The record-union., 1895-04-24
GREAT RED-HAIRED GIRLS.
They Hold Important Places in the
Worlds History.
Both Helen of Troy and the Wife of
The O'Rourke Rejoiced in
Auburn Locks.


that she will usually be found to be red
headed? Take half score of the women
who have been at the bottom of most
trouble-say, Catherine of Russia, Joan
of Arc. Elizabeth, Mary Queen of Scots,
Anne of Austria, Empress Eugene,
Ninonde LEnclos, Lucretia Borgia,
Beatrice Cenci-all of them had red hair
and very few of them died in their beds.
Even in prehistoric times it appears that
red-haired women made all the trouble.
A red-haired woman caused the fail of
Troy, and a red-haired woman brought
to Ireland seven centuries of woe. The
two historic abductions of the world were
Of red-haired women. The destruction of
Troy and the trials and tribulations of
the mon of Argos were caused by the
rape of the red-haired Helen, the highest
type OF Honoric beauty.
The faithlessnesS OF Helen, however,
was but trI1iing in its consequences COM
pared witH That of Mrs. o. O'Rourke, another
red-haired spouse, whose infdelity
plunged a whole nation into war and
brought suffering and grief to untold
generations. In ITO two Irish chiefs,
ORourke and O'Dermott, lived near each
other in peace and friendship. O'Rourke
had beautiful wife, whose hair was
fiery Milesian red. O'Dermott took
fancy to her and finally carried her OFF.
War followed between the O'Rourke es
and ODernotts, in which the latter got
the worst of it. Henry II. of England
! then offered to assist O'Dermott if he and
his followers would acknowledge the
English King as their liege lord. They
did so. This gave the English an excuse
to invade Ireland, which they did, to help
fight out the O'Rourke matter And
| from the day of Henry It's interference
| to help 0'Dermott TO retain possession Of
another mans red-headed wife. Ireland
mas been the victim OF English injustice.
Among primitive and barDarous peo-
| pies red hair was generally regarded with
| favor, although associated with the cruel
and terrible. The gods of savage and
| semi-civiliZed nations have always been
! cruel and aWe-lusplrlng deities. and their
! color was always red. Red in the old
| sagas and folklore symboliZed blood,
| war, hatred, and among the early nations
! IL was associated with divinity and
| power, both prIestly and royal. The
| tabernacle of the Israelites was covered
with skins dyed red; the gods and images
of Egypt and Chaldea were painted red,
| and to this day red is one OF the distin-
| gushing colors OF the Roman Pontiff and
his Cardinals.
But even among these people red hair
was not in favor. The ancient Egyptians,
for instance, were violently averse to red
| hair, and their hatred was literally a
| burning one, for according TO Diodorous
! they annually went through the grue-
| some ceremony of burning alive one red
headed maiden, in the hope that they
might IN that way prevent the color from
becoming common one among them.
In Spain there is an equally strong
prejudice against red hair. Their pro-
verbs say, as do other authorities that
| the hair of the traitor Judas Iscariot was
red. In all Spanish paintings Judas is
distinguished from the other Disciples by
the fiery color of his hair, and among
Spanish people the world over red hair
is commonly known as Judas hair"
Among savage tribes, however, red
hair is usually held in great esteem.
Some of the Alaskan women, for ex-
ample, smear their hair and faces all over
daily with the red juice of the choke
cherry, which gives them a bloody,
corsair aspect Among the native New
Zealanders kura, or red, is the sacred
color, and red-haired woman has a
clear road to heaven. All the New Zea-
land gods and idols are painted red.
When person dies his house is so
painted, and the scraped bones of dead
chiefs are also painted bright red aud
then wrapped in a red-stained mat and
placed iii a red box in a red grave, over
which is erected a red post. Among
most savage tribes, as among our own
Indians, red signifies war and butchery,
although among some, notably the Sioux
women, red paint is used only in love
and courtship.
The Irish, in spite OF Mrs. O'Rourke's
example, are very fond of red-haIred
women. Among them locks OF the most
fiery hue have always been considered
lovely attribute Of beauty. And there is
an old Irish dtty which runs:
Heigh ior the apple and no for the pear:
But gave me the pretty girl with the red hair.
At one time. it is said, the Irish peas
anLry managed TO have hair of their own
choosing by wearing a small scratch
wlg," usually made out of red hair on
top of their natural hair. 1t WAS COM
mon thing for peasant to whip Off his
wig when a distinguished visitor came
into his house. dust a chair with il for
his guest, and then put it on his head
again.
Red hair is generally regarded as indi-
eating pugnacious or peculiar disposi-
tioD. Anthropologists are inclined 10 at
tribute certain distinct natures to the
color OF nair They have compiled statis-
tics and observations of the mental char
acteristics and moral peculiarities of peo-
pie with the same features and same col
ored hair, and claim to be able TO reach
valuable CONGRATULATIONS from them.
They assert that certain well-defined
moral and social characteristics are pecu-
| liar to red-haired women; for example,
they are found to be capable of greater
| cruelty tnan other women, are more de-
| ceptive more designing and more ambi-
| tious; they scheme and plot, and will
more readily sell body and soul to carry
| out some idea that has for the time being
! taken possession of them. They are
! brighter and liYelier than most women,
| but at the same time are usually indolent
| and domineering, and are often lazy to
| the point OF personal uncleanIiness.
! They are more passionate aud eXcitable.
And red hair" in these days has be-
come a wonderfully comprehensive
! term. Formerly finer distinctions were
| drawn than are now, and certain shades
| OF red were much admired and were
| carefully distinguished from red proper;
! but now woman is a red-head and at
tracts white horses, whetber her locks be
'hery Milesian," 'pole-amber," bur
nished gold" or "brown in the shadow
and gold in the SUM-" A red headed son
in these days is probably an 'unwelcome
addition, on his hrst arrival, to any fam
| lily; and most readers will recall the story
! OF the noblemau who refused 10 let his
| seventh son associate with his other six
| or with any of the guests of the family
but kept him locked up in his park like
! wild animal because his hair happened to
! be red.
Red hair, like everything else, has its
| constant admirers. and at times it has
! even been the raging fashion. This has
| been so from earliest times. In Venice.
| during the days of the painter Titan, red
hair was in such favor that the most
| iavorite shade of it took his name. And