Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-11-23
Human air Fair,

VERY few # orr gentle readers. probable
ever heard nf or imagined such a thing oa
Human H"ir Fair. As f.w, perhene e1a,
tlought Of inqniring into the source IF H.,
be"ufIfui freSses which are seen every dav ir
thOse arm"ries Of fhe hair,lressars W. .,
reminded, however by a late French nsrar
thai this is the season Of The aprual ha;r foir
at Morl7as, in the Lower Pvrennea. in France
Nj" laqs Is near the CITY of Pan. and tits from
Pan journal that we derive some account NJ
the fair the present season. The hair
dealers were crowdng into the place from all
points, from Toulouse and even from Ror-
deanx; ana the Young peasant girls Of the
neighhorhnod, famous for their fine and abun-
dant he DIS Of hair were fncking TO the mar
ket like shee', to be shorn Of their locks for
the adornment of Otler and prouder heads
Even young husbands accompany their wives
TO insist npOn III ir despoiling themselves for
a rr FL g consideration. Of their besu,ifpI
heads # hair. Twenty francs is the highest
price which is given for The richest head of
bair, and A majority of the dsmse}s mari
viii heir locks for tenth part Of that sum.
This singular market is held In the omen
street, and attracts crowds If curioUs "a
well AS interested persons Girls are seen
TO &c sheared in public, while others are
warlng their turn. with their caps in their
hands, and their long hair cuub-d ont
and hanging down 70 their waists. Tie
she rers are men well a. women. Some
Of our n readers will conclude that This must
be derraGing scene. Bur how else couId the
et"ck or wigs and frizertes, and bands. and
TOP pieces and curls, which is needed TO nron
up tie fottering beauty of the sex be sunDIjed9
Ions OF black n ken hair, sheared in The man
ner above described, from the heads of the
peasant damsels of the South Of France. are
imported into this country annually.
There are fairs in other places i'm the soptb
nd in Rritf
vir u"sos buy up and shear the crops of the
fair-haired Insels. At first bInsh II would
seem that female vanity would efPpctu.IIv IRE
vent such traffic this. But cuDiditv and |
Incidence are stranger passions than vanity.
and fashion even lends its aid to this singular |
custom OF parting with the finest ornament to |
the person which nature affords
In Brittany particularly, where the fpest /
and most silken black hair is procured i, 10
the universal fashion, from childhood upv.rds I
10 W ar caps, 50 close as completely 10 conceal
ne mar. Ihe peasant girls there hav We Dartic
nIarIy line hair, aud in the greatest abundance
II i so common as not to be a mark of bean
"; ana the people are morally incapable of
it intrinsicallv beautiful and
Attractive. 1t is truth which ought NOT 70
D. tod, perhaps, IN the presence OF I'll oUr Ia
lies, that the charming frizettes and tressea
"h'ch oeautlty the heads of our blooming
1eles' may possibly have been shorn from
Breton damsels of very filthy and Ioathsom4
lHblts; The Bretons are neither Normans nor
french, but more Welsh than anything else. l
no 'hey are wild and savage, and as idle and
nrty as human nature can well be and exist.
he poorer women wear their dresses tilI thew
ecome dirty, patched, tattered and ragged. so e
lat fhe m terial OF which they are made can t.
rceiy be traced. The houses of he peas
lt- are generally built of mud and witbopr d
'nVenience. The chestnut, which abounds in b
e country, furnishes, to a considerable ex o.
mt, the food e the poorest classes. Although
haolting fine country, capable of render ia
1n9D prosperous and wealthy, the Bretons it
oVel on in supine ideness and dirt No
Ohuer the women sell their hair, which j. %
un"ant and marketable. The pc, pie are nc 81
stoned to subsst upon the pro, ucts Of soon- al
Ieous crops. In the Pyrennes the people !
e industrious and frugal, and the women are Ut
'9-t3med to regard fine head Of black r
u"rE :, or br WI hair as only IL luxurant bur W,
o. B0StOg Courier. W