Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-05-07

NO. ~
shall arrive at the conclusion that those who
own luxuriaut heads. carry on them as many
as It's, $50 individual hairs.
The shades of color of human hair appear
to be referrable to type and to climate. Lit
we proceed towards the north, the hair be
comes lighter, while if We proceed to the
south it deepens in its hues, these differences
being connected with the amount of pig
ment in the scarEskin. The Caucasian
variety of mankind. as we behold in the in
habitants of Europe, has hair of nut
brown. running On the one hand into yellow.
and on the other into black, long, soft and
undulating," whilst the hair Of the Mongo-
liam variety is black, stiff, straight, and spar
ing, as we observe in the natives of the East
Indies, China, and the Laplanders and Es-
quimsux. The hair in the Ethiopian variety
Is black and crisp. and accompanied by
black skin as in the negro. The American
Indians, who possess a copper colored skin,
have black, stiff. straight, and spare hair
like the Mongolian race; and the Malay
variety, which includes the Inhabitants of
Malacca, the East Indies, and the Pacific
Island, is characterized by tawny skin, and
black, soft. curly, thick, and abundant
hair.
Much has been said or written as to the
possibility of sudden blanching of the hair,
a fact which is admitted by some physiolo-
gists, and denied by others. The believers
appeal to evident facts, whilst the unbeliev-
ers say that emotions of the mind can have
no direct effect on the hair, that they can
only influence il through the general health,
and that when such changes have been
observed, they must be attributed to a ces-
satlon from the use of hair dyes. When
doctors disagree, a layman must not venture
an opinion. We can only say that Mr..
Erasmus Wilson, formerly scoffar, became
converted from some facts that occurred
within bis own knowledge, and he relates
some cases in point. A lady, who was ex-
pecting her intended husband to arrive by
sea from the north of Eagland, on hearing
of the laundering of the ship which carried
him swooned, and on the following evening
her hair, which had been deep brown, be-
came as white as snow. Subsequently the
whole of the white hair fell off. and another
crop appeared, which was gray, and lasted
for many years. Her whole system under
went a revulsion; the fountain of life seemed
to dry up, and the very color of her blood
exhausted. The Instances of Mary Queen OF
Scots and Marie Antonette, both OF whom
became gray with grief in short time, are
recounted in history. Henry Navarro, on
hearing that the Ejict of Nemours was con-
ceded, was SO incensed and grleved that In
the course of a lev hours part of one of his
moustaches whitened.
Ii is also narrated that young Spaniard
Of noble family, had prevailed upon young
lady of high lineage TO grant him an inter
view under the bough OF tree within the
garden of the King of Spain. The lovers
being betrayed by the barking of dog, the
gentleman was seized and imprisoned by the
Kings guard. He knew he had Committed
a ca pitai ofense, for which prompt death
would be the swift punishment, and he
took to heart his impending fate 50 much.
that on the same night he turned gray as one
stricken with years. The jailor being moved
at the sight stated the accident as prodis "
10 King ferdinand, who thereup)n pirdoned
the venturesome wooer, saying he had
alre idy been sufficiently punished for his
fault
We are also told that banker, during
the panic of 1926, became gray in three
days from intense anxiety, which is not very
surprising. But what is astonishing is that
a gentleman 40 years old, who was married
in the possession of a dark head OF hair,
on his return from the honeymoon, had be-
come SO completely snow white, even to his
eyebrows, that his friends no longer recog-
nized him, and even doubted his identity.
The happiness of matrimony seemed to have
a very unusual effect upon him, and the
wonder of the bride may be better imagined
than described. Mr.. Erasmus Wilson does
not attempt to explain the naodus operdadi
of these changes, which may be attributed
either to electrical action or chemical altera-
tion in the blood itself.
Some men, in their old age, have return
Of this dark hair, just as some individuals
have been known 10 very advanced life to
shed their teeth. Ii is recorded that man
named 1hn Weeks. who died at the ripe
age of Ia, had recovered the original hue OF
hIs some years before his death; and that
Susan Edmonds, in the 95Gh year of her life
reyained the natural blackness of hers, as in
her youth, though it became gray again pre-
vious to her death, which occurred when she
had numbered los years.
AN ATRoc1oUs HAB1r.-There is habit
peculiar to many walkers, which Punch,
some years ago, touched upon satirically
but which seems to have survived the
testers ridicule. 1t is that custom ot
stopping friends in the street, to whom W.
have nothing whatever to communicate
but whom we embarrass for no other pur
pose than simply to show our frindship
Jones meets his friend Smith, whom ht
has met in nearly the same locality but {
few hours before. During the interval, il
is highly probable that no event of any
Importance to Smith, nor indeed to Jones
has occurred, or is likely to occur. Ye
both gentlemen stop and shake hand
earnestly. Well, how goes it ?" remarks
Smith with a vague hope that something
may have happened. $50, So" replies
the eloquent Jones, feeling intuitively
the deep vacuity of his friend answering
to his own. A pause ensues, in which
both gentlemen regard each other with ar
imbecile smile and fervent pressure o.
the hand, Smith draws long breath anG
looks up the street Jones sighs heavily
and gazes down the street Another
pause, in which both gentlemen disengagt
their respective hands and glance anx
iously around for some conventional
avenue to escape. Finally Smith with q
sudden assumption of having forgotten ar
important engagement CALCULATES, "Well
l must be olf,'-remark instantly echoed
by the voluble Jones, and these gentle
men separate only to repeat their miser
able formula the next day. In the above
example have comp assiouately shortened
the usual leave taking, which in skillfu
hands may be protracted to a length
which I shudder to recall. 1 have some
times when an active participant in thei
atrocious transactions, fingered in the hops
of saying something natural to my friene
feeling that. he too, was cropping in th'
may labyrinths of his mind for like ex