The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-03-11
RED-HAIRED PERSONS.
"F1ery'' Locks Now the Fashion In
Northumberland Types of RufOus
Haired People and Races.

LOndOn-Diherent Types OF Hufous
Haired People and Races.
From the London Globe.
Red hair is the fashion. We have it
on the authority of counsel in recent
action for libel through the charac-
ter of q novel, and certainly a more
or less fragrant style of chevelure has
been conspicuous of late. Why or
how it became the fashion is, perhaps,
one of those esoteric mysteries better
left to the Imagination. 1t is never
theless, a remarkable fact, notwith-
standing a very ancient prejudice
against it, red hair is the fashion.
Ginger and "carrots" are not exact
ly flattering metaphors, and there is
even a vulgar superstition that rufous
hair, like radium, has the property of
emitting heat. Don't come too near"
cried a young collier to a Scotch lady
who canvassed a mining village in the
interest of her husband. and offered
the electors a kiss for vote. Don't
come too near. You might set fire to
US" mot you, my lad" was the
smuggling retort; you are too green"
On the other hand, it is we'll known
that artists are partial to some Varle-
ties of red hair. We have only to
glance at the advertisements on the
hoardings or the pictures in the gal
leries to see that. In classical ana
medieval art red as well as golden
locks were to the front, and modern
artists have only followed their lead.
Regarding the popular pre1udlce
against red hair, Prof. Kari PEARSON,
F. r. S., in his lecture at the Royal
Institution on reading character from
external signs, mentioned that OLD
TndaC TCcaTi0t WITH
red hair, and stage directions for the
passion plays prescribed to his repre-
sentative a red wig, but If prejudice
or tradition entered into the case, II
is equally true that old masters paint
ed not merely gods and goddesses, but
saints, angels and even the saviour
with red hair. That is quite evident
from their works in the Natlonal Gal
lery, for example, Francia's picture or
the angels watching the dead Christ
in the Holy Sepulchre. Red and yellow
hair, with a certain type of beauty,
that of Madonnas, would seem TO pre-
dominate in ideal pictures of the Re-
naissance. Black hair, and perhaps
coarse variety of red, is noticeable IN
the lower personages, for instance the
executioners of a st. Sebastian.
Whether and how far popular tradl-
ton and artistic sentiment accounts
All AAAb ~ 10 INV a FNAJ
iicult question. Contemporary por-
traits appear 10 show that the chosen
type was not invented, but existed
among the people and furnished models
10 the painters.
Yellow or golden-red hair is honored
In the early poems, ballads. and ro-
mances OF European peoples. A Scan
dinayian bard ascribes golden hair 20
mobiles and warriors, red hair 10 churls,
~. - H. - on
The stage the prince and princess the
hero and heroine. had usually blonde
and the villain black hair. The great
beauty ana high character of certain
Qnrk types was not 10 well recognized
ns n IL to-day. They were NOT the fash
ION. The prejudice against red hPir
extends ~ character as well ah ~ looks,
ior u d held 10 indicate a hot o. haNtN
ana even a BAD, temper. some pfeaa~