New-York tribune., 1882-04-23
NOTES ON BAKBERS.
From NE london Telenaph.


About as odd a combination of dlscOntented
"proetaires that 1t is possible to conceive Is the
strike of the halrdresscrs, the immlnence oil when
was yesterday announced 10y our Paris correspond
ent. 1t appears that i'll some districts OF the gay
capital the tonsorial fraternity have decided To *
tho sum of twenty-five centmcs, or twoI ence half
penny. the lowest price for their performance OF
the operation of easy shaving Now, few French
men shave themselves. for the simple reason that
French raZOTs sold at moderate prices are OF very
interior quality while good razorS are very dear.
The working classes have become highly indignant
at the enactment of the twenty-five ccntimes mini
mum as the tariff for "une barbe simple" and have
revenged themselves by Withholding the customary
pourbores" from the hairdressers assistants.
Consequently these hard working subordlnates, or
BARRIERS clerks" as they used TO be contemptu-
ously termed i'll Lngland have threatened to strike
" en- masscD unless the masters compensate for the
loss of the pouTbOres by al augmentation ID tne
wages of the assistants. AS for the master
"coifeurs" denounced on the one hand by their eA-
asperaten customers and threatened on the other
bv their IebelliOus garcons," their position mas
come to resemble that which, according to the Old
Scotch pTovcTb, the case of the toad under the
harrow " hen every tooth gave her tg." The
masters are deferred from lowering their charges by
tie fact that by the rules OF their society any en-
ployer accepting less than the minimum rate IS AT
once liable 10 "A preliminary hne O1 TWO huhuieu
francs, or eight pounds sterling.
In England. absolute tree trade in shaving has
long prevailed There is, indeed, an ancient Com
pany of Barber-Su geOns. the seventeenth IN prece-
denee among the City Guilds, to which Henry VIII.
gave a magnificent picture by Holbein, while
Charles III. presented them with drinking cup
mounted with silver. Bnt the Barber-Surgeons
COMPANY never exercised any jurisdiction ont OIL the
City proper, and from time lmmelnOIlal tne Lon.
doner has been privileged to ENJOY the luxury OF
" n penny shave" The upper and middle classes IN
England as a 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 III
aristocratic London. In the more densely popu-
lated quarters however, shaving goes on from early
morning until late at night, and constant practice
on boards OF every texture makes the penny
shaver" a very rapid and toleraby skful execu-
tant. He sweeps the chm OF the working man clean
IN a minute, and then the son of toll administers
some water to his cOuntenance rubs 1t dry with the
lack towel hanging behind the door, pays ms
penny and departs They manage these things,
however, very differently abroad. The Parlsian
coiffeur" has been already glanced at; but the
Italian and the Spanish BARRIERS are quite as sklful
artists as their Gdlllc cOntrereS nor Is the German
at all behind the tOnsOrs of the Latin races. IL may
be that foreigners Valner OF their personal APP
pearance than Englishmen are. The Americans are
certainly very much vainer lie who enters
toilet studio i'll the United States Tor the purpose
of being barbed" or shaved must he prepared to
sacrifice from twenty to forty minutes CT ms time;
artisticaly complete manner. The actual shaving
is only one of a series OF elaborate processes to
which the customer is bound to submit. When the
parts of his face required to be denuded ol NAN
h1 We been infinitely gone ON er with the keencst ana
most dcxterously handled OF razOrs, and the iea-
lures have been refreshed with scented spray, ana
dried with "pOudre de rlz, the operation OF ny
ing" commences. The customer is slanDooed,
kneaded machine brushed" and 1ine-combed."
" Bay rum and other mysterious liquids are ap-
piled to his hair, brilantine" gives his NOUS
taches gloss and "ponmade IongrOise renders
them spIky; while finally there gently meanders
round his head the tropic gale and fragrance OF the
curng tOngs. For beng properly barbed" anu
properly fixed a customer at New-lork or at
Chicago will pay at least fifteen cents-say seven
pence hafpenny