The Holly chieftain., 1898-11-04
QUEER NOTIONS OF BEAUTY.
Barbaria.s Paint 7Aeir Face. ans
Teeth Gayiy and Wear Nany
Odd OrnrSnenta.

| O&0 yEAs04Cmths
| 1t is curious to note the queer ideas
of beauty which cha ,acterize different
nations. In FIJI tie rative women
paint their faces with red and white
stripes as an ornament. The women
of Greenland cover their faces with
blue and yellow, while Arabian beau.
ties stain their lips blue and their
fingers and toes red.
The pearly teethof the poet and nov
elist would not be valued by some OF
the eastern and polynesian nations.
In Macassar the women paint their
teeth red and yellow, in such way
that red tooth follows yellow one,
and alternately. The teeth of the Ton.
quinese are as black as art can make
them. The dyeing occupies three or
four days, and isdone to both boys and
girls when they are about l2 years OF
age.
During the whole operation they
never take any nourishment for fear
of being poisoned by the pigment il
they swallowed what required mastica-
tion. Every person, high and low, rich
and poor, is obliged to undergo this
somewhat Objectionable operation, as
it is alleged that ii would be disgrace
to human nature to have teeth white
like those of dogs OF elephants.
In japan fashion compels married
women to blacken their teeth, not,
however, as an ornament, but to make
them more ugly and to save them from
temptation.
The Sunda islanders sometimes
blacken all The teeth but two with
burned cocoanut, covering the two
excepted teeth with thin plates of gold
or silver. The same tribe are in the
habit of employing their old women to
dress up the teeth of the youths and
maidens at wooing times. The canine
teeth are fled to fine, smooth edge,
and the body of the tooth made con-
cave, or they will notch the edge Of
the too tn like fine saw as an addi-
tional means of beautifying
This mutilation of the teeth is OBJ
served by many of the savage or un-
civilized races in various parts of the
world. In the Malay archipelago the
natives file their teeth into points like
those of saw, or pierce them with
holes into which they insert studs.
The Macassar people sometimes pull
out two front teeth in order to supply
their place with teeth of pure gold or
silver. Some African tribes knock out
their front teeth on the ground that
they do not wish to look like beasts.
On the upper Nile four front teeth are
always knocked out, but farther south,
only the two upper incisors are c.is-
pensed with.
In some parts Of the world the
shape Of the head is of great impor-
tance. Many American Indians ad-
mire head SO extremely fattened as
to appear to us idiotic. The natives
of the northwest coast compress the
head into a pointed cone, while the
Inhabitants of Arakhan admire a
broad, smooth forehead. and in order
to produce 1t they fasten a plate of
lead on the head of the newborn
children.
headgear is carried to singular extrav-
agance. The Chinese lady carries on
her head the figure of bird, which is
composed of copper or gold according
to the quality of the owner. The
Myantse women carry on their heads
thin board, about foot long and
six inches broad. With this they cover
their hair and seal It with wax.
With the Tahitians to be called
"long-nose" is considered an insult.
and they compress the noses and fore
heads of their children for the sake of
beauty. The same custom is prevalent
among the Malays and the natives of
Brazil. In some parts Of the world the
nose Is pierced, rings, sticks, feathers.
and other ornaments being inserted
In the holes.
The ancient Egyptians and Assyri-
ans used paint to make their eve
brows seem wider; the Arabians of
the present day go step farther in
the use of paint. They endeavor to
produce the impression that their
eyebrows grow down to the middle of
the nose and meet there. Persian wom-
en- paint a black line around their ewes
and ornament their faces with n va
riety Of figures. The Indians of Para
yuay eradicate their eyebrows and eye
lashes, saying that they do not wish to
ook like horses.
In China and neighboring countries
The hngernails are allowed to grow to
monstrous length as n symbo, of no.
'illty. Indies wearing silver eases TO
protect them. In some parts of Africa
Iellow or purple nails are considered
fashionable. while the Turkish women
inge their nails with blue color
,hicago Journal.