Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-06
NO YANKEE BARRIERS
American Tonsorial ParIor Un-
known in City of London.
BRITONS LIKE OLD SHOPS
Invasion of Shaving Artists From
States Failure.
a FAKE ON REGENT STREET
How a Cockney Razor-Wielder Ad-
vertises "only American Barber
Shop In England" 49,.

Special Correspondence of The Star.
LONDON, June 20, 1907.
In the whole of London there is not an
American barber shop and the statement
is equally true of all England A few
years ago 1 could point out to my Ameri-
can friends a half dozen here which more
or less completely upheld the traditions OF
the Yankee tonsorial artists, but today
they are no more. Even the American
BARRIERS chair. which one thought would
take the English metropolis by storm and
completely superseie the uncomfortable.
inadequate makeshift which adorns the
English barber shop has made its exit
along with the American barber.
I am reminded of these facts by sign
which hangs IN front of barber shop in
the lower Strand. not far from the Hotel
Cecil, and which reads: THE only Ameri-
can BARRIERS and barber snop in England"
] mounted the stairs leading to the shop
very much as a ship seeks harbor in a
Bay of Biscay storm. AT last" 1 ex-
claimed, II shall get a shave worthy of the
name" 1 opened the door and entered
Alas. I was doomed to disappointment.
1.-THE only American barber shop" was
hopelessly English.
sat in the typical English barber chair,
which Is nothing more nor less than an or
binary low chair with a piece sticking up
behind to rest your head on. over me.
with razor poised. stood fine speci-
men of cockney as ever came out of
Cheapside. and in despair l submitted to
a shave that in all respects confirmed my
opinion of English BARRIERS.
The Explanation.
''Eng!.shmen don't want to be shaved
by American BARRIERS" declared my cock
ney friend in answer to my query as to
the cause of the downfall of the American
barber. Besides, American methods cont
go here. Englishmen want English bar
)ers and English methods and English
prices"
"Why, then. do you hang out assign adj
vertlsing the only American BARRIERS in
England?" l asked
Well he replied, after puzzlng a few
moments over the question, the Strand is
great street for Americans, and they like
to patronize something that they think
comes from their side Of the water. And
l." he added with a wink. want some of
their money"
Regarding the failure Of the American
barber in London. l am inclined TO think
that the real question hinges not much
on English or American BARRIERS it does
on the question of English methods and
prices. The same class shop that charges
10 cents for a shave in the United States
charges but three and in many cases only
twopence a cents) here But-and it is a
big but-whereas the original charge of ID
cents in the United States includes hair
brush. face wash, a face lotion and va
rious other frills in London these are all
extras and are charged as such. 1t is of
these extras" that the unsuspecting Amer
lean must beware.
Have your hair brushed?" asks the bar
Der.
Guess I might as WE'LL you answer and
that adds twopence to your bill.
What will you have on your hair?"
Anything: l don't care" you say. un-
easily. to hide an ignorance of the contents
OF the several bottles which stare you in
the face. That careless answer costs you
twopence more. An unwilling acQuiescencs
TO the suggestion that you want a brush
ing. halt-dazed trip to wash basin in
the back of the room, at the hint of the
barber. to wash your hands, and whereas
you entered intending to spend threepence
for shave and a penny for the inevitable
tip, your ticket as You settle it at the coun-
ter makes a gaping hole in shilling piece.
Native Not So easy"
It is these little extras which count so
much IN any computation of the native and
the visitor In London. OF course, they
don't mean SO much to the native for in
the great majority of cases he knows how
to avoid them. But for the uninitiated
American they make all the difference and
sometimes more. between the excessive cost
of living IN a city like New York and the
so-called economy of living in London
Take. for instance. an ordinary restaurant
In the latter city. Your meat order may
cost you tenpence 60 cents) and you re-
Joice that the same thing would cost you
. cents in New York.
You have not brought me any bread and
butter, waitress? you say, little knowing
that that will cost you twopence extra.
And no potatoes you complain, unsus-
pecting that that will cost you another
twopence.
II really do believe YOU have forgotten to
give me a napkin" you continue. with in
creasing annoyance. thereby adding yet an
other penny TO your bill, and bringing the
total of your meat portion up to 80 cents,
considerably more, proportionately speak
Ing. than the same dish would have cost
you In the United States.
1t Is really by the pricing of things on
the installment plan. so to speak, that the
American visitor Is gulled into thinking
that living Is so much cheaper in London
than II Is in New York. Chicago or Boston.