The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-12-20
A CHINESE BARDER.SHOP.
scenes and Incidents During the Dressing
of the Celestial Queue.

scenes and Incidents During the Dressing
of the Celestial Queue.
Twelve or more Celestials reclined
IN hunks or pallets made on the floor
IN "A small room adjoining the Chinese
laundry on Tenth street just above
Arch last night. In the center OF the
lingy apartment an old and almost
,uperannuated Chinaman sat on n low
stool holding in his lap the head of n
fellow-countryman, whose body was
stretched upon the floor. The aged
man grasped in his right hand a long,
slender steel blade, while in his left he
held sponge saturated with soap-suds.
Having lathered with great care the
head which he held in his lap he began,
seemingly with the utmost caution, the
work of shaving off growth of hair,
apparently four or five days old, which
surrounded the tonsure, or what Is
known in the vernacular as the pig-tail.
After his scalp had been shaved as care
fully as n civilized mans face could be
at barber-shop, the heather operated
upon arose and shutfled a.ound the
room, each Chinahan in turn running
his hand over the shaven head and eX-
pressing either by grunt or word his
satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the job.
When he had nearly made the rounds
one of the Mongolians dressed like an
American and who seemed to be par
ticularly fastidious, carefully examined
the newlyshaved skin and, after having
run his hand over it several times,
jumped up, uttering dissatisfied grunt,
and walked toward the light, pulling
after him the man whose head he was
examining. Everybody gathered
around under lamp that hung by
string from a bamboo cross-piece. At
ter multitude OF gestures the barber
was called forward and shown very
small spot upon which few hairs had
been overlooked. He thereupon again
took his place on the stool, the old
Chinaman again assumed his recumbent
position and the job was completed to
the satisfaction Of all.
When the last man was getting
shaved he fell into n doze, his head
bobbing suddenly to one side AS it
did so the razor slipped and cut of
several hairs from the sleeper's queue.
The barber, as he witnessed the acci-
dent, uttering an exclamation of aston
ishment, Jumped and then, falling upon
his knees, assumed a supplicating air.
One would have supposed from the eX-
preston of his face that he had MORALLY
offended or terribly injured his Gus
toner, for which act he was asking
pardon. The doing Chinaman had
also awakened and, putting his hand to
his head, uttered plaintive howl and
was at once surrounded by everybody
present. Each person examined his
head with CONSERVATION pictured on his
face
The owner of the laundry, who speaks
English glibly, explained the cause of
the sudden connection. He said, sub
stantially, that the one who was doing
the shaving had cut off several hairs of
the unfortunate mans pig-tail-one of
the greatest calamities that could have
happened to the latter. 1t was the
belief of every Chinaman. he explained,
that for each hair cut or torn from his
queue he would be kept one year out of
the Elowery Kingdom where he eX-
pected To go when he died As this
particular man had lost, by careful
count, four hairs, he would be compel
led to roam in outer darkness af er
death for four year The owner also
explained that many other superstitions
and customs We're connected with the
pig-tail. He said that one Chinaman
could not offer n greater insult to
another than to pay him visit with his
hair wrapped around his head, and it
was always considered extremely polite
and a mark of courtesy to plat the
queue afresh just before making a call
In his pigeon En- glish the knight of the
fat-iron said that he would no more
think of paying visit TO one of his
countrymen without shaving his head
than one of the young men OF Philadel-
phia would think of calling on n lady
friend with an unshaven face. Mclean
man shavee chinnee, Chinee boy shavee
headee. "-Phjlddelphid Times.