Evening star., 1924-08-04
THIS AND THAT
BY C. f. TRACEwELL.

methinks I am marvellous hairy about
the face"
Washington barber shops vie with
any In the world when 1t comes to
efficiency, speed and conversation. In
addition, they have a certain pictur-
esque quality peculiarly their own,
as a result of being in business in
the National Capital.
Barber shops here are the last stand
OF the village herd instinct, that COM
munity Of feeling which draws Jud
Turnipseed and Judge Smithers and
ten others to the old corner grocery on
Saturday night to discuss the welfare
of the nation.
Were it not for Washington's barber
shops the city would be entirely metro
politanized, if one may be forgiven
for using such an expression, it would
have left only it's clubs; and, as every
one knows, all that men do at clubs
Is play dominoes and talk about
bootleggers
still hears talk of politics, national
destiny, the respective merits of Cal
Coolidge and Jawn w. Davis, why
we should and why we should not
Clilcl tuC LcdSUe Oh NdIlOIlS, now the
national election is any mans meat.
In barber shop one can still get
laugh ha by suddenly yelling out; ~ t;
X x X X
"The first BARRIERS that entered
Italy came out of Sicily, and it was
in the asa years after the foundation
of Rome" Pliny tells US in his Nat
ural History.
Brought in they were by P. Tici-
MUS Mena, as Vera doth report, for
before that time they never cut their
hair. The first that was shaven every
day was Scipio Africanus"
So we have to thank or curse p.
Ticinius for our barber shops, accord
ing to the time we are forced to wait
to get out wants attended to. For it
is reasonably certain that the Italian
BARRIERS here are direct descendants
of those old Romans who first hustled
towel around the unshorn of Rome.
Today Scipio Afracanus has many
following in the footsteps he first
made toward the barber shop to get
his daily shave. Every shop today
ought to have a bust of Africanus
X x **
Barber shops always have been
places of mystery to Washington
women Even after many of the So
called weaker sex have gone to them
to get their hair bobbed, tonsorial
parlors are as a sealed book.
Wherefore, for the benefit of those
Of my readers who have bobbed hair,
1 am going to reveal the greatest Sc
washington r
Der shop.
What is it the BARRIERS talk about
among themselves?
Who are these mysterious figures
that fit in, lean casually beside the
chair, look disdainfully over the head
of the patron, lathered until he can
not speak?
What mean they when, apropos. of
nothing in particular. the blurt out:
Sensation"
That so?" replies Tony, shipping
away. In the fourth, eh?"
Yep, in the fourth" says the man
of mystery, and saunters out.
This, ladies, is the great indoor
sport of the barber shop.
HosS racing.
If there is anything in this world
a barber loves it is the ponies. Morn
ing, noon and night they are his one
thought, his chief recreation, his alpha
and omega. He would as soon bet on
As on Alpnd, II Iney were
horses, instead of Greek letters.
A barber loves to call you by your
first name.
You may be important in the Office
where you work, but to your barber
you are Bill"
Hello, Bill" calls the boss, as you
push open the screen door.
Hello. Bill, be with you in a
minute" says Pietro. making a final
slash at the shorn chin of the long,
tanned man in the chair
The finished customer stands up as
| Pietro whisks the cloth from around
| his neck. He stretches himself looks
into his eyes in the glass, preens a
bit, as only men can, then makes for
his collar and tie hanging around the
clothes rack.
With many a grimace and glance he
slides the tie under the collar, buttons
the latter, carefully ties it, inspects
it, pats it, turns this way and that,
mutely proclaims to the world that he
is pretty slick article, at least in his
own opinion.
He submits to the brushing of the
barger shop porter, who whisks away
at a perfectly clean coat He must
go through the motion to get his
dime.
These barber shop porters, by the
way, are the most useless men in
the world, it seems to me- They
brush you off when you do not want
to be brushed off. They pull your
coat down to your knees, and hoist
your overcoat over your ears. They
shine perfectly blacked shoes all over
again, sweep up fallen hair into your
eyes, then laugh at you behind your
back as you go out. Such a porter
l ~ rlON - hn
I've got him on my list
He never would be missed
Men grow up under the sway of
| BARRIERS. There used to be an old
| colored barber, undoubtedly gone
these many years, who officiated as
perhaps Washingtons first little
folks hair cutter de luxe.
He had his shop in an uptown
building, where mothers brought
their children to get the original hobs. u
Round as a barrel, he had little pa
tience with the twistings and turn
/ ings of children, the little ones. They
| were all afraid of him, so minded
| his Keep steady"
| the lefe-handed marvel? This de
| scendant of sunny Napoi claimed to
be able to cut hair faster with the
three fingers of his left hand than
any other barber in Washington could
| with ten fingers and ten little toes.
He had mandolin strung up back
| wards, that is, the G string was
| where the E ought to be, ana SO on
| in reverse style. His standing joke
| was to invite customer to play upon
"can you play mandoline?" he
would ask. ,,,,