80 COSMETICS. 



they are! Every physicist knows that white light is a 

 compound of three primitive lights, blue, red, and yellow. 

 Into these separate tints a ray of white light may be ana- 

 lysed by the prism, but in different measured proportions. 

 Looking at the prismatic spectrum, we soon perceive that 

 there is less of blue light than either of red or yellow ; where- 

 fore it follows that if in any picture the blue light should pre- 

 dominate, a sense of discord would be suggested, violating 

 perfect harmony. Mark, then, how Nature ordains her colour 

 harmonies. Regard the flowers we see in any one tableau of 

 nature, and observe how the red and yellow and white ones 

 predominate ; thus preserving the balance between the three 

 tints that should obtain in order to make-up harmonious 

 colouring. 



In regard to the harmony of taste, Brillat Savarin would 

 not have thought that individual worth argument who 

 should have seriously doubted the reality of it. Why should 

 apple-sauce have come to be accepted as the proper accom- 

 paniment for goose and duck, mint-sauce for lamb 1 Why 

 do we eat mustard with beef and pork and duck and goose, 

 not with lamb or mutton, chicken or game, if not guided and 

 regulated by a sense of this sort of harmony 1 



And of smell ; how is it that certain odorous things go 

 well together, whilst other odorous things go ill together, but 

 for the existence of the functions of gustatory harmony and 

 discord I 



To demonstrate the harmonies of touch is not so easy; 

 but instances can be adduced making it evident. If ice felt 

 warm to the touch, or feathers cool, the sense of tactile har- 

 mony would be violated. 



What has all this to do with the dyeing and bleaching of 

 human hair? for to that at last I am coming. Much 

 rather, everything. It has soon to be explained that Nature 

 does not give hair tints at random, any more than she gives 

 blue corn-flowers to harmonise with yellow corn, or red pop- 



