The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-12-14
Anderson gattIligs,1esE.
Baldhoads, foung and Old.


Our illustrious American electrician
Edison is now studying the subject OF
baldheadedness. BE maintains that bald
pated people die young, while people who
are we'll rooted with hsir live long, and
he believes that, as he himself has fer
tile scalp, he will live toa ripe old age.
We cannot believe that Mr. Edison
has ransacked the PAGES Of history tor
proof of his hirsute theory. We are con-
fdent that, if he can be induced to ex'
anime the portraits of the great, he will
change his mind on the subject. We are
able to tell him that very mauy of our
eminent personsges of the world who
were short of hair, even in their early
manhood, lived to a green old age, and
we can show him the pictures OF inven-
tors, commanders, sages, statesmen,
saints sud nabobs who began to grow
bald when young, and grew steadily
bzlder as they grew older right straight
along. Where shall we begin with our
illustrations Socrates the Greek and
Cesar The Roman were both disposed to
badness in their prime, yet the latter
lived for over seventy years and the for
mer for nearly sixty. From Cesar's
time to that of Peter the Hermit, from
Columbus time to that OF Vnltaire, from
the "Sage of Kinderhook's" time to that
of Gen. Ben Butler, we Can nsmo num-
erols persons of enlinence whose locks
began to fall long before they reached
middle age, yet who lived to be as old as
Mr., Edison himself will be when be is
an octogenarian. Not few of our revn-
lulionary sires were bald, having begua
to shed their hair while yet colonisk,
ind we must ask Mr. Edison not to be
deceived by tie pictures of thas period,
but to bear in mind that, up to the open
ing of this century, The large bottomed
wig was used by many of the gentlemen
of our country. What does Mr.. Edison
know about the badness. OF the thee
Adamses OF about the locks of Jefferson,
Hamilton and several OF their compeers Z
Can he tell us whether the Father of his
Country wore artificial hair7 Did he
ever see man adorned with toupee, to
say nothing of peruke9 We forewarn
Mr. Edison that, in ransscking history
for facts bearing upon baldheadedness,
it is necessary to proceed with caution.
He will find, by the illusions of ancient
and modern authors. to the habit of wig
wearing, that very many notable men
have had very much less hair atop than
they were credited with.
Even in our own times, alas there are
not few distinguished Americans from
thirty to eighty years old who are as
baldheaded as the Hebrew prophet
Elisha was. Let MIR. Edison 60 to the
city of Washington and look down upon
the heads of the members of the United
States Senate. He will see senators there
who are as lively as crickets, though they
have been more or less bald for the great.
er part of half century. Let him then
90 abroad and find out for how many
years Gladstone's hair has been growing
ever spsrser, or Bismarck's, or hundred
other great mems. Let Mr.. Edison pros
ecute his researches around the world,
aud send US the baldheaded news from
China, Japan and other countries.
The truth is that Mr.. Edison cannot
possibly sustain his contention that long
lived men always have thick heads OF
hair" He says that his own father, who
is yet vigorous at eighty-three-and
long may he aourish-bss wonderful
head of hair" but we can Offset this case
by that of citizen of New York over
ninety who has been bald since he was
in his twenties. We are prepared to af'
firm and to prove that the abundance OF
a mans hair does noe surely betoken long
life, and that the badness of mans
hesd does not betoken bis early death.
We car give piles Of facts upon this sub
ject. We have just elected President
Sho is rapidly growing bald, though yet
far from old age. Several of the ancient
sages regarded early badness as sign of
early wisdom. We admit that it has not
been so iu Edison's case, for be has lots
of hair on his head; but Edison must
not Judge all mankind by himself.
The badness of some people is due to
heredity. In this city there is family
of three generations, all the members of
which are beyond maturity, all of whom
begao to grow bald When about twenty
years old; and the graudsire's father was
as bald when young as he is when old.
In other cases the loss OF the halr ls
caused by solar heat or by febrile mala-.
dies, or by the action of parasites, or by
erythematous affections Of the scalp, or
by the wearing of tightly fitting and ur-
yielding hats, or perhaps by deep thought.
The learned French barber Of this city,
who has made scientific study of the hair
of the heads of his customers, says ne
could make an immense fortune if be
knew how to cause the hair to grow upon
those bald scalps in which the epidermic
cells are closed. He has striven for
lifetime to invent something that would
b. potent in this line, or that would give
the promise of potency; but he confesses
With sorrow that his labor bss been In vain.
M Y Sun.