The Philosophy of Beards.
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object of reverential fondness—wife and children kissing it with the most tender and respectful affection. To express high value for a thing, they say, "it is worth more than one's Beard."[1]
"Shame on your Beard!" is a term of reproach, and "I spit on your Beard!" an expression of the most profound contempt. When the Shah of Persia, in 1826, was speaking to our Ambassador, (Sir J. Malcolm,) concerning the Russians, to shew how low he esteemed them, he exclaimed, "I spit on their Beards!"[2]
To cut off the Beard is considered a deep disgrace and degradation. The noted Wahabee Chief Saoud was accustomed to shave the Beard as a punishment for the
- ↑ Dr. Wolff says, Mahomed Effendi told him "that the Mahomedans believed that though Noah lived 1000 years, no hair of his blessed Beard fell off, or became white; while that of the Devil consists only of one long hair;" and the same Mahomed, wishing to compliment two midshipmen, "hoped they would some day have fine long Beards like himself."
- ↑ Niebuhr says, "I once saw, in a caravan, an Arab highly offended at a man who had accidentally bespattered his Beard. It was with difficulty he could be appeased, even though the offender humbly asked his pardon, and kissed his Beard in token of submission." Though I avoided breaking the argument by its insertion under the account of the Jews, it may be interesting to state, that Moses, in Numbers, orders a man to be considered unclean for seven days, whose Beard has been defiled in this way: and that David could scarcely have devised a more efficient means to convince Achish of his madness, than the expedient he adopted of allowing his saliva to descend upon his Beard.
