The morning times., 1896-02-02
BARRIERS AND BAD LUCK
Fears Of the Most Superstitious
of All the Crafts.
SOME JOBS THEY DON'T LIKE
How One Razor Waits on Another
when II Youth Appears for His
Maiden Sha We john l.. Sullivan Once
Earned Al Dollar with II Razor at
Washington Hotel.

In popular comment on the never-lacking
ability of Il barber to talk, cne of his most
CHARACTERISTIC attributes has been almost
entirely ovcrlOoked-his superstition. As
class BARRIERS are said to be the most
superstitious members of any craft or pro-
fcssiOn known.
The g!ddy girl may foresee evil when
she looks en- the infant moon over her left
puifcd sleeve and through the branches
of n spreading sapling; the co,ored mann
my may be able to see a whole consign-
ment of varicgatcd trouble in the passing
of a black cat across her path, and the
ebony crap-shooter may experience Il
complete annihilation of hope when he dis
covers the loss cf his rabbits foot, but the
barber finds himself in the embrace of
superstition when he would not willfully
ne there and when he can only describe
himself as under the control OF some occult
power.
For instance, it is common complaint
among tonscrial artists that they do not
care TO shave the succulcnt youth upon
whose face the lather brush and razor
have not vet made their debut. For somc
cause akin TO that which makes the bar
ber steer clear of The lad with the en-
bryo beard, he viii also held himself aloof
from the man who has had a shave 50 re-
Gently that he would not lcok uncanny to
go without the luxury fer another twenty
four hours, and yet whose face would hardly
pass muster were he going TO make his
initial appearance before the bridal altar.
TIE REPORTER WATCHED.
Only day or two ago the reporter sat
in ID street barber shop, when a man OF
the above description came in. All the
chairs We're full, but the newcomer was
next after the reporter. Each wielder
of the FURNISHED steel spicd the newcomer
in turn and pcrceptible expression of
annoyance came over every face. The
occupant of one chair was finished and the
barber there stationed beckoned the reporter
to come on. Then there began a race among
all of the razor artists to see who could
kill the greatest quantity of time. Never
before did six chsirfuls OF men receive such
patient attention in the adornment of the
couEtenance as they received on that
occasion.
The man with the beard of short dura-
tion squirtned in his seat and read the
morning papers, advertisements and all.
Finally two OF the BARRIERS got through
simultaneously, and each became sad
denly seized with 4 fiji % coughing that
sent each TO the door, where they stayed
until the head" man ordered one i'll to
take the job.
Why is it that sou all hate TO shave
such race?'' asked the reporter afterwards.
II dunno, boss one of the artists re-
sponded, but I'd redder do mos any
thing; RAIDER trudgc through grabeyard ON
n dawk night, dan shabe 4 man wot don't
need it. l KANT 'splain it. though. But
bad luck's gwine to come on de man wot
hab to do 50, sure as nuffin.''
UNNERvED BY A CUSTOMER EYE.
There is something in the eye Or face OF.
n man, too, that will often unncrvc the man
that holds the razor over him, much. prob
ably, to the eventual discomfort OF the for
mer. especially after his face is left ASA
design for pounded beefsteak.
A young Washington physician, who |
neither practices nor believes in hypno- |
tism, tells of an adventure along this line |
he experienced a short tine ago. When |
he sat down in the barber's chair he gave |
a casual glance at the man who was so |
soon TO amputatc his beard. The physi- |
elan had never been in the shop before. ana |
had never seen the barber. He caught the |
latter square in his organ of vision, and the |
barber flushed perceptlbly.
Presently the agitator of the razor re-
turned to spread the lather. This time he |
seemed to instinctively look for the doctors |
eyes, and again the two pairs of optics met. |
The nervousness Of the barber increased 10 |
such an extent that at this point he let fail |
his brush. Again theeyes of the shaver and |
the shaved met, and the nervousness of the |
former increased like the velocity of an egg
dropped frumth top of the monument.
The physician then saw that he was hay