The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-01-12
Bangs.

The last freak, says fashion contem-
porary, is the adjustment of bangs TIE
Boston Times, with a laadable inlcres t
in question OF so universal and vital in
portsnce, has rummaged though barber
shops and fashion plates from Constant
nople to the Congo and from Naples to
the Niger in search for the true history
of the bang and its origin. 1t is the OPP
inion of the Times that the bang is Afr-
can IN origin. The article continues:
The ladies of that continent had adj
vantages for producing this style of hr
suite ornament which their sisters further
north never possessed Established MS a
fashion in Africa, II lost no time in pas
slug over to Asia, the African slaves as
sisting in its transit But the capillary
attractionsof Asiatic ladies were by no
means suited to the African style, and
all efforts at frizzing their hair proving
failures the curly bang was evolved as
the nearest approach to the African style.
Thus did the bang traverse thousands of
miles and so adapt itself TO circumstances
that some enthnologists have studiously
maintained its Asiatic origin. Exactly
when the bang came into Europe is "a
m NJ ar of 1nnhf ,,laniy,rs I,r, ,
in the latter DAYS of the Roman empire
while Others insist that il was brought
back from the east by the crusaders; but
whenever it came it found that the front
hair Of European ladies was as intract .
able as their temper and so the hair dress
ers being unable either to curl or to frizz,
the saucer bang, stiff hideous as nights
mare. was finally. evolved, This
being settled, there remains only
the concluding inquiry whence came
the first bang? The most formid>
able Of the animal kingdom is the much
dreaded gorilla. This beast, among
other attraction, carries head of short,
bristly hair, and one of tho animals pre-
parations for battle is to pass the paw
rapidly down the crown of the head tC
the eyes, thus bring the front hail
straight out, and giving au aspect of fe-
rocity that never fails to inspire the Ut
most terror. So well understood is thi.
gesture that among the gorlllas fellow,
countrymen it is the signal for an instant
aneous and headlong scanlper from thr
spot, and as the female gorilla in defcns,
of her young is even worse than the NAL
certain AfricaGt dialects have an expires
sion, "a female gorilla with her front hal
down." to indicate the extremity of fero
c,ous bearing, In time it came TO pas
that when African ladies were abused b,
their husbands they adopted the sam
gesture, and so far as the hair was con
cerned, with the same result. Then, Ger
tain wives, 10 lDdicate their res ness 10
battle at all seasons, took t. wearn!
their hair down over their forehead, an.
the fashion rapidly spread TO youn,
ladies, who wore their hair in this style
as insinuating their resolve never to sub
NIT TO matrimonial tyranny. This irie
spread, aud the bang flourished alike i
African deserts, on the banks OF th,
Ganges, of the Thames and of the Missl
ssippi. Thus does scientific research she,
light ON social TOPICS and even the mon
strosities of female costumes are shown
to have their origin in intelligent action
for nothing ls more reasonable than thai
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