, 1897-03-29
HARVEST OF HAIR.
HOW THE COUPsURS GATHERED II
FROM THE HEADS OF THE POOR

FROM THE HEADS OF THE POOR
wiIes Employed to Get u Woman to Part
With Her "Chief Glory"-There Was Al
ways n Sure Market. For False Hair Was
Worn ny All Fashionable Ladies'.
History records the fact that in 1852.
ill England, long, faxen hair wa pur-
chased from the head at 10 shillings an
ounce, while other fine hair fetched
from 3 to Z shillinss for the same quau-
tity, and within the proscn. century the
heads of whole families in Devonshire
were let out by the year ut so much per
poll, a perlwig maker Of Exeter going
round at certain periods to cut the locks.
afterward oiling the skull of each bereft
person. That the use of false hair as an
aid to feminine beauty was not unknown
to the ancients is well proved. The
Greeks, Romans and Egyptians, long
before the dawn of the Christian era.
resorted to the wearing of trcsscs OBJ
tanned from other persons heads. They
even went so far as to paint bald heads
SO as to represent them as covered with
short hair, also marble caps so painted
were worm. A valuable merchandise in
the blond hair of German women Is
mentioned i'll ancient Roman history.
A question that has doubtless often
presented itself is, Where did all this
hair come frcm? This question l will
endeavor to answ With the coming
of spring i'll the midlands and west OF
France appeared what may fifty be
termed Il singular class of nomadic indi-
viduals, armed with long, iron tipped
slaves and bearing heavy packs of mer-
chandise upon their backs. At first
glance II would have taken them to
be ordinary hawkers, yet merchandise
was but an accessory to their strange
industry. They were the coupeurs, the
reapers of Il hirsute harvest.
Armed with long, keen shears, they
went their way seeking the tresses of
willing victims dwelling in outlying
hanlets and villages of peasant France,
and a laborious business it was. From
''dewy morn until the shadows of
night gathered thickly they did their 10
or 10 miles Il day-oftcn frui.lcSslv and
with empty stomachs, their only bed the
wayside. In Auvergne these seekers
after hair were known as Chimncurs.
The BretOns called them margOulius.
These terms have not fit English paral-
lels.
These curious journcymon cXcrtcd
every effort to gain their ends-a good
head of hair-thc former prcferring the
local fairs as II w%orkroom, the latter
choosing to visit the dwellings of their
possible clients. In summer the Brittany
margoulin was often seen going through
the streets, carrying his long ,i.f, from
which hung twists of hair, while he
cried III doleful tones the we'll known
"Piau, piau!' ut the sOund of which
the cottagers, with an itching desire to
possess some of his gewgaws, attracted
the wanderers attention. He was only
too pleased to dazzle their eyes with his
many colorcd wares, and the bargaining
was not slow to begin. While the women
fingered his goods the margoulin weigh
ed her tresses with his hand, a proceed
ing at which he was adept through long
practice. The bargain ended. the woman
yielded her abundant locks in return for
a few yards of cotton stuff or Il gay pet
ticoat, to which, thanks to the progress
of civilization, the coupeur had to add Il
small sun Of money. Sometimes the
transaction was not completed without
much discussion on both sides. Very
often the coupeur had to return to the
charge owing to female indecision, and
he was more than happy when sure that
a tardy remorse would lot rob him of
half his coveted trophy.
Ty~t,1 xl,, ,rtIo,ti,, irt,,,o,,,l prf
ting was conducted in pu bic rs al
amusement for onlookers, it being con-
sidered highly entertaining to hear 10
or 12 rival coupeurs eulogizing their
wares, each protesting his to be far su-
perior to his fellows. The prohibition
of this custom drove the hair harvesters'
to erect tents, rent for the day unoccu-
pied shops, cellars, stables or any corner
they could find wherein to establish
themselves. Sticks We're then stuck up,
from them being suspended p%etticoats
us a lure, us an indication of what could
be had in exchange for t~resses; to the
petticoats We're attached twists of hair
as trademarks. The ruse succeeded,
peasants halted, casting envious glances
ut the multicolored garments. They
were handled and even tried on, thus
affording an opportunity to the coupeurs
to fiatter their fair customers-who did
not long rest-and victory rewarded the
cute buyers. In Auvcrgne-where the
coupeurs were most numerous the
greatest harvest was reaped on st. Johns
day. The ~ingathering extended from
April to September, during which month
the butchers, bakers, locksmiths, etc.
forsook their ordinary ]avocations for
that of the coupeur, returning to theil
legitimate trades with the coming of
the dead season. The hair of different
countries was distinguished by certain
qualities. For instance, that of Au-
vergne was the coarsest; the finest and
most flaxen from Belgium; the blacklist
and longest from Italy, while that pro-
cured in Brittany was the most beauti-
full, though least we'll cared for
Hearth and Home.
Classical Boston.
General Horace Porter in fhe cOnrse