The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1938-03-25
THE EVOLUTION OF A
MUDERN BEAUTY SCHOOL.

The rapidly growing ranks Of
smoothly efficient young Neg.o wo-
men throughout America, engaged in
the rofession Sof Beauty Culture
give llving, inspirational proof of the
TACT that the Modern Beauty College
tor Negro Women in America has
at least arrived!
Gone forever are the good old
days" of back room shops, where
the aromatic odors of boiled cabbage
mingled with the pungent aroma of
sizzling pressing oil, while the url-
trained housewife pulled" the hair
of customer in the kitchen of her
own home. l.4g.a stase ANS a4a,s
said taboo" afia hunureds o. ii4-
prepared woI.4~.l, wl.n liecie or no
conceptio.. OF ludimentary anatomy,
pnys4ology or sanitation, have bee.i
unjust abruptly out of the Hair
dressing business" Their places ta-
ken by the scientifically prepared,
graduate of the modern beauty
ac.. ool
When the new day dawned in
modern cosmetology, to Mrs. Erma
Lee, shop owner, it simply meant the
4wn new day and the lmmedl-
ate relization Of her lifelong dream.
What she cid to keep pace with the
new and rigid lequi- ements Of law, ~
characteristic of the new spirit OF
Ell. IL. {. .n5 |, ice women
which neither "recessionso nor near
insurmountabie obstacles have been
able to check. 1t Is picture OF
new Negro womanhood seeking ITS
place In the economic sum Of Amer
ica.
Mrs. E1na Lee got her first in--
PRODUCTION into the mysteries OF
Beauty Culture in the shop Of her
mother, Mrs. Goldena Grigsby, IN
Pine Bluff, Arkansas, at the tender
age Of fourteen. Mrs Grigsby was
an energetic, hard-hitting business
woman Of the old school, and her
Pine Bluff shop represented the finest
achievement among Negroes IN Ar
kansas at that early date. II was
the era when long apprenticeship was
required by the student OF Beauty
Culture, and many young girls spent
long years as assistants IN order
to learn the rudiments Of hair wash
ing and dressing. The marcel wave
was uuheard of, and the unscientl-
fic care of the skin and scalp was
still widely known only by members
of the medical profession. Never
theless, even at that early date, Mrs.
Grigsby realized that some scient'i'e
sy tenn of teaching the art pf
beauty culture was necessary, and
with that in mind, she organized the
first "beauty school, ever operated
for coIored women In the State OF
Arkansas. She succeeded IN inlpres-
sing the youthful Erma, her star pu-
oil. with the glamorous future that
awaited Negro womanhood IN the
practice Of scientific beauty culture
Thus at nearly age we formed 9
dream of the modern beauty school
of today.
Always with the picture OF ma
tionally known school in mind
young Erma was given instruction
bv the best practitioners Of her day
Her first scientific training was re-
ceived at the feet of Madam SUSIE
Hockinghnll, a graduate OF Bur-
mels Beauty College Of Chicago
later she took instructions from
Miss Naftie Hollis. Graduate Of tnt
Moler College Of Barbering ane
Beauty Culture. In 1917 complett
course in poro Reaufv Culture, no
oplv succeeded in maxine the am
bilious young woman into thor
oughlv prepared beauty culturlst
but also strengthened her deter1nin-
atinn to conduct school Of her own
However, it was . ong way e