Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-12-11
EVENING STAR.
A BARBARous YARN.

! belong to his profession merely as IL il An use
ful ast--ass branch of the fine arts IL is al.
most extinct. Here and there professor may
! be found who believes in high art, writes wis
maker over his door, and talks TO q chancs
! visitor OF the general falling of OF the age
His rack is full of rusty tools; and, on bin
shelves are worm-eated blocks covered with
| cobwebs. He Is told that the rabble Of hi.
| profession shaving at halfpenny a chin car
thrive; that n haifpenny barber will some.
times, with his own hand, scrape together
twelve or fifteen shillings of Saturday yight
until Sunday morning; and he reckons up on
his fingers, that to earn fifteen shillings, an
unassisted professor must lather and scrape a
fresh customer every two minutes, and con.
tinue TO do 30 without q moments pause for
nearly twelve hourss; keeping him up all
night, and cutting his way little too far into
the Sunday. Thersupon he shakes his head,
and says: You may believe it, if you like. -
de has his doubts, and begs leave to retain
them. 1t is not high art, he must observe.
There was a woman VINO for many years
shaved for q halfpenny opposite St. Giles
t Indeed, sir! I am not surprised In the
history OF my art-speaking, by your leave, of
ihe time when 1t aoas an srt-I read Of the
tashiona6le barber shops in Drury Lane. un-
der the reign of his sacred majesty King
Charles II, and that FIVE of them were con.
Quoted by ladies, as 1 believe may ma ke
bold to remind You that the ballad said,
Et Did you ever see the like, T
Or ever hear the same, --r.f- -.
VI I'VE W. Omen Barbersrs
- That lived In Drury Lane
One of these shops still remains. and nearly
In the same state il existed in days of yore. IL
you want to see it sir, you must inq uire for the
corner of White Hart Yard. The daughter
OF the lady who kept it attended General
Monk IN the Tower, sir, and married him. II
was good match Tor the General No, sir, I
would not exclude woman from the practice
OF an art scarcely less fascinating than her.
set; and, even il, in its dsgsnerated state,
she will adorn 1t by her touch, am not sur
prised. 1t is her usual goodness am even
eonsoled. Woman, sir, il has occurred to me
0iten, Is a great consoler. / am told that in
France to this day the other sex ply the razor
and scissors upon our sex's oaputs very ex-
.enslveiy. In what style, sir, would you have
want it cut, simply"
Cut to look simple? Yes, sir In the
Roman style, perhaps, with Brutus. hope
you know, sir, according to the Atheniap
Chronicle, the barber's art was SO beneficial
to the Roman public, that he who first brought
1t INTO fashion in Rome had statue erected
to him"
~ need to have the patience of a statue"
Did You ever meet with book, sir, by one
Mr.. Philip Stubbs, Mentioned lately Il, an
eminent. periodical Indeed, sir. Now, do
you know, your wish 10 be cut simply, re-
minds me, by your leave, of the dsys of
queen Elisabeth, and Of what Mr.. Stubs.
lWnose book posssss) says upon the paImy
days OF our art, in that reign so glorious to
oruain. Ithink could recite the passages
a.
friend releasing our head suddenly, sat down
down by his table, spread one arm abroad
over It's surface, and beat time dolorously with
his hngers as he droned forth at US the ele-
egant extract which he had mot, 1t Is to be
feared, without a suppression or two stored
In his espacious memory.
There are no finer fellows under the sun
nor exported in their noble science well put,
you observe, sir,l noble science Of barbcris Y
than they be; and, therefors, in the fuIness
OF their oyerfowing knowledge, they have in.
vented such strange fashions and manners of
cuttings, trimmings, shavings and washings
that you would wonder to, see. they have
one manner Of cut called the French cut,
another the Spanish cut ole the Dutch cut
another the Italian one the new cut, another
the OLD one the brsyado fashion, another of
the name fashion; one gentleman's eus,
another the common cut one cut of the court
another cut OF the camp with infinite the
Ike OF which Overpass. For they have
other cuts innumerable; aud when yoa come
10 Dc trimmed, they viii ask you whether you
Will be cut to look terrible t. your enemy, or
amiable to your friend grim and stern in
In countsnance, or pleasant or demure. Then,
when they have done all these feats. it is a
world to consider how th cir moustachois must
be preserved and laid out from one cheek 10
anofher-yea, almost from one ear to another
and turned up like two horns towards she
forehead. Besides that, when they come r.
the cutting OF the hair, what snipping and
swapping Of scissors is there; what rubbing.
what scratching, what combing and cleaning,
what tricking and toying. And when they
come to washing, how gingerly they behave
themselves therein. For then shall your
mouth be bossed with lather, or foam. that
riseth Of the balls (for they have their sweet
balls wherewith they use to wash y your ewes
must be anointed Herewith also Then snap
60 the fingers full bravely, Got wot Thus.
this tragedy ended, comes warm clothes 10
wipe and dry him withal then the hair of
nostriis cut away, and every thing done in
order, comely to behold. You shall have also
your orient perfumes for your nose, your fra
grant waters for your face, wherewith you
shall be all to besprinkled; your music again
and pleasant harmony shall sound i5 in
your ears, and all to tickle the same with
vain delight. And in the end your cloak
shall be brushed, and God be with you, gen
ueInen. All! sir, there are few passages in
literature finer than that. seem to see the
thing before me. o, the palmy day of beau
tiful Queen Gloriana, which is Bessi ...-
But trust, also, Mr.. Wigmaker, that You
seem also to see me before you, waiting, in
the days Of Queen Victoria, to have nv hair
CUT e.--- "a. .r :
Certainly, sir. Would you like to play a
little on the cittern while / am employed about
your head? 1 have one here. In the good
old times cittern and lutte were at the service
Of the BARRIERS customers. Mr. Battrick, one
OF our last great men, sir, had a set Of bells
Whitdngton's bells, they were called. Also
monkeys" = e
Monkeys are still met with, and parrots. :"
Z Indeed, sir? was not aware Possibly
you may never have heard of Thomas Bat
trick. He was born, sir, in the year one thou
sand seven hundred and thirty, and died in
the year one thousand eight hundred and if.
teen 30 that he was a Nestor, sir, and besides
that. quite Trojan. Hs practised in Drury
Lane, and in his later days there were never
less than seven fights in Drury Lane every