The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-18
THE HATLESS LADY
is FASHIONABLE.


~ has been in the country or per-
haps in a camp in the woods for
two or three months 1t suddenly comes
over her all in a heap how far away
from nature we have strayed, we who
hatter ourselves we are civilized. Is the
Indian ever baldheaded or does bear
or a buffalo need artificial head cover
ing to keep it from taking cold in
winter? The tight fitting felt or silk
hat of men is certainly responsible for
the hairless skulls of so many of them!
Must it be repeated for the thousandth
time that nature meant the hair, and it
only, to cover the head and keep 1t
warm in winter, that when we bundle
up our heads in stiff air tight castings
we stop the circulation of blood at the
roots of the hair and starve them and
then the hairs fall out, dead?
It is a fact as old as the history of
man that races who go bareheaded al
most altogether have hair as thick as
that of the bear or buffalo. Look at
the Tagalos of the Philippines. the Fa-
waiians or even the sturdy Italian wo-
men, those who in our country preserve
their national fashion of walking the
streets bsreheaded or with only light
lace scarf thrown over their abundant
black braids.
If American women did not interfere
with natures processes by wearing
cramping, deadening, overheating hats
and bonnets they, too, would have hair
perpetually thick and glossy. They
would never grow bald on top of their
heads or around the temples, and they
would not become gray nearly so soon.
Luckily for the past two or three
years fashion has permitted women to
walk, ride and cycle hatless when they
are in the country in summer. Marked
betterment in health and Improvement
in the hair itself have resulted from the
pleasant experience of travelling bare
headed. Now. at the beginning of sum-
mer, is the best time to leave off the
hat and let the sunshine pour its only
original hair tonic upon the head and
the wind toss sne's locks about accord
ing to natures own shampoo method.
One need not fear to be out of style go
ing hatiess in the country. The wo-
man with her pretty head uncovered
save by natures own beautiful milli-
merry is the vogue
It has been found that going bare
headed in the winter will produce
lu&uriant growth of hair upon any
head where the roots are not altogether
dead. In the Adirondack winter re
sorts for consumptives invalids have
become accustomed to walk out we'll
wrapped up IS to their bodies, but
wholly unprotected as to their heads.
At Saranac lake, even " tn the Their
mometer at 20 below zero, delicate wo-
men walk in the open air hatless.
When the habit of going bareheaded
has been adopted in the summer and
the head has gradually become hard
ened to it with the approach of the cold
weather no cold. catarrh or neuralgia
has been contracted. On the contrary,
the chronic ailments of this sort that
the patient took with her to Saranac
have disapDear red
In the Adirondacks is a gentleman
whose occupation, that of surveyor,
takes him outdoors in all weather and
seasons. For years this gentleman has
worn no hat, winter or summer. For
merly he had neuralgia, which attacked
him with agonizing pains. and he found
no cure. 1t was suggested to him that
he go without a hat for awhile and try
what this would do for him. He was at
that extremity where he would have
tried anything, and he adopted the sug-
gestion. His neuralgia was cured en-
tirely. Not only that but incidentally
he found in the course of a few months
that his hair was sprouting out thick
and luxuriant. Perhaps the time may
come when we shall venture back near
enough to nature to walk in the city
streets with uncovered heads. Then
there will be no more bald heads. The
invalid ladies who take their walks
hatless at the winter mountain resorts
experience, like the surveyor, the re-
generation and renewal of the head
covering they were born with When
they return to their city homes they
are enabled to point with pride to their
thickly clustering locks and declare:
Nature grew this hair.
MARY GOULD LYLE