The Miami Times

Musing With Mack

By HENRY E. (Mack) McKINNEY

Beauticians of the Orange Blossom State Association will open their 19th annual conclave here Sunday. Miami is pleased to have this group of hair stylists visit for the brief span of their deliberations. We are confident that much good will and friendship ties will be cemented at this gathering.

The art of beauty culture has made rapid strides through the years among our group and has accomplished much by way of good-grooming and development of personal pride for all who have come under its magic spell.

The business of beauty culture has risen from a simple chore of hair dressing a few short years ago to a dignified and fascinating profession offering an independent economic outlet for a large segment of our people. Born out of force of circumstance and evolving times, its growth has been phenomenal and only plaudits go out to the pioneers of this industry for their vision and foresight.

The beauticians as a group have made a vast contribution to the culture of our society through the untiring efforts of its leadership to bring out the best in charm and vivacity in our womanhood. Their promotion of the social angle from a standpoint of their many hair style and fashion shows has been a marked highlight of their function in every community where they are organized.

When the Orange Blossom Association goes into its several workshops next week we can be sure that many new ideas for the furtherance of the industry will be considered: and we can hazard a guess that the tangible result of this assembly will soon be seen in our surroundings after the sessions have closed.

But aside from the glamorous and social aspects of the beauticians' meet we like most of all to think of the economic side of this great industry as it continues to create more avenues of employment for men and women of our group. And herein lies our great satisfaction in having the group meet here. The incentive it can lend to our young people—many of whom are now preparing to leave high school—can be tremendous and have a far-reaching effect. Given an opportunity to learn first-hand of the many benefits to be derived from this budding profession some of our young people may find here the life-work which heretofore perchance may have been lost to them.

While the Orange Blossom Association is not an entity of the profession it is an integral part of the National Beauty Culturist League, Inc. This aggregation in its research has brought to the public many useful methods for the successful application of all laboratory products in the field of cosmetology: all of which have accentuated the personality and provoked the finer lines of pulchritude in the fairer sex.

As the scope of the profession widens with the years it is certain that the various phases are disseminated among member groups of the parent body. For this reason we see a bright future for the state group.

The hospitality of Miamians, well known throughout the country as being much to be desired, is offered these purveyors of feminine pulchritude and we trust their stay will be quite enjoyable and most informative.