The Washington herald., 1912-11-03

The beautiful women Of the East have
given much time and thought to the be-
wildering art OF perfumeTy, knowing we'll
the effects Of various scents and perfumes
upon the mind and the senses. but We
practical Occidentals. in comparison. have
neglected this branch of knowledge, this
art this pleasure. most shamefuily:
In the sacred temples Of the East We
find the wondrous incence burning upon
the aieary OF the gods. sending up clouds
Of 1ins, heavily scented essence. 'delight:nK
the senses and giving . certain mystic At
mosphere to the place. which II unattain-
able In any other way. The heavily
laden air bewitches the imagination, In
toxicates the soul elevates the mind and
refreshes the body. In the same man
ner why should We not study perfumes
and incenses and their effects upon the
body and mind. since they are capable
of such infinite promise? There 10 q
held here for study and experiment. ana
1t the same time exquisite pleasure, says
the New York Herald.
When We walk through . garden the At
Inosphere Of which is heavily laden with
the scent Of flowers we cannot but innaie
deep. deep bfeaths, full Of delight. ana
breathe in the subtle. fragrance till 1t
reaches our very souls. OF all our senses
Tot one is more enjoyable than that OF
smell And mono Of them have We 30
He8leCteQ, Aln1C8I even peEVcItcos oS Suo
sense Of smell. It should be thing OF
beauty and Joy forever''-wherever we
20. wherever we breathe-and II we took
the pains to perfume our rooms and con-
vert noxious odors into sweet fragrance
We should all be far happier, healthier.
and better In mind and body.
Smell IL Everything.
Perfume doubtless has . srcat effect
upon the mere animal spirits. When ws
smell q beautiful flower We breathe deep
ly, We expand tbd chest. We inhale; our
whole being expands with ishsh1, TINS
In itself il beneficial, for We are all apt to
underbreathe. II the air about us were
more sweet smelling than It is We would
be tempted to breathe more deeply all the
time as q matter Of habit, and this would
expand the lungs. bring them into greater
activity. and thus prevent many Of the
dis. ases of the lungs We must not for
get, also. that the taste Of food is almost
entirely mater OF smell, and 1t is a fact
:hat food which does not smell appetizing
Is not SO good for use as that which does
There are ony four real tastes-sweet,
salt, sour. and bitter. The taste buds in
the mouth furnish only these four sensa-
tions directly to US. All the other havors,
as 1t were, We smell. So long as We do
not breathe we cannot do Justice to and
taste fully the most delicious of foods.
Smell is everything; 1t is the real source
of enjoyment in eating and a gift bestow-
ed upon US for which we should be CRATE
full. 1t should play a large part also in
our breathing: We should make that .
pleasure instead Of a mere habit.
The air We breathe should contain a
certain quantity of perfume, II not from
flowers, then from some more artificial
source. OF course. 1t is possible to overdo
good thing and make the air 20 heavy
with scent that 1t becomes sickening This
should never be done. especially at night.
We must not forget the story Of the East
ern potentate who had one Of his subjects
suffocated by placing him In q room con-
tanning 50 many roses that the unfortu-
nate man died from the oppressively heavy
odor.
Perfumes and MemOries.
What memories crowd in upon the mind
for instance, when We inhaie the frag-
rance OF violet perfume! Does not lilac
bring back springtime at its sweetest
the time. the place. and the man''-as a
vivid Hash Of memory? The musk revives
in US long sleeping memories Of our grand
mother, when in childhood We sorted her
hrocade. arranged her laces. turned out
old boxes in the attic, full Of good things
and treasures Of all sorts, long since
forgotten! Lavender too. reminds us Of
many friends We have known-of .'laven-
der and Of lace" Patchouii brings before
us the days Of George IV-across the mind
flashes a glimpse Of gay court life, with
its powdered wigs. its black beauty