Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-02
YOUNGMEN'S GRAYHAIR

It's q queer thing how ideas about hair
have changed In my time" said the elderly
proprietor OF Washington hotel barber
shop. II can remember when a man Of
thirty-1ve or so would feel dismal for q
week after his barber had found three or
four gray hairs in his head. In those days
a dozen bottles of hair dye were used
where an eighth Of bottle is used nova
days-and that eighth of bottle only for
mustaches-and men with a natural tend
ency to premature grayness used to have
their locks painted dark or black every two
or three months. But that's all changed
now. The young fellows are eager for
the appearance of gray hairs in their heads
as those of that other day used to be for
thick, Spread-eagle mustaches.
In fact. diplomatic BARRIERS now have a
regular formula for flattering some Of
their rollicking young customers.
oh, no. says the barber, in that Hist!
Eureka! tone. to the roistering young chap
whose head he is going over with comb;
the game is beginning to tell on you, heyT
why, what's the matter? inquiries the
young fellow, with an idea Of what's COM
ing. and giving one Of those disparaging.
OIL NJ not-so- wicked grins.
oh, nothing. says the diplomatic BAR
Der, except that you've got to turn around
and be good il you don't want to be as gray
as badger inside Of two years, that's all.
There's a bunch here at the back Of your
head that's positively white ~
'Gittout! Is that SO? says the young
fellow, in tone Of bogus alarm. although
body can see that he's tfckled almost
speechless. oh. guess there are only one
or two of the gray spikes there, and you're
exaggerating, hey?
argumentative tone that pleases the young
fellow so much that he can hardly keep
still in his chair. Ell bet there are 300 of
'em right here in this patch-and. say, look
how cti irrc and On
sides, too.
And the young fellow smiles oilily at
his reflection in the mirror and looks be-
atificaIly guilty.
well, that's what this thing Of jam
ming around town at all hours and getting
no sleep O. nights Is bound to do to you
high rollers the barber says, virtuously,
and then the young fellow protests that
he's been getting to bed as early as z
o'clock in the morning for three months
past at least.
The thing behind it, you see, is that the
youngish chaps of today, as a general
thing like to be looked upon as sad dogs.
And gray hair is ordinarily but erro-
neously regarded a sure sign of per-
fectly lovely dissipated life when it makes
it's appearance on the head of youngish
man, gray hair is what they want, and the
more of it the better. Right here, 1 want
to remark that that current notion that
gray hair on the head of a young man is
generally the sign of dissipation is simply
swiftest that ever punished their systems
for forty years at a stretch In this coun-
try, and some of them had no more gray
hair on their heads than there is on the
wing of a blackbird. If you inherit a tend
ency to early grayness. you can turn into
your little white bunk every night at .
o'clock, after a light rejection of milk and
graham waters, and still be as gray as
badger by the time you re thirty.
The stage offers another reason why the
youngish men of today are fond of gray
hair. They can't go to the theater with
out observing what a hit the younglsh-
looking actor with the natural or fixed-up
gray hair makes with the women folks In
the audience. and they leave the theater
saying to themselves: Me. too. for the
gray ones
"A good many married men nowadays
Kermit their wives to dictate to them as to
how they shall wear their hair, and that's
why so many married men go around look
ing like guys The men revolt once in
while. though. and when they do they go
the limit yong fellow who'd been
ever since his marriage about year ago
rushed in here the other day. clambered
into my chair, and, pointing to his mop,
said
Il thought I'd misunderstood him. and so
I asked him about 1t.
Yep, that's what 1 said-clip 1t all off
with the clippers he repeated " 49,.
But you'll look like bullet-head,' I
said. knowing him well.
Look here. 1 know what l want he
snapped at me- shutting me up. L don't
care if look like Bill Sykes after you get
through, l want this mop of feathers taken
Off and with the clippers, see?
He looked like he'd just escaped from
Moundsvlle after I'd got through with him,
and portions of his head stood out in
punches and knobs But he seemed to be
happy.
He had two days growth of bard
his face. and when L got through clipping
off his gunnySackful of hair I asked him if
he wanted a shave. too. s-.
NIX he replied. Going to let 'em
wave
He paid me, and went out muttering to
himself:
4 guess maybe 1 won't get even with
some folks whOve bullied me into going
around Washington looking like a bum
chrome painter out of work for a year or
So.
He passed by here yesterday, and grin
ned in at me when I nodded to him. His
beard is about two weeks old now and as
red the coat of an Irish setter. His
head still stands out in Jumps. and in gem
eral, he's ringer foc police paper por-
trait.