Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-04-25

NOtc0 Oh k18EOc16.
From the London Telegraph.
About as odd a combination of discontented
"proletaires" that it is possible to conceive is
the strike Of the hairdressers, the imminence of
which was yesterday announced by our Paris
correspondent It appears that in some dis
tricts of the gay capital the t0nsoral fraternity
have decided to fix the sum of twenty-five cent
imes or twOpence ha.t-penny, as the lowest
price for their performance of the operation of
easy shaving. Now, few Frenchmen shave
themselves, for the simple reason that French
razOrs sold at moderate prices are of very infe-
riOr quality, while good razOrs are very dear
The working classes have become highly indig-
nant at the enactment of the twenty-five cent
ines minimum as the tariff for ''une barbe sim
pie" and have revenged themselves by with
holding the customary "pourboires' from the
hairdressers' assistants. Consequently these
hard working subordmates, or '.barbers'
clerks" as they used to be cOntemptuously
termed In England, have threatened to strike
zen masse'' unless the masters COMPENSATE for
the loss Of the ''pourboires' by an augmenta-
ton In the wages Of the assistants. As for the
master 'c0i1eurs, denounced on the one hand
by their exasperated customers and threatened
on the other by their rebellious ''garcons" their
cording to the old Scotch proverb, was the ease
Of 1.-THE toad under the harrow, when every
tooth gave her q tig." The masters are de-
TERED from lowering their charges BY the fact
that BY the rules Of their society any employer
accepting less than the minimum rate is at
once liable to . preliminary fine of two hundred
francs, or eight pounds sterling.
In England absolute free trade Ia shaving has
long prevailed. There Ia, indeed, an ancient
Company Of Barber-Surgeons. the seventeenth
Henry VIII gave magnificent picture By Hol-
bein, while Charles II presented them with .
drinking cup made from the trunk Of the Royal
oak. richly mounted with silver. But the Bar
ber-Surgeons' Company never exercised any
jurisdiction out Of the city proper. and from
time immemorial the Londonsr has been privi-
legged to enjoy the luxury of - penny shave"
The upper and middle classes in England, as
rule, shave themselves, and since the custom Of
wearing the full beard has been revived the art
OF shaving may be said to have declined in aris-
tocratic London. In the more densely p0pu-
lated quarters, however, shaving goes on from
early morning until late at night. aud constant
practice on boards of every texture makes the
penny shaver" very rapid and tolerably skill
full executant. He sweeps the chin Of the
working man clean In q minute, and then the
son of toll administers some water to his coui,-
tenance, rnbs it dry with the jack-toweL.haag-
ing behind the door, pays his penny, and de-
pasts they manage these things, however,
feur' has been already glanced at; but the
Italian and the Spanish BARRIERS are quite az
skilful artists az their Gallo confreres; nor Is
the German at all behind the tonsors Of the
Latin races. It may be that foreigners are
vainer Of their personal appearance than Eng
lshmen are. The Americans are certainly very
much vainer. He who entersl "toilet studio
In the United States FOR the purpose of being
"oarbed" or shaved must be prepared to sacri-
nee rom twenty to forty minutes Of his time.
everything 10 done In q solemn. deliberate and
artistically complete manner. The actual shaw
Ing ts only one Of series Of elaborate processes
20 which the customer 10 bound to submit.
When the parts Of his facesequired to be de-