The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1896-06-17
HINDOO BARRIERS.
Perform Many Other Duties Beside Shaw
Ing and Hair-Cutting.

Perform Many Other Duties Beside Shaw
Ing and Hair-Cutting.
The barber of India is man of much
Importance. He has no shop and does
not solicit customers by signs or sym
bols; neither does he worry his custom
crs while shaving or cutting their hair
with useless talk The Hindoo barber
is a man of few words. His principle is,
q silent tongue and strict attention to
business. If the tourist in India observes
closely the stream of life, seen on the
man of quiet de1neanor strolling along,
near the bazaars, carrying small bag
or rolled-up bundle under his arm,
apparently not very solicitous of the
attention of the passe,s-by. This is the
Hindoo barber. He does not, like his
Chinese compeer, ring a bell or utter
any cry. Quietly he goes along more
like philosopher than shaver of men.
But, despite the fact that he has no
shop and lacks pomp, he, however, holds
distinguished position among his
countrymen.
The Hindoo barber visits certain fam
lilies regularly every morning early.
The servant announces his presence
and he comes in with salaam and a
morning habit" You sit down COM
fortably out on the veranda. The bar
Der unrolls his little bundle, displaying
two or three razors, pair of scissors, a
small iron instrument to cut the nails,
piece of leather for stropping and
little brass cup, which he fills with cold
water-hot water is rarely used. He
carries no brush for lathering the face.
In the country towns he does not even
use soap. After stropping the razor he
vets your face and commences his shaw
ing operations. A few light touches of
the razor, hardly felt, and the whole
thing is done in less time than it takes
to tell it. After shaving he rubs the
palm of his hand over your face two or
three minutes. In this manner he
polishes your face to such degree that
you are surprised when you look in the
glass; in fact, your own face would
make fairly good looking-glass for
some other person.
After cleaning your nails he rolls up
his bundle and departs with a low sa-
laam. Not word has been uttered by
him during all this time. For his daily
services he receives 70 cents month.
A single shave is one cent, and the
charge for hair cutting is from two to
four cents.
The barber is also the village sur
geon. He performs bleeding, cupping
and sometimes undertakes surgical
operations. It is he who bores the girls
ears and noses for putting in rings.
Where there are no professional match
makers the barber acts as a gO-between
in marriages. No religious rite can be
performed without the presence of the
family barber. At the birth of child
the barber carries the good news to the
relatives of the family. He plays an
important part at wedding, it being
his duty to dress the groom. On the
occasion of funeral the barber SLAVES
the heads of the living and the dead.
So great is his power and influence III
religious ceremonies that a Hindoo
nourner is not considered clean until
he is touched by barber. Though OF
a very low caste, yet the Hindoo bar
ber's position brings him at times Sec
ond only to the high-caste Brahmin."-
Cincinnati Enquirer.
-Lapdog beacles are the descendants