Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 251, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 October 1911 — A Shave In China. [ARTICLE]

A Shave In China.

The greatest treat, which I only gtvs on special occasions, Is a midday shave in public! In the early morning a Chinese inn is very dark, and at night bed soon claims one. I select a table at the street front (the whole front fa formed of movable doors, which are entirely taken away during the day), and, provided with the necessaries, commence operations. Fifty or sixtypeople stand around in ranks, the innermost circles consisting of children and the outer rings of men, and mothers with their babies. Not a word is uttered, all eyes are fixed on the shaving brush as the soap is lathered on the face, and then on the razor as the stubble falls. The Chinese never shave themselves, and possibly to see a man handling a razor on himself may suggest that he Is about to commit “harakiri” in their village.—Dr. Louis Byrde in Sunday at Home. .... ... . •