The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-09-29
SAYS MEN
USED TO WEAR
B0BBED HAIR
Oldest Barber Tells of
y Days When Shave Cost
; Six Cents


cents according to Abial B. An
thony, Burlington's oldest barber.
who talked in reminiscent mood
to Free Press reporter few
evenings ago. How many times Mr..
Anthony has called next" applied
the lather, personally conducted a
razor over a mans face and turn
ed a neatly-shaved customer out
of his chair can never be known.
A reasonable estimate would prob
ably be that he has performed the
Job half million times since he
started to learn the ins-and-outs
of the BARRIERS trade Sc years ago.
Mr.. Anthony was born in Bur
lington S3 years ago. At the age of
16 he took up the barbering busi-
ness. He has been at his present
location, 1044 Church street, since
1886.
When Mr.. Anthony started in
business there were none of the
elaborate BARRIERS chairs of the
present day. The customers then
could not stretch out at ease and
doze contentedlv while the lather
was being applied and the beard
removed. A long stay in chair
left muscles stiffened and protest
ing from the unnatural position
that the body had been held in.
Neither could the "honsorial artist
press one lever to raise or lower
the seat of customer, or another
TO permit Of his Icing swung about
into a more favorable light while
the hair was being trimmed. Bar
bers' chair were simply ordinary
office chairs with longer legs and
a crude head rest.
Getting a hair cut was an event
of importance in the lives of many
men in the good old days. Some
turned up not oftener than once
year for an annual shearing of
their locks. Others trimmed up a
little more frequently if there han
pened to be weddings or funerals
to be attended. Now, Mr. Anthony
says he has customers who have
their hair clipped every week and
many to whom semi-monthly
hair cut has come to be consider
ed almost a necessity.
Strangely enough in the opinion
of the city's oldest barber, the ad-
vent of the safety razor has prov
ed of advantage to his business in
that there are more hair cuts to
keep the head in keeping with
smoothly shorn faces and hair cut
ting is more profitable than shay
ing.
In the old days a person who
shaved every day, as is now the
common custom would have been
considered proper subject for
examination as to defective men
ta.ity. Once or twice a week was
thought to be often enough for the
use of razor by the average man.
In the good old days, when a
shave cost six cents. a liberal
supply of bay RIM, with an odor
that carried well and lasted, was
thrown in as an antidote for the
effects of lather on the face. Mr.
Anthony has seen the use of this
almost wholly supplanted by witch
hazel and toilet waters. He says
that little while ago a customer
gave him surprise by asking for
bay rum after a shave. but that
he was abe to supply it as he had
a little left on hand from fomerI
DAYS.
1t used to be customary for req
ular patrons of barber shops to
have individual shaving mugs.
These were commonly kept in
large racks that We're ornaments
for sides of the room Many of the
cups were elaborate in design and
supposed to be of ornate beauty.
Some of them were numbered and
others bore the names of the own
ers in gold and oaudy colors sur
rounded by intricate and elaborate
scroll work Mr.. Anthony still has
about 60 of these old cups, but
only few of them are now IN use.
The razors of the present day
are better than those that used to
be on the market. The oid-time
razors came from England, and
while made of an excellent quality
of steel, were heavy and clumsy
to use.
What the old barber has to say
about hair cutting styles is inter
esting. If he says, a had given
man in the old days, what is now
known as the students OF military
hair cut | should have expected he
would have started in to kill me as
soon as he had discovered what |
had done to him."
In the days before the Civil
War men used to have their hair
"shingled." 1t was left quite long
at the back and sides the ends be-
ing trimmed off evenly. 1t was then
parted clear back over the top and
down theb ack Of the head to the
neck. The locks were then combed
downward and forward from the
parting divide and out straight in
front over the ears. Pictures of
Charles Dickens as he appeared
when he visited America show
this style of hair cut.
1t was at the time of the Civil
War that men wore bobbed hair.
Many daguerreatype pictures of
soldier boys, still treasured in New
England home, show young mems
locks arranged in this way. The
hair chopped-off in the back much
after the style favored by the
present-day fapper, and the ends
slightly curled under.
Dyeing hair, Mr.. Anthony SAYS,
used to be considered a regular
part of a BARRIERS occupation. The
charge for changing locks tinged
with the tell-talc marks Of ape 10