The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-31
WAX FoR THE COMPLEXION.
An Explosive Hair Wash-It Is Neces-
sary to Suffer TO Re Benutihed.
From the LONDON standard.

An Explosive Hair Wash-It Is Neces-
sary to Suffer TO Re BeRutified.
From the London Standard
We have heard of a "waxen pallor" as
adding to the interest of lovely heroine
in works of fiction, but we never before
heard of any one trying to acquire 1t by
eating wax candles. Yet that is what a
girl is said to have done at Worcester.
with far too complete success, as she has
just died in the infrmary from the effects.
1t seems a most extraordinary story. The
only thing not strange about 1t Is the girls
death, supposiug she really did eat the
candles. Some kinds are edible enough,
1t is true, especially In cold climates, but
they are made of grease, not wax. Tai
low candles are, according to arctic explor-
ers, regarded as a great delicacy by the
Esl1imos, and by all accounts they would
not come amiss up at Dawson City this
winter But wax is a totally different mat
ter. Ii is not directly poisonous, in the
ordinary sense of the word, and a little
might do no harm, but 1t must be abso-
lutely indlgestible. The wonder is how
any same person could come by such an
extraordinary idea as that her complexion
would be improved by diet of this kind.
There are things which do improve the
complexion. There is arsenic, taken in
very minute quantities. there Is sulphur
and iron, and other things which doctors
are in the habit of prescribing IN proper
cases. And, no doubt, there are various
less orthodox substances of the order Of
domestic remedies, which enjoy a great
x1ybo ms or
clearing the skin" 1t may be anything
from camomile tea to gin Women OF the
lower classes have unbounded faith In
these remedies-especially In the gin, and
educated women are surprisingly ready
to accept the suggestions Of Ignorance and
superstition in such matters
But who ever heard of wax candles?Peo-
pie have been known actually to admire
those marvellous beauties whose heads
adorn the shop windows of fashionable
hairdressers; and ii Is possible that an ig-
norant girl might, by a confused associ-
alton Of ideas conceive the notion that
eating wax would produce the charming
complexion exhibited by wax figure.
From that to a diet of candles would be
an easy step. The feminine nature is
capable of such heroic efforts in the pur-
suit of beauty that no suffering would
be too great to undergo
no risk too great to run In
credible as the fact may SEEM, it is stat
ed on good authority that the recent
shocking death of a lady from the use of
an explosive hairwash has served rather
as an advertisement than warning 9th
er ladies since have insisted upon having
their hair done with the same deadly
compound, cheerfully encountering the
risk of untold suffering on the off chance
of improving their appearance. Where
vanity is concerned reason ceases to ex-
ist. All the tribe of quack beautifiers
thrive upon this weakness. In spite Of in
Vulnerable warnings, women will cover
their faces with nOXious preparations that
can do nothing but injure the skin, they
will pay fabulous prices for bottles of rub
Dish, they will starve themselves, squeeze
their unfortunate organs out OF all re-
cognition and commit a thousand fantas-
tic follies. They are the martyrs of van
ity, and the Worcester girl was Only rath-
er holder and more original than the rest.
Eating candles is a novel method Of i'm
proving the complexion, but II is not
whit more futile than bathing in asses
milk or using precious salves. Very like
ly the Worcester girl suffered from hys-
terra, which often shows Itself in a ca
pacity for eating strange things, even nee
dies and pins. But hysteria is not easily
separable from the exaggerated vanity
which makes the ordinary victim of the
beauty duack; and it Is quite likely that
if the virtues of wax candles are only as
serted loudly enough by some one or 9TH
er, there will be large demand for the
new Treatment" for bad compilations, in
spite of the untoward fate of its inventor
--e-aa~-e--
I'm about $50 years" said the scientist