National Republican., 1881-09-07
ALL ABOUT HAIR,
A Chapter whIch Bnid.Mcndcd Wen VIII
Rend with Envy.

Amongthe many weaknesses OF human
nature there Is none more striking han the vanity
produced by being the fortunate possessor Of n
fine suit of hair This vanity is not confined to
any particular race or country but seems to be
universal. The wild Indian on the plains, who
roughly brads his greasy black locks with strips
of bear.skin and wolf-tails; the rude savage of
Africa, who first plaits and then combs out his
kinky hair until it stands up over his head like
thequills OF porcupine, aud the dreamy, almond
eyed beauty of the Chinese, who twists her glossy
braids into bows and knots, with brassy pins and
arrows are each Of them justas vain Of this adorn
mcnt as the fair belle who stands before her
mirror aud lovingly fingers and brushes the golden
trcsses which are her crownng beauty, 1t is also
remarkable how well satisfied each individual is
with the particular shod c or color of
his OR HER HAIR.
1t may be purplish black chestnut brown, yellow
and sof like threads ofgold, rich auburn or fiery
red and The owner is very sure 1t could not be i'm
proved upon. Neither is this vanity confined TO
the fair SEX for man has been found to be equally
rs vain as woman in this particular; but the de-
sire 70 improve what nature has given by the ad-
dition Of artificial hair seems in the present day to
belong almost entirely to woman Formerly this
was not the case and wigs, ourls, and queues were
worn by ali fashionable gentlemen As late rs
hundred years ago powdered wigs and long queues
were worn In this country by the arstocrOcy. Now
women OTc lne ptlnClphl puTCnuScis VI Nllu wear
ers of artificial hair. Evcn when they have a fine
suit of their own they will add to 1t pulls, curls,
SWITCHES, BRAIDs, WATERFALLS RATS, MICE,
and the dear knows what, often making the head
appear top-heavy 1t is not always necessary that
| the color should match her own hair, and 1t is
| sometimes u comical sight TO sec a head thus ar
ranged with q curl of one shade, puff Of another,
and braid Of still another and the wearer so per
| rectly compacent under 1t. The traffic in human
hair in this countryi is quite extensive Daring the
fiscal year Just closed the importatlons reached the
amount Of fsl75,277; of this the largest proportion
| came from Germany, which was valued at SlG0,023.
France copes next in furnishing the supply and
sent last year hair TO the amount of s7S9O7 Bel
gium sent 1892 worth; Italy, Sl,564. England,
although importing largely the article for her own
use, Gud having fine market at home, was able
| to spare s84tI3 worth for this country. The
"heathen Chnee" is also willing to sell his
RAVEN LOCKS FOR FILTHY LuCRE,
and furnished during the year hair to the amount
ofSl,l Australia and the islands Of the have
also added TO the supply their share being csu-
mated at $1,000. These importatons have not all
been entered at one port nor at one time. AT De-
| troit, Mich the quantity received was valued at
| 81, while at New York IL was valued at sl60,0O3
| at san Francisco it was $3.50, and at Boston,
| ss6GS; ut other ports the quantity was small II
woman is vain OF her hair, why is she so willing
/
referring to statistics that the largest supply of the
| raw material comes from France and Germany.
1t Is well known that in those countries the women
| of the lower classes all wear close fitting caps.
| These caps are worn from infancy TO old age and
the hair is not only covered up but 1t is sometimes
of great weight, which, with the cap, adds to the
discomfort of the wCarer. These women are nearly
ALL OF THEM PooR
and when the hair-dealer comes along with his
| shining silver and gold, which he offers in eN-
change for the heavy braids they are very willing
to bend the head to the scissors and to see the
cherished braids fall into his basket. Probably
some of the imported hair comes lrcm conyiets and
some from hospitals. The process of preparing the
hair for use aud for manufacture isvery thorough.
II is well cleanscd, steamed, dressed, and some.
times dyed SO, whatever impurities 1t may have
contained they are all removed before 1t
reaches the hands Of the final purchaser. There
are as many grades in hair as there are in any
other articles of merchandis" I'D III: nrnert ,.e-
tcots itg ,G.Ie at glance. Gray hair is the most
expensive, and ranges In price from 50 per pound
to $500 per pound. Blonde haircom next, and Is
| valued according TO the shade, As hair Is ex =
pensive, various substitutes have been tried to
take its place. The most popular Of these is jutc.
A few years ago, when the fashion for large
waterfalls" was at its height, the trade in this
article was immense, and 1t appeared in all shades
| of black and brown,