Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-05-13
THE BANIsHEp BANG.
History Of = Fazhion-Its Popularity and
How IL Originated.

III Is frequently noticed as curious
fact that monument in ruins or q
custom in decadence is apt to attract
more attention than when both were in
their prime. There is something about
a ruin which attracts the moralist rs
there Is that in practice falling into
desuetude which draws the student Of
life and history, and both are more
carefully noticed when ii is certain that
both are rapidly passing away than
either would have been had it given
promise of long continuance. In ac-
cordance with this well-known fact the
female bang is now exciting the inter-
est and enlisting the services of social
philosophers. The bang has been long
with us, and now that It is gradually
vanished up the forehead Of the fair, and
being lost in the luxuriance of stop
hair,n it is acquiring an interest which,
in its palmiest days, it never possessed.
1t is true that this interest is mainly
of an antiquarian character. Men are
perfectly willing to see it depart, and,
in fact, some excellent persons have
been known to express the hope that it
would go soon. in order that they might
once more sec the whole Of woman's
face. But now that it is going. public
curiosity is beginning to be much
arousedin ascertaining reason why
it ever came. So far as can be seen, it
was neither useful nor ornamental; it
did not keep off the sun, and did con-
ceal most expressive portion of the
countenance. It was troublesome of
arrangements a constant source of ankle
ty when arranged, injurious to the eyes,
trying on the temper, and when of any
considerable proportions gave its wearer
the half-scared expression Of rabbit
peeping out of brush-heap. Some
writer's on the subject are inclined to
assign it Turkish origin, being under
the impression that it was sort of sub
stitute for veil, but this is sufficiently
negatived by the fact that it is found
upon the front of her who is the best
able to take her own part in any kind of
controversy, and SO, in despair, most of
the theorists have fallen back upon the
notion that it was ''freak;'' an Illus
tration Of the fact that the will of wo-
man is not to be hampered by any die
tate of Judgment nor her costume by
any canon of good taste or common
sense.
While this theory certainly has points
in its favor, there is a. fatal objection.
It is not scientific. In the light of science
nothing exists without an antecedent
and cause, and to suppose that bang
sprang into being without either pat
tern or motive is to suppose piece of
scientific nonsense. So there must have
been something from which it was mod
eled, as well as an excuse for its inven-
ton, for even monstrosity is seldom
without predecessor and reason for
existence. At the first glance, an effort
at classification of bangs appears i'm
possible, for grouping Of objects Of
the same class implies properties in COM
mon, and scientific examination of
bangs discloses the fact that although
the ignorant may consider them as all
equally odious to good taste, the trained
observer will see SO many and SO wide
differences in length, in glossiness, and
in disposition to get out to fix that every
particular bang, even as tone star diff
fers from another star in glory" TAX
ing, however, arrangement as basis OF
differentiation, bangs will divide them
selves into three classes; the frizzly
bang, the curly bang, and the saucer
bang.
A careful historical chase of the bang
through many countries finally locates
the frizzly bang as native of Africa,
the ladies of that continent having ad-
vantages for producing this style Of
hirsute ornament which their sisters
further north never possessed. Estab-
lished as fashion in Africa, it lost no
time in passing over to Asia, the Afri-
can slaves assisting in its transit. But
the capillary attractions of Asiatic ladies
were BY no means suited to the African
style, and all efforts at frizzing theiI
hair proving failures, the curly bang
was evolved as the nearest approach te
the African style. Thus did the bang
traverse thousands OF miles, and 80
adapt itself to circumstances that some
ethnologists have studiously maintained
its Asiatic origin. Exactly when the
bang came into Europe is matter Of
doubt, some placing its advent in the
latter days of the Roman empire, while
others insist that it was brought back
from the east by the crusaders; but
| whenever it came, it found that the
front hair of European ladies was as
intractable as their temper, and so, the
hair-dressers being unable either to cur
or to frizzle, the saucer bang, still
straight, soaped, and plastered down
as hideous as a nightmare, was finally
evolved. This being settled, there re
mains only the concluding inquiry
whence came the first bang? The mos
formidable Of the animal kingdom il
the much dreaded gorilla. This. beast
/ among other attractions, carries heat
1 of short, bristly hair, and one of tn
i animals preparations for battle is *
pass the paw rapidly down the crown
/ Of the head to the eyes, thus bringing L
the front hair straight out. and givins
an aspect Of ferocity that never fails t
inspire the utmost terror. So well un
derstood is this gesture that among tn
gorilla's fellow-countrymcn it is the sic
nal for an instantaneous and headlon
scamper frOh the spot, and, as the fe
male gorilla in defence Of her young
even worse than the male, certain Afr
can dialects have an expression, "a Il
male gorilla with her front hair down,
;. to Indicate the extremity of ferocior
!. bearing. In time it came to pass ths
when African ladies were abused b
II / II k1IDl]