The morning call., 1891-01-03
LADY'S HAIR-DRESSER,
An Old Hebrew CustOmjThat Does
Not Go in This Country.

From one of the old-fashioned houses on
East Broadway hangs this sign: Ladies'
Barber Shop, Ladies' Hair Cut
and Dressed" The visions of daintily
perfumed rooms and pretty women
attendants that may be aroused by this
are not born 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 square-faced man with a bald head and
brown mustache. He is a Russian
Hebrew and learned the art of hair
dressing in Russia. He practiced it In
Germany, and Austria. also, before
he came to New Y ork to beautify the heads
OF the east side bellies. Many a blushing
kalla (bride) has had her hair done up in
tasteful coils by his nimbe fingers previous
to her wedding. Business was dull the other
day when New York sun reporter called
upon the barber, and the tonsorial artist
spoke as follows:
Most Of my customers are Jewish girls
of course. Times have changed greatly
since l received my apprenticeship. Tue
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
country which overwhelms many of the old.
time customs, and Jews do here many things
which would cause their oslracism in the
Jewish quarters of the Russian villages.
hen frst began my work ull Jewish
girls and women wore wigs They clipped
their own hair very close and wore the wigs
over 1t. 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 vanity
inherent In all women. His dictum was
generally approved, and it became SO gen.
eral custom that
NO PIoUS JEWISH WOMAN
Would have exhibited her own hair In
public under any circumstances If, bv
chance, her wig was displaced and her own
hair was revealed, she considered it calam-
ity and prayed earnestly that her in
voluntary sin might be forgiven. The wigs
were never allowed to be ornamental but
we're always very plain and common look
ing. Ihis custom still prevails in the small
towns and villages of Russia and Russian
Poland. Elsewhere it has been modified.
Il was abroad few years ago and no.
ttced that in the cities the women have es-
tablished new system. Instead of clipping
their hair short all over the head, they pow
let 1t grow in bang in front, aud clip the
rest They wear little skull caps over the
clipped part and only put on the wigs occa-
sionaly. Very few wear wigs in the morn
ing, AID they do their marketing without
them. The appearance of a lot of woman
with bangs straying from under skull caps
is very odd.
''The influence of America upon the ems.
tom is remarkable. 1t is well known abroad
that 1t has been discarded here, and the re-
suit Is that most of the women Immigrants
are prepared for it, In fact l have come
across number of girls who let their hair
were still in their native villages, and
threw their wigs overheard as soon as they
got on the vessels that carried them to
these shores. OF course. if they had been
detected at home they would have received
scant courtesy from the rabbis. 1t NAV
caa stranpa that Ehi.f pok
doesn't insist upon the continuance of this
custom in New York, but imagine tnat he
has been advised that it would be impossi-
Bile to enforce it. Most Of the women wait
until they come here before they let their
hair grow.
1T is my business to train and trim it
after 1t is grown. You see,
EVEN THE GIRLS
Who have held to the custom until they
come TO this country give it up when they
see how lonesome they are here. 1t is no
easy task to fix their hair, because constant
clipping has stiffened and hardened it. 1t is
amusing, that these girls are very critical
Once they discard the clipping and wig
business they go to the other extreme 1t is
as though all the natural vanity that has
been pent up in them had suddenly been let
loose.
about year ago was called upon to
testify in lawsuit about this custom
Alexander Levy, a Polish fur-maker had
been arrested upon the charge of Eliza
Blashker. She said that she had advanced
him money upon his promise to marry
her which he had failed to refund when
the promise was broken. 1t came out in
the trial that he was anxious to marry
her but that his parents objected because
she wasn't pious enough. He admitted on
the witness-stand that this was the case. He
said that his parents had threatened to
cast him off, and to mourn for him as if
he were dead, If he married the girl. The
main objection, it seems, was that she
wouldn't shave off her hair and wear wig
as her mother did. The girl gave the key