Further to the thread on the longhaired religious sect called the Israelite House of David, I have found a pic of interest to those guys still at school.
Imagine going to a school where flowing locks were compulsory!
The link is: www.maryscityofdavid.org/html/schoolboys.html.
It's only a small school and the boys seem to range from 4 or 5 up to 13 or 14. Of course the community supposedly practised celibacy, so these lads must have been born before their parents joined the sect.
I've also wondered whatever happened to those men in the baseball teams who had hair from mid-back to butt length. The 30s and especially the 1940s wartime must have led many to chop their locks.
Very interesting stuff for me. TY for the link. It will be up on our ministry website this evening.
I've wondered about them also.
I also wonder about the downfall of attitudes toward long haired men. Just prior to the turn of the century (1900) there are quite a few pictures of men with long hair...highly regarded men. Then at about the 19-teens the attitudes in America changed to disgust over long hair on men. Do you suppose opinions over the House of David influenced this?
David, my guess is that short hair became de rigeur in World War 1 and long hair was quite out of fashion. Yet the House of David persisted in the 1920s & 30s, though the community dwindled. Yet their baseball team by all accounts was very popular, even though the public's facination was more with their beards than their long locks. From the pix most of the guys with really long locks show the waves of hair out of braids, suggesting they normally wore their hair in plaits.
Quester, I am intrigued that you mention putting the link in your "ministry" site. Can you tell me more, please? I am a retired pastor of a mainstream church here in Australia. Back in the 1970s my hair was almost to my shoulders - I even tried 1 perm. Congregations - and my wife - seemed to cope though now my wife ways long hair (now greying) makes me look old. Sigh - so I envy you blokes!
Incidentally, I feel very proud of the number of Aussies in the MLHH, keep growing, mate!
I have a House of David shirt, several pictures, and a baseball book where they're featured.