The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-22
Boards AND MUsTACHEs.
Some Customs Connected with These
Ornaments of Nature.
From Household Words.


From Household Words
The Greek church clergy are remarkable
for their boards throughout the east. The
writer has spent several days in Greek
monasteries among monks admirably en-
dowed in this respect Here he learned
that there can be a language of the beard
as well as of the fan. Dissent is signified
by sedate side shake of the beard,
strong dissent by a most vigorous wag
acquiescence by gentle forward jerk.
Better still was IL to watch the way in
which the large appendages were handled
After supper, when all the monks
were assembled in the common room and
mirthful tales were told, it was highly
dverting to see how the reverend fathers
passed their boards through the palms of
their hands with brisk caressing move
ments. 1t was just for all the world as
if they were so many milkmaids milking
cows.
During the Cretan revolts of some years
ago the Turkish soldiers, among their
other barbarities, shaved certain of the
Cretan monks They could hardly have
treated them to greater indignity.
We in England do not set so much store
by our boards and mustaches as they do
in the Austrian empire. Nowhere in Eu-
rope will you find mustaches TO equal those
In Hungary, and nowhere are they es-
teemed such essentials to the appearance
of manliness.
Paget. in his Travels Among the Mag
yars,' mentions an official whose mus
taches measured more than a foot from
tip to tip; .istanding out on each side of
his face as stiff and straight and black
as wax could make them" He also tells
of a hussar-a private-whose mustaches
were the pride of the regiment and who
was allowed extra pay to keep them al
ways properly waXed.
This seems rather absurd. On the other
hand, we can quite understand the con-
sternation created on an Austrian es-
tate by the malicious order of a certain
countess that every one of it's foresters
was in future to shave. The countess,
lately servant, and married to a man
nearly three times her age, was affronted
by what she believed 90 be a want of re-
spect in one of the men. The order was
issued in revenge.
Men with boards reaching to their
waists are sufficiently common; but upon
the whole, civilization does not favor any
such hrsute development Such a beard
is apt to get annoyingly in the way,
though as a chest protector or concealer
of soiled shirt fronts and we'll worn neck
ties it no doubt may serve a useful pur-
pose.
But what is one to think of the martyr
with beard to his boots? Such a man
existed not long ago. Do but consider
the trial of the thing must have been to
him, and the absurd sight he must have
presented when walking down the street
kicking his beard before him. We Won
der what ne did with il wnen he went to
bed. 1t must have been extremely diff
cult to settle straightway between the
sheets, though, of course, it would be
useful as a blanket.
Boards in women are doubtful bless
ings anywhere-to English eyes. We
know a girl. however, who is plagued to
death by the persistent growth of hers.
1t is certainly half an inch long, and
completely covers her chin. and yet she
is only about 23 Ordinarily this state of
things indicates exceptional vigor of con-
stitution in a woman; but this particular
girl is rather delicate.
To see bearded women ia perfection one
must go to the south of Europe. The
most extraordinary specimen in our ex-
perience was a country dame OF Sicily.
We accosted her one day, thinking she
was a man, but her voice and converse
ton betrayed her. She actually had
bifurcated beard, several inches in length,
and seemed in no way distressed about
it, although it was difficult, under the cir
cumstances, to keep ones eyes off 1t.
In the south of France, also, you may
see hundreds of women with boards and
mustaches which would do credit to a
youth of 90 In their case Sir Richard
Burton's words about the beard as an
"unerring Indication of high physical de-
velopment" are fairly trustworthy.
But to be respectable, the beard in man
must be thick whether it be untrimmed
or close-cropped. Machiavelli's descrtp-
ton of a certain luckless character in his
History of Florence" is very much to
the point here:
His complexion was black, and he had
III 10, ,-J nra.
respect contemplate.
This little paper may end with an ac-
count of the man with probably the long
est beard in the world. He is-we hope
he still lives-an ironworker in Monticon,
in France, nearly 20 years of age, and his
beard IS IA feet long. When he was only
- he began 20 use a razor. At 20, however,
he had a beard measuring feet. Forty
years later 1t had attained the above pro
digious length and was quite white in
nartS Portraits of him are eXtant, in
which his beard sweeps the ground. II
speaks highly for Monsieur Goulons good
sense that he declined altogether to exhib-
If himself as a curiosity, but chose the
more dignifed career of private citizen.
The more modern fashion of beard wear
ing is supposed to date from the time of
Francis l., of France. The monarch one
day hurt his chin; shaving was for time
impossible, his beard grew. and he grew
fond of il. France followed suit and es
tablished the fashion.
Not Laudatory-Mrs Hiram Daly-And
have YOU any references?
ADDliCant-NO. mum Oh tOred EN- up.