St. Landry democrat., 1886-03-06
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the hair fall over the face like a thick
veil, and which mutfles the wailing the
women givevent to. The mere thought
that if any brave of their blood should
be summoned to the happy hunting
ground they could not mourn him in
proper Indian fashion causes them ex-
IRENE modification. and consequently
when the coarse black braids fall to the
floor in our little lavatory almost tragic
scenes ensue. Later on, when they are
made to understand that cleanliness is
the only condition imposed on its growth
they become reconciled, for their hair
grows rapidly.'
Women in prison, even under a life
sentence, never give up all attempts to
embellish themselves, and, am told
by the officials, find enjoyment not only
in giving their hair extra attention, but
even in scraping the whitcwash off the
walls with their tinger-nails to use as
powder, and substitute red ink for
rouge.
An incident of the unwillingness OF
woman to part with her hair was given
me by a physician from one of the great
London hospitals. A poor coryphce
from the Globe Theater was brought to
him in 4 most piteous condition from
attempting to change the color of her
hair to 1.-The glorious golden prom
ised by the makers Of well-advertised
'.blondine The stuff did metamor-
phose the color The pretty coryphee
made up her complexion ana eyebrows
! to match. and for a brief season she en-
joyed the special admiration of the
high-collared, eye-glasscd young cock
neys in the stalls But alas frequent
applications of the dye brought on pains
in the head and face, which finally re-
suited in a severe attack Of erysipelas.
For ten DAYS before she went to the
hospital neither brush nor comb could
be touched to her head. Her eyes were
closed, her features distorted. and the
once pretty face frightful to look at; but
| when the doctor said to her: The first
| thing to be done is to have all that hair
cut off, " the poor girl fell on her knees,
| and begged and prayed to be allowed
| to keep it. But said the doctor: 1T
| is in terrible condition; 10 human be-
| ing could straighten it out, neither
could YOU endure having it tried. y
Pray, sir, don't make me cut it off.
will comb it myself if you will let me
keep it, she urged, and the kind
hearted physician could not resist her
| entreatics.
In speaking of this he said: Never
have | seen more touching spectacle
| of patience and endurance than that
suffering creature presented for the next
| fortnight Day after day she sat, rack
ed with pain and blinded by tears, but
persistently and tenderly, comb in hand,
J strai ghtening out few hairs at 4 time.
1t was two months before she left the
hospital, and by that time, think, she
was reconciled to the natural color of
her hair."
The darker and grosser passions are
| tvpifed by artists and authors, as rule,
| in brunette women, the good angels,
whether of the material or spiritual
world, being crowned with glory of
| golden hair, and even the little cheru-
BIN have a halo of yellow rings
round their plump faces. But this point
opens up too broad field of discussion,
| and leads one away from some curious
facts in relation to the various uses that
| woman's hair has been put to beside
| that of decorating the head of her own
kind and furnishing material for senti-
mental watch-chains, painful memorial
pictures and agonizing jewelry.
The japanese, for example, have
shown particular ingenuity in utilizing
it, and on grand scale. The women
of whole provinces are shorn to manu-
facture single article that requires
the strength, durability and elasticity
| /, ~, I,,,r, no; ",
the construction of the splendid Budd-
hist temple at Kioto, which cost, by the
way, over three million dollars, a whole
ton of ropes made of hair, furnished by
devout women as their contribution,
was used in the construction of the
building
At South Kensington is exhibited an
extraordinary coil of rope, weighing
six hundred pounds and eight hundred
feet long, made in Japan by order
of tycoon whose name can not
undertake to spell from memory.
During six years all the "spare hair
of one entire province was consumed
in its manufacture, but at the time it
was completed an English nobleman
travelling through the country was so
struck with it as q curiosity that he
offered in exchange for it the finest steel
cable that could be made in England.
His japanese Majesty accepted the
offer. and the hairy hawser was after
ward presented to the great Kensington
collection.
The idea that savages are the only
members of the human family that
delight in wearing hair as an ornament
is quite mistake. Lace made OF it is
an ancient invention. In the "Cheva-
lier aux Eppes'' beautiful lady de-
mands Of the King Ris a slken mantle