The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-02-18
BAREHEADED BOYs.
Freakish Fashion in Which Young
WouId-Be Athletes Take Pride.
New York Mail and Express.

New York Mail and Express.
Groton school lies on the top OF a great hill
in northern Massachusetts, inviting the icy
winds from the White and Green noun
tains, and those that rush down from the
still remoter Canadian north through the
river riffs in the hill system of upper New
England. Beneath the Hill nestles a beau
tiful and primitive old village, where the
people have old-faShioned ways and no
tions. Sitting by their fires OF oak and ma
ple logs. these villagers often discuss the
strange habit OF the swell boys at the
school on the hill Of rushing around bare
headed In all sorts of winter weather. The
Groton people wear cloth caps In winter,
which are the successors or the coon-skin
caps that their fathers affected. Bare
heads-even the bare shock heads of vigor-
Gus ~boys-they never heard OF in winter
out of doors.
And now that there is something like an
epidemic of pneumonia at Groton school,
with the Presidents son sick nigh unto
death, perhaps, the village people are loud
in their denunciation Of this bareheaded
fashion. The practice is not at all peculiar
to Groton school. Tbs other day a hand
some boy, attended by two men, was seen
riding bareheaded in Central Park. Clad as
to his body in a warm Jersey, and well
trousered, stockinged and booted, his head
was unprotected, save for its excellent nat
ural covering of hair. which tossed in the
cold wind as he trOtted along on his fine
horse. He did not look uncomfortable or
cold, and probably he was not.
1t is a common practice among young
athletes TO exercise bareheaded all winter.
The Groton school boys were only follow.
ing a fashion. Is il a wise or safe fashion7
doubtless the doctors will disagree on this
question, as they do on most others. There
is. however, an attitude Of common sense
about the matter, which laymen may as
sumo as safely as doctors.
If boys never put on hats at all as the
season grows cold; if they let the hair grow
thick on their heads, and scorned other
covering altogether, as Indians do who
have not yet been compulsOrily shOrn by
the government. there is no doubt what
ever that they would be safe enough
against the cold. They would become en-
tirely hahituated TO the thing. and not only
would nature take good care of them. but
il would save them from the curse Of bald
ness in maturity. But this is not the way
boys do. Custom requires that for the
greater part Of their time they. shall wear
hats or caps. In their ordinary goings and
comings their heads are arti6cially coy
cred. Nor can they, like Mr.. Paderewski
OF a football player in November. let their
hair grow and bush out wide in a glorious
shock.
The bareheaded practice is an unusual
gerous. II is a pretty fashion. but one not
to be commended. And on the high Mills of
northern Massachusetts the winds are par
t~icularly searching. The people who built
Groton more than two hundred years ago
were wise when. after finding that IL was
really not practicable to follow the Indian
custom. they robbed the coons OF their
skins for head covering.