The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-01-22
FESTIVE FIGAROS.
Hair Dressing In View Of the Pub
lic for Prizes.
The wild Scene witnessed at Tonsorial
Exhibition i'm Paris - A Tremendous
Row Caused by One of the Los
ing Competitors.

exhibition In Paris - tremendous
Row Caused by One of the Los
ing Competitors.
Before twenty-seven looking-glasses
sat twenty-seren disheveled maidens,
the glories of their toilets vailed by the
familiar triped wrappers of the hair
dresser's saloon, surrounded by hair
pins, bandeaux, and--but why expose
the secrets of the toilet? Enough to
say that all was there necessary to the
erection of o fashionable coiffure. Be-
hind each stood a Figaro, expectant, tail
comb in hand, his snowy shirt-front and
resplendent studs carefully protected by
q sillxen kerchief, now executing valse
steps to the preliminary strains Of the
band, now combing the tresscs before
him to the same accompaniment. This
odd scene, says Paris letter in the
New York Sun, was at the ball Of the
Society Of Progress in Hairdressing, and
Il was the outset of prize competition.
The signal is given. With lightning
fingers the competitors proceed to
work. In q trice fringes that lately
hung dank and straight assume puffy
appearance. The spectator can not
fail to note the careful powdering Of
the models faces, for the electric light Ii
trying, and observe how speedily q
twist here, curl there, and half Q
dozen skillfully placed pins add to fem
inine charms. 1t is all very serious.
The subjects" are models of gravity.
lMessrs. Louis, and Auguste, and Jaques,
and Hippolyte indulge only in the facial
oontortions peculiar to their trade.
Their young ladies and professional
friends solemnly promenade to the
music and await results with palpitating
hearts.
''Gentlemen, the combs to the pocls-
Iets," cries the president.
With a last pat here, final lingering
Iof the frizzes, and farewell adjust
lment of feathers and flowers, the COM
lpetitors whisk off the wrappers and tho
ltwenty-seven ball-gowned young ladies
are revealed to us in ell the glory of
their elaborate coiffures.
Gentlemen of the jury, will you do
Dour duty?" is the stentorian command.
It sounds as if they were trying q
fmurder case. All! the solemnity of the
moment! There is no conversation, the
music ceases, the excitement of the fes-
sive Figaros is alone manifested in their
lelevated eyebrows, uplifted shoulders
Isnd fierce mustache ends, working like
the antenn8 of the lobster. The prize
tas only to him who shall obtain seven
votes. But, alas and alas! no one gains
this number. No. % gets six, No. gets
three; the remaining four are frittered
away between other competitors. Again
Jand again the gentlemen Of the Jury
"doy your duty" and just as twenty-three
lseems to have grasped the golden cross
of honor wild crowd seizes hold Of
Idiminutive, black-bearded individual,
with tail-comb protruding from his
pocket, uplift him shoulder high, and
No. 1, it is realized, is, after all, the
lucky man.
Then tremendous row ensues The
second prize has been handed to 90, but,
with flashing eyes and face whittier
than shaving lather, he dashes it trag-
lically to the floor, and with half-smoth-
'ered yell, like tiger ballsed Of its prey,
rushes at the unfortunate lady, whose
ltresses have served him in such good
stead, and in another moment reduces
the coiffure he has erected to
ruin. A confused mass Of hairpins,
Switches" marteaux curls, and an
osprey alone remains Of what was once
$50 dear. To man the festive Figaros
pursue the baf1ed barber round the
saloon, and, with groans and Misses, ex-
pei him from the scene. The honor Of
the society has been outraged. A COM
patriot and fellow-craftsman has made
a sad exhibition Of jealous rage and
disappointment, and insulted the go
ciety.
Meanwhile, hairpins and looking
glasses have been swept away, the
floor is cleared, and the Gallo hair
dresser certainly does not take his
pleasures sadly, for in the refreshments
room where bottled stout and cigarettes
appear to be most in request, the friends
OF luckless No. % and the successful No.
I exhaust themselves in gesticulations
and arguments, while the paucity of the
funereal black-edged programmes LASH
es many into exhibitions of fury which
frequently threaten to develop into
pugilistic interludes. AS the writer de-
parts procession of ladies, who have
been brought with hair already dressed
in various historical and fashionable
styles, is in course of formation, and
suggests the idea that the revolving
waxen dummies have escaped from the
various hairdressers' windows to take
part in the revels. But the last i'm.
preston of the "Grand Concours Inter-
rationale and Ball. is of a haggard,
ghastly apparition, hugging brush and
comb, cardboard box and a striped
wrapper, and peering through the
swing doors with wild eyes at the revels
within. 1t was the fallen angel hover
ing around the gates of Paradise, the
hapless No. %.
An Humbled yizior.
A traveller in Morocco tells, In ''The
Land Of an African Sultan" the follow
ing story: ''The Sultan, not long ago,