Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-16
A CHINESE BARBER sE0P.
Scenes and incidents During the
Dressing OF the Celestial Queue.5
philadelphia Times. ]

philadelphia Times.
Twelve or more Celestials reclined on hunks
or pallets made on the floor in q small room
adjoining the Chinese laundry on Tenth street
just above Arch last night In the centre OF
the dingy apartment an old and almost super
animated Chinaman sat on q low stool holding
On his lap the head of q fellow-countrynan
whose body was stretched upon the floor. The
aged man 2rasped in his right hand long,
slender steel blade, while III 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, OF
what is known in the yenacular as the
pig-tail. After his scalp had been
shaved as carefully as a civilized mans
face could be at barber shop, the heather
operated upon arose and shuffied around the
room, each Chinaman in turn running his
hand over the shaven part of the head ana
expressing either by grunt or word his sat
isfaction or dissatisfaction OF the job. Wheh
he had nearly made the rounds one of the
Mongolians dressed like an American and
who appeared to be particularly fastidious,
carefully examined the newly-shaved skin
and, after having run his hand over it sew
eral times jumped up uttering a dissatisfied
grunt, and walked toward the light, pull
ing after him the man whose head he was ex-
aiming. Everybody gathered around under
a lamp that hung by a string from bamboo
cross-pieces After a 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 at the stool, the old Chinaman
again assumed his reeumbent position and
| the job was completed to the satisfaction
of all.
When the last man was getting shaved he
fell into doze, his head bobbing suddenly to
| one side. AS it did so the razor slipped and
cut OFF several hairs from the sleeper's queue.
The barber, as he witnessed the accident, ut
tering an exclamation of astonshment,
jumped and then, falling upon his knees, as
sumed a supp;icating air. One would have
supposed from the expression of his face that
| he had nortaIly offended or terribly injured
his customer, for which act he was asking
pardon. The doing Chinalnan he'd alse
awakened and, putting his hand to his head,
uttered plaintive howl and was at once sur
rounded by everybody present. Each person
| examined his head with CONSERVATION pic
tured on his face.
To a Times reporter, who was present to
witness the Chinese shaving process, the
owner of the laundry, who speaks English
glbly, explained the cause of the sudden
connection. He said, substantially, that the
one who was doing the shaving had cut Off
several hairs of the unfortunate mans pig
| tail-one Of the greatest caianities that could
happen to the latter. 1t was the belief of
every Chinaman, he explained, that for each
hair cut or torn from his queue he would he
kept one year out of the Flowery Kingdom
whence he expected to so when he died. As
this particular man had lost, by careful
count, four hairs, he would be compelled To
roam i'll outer darkness after death for four
| Vaarc