The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-28
A Despot Should Wear a Full Beard
or Be His Own
Barber.
Michael Guelabovski, Who Was
Tempted to Out the Czar's
Throat
COmbing the Hair aud Trimming the
Whiskcrs of Roynlty--W William
Changes His BARBER.

at least in the guise of a barber. The auto
crat has his whiskers carefully trimmed,
but with scissors. Even this is treated as u
responsible and important function, and of
the four grand masters of the COURT as
they are called, one always attends the czar
when his majesty ia under the barber's care.
Not that any doubt is felt as to the fidelity
of the tonso,ial artist. The family of
Guelabovski have been BARRIERS to the I'm
perial house of Romanof from the time of
the Gear Paul. The first of the name,
Michael, was employed when a youth in the
palace at st. Petersburg, and one Of his oc-
caslonal duties was to shave the emperor.
The mobiles who conspired tho death of Paul
offered the young barber a reward that
must have seemed dazzling to him if he
would cut the emperor's throat. Michael
pretended to agree, but took the first OPP
portunity to inform the imperial chamber
lain, Count Troubstskoi. The latter, in
vain, warned the weak-minded car of the
conspiracy against his life; ana Paul, his
tory tells, was murdered in his bed.chamber
by the mobiles who had plotted to destroy
him. When Alexander /. came to the
throne he was remined by Count Troubet-
skoi Of the fidelity of young Michael, and
in recognition of his devotion to the impe-
rlal family, Alexander. by q special decree,
appointed Michael Guelabovski and his de-
scendants to be BARRIERS to the car and his
household. Alexander was in the habit of
being shaved, and during his reign of a
quarter OF a century he never hesitated to
ent:ust the task to Michael, whose grand
son now holds tho place by right of descent.
AS before stated, the Office is a good deal of
a sinecure with the present 'czar. SO far as
shaving is concerned.
1t is the duty of the imperial barber to at
tend his august master every morning, i'm
medlatoly after the czar has risen and per-
formed his ablutiohs, for the purpose of
dressing his hair and beard. This IL done
IN the presence of enc of the grand masters
of the court. To the outside world the
Michael Guelabovski of the present day is IA
sphinx. He has never been known to 1e-
veal the Secrets of the Ronanon toilet, or
whether he talks to his majesty, or ia occa-
slonally honored with a remark from the
lips whose uttecances are to Russia like the
laws of the Modes and Persians. 1t is safe
to presume, however. that Michael cult
Yates the virtue of silence in the imperial
presence as we'll az out of it, and that he
never asks the car whether he wants a
shampoo, orwou!d like n little cosmetic on
his mustache. Michael goes wherever the
czar travels, and it is through the occasional
visits Of the Russian autoc at to his father
ln-law at Copenhagen that the BARRIERS per-
sonallty is known to the world, there being
much less ceremony md secrecy at the
Danish palace than at 1T. Petersburg.
The two former kaiserssnf the Gsrmnn
empire both wore full boards. In Prussia
the barber has never been an official per
sonaee, the selection being entrusted to tie
marshal OF the honae, at present the Baron
Won Lyncker. The aged kuiBer William
hada constant and faithful personal attend
ant in Ludwig kanitz, tbs gon of a Bran
denburg peasant, who from performing Or
dinary menlnl duties i'll the palace grew to
BIO the. confidential servant of the king and
empafer. Kanitz was inseparable from his
master in war and fpeace, and he
could undoubtedly have given memoirs
to tho world as intefesting in some
respects as those of Bismarck. Tho pro-
'ongation OF the kaisers life to a great nge
was no doubt due largely to the faithful
mlnlstrations of this humble parsonage, who
never shared in the honors of fame that
crowned others less intimately associated
with his master. Krsnitz did not long sur
vive the emperor. He was dismissed on a
pension sufficient TO support him in COM
fort, but he soon died and was buried in
the churchyar0 Of his native village in
Brnndenburr.
1t is said that the present kaiser is
chapgeaNle as to BARRIERS, to whom he gives
more employment than his predecessors in
the empire. At present, strangely enough,
Ao 40 bCillS y Ny ak AlStuhli, u ii
whose name ia not known outside tie court,
but who was for some time employed in ons
OF the leading barber sLo, q of Ber-
lin There the Alsatian attracted the
attention OF the count ,stolbere.
wiz him to the mar
shall of the house. As ho has attended to
the kaiser for three months he is supposed
to give satisfaction. 1t is said, however,
that he has had at least our predecessors,
who have been RELOCATED to mental service
IN the palace, The kaiser has an extreme
ly tender skin. and, as he insists on giving
audience and orders while being shaved, it
takes a clever artist to escape drawing some
OF the Hohenzollern blood. This is he
Heved to have been the trouble with the
BARRIERS who lest power.
The Austrian court does everything mag
nlficcntly, and the toilet OF the emNeror is
presided over by the Clcvalier dc Hacker,
q descendant of the noble general who led
the attack on the Turkish garrison at Pesth
IN 1856. and whose posterity has figured
honoGably IN nearly every great war in
Even the barber, a term by which ho
is never known, is a nobleInan, the
Count du Faucon having been raised to that
title IN order TO qualify him for his duties
at the palace; for no plebeian can lay hands
on the Austrian emperor. The Count du
Faucon ID not Il native of Austria, but n
Saxon by birth. He was trained by the
former imperial artist, who was also a man
of title, and he is said to be ono of the most
expert OF his trade in the world. He liz, of
course, of plebeiin origin. He is something
OF u doctor, rs we'll as a hair trimmer, and
the kaiser is said to spend many an hour
under the soothing influence of his manipu-
lations. Since the death of Prince Rudolph
Francis Joseph has been peculiarly subject
to headaches and similar ailments, and his
BARRIERS ministrntions arc more effective
than a physician's in driving away the
pains that Cypress him. Thu Count du
FRucon has apartments in the palaces, both
at Vienna and BudR, and il treated as a
prominent, although not a leading court
official. AZ Franris Joseph wears u full
beard, there is worry little use for The razor.
The royal barber in Spain is not en-
nobled, and tor several years his place has
been a slntcure. 1t is, however,, one of the
most ancient Offices in the kingdom, going
back beyond tho days of Ferdinand and
lsabella. 1T has been held for several gem
erhtions, Mt least, by the Erenas family, OF
Madrid. 1t is the custom of Spanish SOW
ereigns to heStow some order on the royal
barber upon his arriving at the post, and
the present occupant of the place, Fernan-
DEE Erenas, holds the cross of the Order of
Beneiicence. The salary ia fair, 1000 reals
annually, especially IA the barber has ut
present nothing to do except cut the hair of
tina infant king two or three times n yenr.
III Id to the credit of the guild of BARRIERS
that amid all the intrlgues against the lives
of European rulers modern history at least
has no record of ops proving faithlcss. Tho
barber of William the Silent Was offered n