Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-10-06
ARsa Barhers.
New York Tines.

attracted the attention of philosopher
and it is to be hoped that it will mo-
receive a thorough and satisfactor
investigation.
Every thoughtful man must hav
been struck, at some time during hi
life, with the fact that all BARRIERS ar
comparatively young men, A barbe
that is apparently more than thirt,
years is rarely seen, and a really ok
barber-say one Of forty years OF ag,
-csnnot be found in any shop in the
Union. Why is it that all barber
are young? What becomes of a bar
Der when he begins to grow old
These are questions which need TO b
answered il any OF the most remark
able mysteries OF modern life is to b.
solved.
The work Of a barber is purely
mechanical so far as hair cutting
shaving and "shampooing" are con.
cerned. His skill must, of course
grow with the constant exercise OF his
profession; and a barber who has
shaved for ten years can give much
more satisfaction, both to the public
and his employer, than one who has
shaved for only two years. From this
one would naturally imagine that old,
or in other words experienced, bar
bers would be in great demand. Sup
pose a BARRIERS shop we're to advertise
that every one OF its BARRIERS had been
constantly occupied in shaving for the
last forty years. The public would
naturally assume that such BARRIERS
possessed far more skill than ordinary
BARRIERS, and would be anxious to be
shaved by them Now, the fact that
BARRIERS retire from the business as
soon as they reach the age Of twenty
nine or thirty years, and thus volun
tarily throw away the fruit of their
professional experience. is certainly
very curious and unaceountable.
1t will not do to adopt the hypothe-
sis that the toDsorial profession pre-
vents its adopts from growing old. 1t
be, and doubtless has been,
alleged by BARRIERS anxious to adver-
tise their professions and battle prying
curiosity that the constant use of tonic
and the wholesome muscular exercise
Of shaving prevents a barber from
growing old; that many BARRIERS
who look to lie only thirty years
old are in reality sixty or seventy.
The answer to this is simply that tits
not true, BARRIERS never use their own
tonic They know what it is made of,
and they wisely keep it exclusively
for their customers. The act Of shaw
ing does involve a certain amount Of
exercise, but the man who shaves
himself has just as much of this exer-
else as the barber who shaves another
man. No one will pretend that men
who shave themselves preserve the
appearance Of youth longer than men
who are shaved BY BARRIERS, and hence
we cannot admit the claim that the act
Of shaving prevents men from growing
old. Beyond any doubt BARRIERS grow
old just as all other men do, and the
active BARRIERS of the present day look
young because they are young and not
because they use tonic andshave other
Neither is the theory that BARRIERS
talk themselves to death at an early
age tenable. No man can talk himself
to death. 1t is the people to whom
he talks who suffer. Doubtless the
victims of the Conversations powers
Of BARRIERS are without number, but it
is idle to suppose that a barber Can
shorten his own life by conversation
On the contrary, the largest and most
healthy BARRIERS are those whose con
versational powers are conspicuOusly
great, aud who give the most evident
promise Of long and destructive lives.
May it not be possible that there is
a rule among BARRIERS that every bar.
Der whose conversational powers begin
to fail through lack OF teeth shall
promptly retire from the profession?
When we remember that the average
American begins TO lose his teeth at
the age of thirty, this seems quite
possible. Or may it not be that by the
time a barber becomes thirty years
old he is attacked with paralysis of
The muscles Of the throat in conse
Of excessive talking, and be-
BONES utterly unable to talk? This,
IT course, would compel him to give
up his chair and to adopt some mode
life in which conversational powers
we're not needed?
The most plausible explanation Of
he mystery of the non existency Of
I'D BARRIERS is. however, the theory
hat the moment a barber begins 10
lose his hair Or to grow gray, be is
compelled to give up business. A
little reflection will show us that no
bald or gray-headed barber could DOS
recommend tonic to his patrons.
They would glance at his bald scalp or
locks aud would sneeriHgly
'eply: Barber, heal thyself." Such
! barber would be a visible refutation
all the claims that are made in be
nah OF t%onics, and would ruin the
tonic business 10 an exceedingly
short time.
What becomes of the BARRIERS who
IRE, for bald or gray reasons. forced to
abandon the profession before they
grow old, is another and separate mys
terry. 1t is possible that many Of them
become book agents, a profession 10
which their unique conversational
powers would render them eminently
successful. This will seem the more
probable when we remember that
book agents Of the male sex are nearly
somewhat deficient in hair. Ii
IS a solemn thought that the man who
urges us to buy a subscription book is
merely repeating, with a slight varia
ton, the speech in behalf Of tonic that
he was accustomed to deliver in his
younger days. Such, however, il
prob IDLY the fact, though we shall do
well not to assume that BARRIERS be
come book agents until Mr.. Spencer
investigations are finished.
The Escape OfBreckinridge and