The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1893-11-10
WALTERS AND WHISPERS
They Have Been Separated Since
tho Days of Solomon.
Tho Custom Of shaving Among Servants
Made Compulsory In England
Wealthy Americans Fellow
tho European style.

The row which the walters and hack
drivers kicked up the other day when
il was proposed to rob them OF their
boards and mustachesis a new evidence
acknowledgements toward equality.
Their success knocked down another
old idol. for n smooth face has been
used rs badge or servitude since the
time King solomon contracted the
habits of marrying three times day
and making promiscuous proverbs
Kings from solomon and David down
through ancient and medieval and
modern history always required their
servants TO take tho first drink from
every bottle of wine, as n precaution
against poison. The personal servant
of the king in early history always had
TO have clean-shaven face. says the
New York Press.
The servants, and especially the per
sonal servants Of all monarchs and
high dignitaries, have always worn
beardless faces, while their masters In
ancient days always wore boards.
The medieval ages were we'll under
way before any man Of high position
went without whiskers.
In the latter part Of the last century
and the early part of this the distinc-
tion in dress between the master and
the servant in England was actually
less conspicuous than IL has been for
the last fifty years When men COM
menced to adopt the long. full-legged
trousers, to abandon the wig aud TO
wear full boards, they made their per
sonal men servants continue to observe
the old styles Their coachmen must
wear horse-hair wigs, smooth face AM
knee brceches--the horse-hair wiz
making the heal look full behind, thu
clcan-shavcn face giving the appear
ance of youth and the fat calves an
aspect of prosperity.
While some of the features Of this
CANDY, picturesque livery have been
abandoned in all the best English
houses, the clean-shaven face is to-day
steadily required, not only OF the
coachrnap and butler but OF all house
hold servants. with the possible cxeep-
tion of the gardener II was not until
about twenty-scvcn years ago. how
ever, that the custom of requiring
livarymen 10 wear clean-shavcn faces
was observed at all in New York.
About that time August Belmont, Ed
ward Mathews and j g. Bennett put
their stables md coaches in charge Of
Englishmen and Scotchmen. These
imported servants put the custom in
vogue in this city. Up to that time tho
coachman of even the wealthicst fami-
lies in the city eat in their boxes with
out uniform or livery and wore his
beard or didn't, as he pleased In very
few years thereafter there was not a
wealthy family in town whose coach
man did not have TO observe the GUS
tom.
The idea Of smooth-faced walters
came here with the Europeanizing OF
American hotels. Ten years ago
there was no such iron-clad rule In any
OF the New York hotels and restau-
rants, Thenall tho walters at Delmon-
ico's were required to shave Oft their
boards and DEMONSTRATING became the
rule in nearly all the leading houses in
| town.
1t is interesting to know that, while
this custom came from England
| growing out OF the smooth-faccd Eng
lish house servants. the hotel waitert
in Europe have not complied with Il
with much patience In fact In some
OF the best hotels in London and OF
the continent the walters have forced
their employers to allow then
to wear their boards. Thus II Is seer
that American hotel-keepers tried u
copy their English models.
At banquet In Vienna one Aus
TRAN noblcman bet another thou
sand marks that he could have tn,
proprietor mako the walters shay,
their boards. The proprietor refused
and told the gentleman he must gt
elsewhere II he could not stand tn,
mustlchios of the walters This wa
regarded as great victory for tn,
walters in the Vienna hotel
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