Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1884-08-26
A CHINESE BARBER SHOP.
Odd Scenes During the Dressing Of IA
Celestial Queue

CBAGs9AAb eBACuCs
Twelve or more celestials rcclined on
hunks or pallets made on the floor in q
small room adjoining the Chinese laundry
on Tenth street Just above Arch last night.
n the centre Of the dingy apartment an
old and almost superanuated Chinaman
sat on low stool holding in his lap the
lead Of fellow countryman whose body
Eas stretched upon the floor The aged
man grasped in his right hand long,
slender steel blade while in his left he
leld sponge saturated with soap suds.
-aving lathered with great care the head
yhich he held in his lap he began, seem
hgiy with the utmost caution, the work
If shaving off growth of hair, apparently
four or five DAYS old, which surrounded
he tonsure, or what is known in. the
rernacuIar as the pig tail. After his
9calp had been shaved as carefully as
civilized mans face could be at barber
hop, the heather operated upon arose
nd shuffled around the room, each
chinaman in turn running his hand over
the shaver part Of his head and express
ing either by grunt or word his salts
faction or dissatisfaction of the
Job. When he had nearly made the
rounds one of the Mongolians, dressed
like an American and who appeared to
be particularly fastidious, carefully ex
amined the newly-shaved 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
ander lamp that hung by string from
3 bamboo cross-piece After g multi
lude of gestures the barber was called
forward and shown very small spot
ppon which few hairs had been over
booked. He thereupon again took his
place on the stool, old Chinaman again
assumed his recumbent position, and the
lob was completed to the satisfaction of
IL.
When the last man was getting shaved
&c fell into doze, his head bobbing
suddenly to one side. As it did so the
Rzor slipped and cut off several hairs
rom the sIeepers queue. The barber, as
DC witnessed the accident, uttered an
exclamation of establishment, jumped up
and then, falling upon his knees, as
sumed supplicating air. One would
have supposed from the expression of his
lace that he had MORALLY offended or
terribly injured his customer, for which
act he was asking pardon. The doing
Chinaman had also awakened and put
ling his hand to his head uttered plain
i've howl and was at once surrounded by
everybody present Each man exam
ned his head with CONSERVATION pic
Mred on his face.
To Times reporter who was present
% witness the Chinese shaving process,
ihe owner of the laundry, who speaks
English glibly, explained the cause of
the sudden commotion. 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 exclaimed, that
for each hair cut or torn from his queue
he should be kept one year out of the
Tlowery Kingdom, whence he expected
70 90 when he died. As this particular
man had lost by careful count four hairs.
he would be compelled to roam in outer
darkness after death for four years.
The reporters informant also explained
.Aat many other superstitions and Gus
toms were connected with the pigtail.
He said that one Chinaman could not of
fer greater insult to another than to pay
4m visit with his hair wrapped around
ais head, and it was always considered
extremely polite and a mark of courtesy
10 plat the queue afresh just before max
hg call. In his pigeon English the
might of the flatiron said 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-
vhia would think of calling on lady
TREND with an unshaven face.
In reply to question ms to which were
he most general superstitions connected
with the queue, he replied that there
were so many he could not remember
lhem all The Chinese manner of going
in mourning for the loss of a friend or
relative, he said, was by wearing in the
nlaits of the hair different colored rib
bons, invariably of bright hue. If by
accident one of these pieces of ribbons
should become misplaced and fall from
the hair of the mourning Chinaman, It
would render him extremely sad, as the
omen was always believed to- indicate
that the departed and the mourner would
then never meet again in the other world.
he knew Chinaman in San Francisco,
who, while in mourning for wife ne
had loved dearly, found two pieces q
his mourning ribbon had fallen from his
hair to the floor. The discovery so worried
Sim that he became morose and finally
Anamitted suicide from its effect.
= Mclean, he puttee black on hat