The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-06-15
FALSE HAIR
FOR WOMEN.
Theodore de Banyille Chats About
Fair Heads and False Locks.
Marguerite de Navarro and Her Blonde Pages
The Ladies' Many-Hued Wigs-Baldness
in Man the Badge of Servitude.
Written for THE SUNDAY CALL


IAN the past woman put her foot on the
n head of the serpent; to-day she has put
liz it upon the head Of man. Not only has
she reduced him to slavery. which amounts
to nothiug-for well-dressed and well-fed
slave may be altogether happy, II he does
not yearn for freedom-but she has forced
him to 90 about uniformly clad in black to
express that he is in mourning for his lost
sovereignty, while she decks herself in pur-
pie, silk and satin Of every hue, feathers,
jewels and all that indicates the intoxica-
ton, the dazzle and tumult of joy.
But the enemy once yanquished the saw
age never fails to scalp him. Hence woman
has scalped her enemy, within the measure
of her means, be understood, and taking
into account the conditions of modern life.
OF course, she could not actually take his
hair, since he has none to speak of, but she
has usurred. requisitioned and turned to
her own use all the tresses, all the braids
and all the curls, condemning man, the
workman, the toiler, the serf, to show his
Uranium as bald as the speech of member
of the French Academy. And adorned
thus with wavy locks as black as night or
as Respondent as the sun, she looks down
from the boxes of the theater with insult
ing contempt upon the orchestra stalls
where the mems skulls resemble sea of
polished billiard balls, which gives ground
to suppose that France, the country of
DEnnery and Monsieur Scribe, produces
only Eschyl uSesl
There have been rare ages In which man
has been the master-Others. more uumer-
Gus, in which woman has arrogated the
power herself. Well, in each age-and
there is no exception to this rule-those OF
the two who have reigned and governed
have taken to themselves all the false hair
and left the others the choice between cot
ton caps, more or less embellished, and
nothing at all.
THE FIRST DASH FOR FALSE HAIR.
After the definite conquest of Gaul, the
women began to assume real Importance in
Roman society: hence they fastened to
have wigs made for themselves out of the
flaxen hair cut from the heads of Gallo
females. 1t was to accomplish this result
that eight hundred towns had been taken
by assault, three hundred nations defeated
and two millions of men killed or made
prisoners. But the Roman ladies then
realized highly desirable ideal, for they
were able to show the patricians and actors
by whom they were beloved, the brunette
adorned with blonde hair, which was the
rage and the charming fad.
In the seventeenth century man was the
ludoLcIs nv buGt pOiiOu
princesses, the males wore embroidered
coats and SATIN pourpoints covered with
ribbons. They triumphed. Apollo's car was
drawn by women. and in token of tyranny
and victory he kept for himself all the wigs,
the blond curls Of which magnifcently
swept his white OF scarlet coat and the gilt
tering steel of his cuirasS.
Before at the time of that superb renais-
sance when women reigned by right OF
beauty and also by that of science-for it
will be remembered that Marie Stuart at the
age of IA years made speech In the hall OF
the Louvre, publicly acclaimed "speeche
in Latyn which she had maybe " in the
presence of King Henry, the Queen and all
the CORTLAND particularly by the grace of
the poets the immortal RoDsards, Marguer-
iteide Navarro, so beautiful that Lasqui. the
Polish ambassador, spoke of putting out
his eyes that lie might no longer see after
having seen her, made innumerable wigs in
order to show that everything belonged to
her
We arc told by Tallamant des Reaux that
she kept troupe of blonde pages, whose
locks were cut off to deck that divine head.
We should have been very much less in
formed had we had only BrantOme, for he
had vowed to his Queen an ldolatry beside
which that of Monsieur Cousin for Mime. de
Cheyreuse and for Nine. de Longuevile was
totally insignificant. In fact, the good
Bourdeville admits the wigs. since there was
no means of doing otherwise, but through
excess of alteration he lnyents for Mar
guerite q head-dreSS which che never pos
sessed. Il have seen her also deck herself
sometimes with her natural hair, without
adding to It any artifice OF the wig-maker,"
says he, braZenly, and this pious falsehood in
favor of the ad0red Marguerite will bring
tears to your eyes even at this distance Of
time.
THE ROMANTIC PERIOD.
In 1880. in the romantic period. the glory
of the men effaced that of the women; in
consequence false hair was forbidden to the
trembling Eloas, as slender and flexible as
the willows. so it happened that, forced by
her genius to remain eternally young, the
greatest modern actress, to conceal her
white locks was compelled TO employ dye
with base of lead, which. entering into
the pores of the skin, acted as poison and
killed her.
But under the second empire, the women
took their full revenge. They directed pol
itcs, named the officials and raised their
little sofas to the dignity of thrones. The
first act of their reign was to inaugurate
the wearing of wigs of all hueS, red, blonde,
yellow, fresh butter color. pink, corn color,
sometimes even violet, and thus award
themselves unalterable beauty. 1t is true
that the actresses started the fashion, but
the great ladies were not slow to follow in
their footsteps. One of the first actresses
who frankly. audaciously assumed the en-
tire wig, with a flower stuck straight up in
it like tree amid the grass. was that beau
tiful Blanche, who died so young and whom
we saw. in a wild operetta by Herve, armed
like Minerva with casQue and cuiraSs of
gold. She had so many imitators that false
hair has to-day become recognized portion
of lady's costume which she changes with
her dresses.
NONE TOO POOR FOR FALSE HAIR.
People complain, and with reason, of the
lot of certain women. There are those in
this great city of Paris who toll day and
night pricking. wounding their little finge
in order to make thirty sous with which to
support themselves and their pale ill-nour-
ished infants, Oh whose foreheads the mys-
FERROUS mark of death is already visible.
There are many OF these women poor enough
to lack the two sous necessary for the pur-
chase Of the charcoal to asphyxiate them;
but not one of them is so poverty stricken
as not to have the wherewithal to buy false
hair.
Every morning in the populous streets
you can see the wives of artisans. of small
shOp-keepers and OF workmen, also servant
girls and shop-girls. In tattered garments
and with shoes often in holes; but all of
them have on their heads mountains, peaks,
Jung-Fraus, Alhambras, ediices of false
hair, shining, adorned with gawg avs, con-
structed by the hand of a special architect,
and for this indulgence in luxury the money
is always forthcoming, as they must sail
along with the tide of fashion, cost what IL
may.
Meanwhile mantle workman bearing
his loaf of bread under his arm, the states
man, the artist in quest of glory, the theat-
rica manager searching for 5000 francs
every mOrning-follows his nose In victo-
ria, or a facre. or on foot. with his head
as bare as that of the divine Anadyemene.
And now do you understand the meaning
of that bellcose, ferocious and menacing
inscription painted In big. provoking letters
on so many of the Paris shop-windows-
Hair for Lades"P
1t is conquering woman who in it speaks
to subjected mankind and says: Idiots,
pack of fools. you could, like us, cover your
bald cranums with false locks; but you
will not do it, because you are too stupid,
too timid, too cowardly and besides, be-
cause we women will not leave you sim
gle hair! Our war-cry is: Hair for
Ladies' and 1t is our intention to keep it up