Grant County Herald

in French Eyes,
American Women Have Good Taste, but
No Originality.

I have had an interesting conversation
with my hairdresser about the
characteristics of the ladies of the
many nationalities on whom he operates, says a writer in London Truth.

The American, though so fully emancipated, has, he thinks, no originality.
She assimilates everything and originates nothing. In Paris—and, for that
matter, in New York—her get up is exactly
modeled on that of the Parisienne.
When guided by a model she has taste.
But she is dependent upon a model. Her
quickness and sharpness in selecting
merchandise are to be noted.

The Englishwoman is fond of simplicity—too
fond, perhaps. She timidly follows the
Parisienne in her coiffures and pays
well and cheerfully. She is always
afraid of what is suggested "not suiting
her" and has no idea what does
suit her. She is not hard to please, yet
at bottom she is never thoroughly satisfied because uncertain whether her
head is dressed exactly as it should be.

The Russian lady is the most tasteless woman alive. She is helpless in the
hands of her hairdresser and has no
suggestions to offer. It may be that her
national headdress has prevented her
taste running on the coiffure. The Russian
lady has soft, quiet manners, but
scans bills with a suspicious eye.

The Italian lady is a bad payer, hard to
please, stingy, and never more than
half satisfied with a Parisian coiffure.
She will write from Italy for a dozen
imitation tortoise-shell hairpins costing
3 sous apiece. She had them at that
price in Paris and does not calculate the
loss of time, and money too, that is incurred in sending them by a well-paid
assistant to the district post office. He
may have to stand there half an hour
before his turn comes in the waiting queue. Five francs for the ballroom coiffure
is not thought too much to ask for
a chance customer. An Italian lady
will protest against it as though she had
fallen into the hands of thieves who
wanted to rob her.

The Roumanian ladies are the sweetest and most tasteful
in Europe. Their manners are, perhaps,
better than those of the best Parisiennes. They have in youth splendid
hair and know how to dress it or how
the coiffure should arrange it. It is a
pleasure to receive their hints. Somehow they manage to pay their bills regularly. The hereditary princess is a
customer of my coiffure. He can show
a charming letter from her to say that
all the things he sent her were exactly
what she wanted. Her payments are
made by return of post. This is less
usual in her class than might be imagined.