The Press., 1897-10-07
HARVEST OF HAIR.
HOW THE COUPEURS GATHERED IT FROM THE HEAGS OF THE POOR

WiIes Employed to Get q Woman to Part |
 With Her Chief Clory'-There Was AL
 ways a Sure Market, Tor False Hair Was |
 Worn by All Fashionable Ladies.
 History records tho fact that ill 16S2, | in England, long, faXCn hair was pur- chased from the head at 10 shillings an ounce, while other fine hair fetched | from to shillinSs for the same quan- tity, and within the present century the heads of whole families in Devonshire were let out by the year at so much per poll, periwig 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 tresses ob tained 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 worn. A valuable merchandise in the blond hair of German women is mentioned in ancient Roman history.
 A question that has doubtless often presented itself is, Where did all this hair come from? Tkis question I will endeavor to answer. With the coming of spring in the midlands and west of France appeared what may fitly be termed a 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 one 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 a hirsute harvest.
 Armed with long, keen shears, they went their way seeking the tresses of willing victims dwelling in outlying | hamlets and villages of peasant France, and a laborious business it was. From 'fdewy morn'' until the shadows of night gathered thickly they did their 10 or 1 5 miles day-often fruitlessly and with empty stomachs, their only bed the wayside. In Auvergne these seekers after hair were known as chimneurs. | The Bretons called them margoulins. These terms have not fit English paral- | lels.
 l These curious Journeymen exerted every effort to gain their ends-a good head of hair-the former preferring the local fairs as a workroom, 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 staff, from | which hung twists of hair, while he cried in doleful tones the well known ,,So ,A &1,o @f aI, 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 colored 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 few yards of cotton stuff or a gay pet ticoat, to which, thanks to the progress of civilization, the coupeur had to add a small sum 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 not rob him of half his coveted trophy.
 Until the authorities intervened, cut ting was conducted in public as an 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 were then stuck up, from them being suspended petticoats as lure, as an indication of what could be had in exchange for tresses; to the petticoats were attached twists of hair as trademarks. The ruse succeeded peasants halted, casting envious glances at the multicolored garments. They were handled and even tried on, thus afording an opportunity to the coupeurs to f1atter their fair customers-who did not long rest-and victory rewarded the cute buyers. In Auvergne-where the coupeurs were most numerous - the greatest harvest was reaped on St. John s 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 their 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 faxCn from Belgium; the blackest and longest from Italy, while that pro- cured ill Brittany was the most beauti- ful, though least well cared for Hearth and Home.