The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-12-15

dry on Tenth Street just above Arch
last night. In the center of the dingy
apartment an old and almost superan-
nuated Chinaman sat on a low stool
holding in his lap the head of fellow
countryman, whose body was stretched
upon the floor. The aged man grasped
in his right hand a long, slender steel
blade, while i'm 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 of 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 carefully as a
civilized mans face could be at bar
Der shop, the heather operated upon
arose and shullled around the room,
each Chinaman in turn running his
hand over the shaven part of the head
and expressing either by a 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 ap-
peared to be particularly fastidious,
carefully examined the newly-shaved
skin and, after running his hand over it
several times, jumped up, uttering a
dissatisfied grunt, and walked toward
the light, pulling after him the man
whose head he was examining. Every
body gathered around under a lamp
that hung by a string from bamboo
cross-piece. After multitude of gest-
ures 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 doZe, his head bob
bng 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,
uttering an exclamation of fastonishment,
jumped and then, falling upon his
knees. assumed a supplicating air. One
would have supposed from the express
sion of his face that he had mortally Of
Tended or terribly injured his customer,
for which act he was asking pardon.
The doing Cinnamon had also awak-
ened, and, putting his hand to his head,
utterd n plaintive howl and was at once
surrounded by everybody present. Each
person tNdllllIltu his utlN WIFI COuolbI-
nation pictured on his face.
To Times reporter, who was pres
ent to witness the Chinese shaving pro-
cess, the owner of the laundry, who
speaks English glibly, explained the
cause of the sudden commotion. He
said, substantially, that the one who
was doing the shaving had cut OFF sew
eral 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 Flowery Kingdom
whence he expected to 90 when he died.
AS this particular man had lost, by care
full count, four hairs. ne would be COM
PEELED to roam in outer darkness after
death for four years.
The reporters informant also ex-
planned that many other superstitions
and customs were connected with the
pig-t He said that one Chinaman
could not offer greater insult to an
other than to pay him visit with his
hair wrapped around his head, and it
was always considered extremely polite
and mark of courtesy to plait the
queue afresh Just before making a call.
Iu his pigeon English the knight of the
fat-iron said that he would no more
think of paying u visit to one of his
cOuntrymen without shaving his head
than one of the young men of Philadel-
phia would think of calling on a lady
friend with an nshaven face. "Meli-
can man shavee chinnee, Chinee boy
shavee headee."
In reply TO question as to which
were the most general superstitions
connected with the queue, he replied
that there were so many he could not
remember them all. The Chinese
manner If going in mourning for the
loss of a friend or relative, he said, was
by wearing in the plaits of the hair diff
ferent colored ribbons, invariably of a
bright hue. If by accident one of these
pieces of ribbons should become mis-
placed and fall from the hair of a
mourning Chinaman it would render
him extremely sad, as the omen was
always believed to indicate that the de-
parted and the mOurner would then
never meet again in the other world.
He knew a Chinaman in San Francisco
who, while in mourning for a wife he
had loved dearly, found two pieces of
his mourning ribbon had fallen from
his head on the floor. The discovery
and finally committed suicide from its
effects.
"Melican, he puttee black on hat,
Chinaman puttee libbons in hail." he
chuCkled.
He was asked, in as earnest a voice
as the reporter could command, if there
was no hope for his luckless country
man who had just lost the four hairs
from his queue. His reply was to the
effect that there was none, unless the
loser, by paying a large sum, could in
duce one of his brethren to cut Off the
same number of hairs from his head,
thereby diverting to himself the wrath
of the gods. Nevertheless, it would be
next to impossible to find any one to
agree to such terms, no matter how
large the sum offered might be.-Pbila-
delphtG Times.
"A miller in Red Wing, Mimi, re-
Gently met handsome young man who
wanted to sell Hour for him. The kind
miller invited the young man to dinner.