The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-08-18
DABBLING In THE TONSORIAL
ART.
A Few Barberisms.

What the Harem is to society in Turkey
such is the barber shop of America Into
their sacred precincts no woman enters, at
least it was SO before the late introduction of
feminine operators
The mysteries of shaving, hair cutting and
shampooning are as hidden to the ladies of
the land as the secrets of the Sphinx. Those
talismanic words You next" convey to them
no peculiar significance, and they would no
doubt unhesitatingly give an affirmative
answer If asked to take "poon."
We don't know that we have as whole any
peculiar school of tonsorial artists in this
city; indeed, ON second thoughts and a retro
spective glance back over our experience since
the down was first taken from our neither lip
we have come to the conclusion that we have
as it were all schools represented. The
French, German, African and Mongolian,
each, in their own national style. sending
out their patrons shaver and shorn after their
own approved styles. That a man should
have preference in this menu is but natural,
for caviar does not suit all tastes, neither does
charlotte russo.
We can remember a stout Teutonic knight
of the razor, whose only fault was that he
would insist in giving his sitters taste of his
lather, and seemed to enjoy inserting his brush
in their mouth. This compelled change,
and our next trial was with French gentle |
man, who took our scalp in almost Indian |
fashion with his brush. Our next was
lively mulatto, who, owing to some nasal de. |
feet, used only rancid oil, the scent of which |
still comes back like some unpleasant dream
The subject of the male toilette has some
thing of an interest to mems ears, and in the |
loafng time of yesterday afternoon, when the |
BARRIERS were longing abou', a BULLETIN II
preventative visited a well known saloon, and |
whilst enjoying shave put few queries to |
the delicate manipulation.
"Yes, sir; trade is dull now. You gentle |
men let beard grow for three days now to |
save money, when you used to get shaved |
every day. I.s the dropping off of regular
"Certainly, I've no objection. Anything l.
know about our work I'll tell, if it will do any |
good; but don't put my name in the papers
"Theres great difference in BARRIERS, sir.
Perhaps you've remarked that and the reason
of it is that the common ones have been edu-
Gated in the common shops. It's easy to tell
them by their slovenly ways and rough hand
in handling the razor. 1t isn't every man
who can get chair in our first class saloons
you know, and the poor workman has to 60
to poor saloons.
''That's asking little too much. I'LL
would tell how | made this shampoon, or this
pomade, why every barber in town would
know it. Those are our secrets, and
we never tell them. But there's no
trick in that Of course, the trade has
some little receptions, but they are few.
Imitation Of bay rum may be used, or poor
hair oil, or tired barber may cut your hair
roughly, but they don't amount to much
The work is hard, standing up to chair all
day, and although twenty cents does seem
pretty high to charge, we think we earn it.
"How can you tell frst-class artist ?"
Why, the easiest thing in the world, sir.
Notice how he mixes his lather; whether he
sloshes it about; then see how he tucks the
towel around your neck-whether gently or
not. When he commences to shave mark il
he makes long, scraping cuts with the razor,
Or neat short ones; and pay attention if he =
puts his hands unpleasantly all over your I
face. There's great art in wiping the Z
lace "a great art. These fellows {
who rub you down like a horse I
lon't know anything about it. First, there t
should be light rub to absorb most of the ,
water, taking care to wipe around the mouth !
md eyes, and then there should be gentle,
ret rapid patting of the face with the towel. 8
This coos your customer and is grateful to t
he skin. The French beat the world in t
viping. I can't say how the women BARRIERS
10. There, sir; shall I take little off that
,oatee? Very well-just as you like. Boy,
,rush here You nextl"