Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1882-09-07
HAIR PINS.
Nature Developing a New Species in Fe-
male Heads.
New York Times. |

New York Times.
1t was not until the year 1879 that natu
ralists became aware of the existence OF a
new species of hair-pin. Up to that time
there had been but two varieties of hair-pln
the straight and the corrugated. These
were about the same size-the full-grOwn
hair-pin attaining a length OF four inches
and were found throughout Europe and
America Every female head contained, ac-
cording to Cuvier, tifty-siX, and according to
Huxley and most of the scientific men of the
present day, tifty-eight hair-pins The
straight and the corrugated were about
equally numerous, and both varieties were
frequently found in the same head. tits
hardly necessary to dwell upon the extreme
usefulness of the Older species of halr-pn.
The woman who was furnished with titty-siX
or tift fty-eight hair-pins was as useful to civil
lied man as is the date palm to the wild
Aarab or the cOcOanut tree to the gentle
heather of Polynesia. If a man found his
pipe clOgged up he plucked a hair-pin from
the nearest woman and ran it through the
STEM If he needed button hook, the hair
pin was an efficient substitute. Shipwrecked
people cast on desert lands made tsh-hOOks
of hair pins, and SO provided themselves
with food, and prisoners visited IN their cells
by female accomplices made wire ropes by
twisting together few dozen hair-pins and
so let themselves down from lofty windows
and made their escape. The uses of the
hair-pin could hardly be enumerated in the
space of a newspaper column, and there are
few men who will not agree with Sir Isaac
Newton that the beneficience OF nature is
cOnclusively shown by her gift to man of the
priceless hair-pin.
The discovery of an entirely new species
of hair-pin was made by the elder Mr.. Dar-
win not quite three years ago. His atten-
tion was one day attracted by hair-pin OF
unfamiliar appearance which he found
entangled with one of his sleeve-buttons.
1t was only two inches in length and was
wonderfully slender, its diameter, as after
wards measured, proving to be only that OF
the ordinary human hair. He at once per-
ceived that this hair-pin belonged to species
which had wholly escaped the notice OF
naturalists and knowing that hair-pins do
wristband- although many respectable but
unscientifc men have boldly maintained the
theory of the spontaneous generation of
hair-pins in the region Of the masculine col
lar-he proceeded to trace the origin of the
newly discovered specimen. He found, after
careful investigation, that young lady who
was studying the theory of Development
under his guidance was well acquainted with
the new species, and that her hair contained
three hundred and seven hair pins precisely
like the one which had in some mysterious
way fastened itself on his sleeve button.
Mr. Darwin at once published monograph
on the new species Of hair-pin, describing its
peculiarities and habits, and suggesting that
it had been developed by the process of
natural selection from the older and better
known species. His views have been gen.
orally adopted, and the new species is now
as well known as any production OF nature
The small, thin hair-pin like the Norway
rat, is rapidly driving out its predecessors. 1t
is wonderfully prolific, and occupies, by rea-
son of it's small size: only an eighth of the
space formerly occupied by the large hair
pin. 1t may be safely asserted that at the
present moment two-thirds of all civilized
women have adopted the new hair-pin, and
the best statistics sustain the belief that the
average number of small hair-pins in any
one head is three hundred and fourteen.
This is an amazing quantity, but we cannot
impugn the truth of statistics There is
many a scientific person who, having in the
interest of science, requested ladyito allow
him to take out her hair-pins, has grown
weary as well as astounded as he drew out
one by one the three hundred and fourteen
hair-pins. And yet when we remember that
the carpet of small bedroom will success
fully absorb three thousand pins and sixty
eight needles, we need not be startled at the
capacity for small hair-pins manifested by
the female head.