The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-02-18
THEY DISCARD WIGS.
JEWISH GIRLS ALLOW THEIR HAIR
TO GROW IN THIS LAND.
In Russia and Poland Jewish Rabbits
Compel maidens to Cut Their Raven
Locks and Wear wigs-Here, However.
the Girls Please Themselves

in East Broadway hangs this sign:
Ladies' Barber Shop. Ladies' Hair Cut
and Dressed" The visions Of daintily
perfu1ned rooms and pretty women at
tendants that may be aroused by this are
not borne out by clever inspection. In
fact these combinations don't flourish
in that locality. But nevertheless the
place has an interesting history. The
proprietor is a square faced man with 3
bald head and brown mustache. He is
Russian Hebrew, and learned the art
of hair dressing in Russia. He practiced
it in Germany and Austria, also, before
he came to New York to beautify the
heads Of the east side bellies. Many
blushing kal.:> (bride) has had her hair
done up in tasteful coils by his n:mbls
fingers previous to her wedding. Bust
ness was dull the other day when 4 re-
porter called upon the barber.
Most of my customers are Jewish
girls, of course he said. Times have
changed greatly since / received nv ap-
premiership The girls are not so pious
any more, not even the daughters OF the
most orthodox families. There is
spirit of freedom in the air in this coun-
try which overwhelms many of the old
time customs, and Jews do here many
things which would cause their ostra-
cism in the Jewish quarters of the Rus
sian villages.
GIRLS WITH SHORT HAIR.
"Wheu l first began my work all
Jewish girls and women wore wigs.
They clipped their own hair very close
and Wore the wigs over IT. Before my
time they used to shave their heads.
The reason for this custom was that
some rabbi had declared it proper He
argued that it subdued the spirit Of van
ity inherent in all women. His dictum
was generally approved, and 1t became
so general a custom that no piOus Jew
ism woman would have exhibited her
own hair in public under any circum-
stances.
IF by chance her wig was displaced
and her own hair was revealed she con-
sidered it a calamity. and prayed earn
estly that her involuntary sin might DO
forgiven. The wigs were never allowed
TO be ornamental. but were always very
plain and common looking. This Gus
tom still prevails in the small towns and
villages of Russia and Russian Poland.
Elsewhere it has been modified.
Il was abroad a few years ago. and no
ticed that in the cities the women have
established a new system Instead Of
clipping their hair short all over the
head they now let it grow In a bang in
front and clip the rest. They wear little
skull caps over the clipped part, and
only put on the wigs occasionally. Very
few wear wigs in the morning, and they
do their marketing without them. The
appearance Of lot of women with
bangs straying from under skull caps is
very odd.
The influence of America upon IT,
custom is remarkable. 1t is wen known /
abroad that it has been discarded here, !
and the result Is that most of the women !.
are prepared for it. In fact /
l have come across q number OF girls /
who let their hair grow secretly under |
their wigs while they were still in their /.
native villages, and threw their wigs /.
overheard a. soon as they got on the yes I
sells that carried them to these shores. /.
OF course if they had been detected at |
home they would have received sc&ut /
courtesy from the rabbits.
\ QUErR CASE.
''It may seem strange that Chief Rabbi /
Joseph doesn't insist upon the continu- :
ance OF TINS custom in New York. but | /
imagine that he has been advised that it 4
would be impossible 10 enforce II Most 4
Of the women wait until they come here 4
before they let their hair grow.
1T IS my business 10 train aud trim it
after it Is grown. You see even the girls /
who have held 20 the custom until they
come to this country give it up when
they see how lonesome they are here. Ii
IS no easy task 70 fix their hair. because
constant clipping has stiffened and hard
sned it. Il IS amusing, though, that
these girls are very critical. Once they
discard the clipping and wig business
they 90 TO the other extreme. IL is az
though all the natural vanity that mas
Oeen pent up in them had suddenly been
let loose.
About a year ago | was called upon
10 testify in a lawsuit about this custom.
Alexander Levy, Polish fur maker. had
been arrested upon the charge of Eliza
Biashker. She said that she had advanced
lim money upon his promise % marry
leT, which he had failed % refund when
he promise was broken. Il came out
n the trial that he was anxious 10 marry
Ter, but that ais parents objected be-
,ause she wasn't piJus enough. he al
nitted on the witness stand that this
was the case. lie said that his parents
lad threatened 10 cast him of, and 20
mourn for him a. Il b. were dead IL be
married the girl.
THE nain objection, u seems. was that
ne wouldn't shave Of her hair and wear
wig a. his mother did The girl gave
he keynote Of the feeling in the or:ho-
.o1 community here when shs said that
ae had refused 70 DO this becauss the
ustom had been generally abandoned.
nd because she was an American and 2
ldn't propose 20 make gly u herself
1t Is OILY rarely that find any wo
lsn. even among the old ones. who al
ere % the custom. Nv work has grown I
way from what IL Wa originally, and
ow Il Il mainly hair dressing. after the
nodes prevalent in this and al ether
iTilized countries. New York san.
4 Paradox
Jinks-Wh2; are you doing now, old
ian:
Blinks-fvho has married tenpert-