Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-24
TONS0RIAL EXPERTS.
Something About Barbering in 0lden
Times.
THE POLE AND BASIN SIGN.
Significance OF she unsignia-Barbe
OF Neutrality-suspicious. Boards Were
Taxed-Improveme in the lsusi.


Nv nearly every country on the face Of
NJ the globe, and visited every city Of
any size in the United States and /
= have never seen city of the same
number Of inhabitants where there are as many
first-class BARRIERS as there are in Washington.
stranger can drop into the first shop that
comes in his way and be sure Of good shave
and courteous treatment"
The STAR writer overheard the above state
ment made by gentleman as he was leaving
the chair of a well-known barber shop
with satisfied expression on his face. From
various informal interviews with experienced
travellers it is learned tina. the strangers state
ment is in the main correct
Suppose we we're compelled to give up the
convenience, comfort and luxury OF our we'll
equipped barber shops of the present day and
return to what history informs US was the
custom when knights of the razor first COM
menced to ply their trade Having no shop
or regular place of business, they caught their
customers ION the fly" as 1t were, usually on
street corners. 1t would be rather novel as
well as ridiculous sight to witness a barber ex-
ercislng his profession on a public thorough
fare IN this enlightened age. Imagine a gen.
tieman dressed for reception, seated on a
box or stool, with his head propped back
against an adjacent building on a street cor
familiar at that time as the boot black is to-
day..
History fails to reveal the period when men
first commenced to shave. Alexander the
Great did more to bring the custom into gene
raj use than any one else of his time when he
ordered his soldiers to shave their boards.
Most battles at that time were decided by a
hand-to-hand conflict and the soldier with a
smooth face had a great advantage over his
enemy with long beard.
The barber in the early ages was a very i'm
portant parsonage. He was regular Pooh
bah, as illustrated in the Mikado. If you
wanted to be relieved of an aching tooth you be-
took yourself to the barber; if you desired to be
leeched you interviewed the same person; if
you wished to be bled you would pay him a
call. In fact, nearly all surgical operations
were performed by him in connection with his
art as practiced today
THE BARBER POLE AND BASIN
The sign Of the striped pole which can be
seen at the door of every barber shop, was
adopted as mathematical of the process of
blood-letting, which practice was a common
remedy for nearly all diseases until about fifty
years ago. The patients arm usually the left.
was made bare, he was then given a short
round stick TO grasp in his hand, the arm was
then tightly wrapped with a narrow bandage or
tape to the elbow. This was done in order to
get all the blood above the point where the
pole is symbolical of the arterial blood, the
blue stripe of the veins or venous circulation
and the white of the arm. The brass basin
sometimes suspended from the BARRIERS pole
quite common in Europe, though rarely seen
In this country was anciently one of the
utensils OF the barber. 1t resembles tin pie
plate with semi-circular gap in one side to
encompass the throat and SO prevent the
lather from soiling the clothes. This was
found necessary, as the party being shaved
was compelled to sit i'll an upright position.
1t will be remembered that Don Ouixote''
assumed BARRIERS basin a helmet
1t was not until the reign of George IL about
1857, that the barber ceased to be any thing but
barber, as We now understand the term.
During the fifth and sixth centuries the Gus
tom OF shaving was nearly obsolete. 1t was
not revived i'll Europe until the seventeenth
century. During the reigns Of Louis XIII and
XIV OF France, both of whom assembled the
throne in boyhood, the fashionable people
soon began to make free use of the razor that
they might resemble their youthful soyereipns
1t will be observed that the desire to initiate
great men did not originate with the present
generation and, 1t is safe to predict, will not
die with it.
TAXED TO WEAR BEARD.
In Russia Peter the Great compelled his sub
jects to pay tax for the privilege of retaining
their boards. 1t proved to be an unpopular
law, but was rigidly enforced and those who
would not or could not pay were forcibly de-
prived Of this ornament.
During the latter part Of the reign of Louis
AlN great care was taken of the beard When
the gallant of those days went to spend an
evening with his sweetheart he usually pro-
vided himself with wax for his whiskers, sweet
scented oils and in fact every necessary article
for the lady to use in combing and dressing his
beard. What an agreeable pastime it must
have been. If the custom were to be revived
what falling of there would be in the number
of barber shops
When the practice of shaving was again re-
vived In Europe instrumental music was en-
ployed III barber shops to amuse customers
while waiting their turn. Now the patrons get
the police Gazette" Sporting Times and
similar choice literature to beguile the weary
wait for next"
ARTIFICIAL HAIR
became fashionable at an early period, but the
the time when wigs first came into use cannot
be ascertained; they were, however, first worn
by women. Blonde hair was in great favor at
Rome in the time of Ovid, about AID. The
ladies that did not wear blonde wigs powdered
their hair. The process of .'blondining" the
hair, as practiced by so many ladies Of the
present generation, was evidently then un-
known.
GOOD PROGRESS.
The tonsorial art has made fair progress.
compared with other trades throughout the
country. The old tin basin and piece of COM
mon soap, used to soften the beard have been
discarded for decorated china mugs, soft
brushes and perfumed saponaceous COM
pounds. The old chair with a straight back
and q head rest resembling the upper of an old
time crutch, without covering, unless il was
piece of rag carpet has long since given place
to the elegant and comfortably constructed re-
cllning chair, with springy cushion and elegant
upholstering, where, under the skill of an ex-
pert operator, one::can be shaved into blissful
repose, forgetting all trials and tribulations.
The size Of the old-time shop was usually ten
by twelve. Each customer was expected to
wash his own face and il he succeeded in getting
towel that had not been made to do duty for
eight or ten before him he was considered for
tunate. Six towels were considered sufficient
for q weeks trade. Up to 1920 white barber
was almost unknown in the United States. At
that time few German BARRIERS could be seen
In some OF the larger cities. About lS45 Ed
ward Phalon fitted up shop in New York city
that cost in the neighborhood Of go 600
Every one supposed it was q case of fool and
his money soon parted. Mr.. Phalon. however.
became quite wealthy by his daring specula,
ton. Prior to 1860 the general prices were as
follows: Shaving, cents; hair cutting, 10
cents; curling, Is to Is cents. When the war
broke out prices went up to cents for shaving
and IL cents for hair cutting. In 1S62-6S prices
took another bound to 10 cents for shave and
in hotel shops to 10 cents, which prices have
been maintained ever since. After the close
OF the war the craft strove to elevate their
shops to their prices by giving better service
and making more of display in their appoint