Los Angeles herald., 1905-07-16

praises of women's hair. Dressed
in the language of the bard the
story is enhancing; viewed in an every
day light and from the viewpoint of
the man who buys and sells the lovely
locks the romance disappears and one
interprets anew the words "a rag and
a bone and hank of hair"
New York supports a thriving mar
ket for human hair. A woman may
sell her tresses to man who will
prepare them for the 'trade" and in
due time they will be hung in the
hairdresser's window with dozen
other switches" This trade in hair
in America is practically a. new de-
parture for the dealer. Heretofore all
hair has come from foreign countries
where such method of obtaining
money has existed among the peasants
ever since women of the cities have
resorted to other than their natural
hair to complete their coiffures.
In Austria, Moravia, Sweden and
Germany women make business of
selling their hair to dealers, who period
ically visit the towns, and it was one
of these enterprising travelling men
who made possible the purchase of
human hair in America. This man
saw that an immense number of immi>
grants were sailing for America, and
made it his business to appear on the
dock when steamship sailed and can
vass among the peasant women, many
of whom had before sold their hair.
To some 1t was no new experience, but
to all he gave cards to various New
York houses to which, on landing, the
peasants might apply should they de-
eide to part with their hair.
In America the promotion of such
trade is absolutely prohibited; no
man is permitted to canvass among
people for such a purpose. On Ellis
island, and even at the Battery, a
guard is placed against it, and as these
are the existing conditions no dealer
ever visits the docks. Knowing that
there are people here who purchase
hair, II the peasant chooses she may go
to one of the houses and, offering her
hair for sale, the dealer may have
no scruples about accepting it.
Husbands often object to having their
wives part with their hair. At one
period there was so much opposition
that very little hair could be pur-
chased. Formerly the hair was entire,
ly cut from the head. but today the
man who wishes to obtain the shining
locks from the peasants head asks
her to part with only the long middle
strand. Many trick is resorted to
by the hair cutter; for instance, he will
take a thick strand of hair from the
middle of the head, twist It very tight
and then show it to the woman.
"see." he will say in bland manner,
this is all will cut"
Then he snips it off close to the head.
a thick, heavy strand, and before the
woman can look he puts It in his bag.
The woman's remaining hair is then
done up on top of her head. and when
the husband returns at night he is not
whit the wiser nor troubles over his
wife's deception. He may wonder
where she got that bright shawl or
where the extra spending money came
from. woman who can deceive once
successfully is generally capable OF
playing the same part twice.
Restrictions Of the Trade
Politics plays part in the hair mar
ket OF Sweden and Germany. For a
time the hair cutters were in guam
dary to know how to overcome the
restrictions placed on them by the gov
ernment 1t was suggested by an over
seer that the men who Travelled
throughout the country purchasing hair
from the peasants were in many cases
Socialists, who chose this method of
getting close to the people in order 10
spread sociallstie views. When this
was discovered q ban was placed on