Evening star., 1896-09-19
ANCIENT AND MODERN WHISPERS.
POpulism Has No Monopoly of Long
Hair and Boards.


From the Pittsburg Times.
1t is q common nevertheless a mistaken,
notion that whiskers are a native to the
wild and uncombed west. The student of
the decorative lilacs Of the populist will
find, however, that whiskers. like many an
other thing, came out CT the east and fol-
lowed the destiny of civilization westward
through many centuries. PETER Is not the
first of the bewhiskered wise men. One Of
the first faces that Is presented to the
youthful mind is that Of Moses. the ancient
lawgiver with his graceful beard, while
the precious ointments that flowed down
Aaron's beard and to the skirts of his gar
ments have been sung in psalm and in the
literature Of church and fraternity. Among
the Hebrews the beard In early days was
cultivated carefully, as 1t was in India, and
is to this day. Magnificent and luxurious
boards characterize most Of the pictures OF
the ancients. Throughout the orient some
Of the finest specimens Of human manhood
are the bearded patriarchs of the Armenian
and other old churches. Some Of the old
histories say that the Greeks who wore
boards discontinued the practice only in
war, when their enemies used the whiskers
as sort of graphing hold. to the discom-
future Of the men with the hair. ON their
faces.
The Greeks accepted the beard as a sym
Dol Of wisdom and the philosophers culti-
waited the most abundant growth possible.
Samson thought it a source of strength,
and while he mistook the effect for the
cause, it is likely that physical strength
and vigorous growth of the beard are fire.
quently found together. Certainly the an
itants of the north of central Europe were
men of rare physical gifts, as their domi
nation of all of eastern Europe subse-
quently shows. The Lombards. who over
ran Italy, were nothing but the long boards
of Germany. whose names were given them
from their faces with hairy appearance.
1t is said that until the eighth century the
| popes wore boards. when, to distinguish
| him from the eastern priests, Leo III IN
augurated the smooth face. ..-a, -.
From time to time the fashion OF boards
shifted in Europe, but at the present time
most countries favor either beard or
| whiskered, either with the pointed style Of
| the Russian emperor, the flowing side whis-
kers Of Franz Joseph. the mustache OF En-
peror William: or the round and Longer
magnificent boards are found among the
clergy Of Constantinople and among the
| Russians. -.--.o, ..-..
| 1t is singular that the only bearded peos
I pie are those Of the Caucasian stock. The
| Chinaman has small excuse for Whiskers.
| The American Indian studiously plucks out
| any few hairs that he may find on his face.
| The negro is not given the luxurious
| whiskers possessed by his neighbor whose
| ancestry comes from the countries north OF
| Africa The perfection of whiskers at the
| present time is Still IN the lar east OIL Eu-
rope, for while the west in America is rum
ming to boards. the fine dignity of the orient
| is not approached by. the carelessness
which is so largely responsible for the chin
| covering of the Kansas populist.
| Whiskers in this country seem to be not
| the survival of a religious or philosophical
| turn of mind, but rather an accident that
! sprung up from the remoteness of the bar
| ber shop. When the pioneers followed their
| OK wagons across the broad prairies they
permitted their unkempt hair to chase
| itself down their backs and over their neck
ties, because they had no means of getting
| 1t off except as 1t was removed occasion
ally by a bad Indian. Gradually what had
come from neglect grew to be fashion,
and when such fellows as Buffalo Bill. and
others in imitation, came forth from the
west with long hair the thing got fash
ionable grip among the pseudo bad men,
and 1t has been popular ever since.
Populist long hair is not dignified like the
long hair and the poetic boards of the
orient. In Russia or Persia or India the
long beard has grace. In western America
it has neglige air that does not commend
the pattern. 1t Is too suggestive of having
been turned out in the fall to rustic fol
Itself as the cowman Of the plains says
and of having slept in the leaves too Otter
during its retirement from civilization. /
| is too redolent of tobacco and too neal
akin to the wild goats of the mountains. l
Is in no wise patriarchal. 1t Is the Offspring
of the orient, but like wild horses Of tht
plains. another offspring of the far east, o
Arabia and the steppes, 1t has deseneratet
toward the primitive type. The populis
whisker has run wild and gone to seed, ant
should be taken to a barber shop for har
. | vest.