New-York tribune., 1872-11-16
UAJR-DRESSERS AND HUSBANDS

We some time since discussed, according to
the light vouchsafed unto us, the case OF a
dressmaker in Boston who sued gentleman
for fummeries and furbelOws furnished to his
wife, and which he swOre 1--WE suppose) that
he would not pay. We find an analogous
story in the London newspapers, Of which we
propose to make little abstract, because we
think that it will be interesting both to wives
who contract bills and to husbands who pay
them or who do MT pay them, as the case may
be. This is specially interesting incident,
because it relates to hair which IS the glory
of q woman John Baker is a London hair
dresser; Mr.. Demetrius ECZEMA is London
merchant, and Mrs. ECZEMA is the lady who
run up great bill at the establishment of
John Baker The items of this account
are various, and to the male mind
(unmarrieGD some of them are mysten-
Ous. There is a bottle Of restorative balm
charged at IS. Cd. which certainly is not quite
so easily cOmprehendcd as lone PAIR OF
"garters" (3s. CD There is q" a plait' valued
at six guiDeas; there is rouge worth or said
to be worth IL. 3D.; there are curls, 42s.;
bouffons or combs, 2Gs. there are ten distinct
charges for washes" there are brushes,
pompadours, nets, salts Epson D. powders,
foriline. Also pins slxpence! Distracted by
all these things. we fall back upon the sweet
simplicity of the garters, charged as we have
already stated at 3s. Cd, and reasonable, no
doubt, at the money. When this bill, amount
ing to G3O 15s Cd, was sent to Mr.. Demetrus
Zezenia, being of Greek lineage he probably
vowed by Jupiter that he would not pay it.
especially as he had just been speculating in
cotton and had lost most OF his money. 80
the matter went into the County Court, before
Sergeant Wheeler
The poor perfumer told his story. He thought
that Mrs. ECZEMA was in affluent circum-
stances, because she came to his shop in
"silks." "Ahin said the lawyer upon the
other side, perhaps they were not paid for"
which seems to us highly probable. :" |
"should be extremely dissatisfied" said His
Worship the Judge, if such a bill were
drought to me :" and we are by no means
sure that some apprehension Of the indiscre-
ton of Mrs. Judge did not bias the judicial
bosom. 81 think the account he said, "a
"mOst extravagant one except for person III
very affluent circumstances; and truly if any
body is TO rouge and wear pompadOurs 1t
should be those who can pay for the paint
and the padding. Many of these things, it
appeared, were ordered for a special occasion.
A Mr.. GeOrgala, described as a gentleman
who had made great deal of
"money in cotton" gave Fancy
Dress Ball. and it was for this brilliant
festiyity that Mrs. ECZEMA arayed
and pcrfumed and pompadoured herself.
Much of the domestic history of the Zezenias
came out during the examination. The hus-
band, for instance, objected to Golden Hair
Wash (21S.) His wife did not require it. He
remarked tOuchingly that &" she had light hair
" from the time when first he knew her. He
said "she used soda. Some time ago | found
&" a brush and a powder of some kind. and
threw them out of the window'-the fero-
cious, tyrannical Turk of a Grecan! There
has MT been a neater domestic tragedy since
the Vicar of Wakefield tipped over his daugh-
tcr's concOctiOn for the complexion. But we
are not sure that Mr.. ECZEMA Wa not, as a
husband and man, perfectly rigm. The
tresses were blanched and bound up--but not
for him. Not for him was the pOmpadour put
in position. Not for him were the cheeks
made to emulate the rose and the shoulders
to vie with the marble. The fact was that
when Mrs u. came home from Mr.. Geor-
CALAIS Fancy Ball, she took all these
things off, and a sweet-lOoking Apbject she
must have been when dismantlcd Ind ready
for slumber Poor Mr.. Z. To be confronted
10y this spouse pure and simple; to see her
unadOned and sadly needing adOrnment; and
then to be charged G3O for those artifcialities
which had only made her resplendently de-
lghtful in the eyes of others. must have been
too much even for the divine rcpose of the
Greek nature. Twenty-ope shillings for hair
wash! Forty-twO shillings for curls! Seven
shillings and six for rOugel Six guneas for
plaits Why, the Maid of Athens herself
would have been dear ut the money As for
the unfortunate hair-dresscr when he found
that he was not to get the money for his little
account, he lost that profound respect for the
majesty of the law which should control every
British bosom; he threatened to appeal the
artist-creditor became garrulous, and was or
dered by the Judge "to hold his tongue" SO
he had to content himself with two pounds
six shillngs-scarccly more than enough to
pay for the ringlets!
We observe a tendency among male hus
bands, even in this country, to emaHcipatc
themselves from the thralldom OF reckless
shopping. To be classed as usurpers, 10
be denounced as Bluebeards, to he charged
with domestic despotism, and then to be
compelled to pay away all their money for
pompadours and the hke-is not this enough
to rouse the lion in their natures and lead 10
legal complications Ladies' beware There
is point at which patience ceases to DC
virtue II may be pempadours; i may be
bonfOns IL may be this, that, or the oth&-
but there is point
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