The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1901-01-12
TIE SILENT BARBER TALKS,

The Warbler, like the woman Is a victim
of tradition When the patriarchs first
sacrificed their boards, the barber made a
reputation for loquacity, and he can't live
It down. Novelists and tiramatists have
helped on the Islander, and to-day, if all
i BARRIERS were chosen from deaf mute in
situations, they would still be set down
as takers of first rank ~. o.
AS a matter Of fact the modern barber
| is a silent man. He hasn't time to talk,
and his victfrn hasn't time to listen. In
the good old days wien tradition was
made, nobody was n a hurry y man took
all day for a bath and a haircut and ex-
/ pected entertainment THROWN in with the
towels and the lather. The barber poised
/ his razor. or. scissors i'll snidair. and
launched into airy persifage or golden
philosophy, or oratioDs on sociology,
economics and literature, or rhymed
stanzas. At Least. that is what he does
IN historical novels. Occasionally, he still
does 1t In the funny papers. but one
| shudders to think OF the customers con-
! lrloution to the airy pers.fage should
the system be applied to real life go -
| Nhen business man allows himself
Twelve minutes Tor LUNCHEON and a shave,
ne hasn't time for intellectual refresh
ments, and his barber knows it. The
modern BARRIERS brain and soul NAV he
seethlng with eloQuence, but he is a
mute -inglorious Milton 1T is only in his
| hours of ease that the up to-date barber $
soul expands and he goes in for the gentle
art or conversation, says an observant
| CnrOnicIer
Sun, but to know him in his moments of
relaxation is to realize how much simple
enjoyment we miss in this busy world.
1nere was man who was shaved. by
'lls Same paroer every day for two years.
aio never got further along in 'the@ac-
qualntance that sentences of six words.
linen one night, he locked across con.
cert garden table, Ind, through cloud of
fstnoAe, saw face that seemed STRANGELY
familiar He instinctieely leaned his head
backward and composed his features.
linen he sat up and said:
How are you, Smith? Wtat'n vta,
; have?'
AFTER that preliminary lather, conSersl-
ten glidcd as smoothly as Smiths razo-.
~ was thinking, sir said the bar
per- that its a funny world
The man agreed to the proposition
| NOW, why would man delibera tely go
to work and show every rasca.iv irait he
he's, when he could cover it. M? A man
cant keep his secrets behind, a smooth
ace ana l don't. see why; nowadays,
Where everybody is laying himself out ia
20 everybody else, men are going in foI
I smooth faces ..,
| ~ It IN order lathe BARBER and Mis-
fssegenyzn be preserved TO- lis, ,s.,ss.l SIG
gested the man.
Not on your life If the Lord were
looking out for the barber, he'd stop this
1ad 1or shaving, at home. No, sir; it's A
1unny thing. Did you ever shave a man?''
I've occasionally fayed myself"
wei, that's 10 fun. You know how
had you are before you start ir: but, I
teli~you,. shaving a strange man with 2
beard and mustache is like cutting into
MS soul and having 4 look at it. I've
stumbled: Oh the queerest things in INV
business. Someway or other after a man
mas peen clean shaver tor a while, he
gets ms mask into working order and
puts up a facial bluff; but when he has
Always worn beard and isn't used to
watching his mouth and chin thew give
MN away in great shape The barber
gets the first revelation and it's interest
ing. It's very interesting. I've shaved
men when felt as if I'd opened private
letters OR read a diary.
L often wonder how some men have
the nerve To- go home to their wives or
~ meet thelr friends after their first clear
snaVes. Do You know what I'd like to
nave! Id like to have two pictures of
every bearded man I've ever shaved, one
picture OF him as a boy, at the time Of
MS nrst shave, and another Of him taken
"hen he'd had his first clean shave after
wearing a beard Or mustache for wears.
Ihatd be interesting reading. OF course
some men always have worn smooth faces
and they've kept an eye on their months
and chins and taught them not to tell
tales
The man drank his beer ref4ective]v
and stroked his mustache Incidentally
ne made UP his mind that if he ever
yielded to her persuasion and sacrificed
that mustache he'd go to a less observ-
ant barber. 49,
why are the men all going in for
smooth faces?'' he asked.
Heaven knows, I don't. It's the stv,e.
but don't know how it started The
actors and the walters used to have If
all their own way. Now when a man
comes in don't know whether he nIavs
Hamlet or shovels SALADS or wrecks
railroads. Even the SPECTATORS and
other gamblers shave smoothly now,
and it's "a mistake. OF course they cut
tivate sort Of stone jaw expression:
but what's the use when a beard womb
do all the work? The only fellow who
has right to wear smooth face Is a
man with a fine, strong chin and clean
cut .Hls and good teeth end, honest eyes.
and he doesn't fly around IN focks: hut
the men with reeeding ,chins, and weak
upper lips and projecting teeth and up,v
lines at their mouth corners ought to be
required by law to grow boards. It's
Ike this vice business. You can; stamp
1T outS but you, at least might cover Fl
up and prevent it's exposure
Don't you think it's a snuarer dea,
ana a safer for the general public If
concealed weapons are prohibited?'' the
man inquired, looking around at the
crowd, and then coming back to the
keen-eyed little man across the table
from him.
Well. perhaps SO. Everybody has the
same start then. Odds are even. so to
speak. But it's inartistic. It's da,nna
bly, inartistic. Professional taste looked
out through unimpassioned observation.
Oh. II you are going in for esthetics ~
Exactly so. The man had wondered
whether Smith would know what aes.
+ Inetics We're Smith did. Exactly SO.
NO one has right to be uglier thar
S1an ~. * :