The Sun.
London, England, 1840-09-12 00:00:00

THE RIVAL SIGNS.

Two individuals, the opposites of each other in man-
ners and appearance, lately presented themselves before
the Juge de Paix of the ninth arrondissement of Paris.
One named Lionel was a coiffeur of fashionable exterior,
redolent of the perfumes with which it had been his
habit to inundate the chevelure of the ladies who fre-
quented his establishment. The other named Prech-
ard, was a perruquier, neither whose costume nor his
mar.ners exhibited by any means the same amount of
elegance.
The Judge (to Prechard)—What do yen desire ?

Prechard-1 desire that Monsieur shall be forbidden
to fish in ray pond as he does, for wigs and customers,
to turn away my practice out of its natural course, and
appropriate it to his own interests.
Lionel (with a very fastidious air)—Monsieur corn.
plains that I rob him of his clients.

Prechard—Monsieur takes airs on himself because he
plies his tongs in a salon, for which he never has paid
one farthing of rent, and doesn't mean it either. That
is what he calls driving a " slap-up" business (se faire
mousier).
Lionel—'Tis devilish plain that that is no object of
your ambition. (Addressing the Bench)—The fact is,
that Monsieur has discovered a most economical method
of shaving without soap, and without pain too. He does
not feel the smallest pain for the torture which he in-
flicts on his customers.

Judge—This is no place to enter into these disputes.
Explain to me, M. Prechard, in what respect your
neighhour, M. Lionel has injured yodi: 2. a •
Prechard—Readily. You are away 4; Monsieur le
Juge de Paix, that though they say, ''geocliwine needs
no bush," it is impossible that an estib)iihment like
mine can be carried on successfully wi4out a showy
sign. I was on the look out for one l ep,l first en-
tered business. I sought in all directi. Fit for a long
time. At length I succeeded in obtaining, one, which
for a perruquier was very original. I tut it up in
1809, when perruques were much in fashion.
Judge—What was this sign ?

PreChard—lt represented a man decently clad, arA
of about the mi Idle age, hanging fro:n a tree by his
long hair. In this image you will readily recognise Ab-
salom—(Laughter)—that unfortunate son of David,
who had so great an antipathy to hairdressers.
Judge—Your sign was, then, " Absalom.?"
Prechard—Precisely, Monsieur le Juge ; and be-
neath this biblical picture were written these lines :
" Passers-by, behold Absalom „
Hung by the hair ; '
Had he carried a wig,
He would not have IvisOrtiiere
Judge (laughing)—The veisaht,iiiiritue/, and I can-
not conceive how your young- confrere could have
thought of damaging a sign like this.
Prechard—lt was, nevertheless, in my sign that he
wounded me. He thought proper to criticise it in his,
for he also had a sign constructed.
Judge—Describe it to the tribunal.
Prechard (indignantly)—Can I soil my lips by re-
citing such guard-room rhyme ? Let him repeat it him-
self, if he chooses.

Lionel—l shall repeat the words that are alleged to
be so insulting. My sign is in praise of my profession,
your's is in favour of that which you follow. Each
has his rights.
Judge—Pray give us an idea of it.

Lionel—Nothing easier. In the first place, there
is no more q'testion of Absalom in my sign than if
David had placed his children in the Hospital of St.
Vincent de Pause. It is simply a man, clad like our
first father, who is on the point of drowning himself.
A bold citizen, who knows how to swim, strives to
se:ze his hair for the purpose of saving him. But he
must die, Monsieur le Juge, his lot is inevitably cast ;
for the moribund carries a wig, and it is this alone
which remains in the hands of his generous saviour!
Beneath are inscribed these lines

" 'Were you paid ev'n fo;;laving it
Wear your own hair ;
He might ne'er have been drowned,
But a wig he would wear!"

a deal of laughter, at
This quotation was followed by
the conclusion of which the Judge, pronouncing that no
direct injury could be proved to have been inflicted by
the second sign, dismissed the complaint, advising bath
parties to attend to their business, and rival each other
as well by the neatness of their salons as their signs, and
by their polite attention to their customers.

The following iE the list of fashionables who have
visited the English Opera House in the Course of the pre-
sent week —The Turkish Ambassador, the Duke of Bruns-
wick, the Earl of Pembroke, George Wombwell, Esq.,
the Hon. L. Stanhope, Sir 11, Webb, &c.