Document text
October 19, 1939
M/43. Bessie Parish (Beautician)
Wilmont Road,
Charlotte, N.C.
Mary P. Brown, Writer
Dudley W. Crawford, Reviser
Original Names: Changed Names:
Bessie Parish
Ernest Parish
Q.)
Betty Parks
Ed Parks
"I am the third child of a family of six, was born
in Inverness, Fla., 1915. No, I am a little different
from most people who come here from Florida in that my
father never owned an orange grove; he is a bookkeeper
for a big lumber company.
"You know I just love a big family, that is, of
course, if they can have the right oars while they are
growing up. I know the children in our family were just
as happy as any armlet of children could be. We had our
little spats but on the whole we were fall for one and
one for all'.
"I entered school at the age of six, and my lessons
were always easy; I never fell below eighty five and I
had finished the ninth grade when I was fourteen. That
year Ed Parks came to town and, like all the high school
girls, I was out trying to catch a beau and made a hit
with him. We were married that same year, so I said good
bye to my class mates and hello to the young married set.
Although I love my husband dearly, I realize we married
too young. I see the need of a better education every
day.
"I have three fine children, and I want them all to
finish college. I realize that if a child fails to get a
good education in this age it is almost impossible for them
to get a position that will pay them enough to exist on
at all. I think the school system has improved so much
since I was in school. This new unit system is one of
the finest things I have ever seen. When one of the
children finish working one of those units they know all
about the subject, and it is so interesting to get up
the material with which to work it out. I am going to
school all over again with my children.
"During the depression Ed, like a lot of other men)
lost his position, end entered the printing business as
an apprentice. I studied beauty culture in the meanAime,
as I saw his salary as an apprentice was not going to be
enough to take care of our needs. I got a place in one
of the beauty shops in town. Of course, my earnings are
based on commissions, and it took some time to build up
a clientele; but now I average around thirty dollars a
week. You see the owner of the shop is responsible for
all the expense, such as equipment, rents, lights, water,
and the materials with which we work, and they pay the
operators i percentage of what they take in. We are al-
ways anxious to take in all we can. I am very fond of
the shop owner, she has five working for her and we are
all busy from morning till night. She is very consider
ate of us too. When a new customer comes in she always
gives one of us the credit for it.
nI get quite a kick out of my work sometimes. Every
body responds to flattery. Some of the women who come
up there want to be beautiful so bad, but when you have
nothing to work on what are you going to do? Well, I
try my best to make them look better. I have in mind a
lady who came up the other day. Her eyebrows were as
bushy as a mop, she wanted an arch. I went to work pluck-
ing eyebrows and the tears ran down her cheeks like rivers.
When I had finished she wasn't satisfied, she wanted what
she called a high arch. I had never heard of anything
like that, but I plucked a few more. Then in order to
make me understand what she was wanting, she took a picture
of her favorite movie actress from her purse and told me
to arch her brows like that. I have found people do not
want their work done to suit their own individuality but
they want to be like some one else. No one knows the
thrill I get when I have finished with a customer and she
is pleased. I don't mean to boast in any way about my
work but I can put in a beautiful finger wave. It's
with great satisfaction that I watch the wave form under
my finger. I think I hnve the heart of an artist anyway.
"Haven't been old enough to vote many times, but
each time I have voted a Democratic ticket. I really
believe the time will come when people will cease to worry
about party relations; but will vote for the man that is
best suited for the place. I vote the way I want to and
Ed votes like he pleases. I believe in women voting, they
have always had to help the men out in all the other things,
why not vote?
"I live so far out that I don't try to come in to
church. We have a little community church out near where
I live. Yes, you guessed it! it is a Baptist, and I bet
there is not one tenth as much interest shown in any of
the larger churches in the city as we have out there. Every
body seems to have a definite task and they take great pride
in doing it well. I believe everybody ought to tithe and
most of the members out there do. It makes one feel that
he has at least repaid what the Lord has loaned him. We
have some unfortunates and we have poundings for them,
and then we send coal if they need it. I don't think people
should depend entirely on their church for their support,
but at the same time I feel that any Christian organization
should be able to hold up their less fortunate members.
"You ought to see me washing little faces and stirring
around on Sunday morning getting ready to go to church.
-6-.
pool often, we all enjoy a good swim.
"Now that is about all I have to say right now, come
to see me when I get to be a commercial artist, and the
children are older. Then we will all get together and
make a story worth reading."