Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-05
HER VIEWS OF PARIS
Overheard MonoIogue of a Ne
braska Woman
HAVING HER HAIR DRESSED
Customs Much Different From Those
in St. Joe.
HAS REVISED HER OPINIONS
Discourses on the Benefits of Foreign.
Travel as Experienced
by Herself. I:
HAS REVISED HER OPINIONS

Travel as Experienced -.
by Herself.
| BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS. = -.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the Chicago
| Record Herald.
PARIS, September II, 1906.
Both women and men are served in the
same barber shops Of Europe, and the two
departments at the Continental Hotel are
divided only by velvet curtain. AS
sat there the other day, waiting my turn.
overheard a conversation, strictly one
| sided, which became SO interesting that
pulled my notebook from my pocket and
put it down: -
| This is the first time that have ever had
my hair done up by man." said sharp
| American voice, land amt use to it yet.
| The first time 1 nearly had At when a
| man barber at hotel in Switzerland be-
| gan to fool around my head. I couldn't
think It was right for men to be doing such
things, and me a married woman, too, but
when I seen other women going in there
every day and getting shampoos and having
their hair done up began to feel a little
| more reconciled and satisfied that hadn't
| done nothing that was much out OF the
| way. My husband. he says that it is the
custom of the country, and when we go to
other countries, why, of course, we can't
| take all our own customs along. It's only
| right to do as the folks that live there do.
"Oui, oui, madame" interjected the bar
her, who didn't understand word that she
was saying, but was too polite to tell her
II suppose we have some customs in
America that would seem queer to you
folks over here, but we don't have no
women's barber shops Out in our town
ST. Joe, Nebrasky-I don't suppose you
ever heard of the place, it's written St JOS
eph on the map, but every body calls 1t st.
Joe for short-we have woman who goes
| around to folks houses and does up their
hair in the prettiest kind of way. When
| there's a wedding or a party she has to
| hustle, and 1 reckon she can do up hair
just as well as anybody in Paris; but If
she was to set up shop, and If women was
| to go to it, or If any woman was to go to
mans barber shop, why everybody In
| town would be talking about it before night.
! Not Finding Fault.
"Still. amt criticisng nobody; I amt
got the slightest objection to anybody do
ing whatever they think Is right: but I
never can get used to a woman going to a
mans barber shop. and I wouldn't be here
this morning II it hadn't been for my hus-
band and the girls. My hair needed wash
Ing. and they just naturally drove me down.
Now I'm here. I don't suppose it's any
harm, and I'd like to have you put up my
hair in kind of quiet way, with some of
them water waves that are appropriate for
woman of my age. f>-dont believe in
woman dressing out of her age. I never
did and never will. I amt ashamed Of be-
ing mother of grown sons and daughters.
I'm prOuder of our children than I am of
our money. We amt always had money.
but we've always had children, and they
was more comfort to us when we were poor,
| If such thing was possible, than they are
when we are rich. L wouldn't have como to
Europe If it hadn't been for the girls. 1
fought and struggled against 1t when father
insisted upon coming. He said his business
was in such shape that he could leave it
for several months, and he wanted to give
the girls a chance, and they wouldn't leave
me at home alone. So I just had to come.
1 wouldn't have stirred a step if it hadn't
been for the girls, but I'm always willing to
make sacrifices for my children, and take
lots of comfort in it.. although I may not
think at the time"
"Oui, oui, madame" said the barber
ITS done me a lot of good, travelling over
here. have seen lots of interesting things
that l will remember all my life, and can
| talk about them and can think about them
and | reckon that is part of the good of
travelling. And then 1 have learned lot of
things that didn't know before, and that's
done me good too. I used to think that
there wasn't much good in anything out
| side of our own country. and pretty much
| our town. 1t is good thing to have town
pride and to stick up for your neighbors,
but it's better to know that there are lots
of other places just exacly as good, and
maybe better in some respects. 1t makes
you feel charitable to see people Of other
countries, and watch their ways of doing
things. I used to think that everything
French was wicked and that the French
people was a sinful, disspated, frivolous
lot wouldn't allow my daughters to come
over here alone for that reason, and that's
why l come along, although there is no
more conscientious or better behaved girls
and they're religious. too. members nf ho
church. But the French people amt exactly
as bad as l thought. I'm willing to admit
that there's just as good people in France
as anywhere else. From what my husband
tells me there's good deal going on in
Paris that ought to be stopped, but guess
1t amt any worse than any other town..
Revised Her Views.
"Oui, oui. madame" said the barber.
Il used to think that every woman who
painted her cheeks was bad. 1 amt got
much respect for EN- yet. for that matter,
but I've got over the feeling that used to
have when I saw woman with her cheeks
painted red and her eyes blackened and her
lips all covered with pink gum. don't
want any of 1t on mine, but I'm more char
table than I used to be about it. Down at
Lucerne 1 saw a woman at the hotel that
was painted until she looked like wax
doll. She was a perfect fright and she
wasn't more than twenty-five years old,
eilher. set ner OOWn TOT PAD woman
the first time I'd seen her. and 1 made up
my mind that I'd keep as far away from
her as possible. But couldn't help watch
ing her. She sort of fascinated me, and be-
fore I left that hotel we had become good
friends. She had little girl about three
years old. a beautiful fairy of child, and
a husband who was about as handsome a
man as you ever saw. They were French,
all of them. and II ever there was a good
mother to a child and good wife to a
man. that painted French woman was one.
l can't reconcile 1t yet. can't understand
why good woman like she was should
paint herself up in that ridiculous way but
there's lots of things don't understand I'm
discovering more and more of them every
day.
But we Americans amt got anything to