New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-06-22


Oscar Wilde has had his hair cut. Christopher
Casby once had his hair cut Oscar Is, or rather
was known as the Aposletho Apostle of tho Bcauti-
fuL Christopher was known as the Patriarch.
There are other points oil resemblance between the
Apostle and the Patriarch which are revealed as we
examine tne circumstances attending the cutting OF
their respective heads Of hair.
On. of the most diyerting of the minor characters
In Little Dorritt is Christopher Casby. generally
spoken OF Us the Patriarch. He was an unctuous
old humbug whose strong point was his hair. " II
was" says Dickens long aud grav like floss silk or
.pun glass. and 1t looked very benevolent because
IL was never cut" Armed, so to speak, with this
confidence begetting of glory, the Patriarch
found little difficulty IN passing himself of for
saint when in reality he was simply an unusually
good article of skinHiut. But, like all humbugs, ho
came 10 grief one day. receiving his doom Mt the
hands Of Pancks his confidential clerk. who knew
him for what he was In spite OF his benevolent hair.
Pancks had found by bitter experience that the Pa
triarchal locks not the outward and visible eX
preston OF the sum OF all tho virtues. but quite the
contrary, and when the time was ripe for the ex-
posure hu denounced the wearer OF tho locks
as "A sugary swindler." And having applied
this unmasking eplthet to the Patriarch, Mr.
Pancks proceeded TO knock his hat o. and then, as
the Patriarch stopped to recover 1t he whipped
benevolent hair. The result was, according to
Dickens, that "a bare-polled goggle-eyed, big
headed, numbering parsonage stood staring at
Pancks who was not in tho least impressive, not
In the least venerable, who seemed to have started
ont of the earth to ask what become of Christie
pher Casby."
History which apparently never gets tired OF re-
peatng itself matches this incident in the career of
the ancient Patriarch Casby with Que in the career
of the modern Apostle Wilde. The Apostle like the
Patriarch may be said, In the language OF the
street to have travelled largely on his HAIR. No
end OF female undergraduates as soon rs they gazed
upon his long, abundant, ripping tresses were
moved to cxcaim OF course he is an Apostle of
the Beautiful, one OF Natures own-you can tell
that by looking at him." Oh, yes Tie Apostles
hair, ably supported by striking peculiarites of
dress, pose and department. was the equipment
upon which he II anly relied for the success OF his
mission to America-tiokets, fifty cents reserved
seats seventy-fve cents, photographs OF the lee
turer TO be obtained at tho door, twenty-five cents.
Ii goes without saying that tho Apostle did not
impose upon everybody. True. no Pancks ever got
after him with SCISSORS, while he fingered on our ly
ceum platforms or In our bunco dens but still it
came TO be generally understood that TO cut his
hair and to put him in conventional clothes would
have been 20 end his Apostolic lie. 1t was in Paris,
The details OF the meeting have not yet been gwen
to the public; all that is accurately known Is that
the Pancks of the Apostle more thorough in his
vork than the Pancks Of the Patriarch, FIRST
moved down the fair lengths of his victims roman
tic hair. and thea dressed him In conventional
unpoetic suit of clothes. And in such plight the
Apostle returned to England aud made his appear
ance at one OF Mr. Whistlers eclectic breakfasts.
We are aware that 1t is claimed that tho Apostle
had his hair cut on his own motion, and that pro-
fessional barber rather than party by tho name
OF Pancks performed the operation. We are also
aware that it claimed that the Apostle voluntarily
discarded his lovely picturesque clothes, vOlun-
tarily purchased the new ones from tailor. and
| voluntarily put them on, and that he was under no
| compulson whatever in the matter from Mr.
| Paucks. But what sensible person does not know
better The Apostle consent to the destruction of
his entire stock in tradeR The proposition is too
| preposterous for argument. No. no. We will
never hear OF this particular humbug any more.
| And when some man who does not read the news
papers inquiries "What as become OF the ApostlsP