Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1857-12-05

and u12ite the South, and no such
fearful alternative will ever present
itself.
A HUMAN HAIR FA1R-WoMFN
BRINGING THEIR TRnssEs TO MAE
KEr-V.ery few Of our gentle read
ers, probably, ever heard Of or I'M
agined such a thing as a Human
Hair Fair. As few, perhaps, ever
thought OF inqniring into the source
Of the beautiful tresscs which are
seen every day i'll those arlnories of
Venus, the windows of the hair
drcssers We are reminded, how
ever, by II late French paper, that
this is the season Of the annual hair
fair at Morlass, i'll the lower Pyre
nees, in France. Morlass is near
the city Of Pau, and it is from a
Pan journal that we delive some
account of the fair the present sea
son. The hair-dealers were crowd
ing into the place from all points,
from Toulouse. and even Bordeaux :,
and the young peasant girls OF the
ighborhood, famous for their fine
and abundant heads Of hair, were
Aock;ng to the market like sheep,
to he shorn of their locks for the
adornment of other and prouder
heads Even young husbands ac-
company sheir wives, to insist upon
their despoiling themselves, for a
tritling consideration, Of their bean
tiful heads of hair. Twenty francs
is the highest price which is given
for the richest head Of hair, and a
majority Of the damsels part with
their locks for a tenth part of that
sum.
This singular market is held in
the open str cts, and attracts crowds
of curious as well as interested per-
sons. Girls are seen to be sheared
in public, while others are waiting
their turn, with their caps in their
hands and their long hair combed
ont and hanging down to their
waists. The shearers are men as
well as women. Some of our fair
readers will conclude that this must
be a degrading scene. But how
else could the stock of wigs and
frizettes, and bands and top pieces,
and curls, rhich is needed to prop
up the tottering beauty Of the sex.
be supplied2 Tons Of black silken
hair, sheared in the manner above
described from the heads Of the
peasant damsels of the South O
France, are imported into this coun
; try annually,
There are fair in other places in
the South of France and in Brit
tainy, where adventurous virtuosos
, buy up and shear the crops Of the
. fair-haired damsels. Al first blush
/ it would seem that female vanity
: would effectually prevent such
t TIA ffic as this. But cupidity ane
Incidence are stronger passions thar
f vanity; and fashion even lends it
aid to this singular custom Of part
3 ing with the finest ornament to th'
' person which nature affords.
] In Brittany in particularly, wher'
the finest and most silken black hal
! is procured, it is the universal fash
+ ion, from childhood upwards, t
= wear caps SO close as completely t
# conceal the hair. The peasant girl
$ there have particularly fine hail
d and in the greatest abundance. |
0 is so common as not to be a mar
:, Of beauty; and the people are mo-
u ally incapable OF appreclating it a
e intrinsically beautiful and attractive
e 1t is a truth which ought not to b
II told, perhaps, in the presence Of a
If our ladies, that the charming frize
i tes and tresses which beautify tt
y heads OF our booming bellies. ma
possibly have been shorn from Br
ton damsels of very filthy and Loaf
i some habits.