The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-11-11
RAZORS And THEIR MOODS


THE LITTLE BARBEE EXPLAINS HIS
RATHER CURIOUS THEORY.
Blades Homed by Barber Who is Ner
vous or Low-spirited win Not Aca
Right Until Re-honed-An Example
ofOne Razor Controlled by a Murder-
ous Mood.
The little barber was not inclined to
be laxative, and after lathering his
customer and softening his beard by
the usual rubbing, began shaving
briskly He had made but a few
strokes, when he exclaimed: mo, that
won't do" and laying aside the razor
he had been using, picked up another.
AS the man in the chair had made no
complaint about the razor pulling, this
proceeding rather astonished him, and
he asked the reason for the change.
ooh, 1 could feel that it wasn't
right" said the barber as he shook a
few drops of bay rum into the shaw
ing mug.
lNAAN
man in the chair How do you make
that out? You never touched the edge
of the razor to test it's sharpness, and
certainly my face is as tender as the
next mans. and if the razor had pull
ed at all, l would have felt it and
told you So"
''That may be all very true retort-
ed the barber, "but when l say L felt
it was wrong, l mean just what
say. If had continued to use that
razor, you would have called for
change, so that l only anticipated you
The moment I laid it on your face 1T
was wrong / shall put it aside for
some time. Now, if you will turn your
head trife. There, that's right.
E"aYou said you'd lay that first razor
sadie for a time" the man ventured.
us it tired? 1t seems to me that
have read some place that razor will
get tired.
This remark happened to be the very
one to arouse the BARRIERS interest.
With sniff of contempt he said:
"There'e a question that makes me tir-
ed. A razor get tired! If you had said
that the person using it was tired or
nervous, you would have been much
nearer the truth. A razor firing is
merely the result of its being homer or
stopped when the person doing the
work is in a nervous or irritable condi-
ton, thereby losing his delicacy of
touch, which enables him to feel when
a razor is right
my sense of feeling tells me wheth-
er a razor is working right or not Any
barber will tell you the same thing. He
may not be able to explain 1t, bur 1t Is
SO. 1t makes all the difference in the
world how barber feels when he
homes razor If he is in good humor
and there is nothing to worry him, the
razor, even il it is not a strictly first
class blade, will work we'll But, on
the other hand, if he is nervous, irrit-
able or worried, the razor sharpened
by him while he Is in that condition
will never be right. The razor will be-
tray all sorts of peculiarities, CORE
spending to the mood that the person
who sharpened it was in at the time.
TO my way Of thinking, a man takes
big chances in using a razor or hay
ing one used on him. This is doubly
true If the wlelder of the razor hap
pens to be in the same mood as the bit
of steel. In such cases look out for
trouble. I've seen il too many times
to doubt the truth of what l am tell
ing you. That razor l laid aside was
troubled in that way, but as I was
feeling pretty cheerful l thought 1t
might work. and took a. chance, but 1t
was less than o minute after / han
died 1t that knew it was best t.
stop"
This attempt to show sympathetic |
relation between a razor and the per- |
son using it was pretty hard propo- |
sition for the man in the chair, and he
turned to look at the barber. AS he did |
he felt sharp prick on his chin, and |
the barber jumped back in a hurry.
The prompt application of a styptic
Dencil stopped the blood and the bar
her once more laid aside his razor 60
ing to the man at the other end of the
row of chairs to borrow one. In view
Of the fact that there were half a doz-
en- of the little barbers razors in the
drawer where he kept his other sup
niles, this borrowing OF one seemed
ra Their peculiar.
Bending over to see if the blood had
entirely stopped, the little barber said:
THAT lust proves what T was telling
III.
,euor, that had gone wrong to-day
I'll take no more chances. Like as not
I'd have a murder to answer for. if I
lid. The whole lot is off, and I'll use
40 more until | have re-honed them.
It's not that they'll dull for I honed
mem all the day before yesterday. But
hey're not right, or as those people
,ou were speaking about might say,
hey're tired. But l know what's
wrong l honed them when my nerves
we're in queer shape, and expected |
hem to act queer 1t was dull day
hough. and L had to do something. l
bought I'd take chance on honing
hem, but / see l was wrong, and you
an be sure that another time they'll
Wait until I'm in the proper mood, |
wen if 1 have to lay off because l have
10 razors in shape" "