San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-07-20
HiNDOO BARRIERS.
Among Their Customers Shaving is
a Matter OF Religion.

among
Matter OF Religion.
From the 5 an Francisco Chronicle.
The Hindoostanee barber is the
queerest of the queer agglomeration
of attaches with which Indian houses
are surrounded. Natives invariably
pretend to the protoundest Ignorance
of English and can never be pei
suaded to speak 1t. On the contrary.
the barber prides himself upon
his linguistic attainments aud
choice collection of oath. AS q
general rule they are drunkards and
gam blers, and when remonstrale ed
with proclaim their virtues, which
they declare have been sadly con-
taminated by q too close contact with
the Sahib Logues. They are in the
main right, for If man desires to Sc
cure amusement from the barber af-
ter his work is done he has but to
offer him q drink and the. most dread
ful stories are unfolded. 1 am conf
dent that Rudyard Kipling drew
from some Lahore barber the inspira.
ton which breathes into life that ad-
mirable collection Of Plain Tales from
the Hills" Any man who has lived
in India will agree with me that he
has heard such stories from his bar
Der while being shaved, and am po-
sitive that more than one barber has
given me In outline the CHASTITY his
tory of the place of the dead which
Mr.. Kipling has embodied in the
story OF The Strange Ride OF Morrow
by Juhes," and praise should be
given Kipling for having had the
acumen to put the Indian barber to
so charming o use. Had Mr.. Kipling
stat 4 in India today his popularity
ould be shared with the station
bal Der, with all the odds in favor of
the barber.
The Hindoos are fastidious about
shaving, and In the opening words OF
this article I intimated that shaving
and religion we're closely allied. In
Madras. after the death of q father,
the sons of the deceased must be
shaved from head to foot AS q sign of
their grief, no part Of their body es-
Gaping the. cleans ng blade. have
been somewhat amused to see q sor-
row. stricken son followed patiently
about by the barber till he has been
sufficient y Gained to submit to the
operation. No sooner lie the pyre fired
and the body hidden from sight Oy a
liberal plsstering at mud, In which it
burns, than the bereaved seeks out q
pleasant, shady spot, and the tedious
shaving commences. First, the head
lie cleaned, then the face, nor is the
laks over till the last hair is gone.
The Hindoo Is q CONTENDER of
bearus, and one-half of his head is
devoid of hair, he only leaving long
lock which grows from the back of
the head. This Is q relic of the belief
that taught them the Angel of Death
used this cue to drag them to heaven.
Women are great patrons of the bar
Der, for the Brahminical law is very
explicit on this score and provides
that women must keep their heads
shaved. This rule Is most rigidly en-
forced, and the unfortunate widow
has to make herself as ugly as pos
sible, and gracefully submits to an
operation which deprives her of her
greatest ornament, tor Brahmin
women have splendid heads of hair,
and their couture sets 1t of to excep-
tional advantage. 1t is put up In o
coil. The rich partially cover their
huge knot with q thin platter OF
beaten gold, while the poor entwine
in It the gorgeous flowers of the mari
gold.
The real reason of the Brahmin dis
liking hair about the face Is, because
they declare it to be unclean, and,
therefore, keep the mouth always
shaver. 1 have seen several young
Brahmins wear a thin streak of hair
down the side of the face, abruptly
ending at the lobe of the ear, and at
first imagined the ugly fashion was
copied from an Englishman, but was
assured that this whisker was worn
long before the English penetrated
into the country II that is the case
the fashion is probably older than the
Christian era, and the short, hideous
English whiskers, then, can not even
lay claim to the merit of originality.
The Mohammedans are averse to
boards, though some permit the heir
to grow luxuriantly, and then part it
in the middle and tie the long ends
hahfOd tho aaFa Scholars aannpiallV