The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-11-30
THE SOUTH
SEA BARRIERS.
They Fill Their Customers Hair
With Lime and Slack 1t.
Savage Heads Fairly sizzle-Then the Locks
Are Done Up to Resemble Spiral Steel
shavings-Shaved in Spots.

| i
Asy scanty growth of hair upon the face,
and though the struggling hairs are rarely
pulled out they grow so slowly that shaving
| is not resorted to more than three or four
times a year. The BARRIERS chief occupa-
ton is in the dressing of the hair, and in
this branch of the business he finds enough
| to do and ample scope for the exercise of
| his ingenuity in ways that would never
! occur to his civilized rival.
| One custom holds good throughout the
| island realm wherever hair is worn at all,
| and that is the lime shampoo, based upon
| motives Of comfort and convenience gener-
| ally, the same as led to the washing of
| coops and roOStS on q hen-ranch. These
| things abound in the tropics, and must be
| accepted as distinctive feature of the life,
| to be dealt with in the readie5t fashion. A
long and irritated experience finds its best
| solution in lime, and lime. therefore, is used
| by all.
A HEAD SIZZLING HOT.
Having lime the savage combs all the kinks
| out of the three, four or even six inches to
| which he allows his hair TO grow, Sits the
| fine lime in among the hair, selects a COM
| Portable place in which to lie, gets the bar
| Der to sprinkle water on the lime and shuts
| his eyes, willie admlripg friends stand about
| to watch him sizzle. The water slakes the
| lime with much blowing of bubbles and the
evolution of thick clouds OF carbonic acid
| gas, the subject submits cheerfully to turn
his head into murtar-bed until the heat
| becomes too much for him to bear, when
| dash of water washes away the steaming
| lime, and the first step has been taken toward
dressing his hair.
Many are content TO simply comb the hair
| after the lime application is over and SO
| leave it for month to come, yet even this
| simple operation is work OF time and pa
| thence, for a man would be dlssraced who
| should appear with the hair lying fiat and
smooth upon the head The comb consists
| of ten or a dozen wooden skewers about
| fonr inches long. run down fine and smooth
and secured by cords and gum side by side
at the end of a long and light piece Of
| carved wood, which served as head orna-
ment. With this comb the hair is carefully
raked out, SO that each hair will stand on
end, and together they will appear like
light mop.
woMEN'S HAIR THE SHORTER.
Between men and women the only distinc-
ton observed is that the men often wear the
hair six inches long all about the head, the
women seldom more than two inches, stand
ing out even ON all sides, while men train
T the hair below the crown upward, so that it.
too, will grow parallel with the hair on the
top of the head. This involves much comb
ing and much use of baudageS before 1t Will
answer all the requirements of fashion and
satisfy the wearer that lie Will look suf1l-
GENTLY grim to his enemies when they meet
in battle.
Others prefer spiky rirglets which ars
either trained to stand erect or to TALL away
from the crown in all directions. These
ringlets are maze after the hair has been
lined and combed out stiff. Beginning with
the forehead, the barber grasps not more
than ten or a dozen hairs growing close to-
gether, wraps them tightly around single
spear of grass and covers the whole with
layer of bread-fruit gum. In the end the
orEamented islander will present much the
appearance of blushing pOrcupine. For
fully week the hair must remain in its
| curl grasses, which are carefully bundled in
cloth saturated with oil.
LIKE SPIRAL STEEL sHAvINGs.
At last the barber decides that his work
will do him credit, wipes off from each wsp
of hair its abundance OF gum, draws out
the core of grass and leaves the ringlet
standing erect and about as graceful as the
fine spiral shayings which one finds in a ma
chine shop where they have been planning
steel. The man who elects to wear his hair
in mop or riDglets must conduct himself
with single eye to preserving for fully a
month the simple beauty of his couture. He
may not swim without first tying his hair in
oiled cloth, and the pattering Of the rain
warns him 10 bundle up his head. At night
he may not sleep with his head upon the
| soft mats, but must rest his cheek upon a
wooden pillow. The simplest form OF these
pillows is a joint of bamboo supported on
crutches at each snd and three or four inches
long.
The natural black color of the hair is sell
dom seen even in the children, and so al
most universal is the practice of lining the
head that the colors, ranging between straw
aud brick red, which result from the use of
the lime, may also be taken to stand in
place OF the natural color. Some leave their
hair of the color to which it has been
burned, but many others eject to dye 1t
either Of single body color, uniformity
laisi on or in bars or blocks of gaudy hueS.
A favurite device is to colur the hair in two
contrasting hues along the line of the mid
die, blue on one side and red on the other.
red and green or yellow and black.
LIKE A PAINTED TARGET.
Others indulge in irregular patches Of
dye, giving marbled effect, and on one ISL
and they have reached the artistic height
of concentric rings of bright colors, giving
| to each head the appearance of an animated
| target for the skill of opposing archers.
| Among such as shave the head of all bnt q
portion of the hair there is a multitude of
| fashions, and each consults his own taste or
| the ripper Judgment of his barber. The
| varied results are striking in the extreme.
! Some are seen whose hair Is confined to the
| front of the head, leaving all behind the
| crowns as smooth as a ball; and yet others
reverse the process, extend their foreheads
| to the crown and carry all their locks be-
| hind. Heads bare on one side are as COM
| mon as in Siberian convict train, and one
| never gives such an oddly second glance.
The warriors delight above all others, the
regular fighting clip, is ceanly shaven
| head with a crest about two inches wide eX-
tending from the forehead clear back to the
nape IF the neck, and trimmed to such q
length as will best insure its standing erect.
| The savage islander must know what be-
| comes of every particle OF hair which is
clipped from his head. He takes the bunch
home, burns it, mixes the ashes with water
| and drinks it, He believes that II any one
| could get possession of lock OF his hair,
| burn it and swallow the ashes that person
| could draw all his strength away, and he
would weaken and die just in proportion as
| the other waxedhearty. Therefore, he takes
| the dose himself.-Willam Churchill in
| Pittsburg Dispatch.
| The Chi d of an Evil Parent.