Page:Personal beauty how to cultivate and preserve it in accordance with the laws of health (1870).djvu/327

 nations agree to that. The Chinese say that Confucius owed his wisdom to the length of his beard. When he died, it was cut from his face, and is still preserved. "That is why," say the Celestials, "we, his disciples, continue to be the wisest people under the sun."

The Koran forbids the true believer to cut the hair on his face. "By the beard of the Prophet," is a solemn oath among the Moslems. Nevertheless, Selim I., Sultan of Turkey, dared to disobey the command of the Koran, and imitated the dogs of Franks by appearing with a clean-shaven chin. The mufti reprimanded him for his wickedness. "I cut it," replied the Sultan, "to prevent my visier leading me by it."

From a cosmetic point of view, the cut and care of the beard stamp at once the man. As it is worn, it is either the greatest ornament or the most signal mar-*plot to the countenance. You can often tell at a glance whether the wearer has taste and an artistic eye, or is utterly devoid of both. Many a man who would with a properly cut beard be prepossessing, if not handsome, gives himself the appearance of a clown, a fop, or a baboon, by ignorance on this essential point.

Each individual here must judge for himself, but there are certain rules he must never transgress. We will mention a few of them. They are founded on those same laws of beauty on which we have been harping so much. One of them is, that the face should