Evening star., 1924-11-26
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL,

long hair and no historian ever has
called them sissies. The hair Of the
Spartan boy, however, was worn
short. Slaves were not allowed to
wear their hair long.
The Celts and early Germans con-
sidered short cut hair to represent
servitude. Probably that feeling is
the origin, though little suspected, of
our present day custom OF giving
The ''roundheads" of Cromwell
fought the long haired and curled
royalists to a standstill. Authorities
on this subject regard the French
revolution as having sounded the
knell of long hair among men. Long
hair in that country, of course, was
associated with the royalty and
mobiles.
So today, in these United States,
when we sneer at man for his long
hair. we unconsciously are being in
fuenced by events and issues long
passed over. How silly such an at
titude is, to be sure! Think of brave
George Washington, with his big wig
and powdered hair!
What d furor Gen. Washington
would create, If he suddenly ap-
sunny afternoon! How the soda
hoppers would laugh him to shame
and how the f1appers would give him
directions for reaching their favorite
beauty shop.
X v i \
Nov just why is It that men with
somewhat radical leanings usually
wear their hair long? Just what as
| sociation Is there, anyway, between
| artistic temperaments and artistic
| locks?
| One might build up a most fanciful
| theory around this often-noted GUS
| tom, but in the end il would be like
| most theories, interesting If true. but
| probably not true. After all. what
we have to seek in this, as in most
other matters relating to the whims
and caprices of men, is not so much
| plausibility as common sense.
| Now what is the most likely rea-
son for a man wearing his hair bi,
longer than his fellows?
Do you think there Is some occult
relation between hair three inches
long and a desire to take away the
powers of the Supreme Court?
There Is not.
Tha man, whether he be an artist,
politician or just plain citizen. who
wears his hair long does SO for one
very good reason.
He thinks he looks better with II
long than short.
Men are not such fools as many
credit them with being. 1t is freely
conceded that woman bobs her hair
because she thinks she Will look
younger or cute or better in some
way.
Well, men are much like women
after all, so when one of them lets
his hair grow longer than meets the
august approval of Bill Jones. bill
clerk, he does il with the idea that
II viii soften down a too big nose, or
otherwise improve his looks"
Faddists and cranks always have
| long hair?
Not necessarily. 1t is in this as In
other matters, If we happen to meet
crank with flowing locks, we i'm
mediately jump TO the conclusion all
such are long haired.
The nuttiest nut l ever met-and
| they all come to newspaper Office
was bald as an egg.
He had just escaped from an asylum
| up North. He said he was all right
now" and for time it seemed true
Then he started to tell about his ex-
periences in Alaska, how he lay In
his bunk, while his pal brought him a
cup Of tea. in which the latter kindly
| fellow had dissolved a nice mess of
poison.
After he had drunk off the potion,
he saw death coming toward him. 1t
was the gray death. too. no o<iinary
dissolution of nondescript hue.
1T came down on me like a thick
gray fog" he narrated, stroking his
perfectly bald head.