The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-05-16
ABOUT FALSE MAIR.

ABOUT FALSE HAIR.
Badness Of American women
ssLtve Hairss-The Coffim Rifle,
How German Women Trea
Their Hair.
Time was when a bald head wa
considered proof Of extraordinar
brain power or excessive piety, but
needs only one glance over Method
ist conference meeting, or the collec
tionof bare polls comprising theUnite'
States conference Gin both of whicl
assemblies badness ia the rule rathe
than the exception) to forever dispe
that illusiOn. 1t is not generally
known, but it is nevertheless fact
that the women of these degenerat
days arc almost as much afflicted il
this way as the sterner sex, but the.
have the advantage in being able t
conceal the deficiency under puffs ant
switches In the present state O
society, while we are trained from ou
cradles to believe that the chief enc
of women is to marry, and that ou
marketable value Gin q country wher'
men are deplorably in the minority
depends principally upon our charme
who of US can afford to admit physica
defect which any device of the toilet.
can -cover2 Since false hair is conse
quently recognized as a necessity ol
modern. social existence, 1t may be in.
teresting to learn how the constantly
increasing want is supplied.
Live hair-that brought con foot,
to use technical term of the trade
constitutes but q small percentage Of
the stock in market, as the women
who are willing to submit their locks
to the shears for money, and those
who have superfluous locks to spare,
grow fewer year by year. When
secondhand tresses were needed only
to farnish few elderly ladies with
wigs, agents found no difficulty In se.
curing sufficiency among the maids
of Auvergne aud Brittany. Now the
demand greatly exceeds the supply,
and it is asserted that Paris alone con-
sumes more than all the capillary crop
in France, and that Marseilles (Which
is the great center of the ira aic) deals
with Spain, the Orient, snd the two
Sicilies for forty tons a year of dark
hair, of which she makes over $4,000
chignons annually.
Dead hair has not an inviting
sound, so it may be comforting to
know that much of the commodity
under that title does not come from
the grave, but from subjects who are
yet among the living. Under that
generic term are claesed the comb.
ings,' which thrifty servant girls save
up and sell, the indiscriminate Clip
pings of barber shops, faded curls,
worn-out switches, etc. The scaven-
gers of every city, on both sides of the
Atlantic, va'ue nothing short of q sill
yer spoon aiaong ash heaps and refuse
SO much as snarl of combings, how
ever clotted with dirt, as it will readi-
ly sell. Itis afterwards washed with
bran and potash, carded and sorted,
aud then goes into the cheap fronts,
curls. puffs and chignons, " hich abound
in the market. France annually makes
$4,000 pieces all the cheaper grades
being composed of this dead hair. of
which England is said to be the best
customer, and America almost as good
1t is an nndoubted fact that human
hair often grows to great length after
death. Coffins are sometimes rifled
for this CHASTITY growth, after fostering
worms have done their worst, and
pauper corpses are often despOiled
before burial. Therefore, those of US
who sport other than our own hair,
can never be sure whether it smells of
the sepulchre, the gutter, or kitchen
girls comb, so perhaps the least said
upon this suggestive branch of the
subject the better.
German women of the better classes
are universally noted for fine and lux
uriant hair, and this is the way they
manage 1t: About once in fortnight
boil for an hour or more large hand
ful of bran in a quart of soft water,
then strain 1t into basin, and cool
till tepid. Rub into it q little white
soap, then dip in a soft cloth and wash
your head thoroughly, parting aside
the hair all over, so as to reach the
roots. Next take the yolk of an egg,
slightly beaten, and with your fingers
rub it we'll into the scalp. Let it rest
q few min utes. then wash Of entirely
with a cloth dipped in pure water and
rinse the hair well till the egg has all
disappeared. Afterward wipe and rub
dry, and comb the hair upward from
the head. Then oil slightly II needed.
The most harmless hair dressing may
be prepared from the following form
ula: Pure castor oil, 2 ounces CO.
logpe COS per cent) Is ounces; per.
fame according to fancy.
lIELENS OTHER BABY.
"What makes that noise ?" asked
little boy on the train the other day.
The cars" answered his mother.
I" What for ?" "Becsuse they are NOV
ing" What are they moving for ?"
&c The engine makes Them" What
engine ?" "The engine in 'front.'
s What's it in front for 2" "To pull
the train" What train ?" &c This one r.
This carp" repeated the youngster,