Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-09-08
NUNS STARTED FASHION.
Struck by Novel Effect Fashionable
Danes Adopted the Custom
of Powdering Hair.

The custom of powdering the hair
dates back as far as the sixteenth CEN
tury and was first introduced by the
nuns in French converts. Those who
had occasion to leave the cloisters for
any reason were wont to powder their
hair so as to make it appear gray and
give them venerable look. The
fashionable DANES were so struck
with the novel effect of white powder
on dark hair that they soon appropri.
ated the device as one of the arts of
the worldly toilet. Out of this grew
the use of tints in the hair. The
Roman women often used blue pow
der and later, in 1861 Empress Eu-
genie set the fashion of using gold
powder.
Rome under the empire and Greece
during the time of Pericles were
seized with mania for golden hair.
The bellies and fops of the day de-
vised several methods whereby black
locks might be changed to golden yell
low, but bleaching did not always sue
ceed. Consequently quite trade was
established with the fair-haired tribes
beyond the Alps, who sold their locks
to Latin merchants, to be worn on the
heads of Roman dandies.
Many dame dampened her raven
tresses in the strongest of muriatic
acid and sat in the sun to bleach her
hair to the coveted yellow. Others
used lye and afterward anointed their
heads with oil made from goat fat,
ashes of the beech tree and certain
yellow flowers.
The itinerant barber, who passed
down and out when people ceased to
use powder in their hair, was quite a
parsonage in his day. He went from
house to house, armed with a soap
bowl to fit the chin, powder boxes,
pomatum and puffs, was always a
newsmonger and a gratuitous scandal
bearer.
When wigs were in vogue the
Roman danes had in their wardrobes
as many wigs as costumes, and when
the choice of wig was made it was
necessary to arrange the eyebrows,
lashes and complexion in harmony. 1t
was then that the claves were special.
ly charged with the makeup of the
face-a delicate operation, called by
Cicero "Medicaments candoris ct ru-
BORIS"
There were some cunning devices in
vogue among the bellies of the old
world for giving expression to the eye.
The most reckless of them were wont
to place single drop of that deadly
| poison, prussic acid, in the bottom Of
a wine glass and hold it against the
eyes for two or three seconds. Or.
more rashly still, they would take a
small quantity-a piece not larger
than a grain of rice-of an ointment
containing that mortal drug, atropia,
and rub it on the brow. Each of these
was supposed to give clearness and
brilliancy, expand the pupil and i'm
part a fascinating fullness and mel
lowness to the eye. Certain slightly
pungent and volatile perfumes, such
as oil of thyme, were occasionally
worn on the handkerchief, causing the
eyes to glitter and sparkle. The eye
was made to appear large, full and
almond shaped by the use of a fine
pencil dipped in antimonical sulphur
or Egyptian black, rubbed upon the
lids along the angle.
But, after all, the surest means by
which a woman may acquire and pre-
serve the gift of pleasing it to be
young in spirit if not in years and
every bit as pretty as is possible with
all the legitimate means at her com
mand. If she is always kind and gen.
tie, always ready to give to others the
sunniest side of har naturs.