Chesterton on Beards

Proto Leaguer Darin wrote to remind me of this from G.K. Chesterton;

"You cannot grow a beard in a moment of passion."

It is from a short essay Chesterton wrote on the Boer War (or at least tangentially on the Boer War) called How I Met The President.

Chesterton often got to the point of his essays by way of the Rolling English Road, so to speak, which wound in a leisurely way in and out of observations and metaphors. Blogger Jennifer Pierce (Just Jen) recently noted that his way of thinking and writing has the quality of a braid.

Comments

[A Facebook User]

I am a newly ordained priest, or a baby priest, and at seminary we had the BBS - The Brotherhood of Bearded Seminarians. I am now the chaplain from afar. We celebrated daytime prayer on every 4th Friday with extra solemnity - that is when Psalm 133 is read. "How good and how sweet it is, when brothers live in unity, it is like oil upon the head, running down into the beard, the beard of Aaron, upon the collar of his robes..." Perhaps we should affiliate, collaborate, grow beards together in brotherly cheer!
Fr. Ben

[Darin]

I seem to comment on everything, but I did start this one it seems so I might as well continue it. We should also not forget the C.S. Lewis quote:

"We have now for many centuries triumphed over nature to the extent of making certain secondary characteristics of the male (such as the beard) disagreeable to nearly all the females - and there is more in that than you might suppose."

Here is an interesting commentary on Lewis, Tolkien and beards . . .
http://www.velvetbagel.com/beardcontest/paul.html

Of course, we shouldn't forget that Swedish proverb that I heard as a child - Wisdom is in the head, not in the beard. Maybe that's why some of our patrons here sported an inner beard.

[Tim J.]

" Perhaps we should affiliate, collaborate, grow beards together in brotherly cheer!"

That's too inspired an idea to ignore! Of course, solidarity with our whiskered clergy is a goal dear to the heart of The League.

[John Kasaian]

The alienation from all things manly is, I fear, a sign pointing the way to ruination.
At my Church, Altar Boys are referred to as "Altar Servers" I make it a point to let the powers that be know in no uncertain terms that I will not allow my son to be "neutered" (these words I find, must be growled---similar to the way Lee Marvin's character in The Dirty Dozen growls in order to be given even the slightest attention by whom I am speaking to)
Now, to take exception to this is nothing short of a shock to the lay people in charge.
They stutter and murmer and stammer but they don't heed. Casually they eventually laugh it off and go about with their "Altar Server" schtick.
Denial, man! Denial! They are in denial!

If I had an external beard, maybe they'd pay attention. Waving a sword cane would emphasize the point too, but they don't allow sword canes in California.

I may have to grow a beard!

[Michael]

If we're collecting great beard quotes, I always like to call to mind Shakespeare's invocations of beards in "Much Ado About Nothing" (of which Kenneth Branagh has made an excellent film version.)At one point Beatrice proclaims that "he that hath no beard is less than a man"; and a clean-shaven character is later insulted by being called "Lord Lackbeard."