The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1906-04-04

chanic's lad nave struggled
onward and upward TO distinction.
Apparently they have ignored the
barber's achievements. .i
Nevertheless, there are numerous in
stances of BARRIERS who have become
celebrities in various fields Of human
endeavOr.
In former times the barbers craft
was dignified with the title Of pro-
fession, be 1t known. 1t was cOnjoined
with the art of surgery. In the time
acted that the BARRIERS should contine
themselves to the minor operations of
blood-letting and drawing teeth. while
the surgeons were prohibited from bar
berry or shaving Later on-about the
middle of the eighteenth century-the
two callings were entirely separate.
The striped pole in front of shops
to-day is symbolic Of former times,
suggesting the period when the bar
Der was also a surgeon and indicating
the ribbon for bandaging the arm in
bleeding
1t was long after the vocations be-
came distinct that Edward Burtenshaw
Sugden rose to eminence. Sugden was
the son of q hairdresser in Duke street,
Westminster and was assistant in the
shop. When he was fOrty-one years
of age he was made kings counsel
and chosen bencher of Lincoln's Inn.
Under the first administration of Lord
Derby he was raised to the peerage as
Lord st. Leonards.
1t goes without saying that there
were not lacking envious persons to
twit him with his former occupation,
and this story is told: Once when ad.
dressing a crowd inrthe interest of his
own candidacy to Parliament a man
called out to know what soap was
worth and how lather was made.
81 am particularly obliged to that
gentleman for reminding me Of my
origin" said Sir Edward. 1T is true
that am BARRIERS son and was once
myself barber. If the gentleman
who so politely reminded me of these
facts had been a barber he shows
mere tUbL lie WOulu udNc ttundluCu Ouc
to the end of his life"
Then there was Charles Abbott, q
BARRIERS son, ga scrubby little lad who
used to wait on his father with razors
and pewter bowl" Abbott was
also made a peer of England.
An English writer has said of a
certain inventive Engllshman: "While
his inventions have conferred infinitely
more real benefit on his own country
than she could have derived from the
absolute dominion of Mexico and Peru
they have been universally productive
Of wealth and enjoyment"
This genius was Sir Richard Ark
wright, and his inventions were in the
cotton spinning industry. He was
born in 1882, turned from wig making
when the trade fell off, became enor-
mously wealthy, was made peer. and
died in the sixtieth year OF his age.
English literature has been made
richer by at least three BARRIERS.
Jeremy Taylor was brought up In
his fathers shop at Cambridge. Eng
land He is perhaps the most famous
Of all the BARRIERS, his books remaining
popular after 250 years. A critic says
truthfully that his work is especially
literary. Weighty with argument, his
sermons and books of devotion are still
read among us for their sweet and deep
devotion and their rapidly flowing and
poetic eloquence. His most important
work is "The Liberty OF Prophesying."
The greatest English naval poet
Charles Dibdin taking rank as second
was William FaicOner. He was q
barber in Edinburgh until his poem
''The Shipwreck" not only made him
famous but won him n career in the
Royal Navy. This poem, by the way.
was based on his own experience.
When yet young he had a chance to
| take voyage on an English vessel
bound for Venice. The ship was over
taken by a dreadful storm of Cape
Colouna and was wrecked. only three
of the crew being saved. One of these
was Falconer. and the incidents OF the
voyage and its disastrous termination
formed the subject of his poem.
Strangely enough the terrOrs OF the
| sea which he so e!oquently described
did not deter him from following it.
and he was lost in the wreck Of an
other ship few years later.
Allan Ramsay. the Scottish poet,
who died the year before the birth of
Burns, is justly celebrated in the liter
ature of England. "The Gentle Shep-
herd" is especially worthy Of remem-
brance, being a pure. tender and gen.
uine picture Of Scottish life and love
among the poor in the country. He
carried on the song of rurai life and
love and humor which Burns per-
fected. Allan Ramsay was at one time
prosperous wig maker.
Benjamin Franklin made more than
national reputation with his "Poor
| Richards Almanac" No doubt Frank
lin got the name for his almanac
from William Winstanley, the barber
who issued the Poor Robin" almanacs