Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1877-03-17
SOCIETY STRATA.
In Irregular Order-Number 2.
B A II u Il II q .

Wis ohSiOnt ouu lOuOTdDle CLASS.
This, like the class previously re-
viewed, is one the bearded portion of
our people cannot escape, while those
who are cultivating adolescent mus
taches actually seek frequent inter-
views. The profession dates back to
remote antiquity, and the first bar
Der Is lost 10 the musty ages
which preceded historical record.
The earliest mention we find of the
wielder of the glittering bladeis found
in the first verse Of the fifth chapter
of Ezekiel: "And thou, son of man,
take thee BARRIERS razor, and cause
it to pass upon thine head and thy
beard" But the early profane his
torians make no mention of the class
because, perhaps, their BARRIERS
drew more tears from their eyes than
encomiums from theil pens. The
merits of the class seem also to have
escaped the observation of the early
poets, and we do not find Homer or
Virgil writing rapturous verse on
skillful tonsorial artists. It remained
for Rossini to embslm the barber in
music and verse in his opera of
Figaro.
In early days the barber com bined
surgery and phlebotomy with the
tonsorial business, and doubtless the
heel Of the razor for refractory corns
was coeval with tight boots-if any,
body can tell when man first began
to punish himself in that way. In
England the guild of BARRIERS was
incorporated in 1851; In the time of
Henry VIII. they were united with
the surgeons, but during the reign of
George III. it was discovered that the
trade of a barber was "foreign to, and
independent of the practice of sur
gerry" and the law remitted BARRIERS
to the humble arts practiced at the
present day, shaving and hair dress
ing.
In every part of the world, and in
all ages, the barber has been cele-
brated for his garrulity, and his
amusing character is instanced in one
of the tales of the Arabian Nights
aud also in the opera referred to. If
We are to judge from these rays of
history, the barber of to-day is much
like his relative who lived in feudal
days, or even In prehistoric times.
After this preface, We will now
turn our attention to barbers-bar-
hers we know. But no gall shall run
from our pen; the frequent proximity
Of the keen blade to our jugular
warns US. We shall only construct
"A general shoe for the class, and if it
should pinch individual members
"let the CALLED jade vince" The
BARRIERS we know are good fellows in
their way, but some people say dash
such ways. They can, as a general
thing, out-talk a book agent. One
of these latter gents once went into
barber shop and began, "Will you
look at this book; very fine work;
sold only by sub" He got no far
Their, as the barber brought him up
short with a conumdrum, and then
telling one of his anec-
dotes, which, an hour later, put the
poor agent to flight.
Speaking of talking BARRIERS re-
minds US OF little story. Once upon
a time crusty old gent was having
his hair cut and the barber was
meanwhile spinning yarn. The
customer kept telling him to cut it
short, and the cutting and spinning
went on. AT last, in answer to per-
"cut it Short" the barber
said: "Sir, l can't cut it any shorter;
your hair is not more than an eighth
of an inch long now" The old party
was in rage; it was the story he
wanted cut short. We have often
thought what a blessing it would be
If all BARRIERS were mutes. If we had
forty dumb sons we would put razors
into the hands OF every one-their
success would be assured.
BARRIERS are possessed of grim
huni6r, though their fun often brings
tears to the eyes of their customers.
When barber is Juggling away at
the razor and using almost enough
force to run a mower, he will, in the
most sOlicitous way, ask if it hurts
you. "Confound the fellow; he
knows it hurts" is your inward
ejaculation, but You grin and bear it.
They also have a kind of bald humor;
If man is bald, or nearly so, they
delight in using the stiffest brush in
the shop, and the weight applied to
different parts of the head is in in
verse ratio to the thickness OF the
hair, Then again they run rig on
every bald head by wanting him to
buy u bottle of hair restorative of
their own compromising.
In former times heretics were
stretched upon the rack or broken
upon the wheel, but BARRIERS have ill.,
vented torture surprising these.
They get a customer in the chair and
shave one side of his face, when they
strike theatrical attitude and spout