Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-10-11

gestive Of honeycomb--as near as these
strong, almost paralyzng odors can be COM
pared to anything else.
Beyond, on the Shelves are lavender from
the Alps in big glass bottles, and bergamot
in copper kettles from Sicily and Italy Oil
OF lemon in kettles is one of the few es-
sences which would be recognized here by the
average person from the odor 1t smells just
Cumarin powder from Holland is another
pleasant smelling ingredient, giving the fresh
scent of new moWn hay.
Perfume With Punch
But the climax of the smelling tour is not
reached. The head chemist picks up COZ
horn, such as the pioneers once used for gun
powder. There is leather pouch fastened
over the top. This he cautiously removes,
warning the visitor to inhale with discretion.
1t is timely warning for the scent so care
fully packed for shipping is that of civet
from the civet cat-a smell we'll known for
its nauseating potency Northern Africa
contributes this delicacy to the perfumer
sending it in horns like the one described
This is the most powerful odor of the entire
collection, even outranking musk which IS
seen and smelled nearby.
Musk from the musk deer, has the ap-
pearance of a dark brown pod and smells
damp and musty with a faint suggestion of
old leather in it's bouquet. The value of the
dingy brown musk pods is in direct contrast
to their esthetic appeal. The pods are
bought through a French bank. Special
messengers carry the musk in small bags,
each worth perhaps $4,000. Musk brings
$500 a pound.
''Most people," the chemist explained,
"have no idea that these heavy animal
odors play an important part in almost every
perfume. The public thinks that rose per-
| fume is single odor. AS matter of fact, a
rose preparation would probably include not
only the delicate floral essence but an oil
| sandalwood, or patchouli-to round it out
and give it bouquet, and then one of the
| heavies, such as musk, civet, or ambergris
for a fiXative.
"The complete perfume may be compared
to musical composition with the animal
doors for undertones in the bass clef, and the
floral essences for the melody in the treble
Odors have different tonal values. Certain
ones blend, and if combined in balanced pro-
portions there is harmony. Otherwise there
may be discord of scent Just as violent as
any discord in music
"There are two kinds of perfumes. There
are the perfumes that represent some par
ticular flower, and there are the composites
or bouquets which contain sometimes forty
different odors gathered from the four
corners Of the earth'
Perfume and Character
These bouquets, he explained, are now
very popular in this country, though rose and
violet are always best sellers. The Sings
flower perfume is generally preferred by
strongly individualstic persons.
The perfumes woman uses is as good an
indeXe Of character as the music she likes.
The Russian perfumes are heavy, almost
Oriental, with a suggestion of leather.
Oriental perfumes easily call up the myster-
ious East. Americans prefer the more deli
cate and spiritual scents.
The chemist tells us that perfume is more
widely used than ever in history. When
Louis XIV demanded a new perfume originat-
ed specially for him each day, and farther
back, when Greek aristocrats bathed in
violet scented fountains, and Rome tried to
make laws to keep her wealthy men from
amounting themselves three times a day
and using different perfumes on different
parts of the body-in all those times-per
fume was the most precious possession of the
patrician class A gift of myrrh, spkenard,
or aloes was princely Offering. Today per-
| fume is within reach of practically everyone.
AS generally as it is used there are things
about perfume that people do not always I'M
derstand. One is that a perfume is four
! times as strong as toilet water. The lat
ter may be sprayed without much danger of
| turning oneself into a walking flower gar
den but a perfume should be dispensed
| less generously. It's scent is far more con-
centrated and lasting. A drop or two is suf-
! ficient.