Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1890-01-05
ABOUT WIGS.
Not So Much Worn Now As in the Long
Aso-How One Man Cut His Hair.

Not So Much Worn Now As in the Long
Aso-How One Man Cut His Hair.
Although wigs are still advertised in
the newspapers, they play a much less
important part than in the days when
George ~ was king. During the reign
of that monarch an arbiter OF fashion is
said to have declared that mo gentleman
wore his own hair after the age of five
and-twenty." Now no gentleman at any
age, or however bald, seems to wear q
wig. Ii used to be said on behalf of wigs
that they saved the wearer from colds,
catarrhs and ophthalmic affections; and
though they were also worn from mot
ives of vanity, it is true that people, or
at least old people, made no secret OF
wearing them. Stories, too, are told OF
men in the prime of life who were differ
ent wigs on different occasions-hght
airy wigs in summer, and heavy massive
wigs in winter. Here there can, obvi-
ously, have been no thought Of deception.
AS much cannot be said Of a gentle
man of our own time, well known in
London, who has a number of wigs, all
of precisely the same shade of color and
of the same general makes, but with
varying lengths of hair. He replaces
week by week a wig with short hair by
a wig with hair Of longer growth, IN
til, after the lapse of seven or eight
weeks, he finds it necessary TO make pre-
tense of having his hair cut. He leaves
his club for half an hour, observing
casually that he must visit the hair
dresser's, and, after going home and re-
placing his wig by shorter haired one,
returns as if fresh from the hands Of the
shearer.
According to some antnropologists, we
are fast approaching a time when civil
lied man will be bald. 1t is, however,
difficult TO say whether or not the num-
Der Of bald persons Is on the increase.
Fifty years ago it was nearly impossible
10 make observations on the subject,
since all who were bald wore wigs, while
it was sometimes difficult 10 distinguish
the wig from natural hair. II is certain,
however, that savages and ssnni-barbar
Gus tribes have plenty OF hair.
TIE Russian peasant keep. his hair st
least until an advanced period Of bis life: |
and in India it Is rare TO see either bald
Mohammedan or bald Hindoo. You |
are much before us in civilization said, |
the other day, one of our Indian visitors- |
But we possess two things Of which a |
good many among you ars unable 70
boast. We have hair and We have |
teeth" In simpler states Of civilization |
than ours men do not lose their hair, but |
their hair loses its color. Gray hair must |
surely, however, be better than 10 hair
at ali.
Whatever il may be IL z1an, bald
ness in a woman would be something TOO
horrible: and probably bald woman, II
an evident condition OF badness. hAz
never been met with. Among the bald
men, heroes, ike Julius Cesar. poets.
Ike hsschy!us; sta:esnen and patrons Of
art, Ike Perscles; brilliant raen Of fashion
with q taste IL not a genius for every
thing. ike Alcibiades; .2ges. hike Socrates
may Be mentioned. a bald woman, how
ever. IS a phenomenon which. tsoEgh is
existence may be more than suspected,
hss never hitherto been seen- Women |
wear wigs, ard, according 70 u. Thieys.
Ray claim 70 have invented then; and.
After her first youth. there is scarcely
9Ds woman who does nct wear falss
lrssSes Of ssEne kind James Gazette.