Altr the revolution of 1880, however,
ca.e @ remarkable reaction, The artistic,
'l- Intellectual. and the working classes
almost unanimously ceased TO shave. al
though Tor considerable period the full
beard was left 10 the artlsans-the artists,
.is. novelists, and journalists content
iL- themselves with the mustache.
ior tins there was particular reason.
Euuantlcism. both in literature and art,
favored the mustache worn alone, and not
20 c.nIuncuOn with the beard.
The gallant soldiers and courtiers whom
PAUL DelarOche ard Eugene Delacroix
lowed 10 pant. and painted so splendldly,
belonging 10 the epOchs OF Henri Quatre
40 lOuls Alll.. in France, and to those OF
t.zibcth and the early Stuarts III Eng
land. And these gallants, although they
Teyeiied IN silky mustaches, scarcely ever
gouucd q full beard
Iuus from 1850 10 the present time,
civilian France has 10 large extent been
. unattached nation. The ex jeptlons,
however, - the rule are somewhat hume
rJus.
Ice French bench and the French bar
aave generally sbstained from Joining the
ADt-shaylng movement. aud II young
advocate has the temerity 10 claim the en-
ioyiuent OF bis rights as a free citizen, and
NM beard or mustache, 10 plead be-
,'i, one OF tho tribunals, he Will probably