Denver labor bulletin., 1917-01-27

IN these Gays OF uatlon-w W ide unrest
and members Of our trade awakening to
realization Of the true status OF our
calling, IL may be Of interest to note
that 300 years ago there must have been
labor unions, and among them a bar
bers' union, IN which organization the
immortal William Shakespeare was
member. That we are part OF an hon
orublg profession IL an established fact
Ia times ui old the barber was counted
one of the learned professions, inasmuch
as he was called to perform the duties
OF a surgeon. such a. bleeding custo-
mcr--I don't mean by slip OF the
blads-evt8ct troublesome molars, ad-
minister leechcs, and what was known AZ
the cup.
Such men as Jacques Jasmin Of Gas
couy; Folz. the famous German poet
Iiurrhcllo, the noted Italian sonneteer
land, by the way, We must not leave
out old Allen Ramsey, all were reputed
BARRIERS OF their times, who shed gol
den glory over the tonsorisl guild.
Now comes Charles Neatch, Shakes
pcarcau student OF merit who points out
with indisputablc evidence tsee Novem-
Der issue OF Munsey'sl that the noted
poet was also n barber, as well as being
Jack at all trades as pointed out In
Macbeth; I'd thought to have let in
some Of all professions The vernacular
OF the barber shop is conspicuous in
nearly all OF his writings.
In Julius Caesar It comes out with
the famous lines: This was the most
unkindcst cut of ALL
In Henry v; 1T is no English treason
to cut French crowns, and tomorrow the
king will be a clipper
Ii is interesting to know the phrase
ology OF the barber shop-how commonly
it was used by the poet Lucio, for in
stance. when he says: Did l not pluck
thee by the nose'" And again, the lingo
of the fraternity comes out in Coriol-
anus when Marcus states: "Oh. let me
clip yc." Pctruohius' familiar phrase:
Here snip and nip and cut and slip
and slash"
Cardinal Beaufort, in Tempest says:
Comb down his hair" and Antonius.
who longs for the day when "All new
born chins be rough md razonable.''
Possibly the poets conclusive proof of
having been a member Of our profession
is found in the lines referring to
Trimmed like Younken, went pacing
to his love. while his chin. newly reaped,
showed like a stubble-field at harvest
home"
In King Lear, the immortal poet
states: If YOU did wear beard upon
your chin. I'd shake it upon this quarrel
Dante Gabriel Rossetti. after reading
George Meredith's shaving of Shagpat,"
remarked that he was strongly reminded
of Shakespeare.
Shampoo- and singeing must have been
much used in the days of the poet, and
in his shop in particular. for he, In
"Othello,n has lago to say; 81 have
rubbed this young quat almost to the
sense" and Hamlet again says: Aye,
there's the rub," expressing n satisfac.
tion at the combing of his knotted locks.
Again. Hamlet refers to Singing his
pate" and King Lear "Singc my white
beard"
In buckingham" the poet remarks:
81 viii not open my lips so wide that
bristlc may enter As for hair dyes,
in the same buckingham" he states,
THE dye is on me which makes my
whitcst part black"
That the lady barber is nothing new
is also proven. Shakespeare in his
works mentions several of them-''Hclen
of Troy" as rrulius puts it "Hc could
not choose but laugh to think how she
ticlllcd his chin with her marvellous
white hand" Blanca, in "Othello." might
also have been barberess, as her ex-