The Catholic World, Vol. 06, October, 1867 to March, 1868.Various
Religion
The Catholic World, Vol. 06, October, 1867 to March, 1868.
Various
Catholic Church -- Periodicals
A man ought to shave his crown, (unless he has curly hair,) but
not his chin, because the beard gives "dignity and paternal
terror" to the face. The mustache, however, "which is dirtied in
eating, is to be cut round, not by the razor, for that were
ungenteel, but by a pair of cropping scissors." The practice of
shaving was a mark of effeminacy in those days, and it was
thought disgraceful for a man to rob himself of the "hairiness"
which distinguishes his sex, even as the lion is known by his
shaggy mane. So St. Clement is unsparing in his denunciations of
the unmanly creatures who "comb themselves and shave themselves
with a razor for the sake of fine effect, and arrange their hair
at the looking-glass." Manly sports, provided they be pursued for
health's sake and not for vainglory, he warmly approves. A
sparing use of the gymnasium and an occasional bout at wrestling
will do no harm, but rather good; yet, when you wrestle, says the
saint, be sure you stand squarely up to your adversary, and try
to throw him by main strength, not by trickery and
_finesse_. A game of ball he especially recommends, (who
knows but there may have been base-ball clubs in Egypt?) and he
mildly suggests that, if a man were to handle the hoe now and
then, the labor would not be "ungentlemanly." Pittacus, King of
Miletus, set a good example to mankind by grinding at the mill
with his own hand; and, if St. Clement were alive now, he might
add that Charles V. employed himself in constructing time-pieces,
and that notorious savage, Theodoras, Emperor of Abyssinia,
passes most of his days making umbrellas. Fishing is a
commendable pastime, for it has the example of the apostles in
its favor. Another capital exercise for a gentleman is chopping
wood. This, we may remark, is said to be the favorite athletic
pursuit of the Honorable Horace Greeley.
The daily occupations of women must not be too sedentary, yet
neither, on the other hand, ought the gentler sex to be
"encouraged in wrestling or running!" Instead of dawdling about
the shops of the silk merchant, the goldsmith, and the perfumer,
or riding aimlessly about town in litters, just to be admired,
the true lady will employ herself in spinning and weaving, and,
if necessary, will superintend the cooking. She must not be above
turning the mill, or getting her husband a good dinner. She must
shake up the beds, reach drink to her husband when he is thirsty,
set the table as neatly as possible, and when anything is wanted
from the store, let her go for it and fetch it home herself. We
fear it is not the fashion, even yet, to follow St. Clement's
advice. She ought to keep her face clean, and her glances cast
down, and to beware of languishing looks, and "ogling, which is
to wink with the eyes," and of a mincing gait.
{103}
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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