The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1892-09-21

ways for Sunday, leaving him q howl
ing mass on the ground. 1t was this
incident that probably gave rise to the
couplet:
When Greek meets Macedonian
Then comes the tug Of beard.
An old veteran by the name of Alex
ander saw at once the weak point of the
Grecian forces and he called in loud
voice, "Of with every beardp That
settled 1t. The next day committee
called on the army with ripsaw and
bucket of salve and ainputated every
beard in sight. This is an account of the
first shave known to history. The rec
ord Of the first barbering is frontlet of
curls made for o princess in the east
5000 years ago, now in the British mu-
scum Homer has the first reference 10
the razor in the Eighth century, B. @.
He says, with some feeling:
Death or life stands on razors edge.
After the rape of the boards Of the
Grecian army shaving became popular
with some, but not until much later
day, and when Greece had started down
the toboggan slide of adversely, did it
become general. In fact it is well
known fact among historians that the
fashion of smooth faces among themen
has marked the effeminacy, weakness
and final downfall of all nations The
Romans were always partial to boards
until the Roman empire became too big
for its clothes and acquired a swagger,
when Hadrian set the example of
smooth chin in 101 A. ID. and gave the
Roman BARRIERS boom. The first mem
ton of BARRIERS Is by Pliny. Somewhere
along about 200 B. Q. Scipio Africanus
took a jaunt to Sicily and there saw
some BARRIERS. They pleased him. and
he brought 200 back to Rome and had
his beard taken off. M
Scipio was good deal of Ward Nc
Allister in his day, and the Roman
swells rapidly followed suit. After that
1t got to be common sight in Rome for
row of men TO sit until ~ O'clock Sat-
urday night and listen for 'sNexti" But
this was only among the Four Hundred.
The bone and sinew Of the Roman re-
public swore by their boards. All
through the orient short hair and beard
less chins have always meant condi-
ton Of mourning and servitude. A long
beard was priceless, and the Moham-
medans still swear by their boards. The
prophet Ezekiel, as early as 5S5 B. c.,
was directed to take BARRIERS razor
upon his head and upon his beard in
sign Of the ruin to come upon Israel.
The men were set free, but were
ashamed to go to David with any Of
their beard gone. He found them, how
oax,f N - la
their boards grow out An old Greek,
known among his friends as zoilius,
who lived In 800 B. O., and was dropped
off precipice for criticising Homer,
had very long beard, and 80 sohcitous
was he that long hair on his head might
detract from the strength of tho beard
that he kept his noddle clean shaven.
After Thomas More had taken leave of
his daughter at the foot Of the scaffold,
in 1885, his chief anxiety was that the
headsman might injure his beard.
The finest beard ON record belonged to
Gillaume the priest, bishop Of Clermont,
who founded the college for Jesuits at
Paris late In the Eighteenth century.
This beard was long, wavy and soft as
silk. But his beard was his downfall.
His brother bishops became jealous Of
1t, and decided that 1t must come off.
This was decreed at secret council,
and the next morning when the priest
entered the chapel three men met him
with soap, hot water, a razor and shears
and laid hold OF him. He broke away,
skedaddled and took refuge in castle,
where he died of vexation.
The only exceptions where beards
have not been considered as advanta-
geous appurtenances were among the
Germans, the Egyptians and In the early
colonial days among the Puritans.A The
ancient German youth was not allowed
to shave until he had slain an enemy I'm
battle, and among the New England
Puritans long boards were sometimes
forcibly reaped, because the idea pre-
vailed that pride lurked behind a veneer
able beard. 1t was not until the begin
ming of the present century that the
aong beard went entirely ont of fashion.
Since then smooth faces have been on
the increase, and any person who will
take the trouble to notice the men who
pass given point for an hour on any of
the busy streets of Chicago will see but
very few long boards. 1t is not inn
probable that in another century, II the
beard is continually cropped, the long
beard will no longer grow and will be-
come thing Of history and story books
Chicago Inter Ocean.