The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-29
IDEAS0N WHISPERS
Suggested to Howard Fielding by
an Adve ntUre with a Barber.
The Industrial Aspect OF sshiskers, and \
Description of Sow It Feels to
BE Shaved on Coast
Steamer.
rCnPYRIGET. 1874 ]

tGoPYRIGET, 1894
Il 1t Us assume that there are ten
mil kon men in the United States whose
chs are shaved three times week
Let US estimate that each of them
spen Is. on the average, half az hour in
anasi ng mp his mind TO it; ten minutes
IL, tn actual torment and twenty min
ut ss fterwards in cursing the barber
ieS Dec tally if be does his own shaving.)
So 'ae h OF tie ten million men spends
thra hours a week ii the most IN
pro.i bic labor known to mantle
Tabor I merely enduring a useless and
slsu,t ahiiction. Forty-eight hours is
a week IS work. Divide foCtE-eight by
sflres I'D get sixteen. Divide ten mil
lion BIZ sixteen and get six hundred and
tTesty- i've Thousand. Therefore the
a1noupr, # toll involved in the whisker-
raising a du5try Of the United States IS
equal TO the regular labor Of six hun
dred AID twenty-five thousand men,
and this n axes no account Of the pro-
fessjonaI y irbers except when they arc
shaving II ernselves. The figures ap-
Div rnoreiv to the work Of presenting
this value!es 5 crop 10 the sickle.
Now chen, considering the hazardous
and psizrfnI nature q the work. and
comparing Il with other occupations,
each OF these men should have 4 salary
of al Ieas% era hundred dollars . week.
Therefore. e len were reimbursed by
nature Tor the labor Of being shaved. il
would involve 2 weekly outlay in this
eountrv Of si-ty two million FIVE hun
ared thousand i 2llars, or an animal ex-
penditurs OF thu, ee billion one hundred
and Twenty-Five million dollars. In
Other words, tha is what il wOuld cost
20 hire Us TO be shaved, if there were
any Justice n TIL s matter, but so far is
this from Inc - nth that re are COM
PEELED 10 rav fn- the horrible and in
human torture on Of our own pockets.
These thcuq2ts cau-e to me few
oays go while I WIS engaged in an
unusually desperate struggle with
three days beard. / WIS on board a
steamer which runs from R.ocl1land, /
Ne. to Mount Dosc--. We left Rock. I
land ct six o'cl0cl, In the NOR ming, and +.
were due TO arrive 1T MY ovII particu- (
lar destination in abou two hours. f.
was to.meet many old friends end sew
eral old enemies. and I'd 5urauy wished .
10 appoa- at nay best be fore the latter .
Now. " spite q the great care which (
nature i,as lavished upan mF features,
theiT beSuty does not stick oGt very far
through 3 three days beard SO 1 said
SO Mrs. Fielding:
''If you wgu pile al our stuff IN q
,4eago and sit down on top Of it, I thinl.
1t will be safe for me 70 20 to the bar
ber+s shop. and get shaved"
She looked al ne critically, and then
replied. with fee,ling:
''Do, for ucrcy.'s salti"
As we We're tkus happily in accord,
went cheerfully on ny way, and soon
found myself before the door Of the
BARRIERS shop on the main deck. aft,
and on the starbc ard hand. The door
was locked A boy stood near by, sell
Ing the newspapers Of day before yes
terday morning
''Xy boy" said I, where IS the bar
ber?"
''Pa's the barber replied the youth;
"but he ain't around"
so I perceive" was nv mild re-
;oinder. do you think you could find
him for me?'
TN go all over the boat for guar
Ter" he replied.
And he did but without SUCCESS.
However, he was willing to try it
RgaiD for another quarter. suspected
that be was taking advantage Of my
necessity. ana that he had no real
sutention Of finding his father un-
I'll there was no chance OF further
gain from me. So / engaged the
lad in conversation, and clever !
1y exto-ted from him a full descrip-
ton of his sire, Then / went on the
hunt myself, after . brief address to
the boy on the sinfulness Of 4 mer- I
ceRary spirit and the folly Of attempt
ang TO match his wits against those of
fis elders. Within twenty steps Of that
spot l met a man who answered in
every particular to the description |
given by the boy.
You are the barber" said I clad
no see you. Been looking for you every
where
ia like to print his reply. but it's
against the law. lie was not the bar