The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-02-09
BARRIERS IN EUROPE.
Th cir Peculiarities Set Forth for tho Edi-
ncation of the Reader.

Th cir Peculiarities Set Forth for tho Ed
hcation of the Reader.
French BARRIERS wrap the end OF Q
and when it is necessary to touch the
face at all 1t is the towel which comes
into contact with it and not the bar.
ber's hand. The main point about their
work is the extraordinary swiftness
and dexterity with which they shave.
In America II man usually reconciles
hims elf to be fifteen or twenty minutes
in the chair, and five minutes of it is
spent in dodging hair tonics, bay rum,
brilliantine, face lotions and powder.
The French use none of these things.
They lather a mans face very slightly,
run it over with razor sponge it off,
and then the man dries it himself with
a towel and leaves the shop five or six
minutes after he has entered it. Very
many Frenchmen shave twice day IL
they are going out in the evening, and
it is the regular custom to step into a
barber's on their way to dinner, and
get shaved after they have assumed
| evening dress. There is no pomatum
or cosmetic of any sort used, so that
the "barber's smell" is agreeably lack
ing.
l am quite aware that am running
In to the face of tradition in commend
ing French BARRIERS. The tradition is
false That brilliant satirist and
master.of grotesque lampooning, Mark
Twain, has built up reputation for
the French barber which he will never
be able to shake off, as far as the be-
liefs of Americans are concerned.
But the man is maligned, nevertheless,
as any old resident of Paris can testify.
But Mark Twain's sarcasm on the
barber of England is well bestowed.
He has even understated the case. A
distinguished American novelist whom
met in London told me that he was
glad that he Lad come to England for
two reasons. In the first place he had
learned to batle every morning, and
in the second he had acquired the art
of shaving himself.
1.-The first of these" he said, "keeps
me free from colds in the head, and by
the second escape the horrors of the
barber shop, and particularly of tho
British barber"
1t is considered in England rather
common thing to go to "a barber shop,
as all the toffs are shaved by their
Wallets, and the men who initiate them
shave themselves, so as not to reveal
the fact that they have no personal
servants. The few BARRIERS that exist,
however, make up in crime for this
paucity of number. They are brutal
to a point never attained even by the
most gallus and snowy Southern negro
tonsorial artist. The familiarity of "a
London barber is almost rs bad as his
brutality. He pulls his customers
around, jerks, scrapes, saws and tor
lures them, with endless enthusiasm.
have never been able to understand
why any man adopts the calling of u
barber in Germany, for the pay is alb
surdly small. l don't remember the |
exact figures, but know that it never
failed to startle me when reckoning
day came. All over Germany they give |
credit with degree of truthfulness
which the foreigner considers beauti-
full tribute TO the general honesty of
human nature, until he learns of the |
great strictness, power and almost in
defatigable work of the German police.
1t is impossible for debtor to get
across the border, and hence the truth
fulness.
The first barber / ever had in the
German empire was the picture of
Fritz Listz, the pianist, except that he
vas not gray. He charged about
,wenty cents a week for coming to my
lotel and shaving me every morning,
Ind it was two weeks before got over
,eing abashed in his presence. He had
! huge shock of blonde hair, which
vas combed back from a noble fore
lead and cut off square across the neck
.fter the fashion of Able Listz, and he
Invariably wore frock coat, buttoned
veil around his small waist. A flower
doomed in his buttonhOle. and he
anne with his lather all prepared in
title water-tight box. He usually
an operate aria as he shaved |.
ne, and it was long time before /
ould summon up sufficient courage to
interrupt him for the purpose of prac-
icing queer German upon him before
reakfast. -Blakely Hall.