The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-03-05

A MILITARY MoTHRR.--A German
paper gives an account of strange
incident which occurred lately on the
occasion of a marriage before the civil
authorities in Algeria. The official re-
CURED the consent of the mother, and
asked if she were present. A loud
bass voice answered, eyes" The
mayor looked up and saw tall soldier
before him. "That is vel" he said ;
{" let the mother come here-her con-
sent and signature are necessary. To
the astonishment of all present, the
soldier approached the mayor with
long strides, saluted in military style,
and said: You ask for the mother OF
the bride; she stands before you. "
Every well" sir" replied the mayor,
"then stand back-I can take no
proxy; / must see the mother--the
mother, tell you" "And l repeat"
rejoined the soldier, that she stands
before you. My name is Maria l..
/ have been thirty six years in the ser
vice; l have been through several
campaigns, and obtained the rank of
sergeant here are my papers, the per-
mission to wear uniform, and my nOmi-
nation as sergeant-major." The mayor
carefully examined the documents and
found them perfectly correct, and com
pleted the marriage of the bridal pair,
the mother blessing them so fervently
with her deep bass voice that all pres
ent were more startled than touched.
THE WEDDING RNG.-Our readers
may be interested in the following
essay, that seems to be going, I'M
claimed, the round of the press n
The wedding ring finger is the fourth
finger on the left hand. Why this
particular digit should have received
such token of honor and trust beyond
all its cOngeners, both in pagan and
christian times, has been variously in
terpreted. The most common explana:
ton is, according to Sir Thomas
Browne, presuming therein that
particular Tessel, nerve, vein or artery.
is conferred thereto from the heart i.
which direct vascular communication
Browne shows to be anatomically incOr,
rect. Macrobius gives another reason,
which may perhaps satisfy those anatos
mists who are not satisfied with the
above. "Pollex," he says, A" or M,smS
(whose Office and general usefulness,
are sufficiently indicated from its Latih
derivative poeAO, and from its Greek
equivalent, GRtichiey, which means, as
good as hand }, is too busy to BIZ,
set apart for any such special employ
ment; the next finger to the thumb
being half protected on that side be,
sides having other work to do, is alsg
ineligible; the opprobium attaching u,
the middle fingers, called nsedicsls, putt
it entirely out of the question; and al
the little finger stands exposed, and II
moreover too puny to enter the lists ii
such a contest. the spousal honors del
vOlve naturally on pTOnOJuS, the wedl
ding finger"
In the British Apollo, 1888, it Il
urged that the fourth finger was choses
not only from its being less used thas
either of the rest, but more capable q
preserving a ring from bruises F; HAVING
this one quality peculiar 10 itself, tbs!
it cannot be extended but in compan9
with some other finger, whereas thu
rest may be stretched out to their fuI|
length and Straightness. /!
PRAISE YOUR WRE.-Praise yoG{
wife, men, for PHYS sake, give her 4
little encouragcment-it won't huil
her. She has made your home CONF
Portable, your hearth bright and shiT5
ing, your food agreeable; for pity:3
sake tell her you thank her, if nothing
more. She don't expect it; it VIII
make her eyes open wider than thef
have for these ten years-but it will db
her good for all that, and you tod.
There are many women to-day thirs1
ing for the word of praise, the language
of encouragement. Through summer!k
heat, and winters toll, they have
drudged uncomplainingly, and so al
custOmed have their fathers, brOthersl
and husbands become to their monotet
nous labor, that they look for and upoa
them as they do upon the daily risins I
of the sun and its daily going dowI3
Homely, everyday life may be madt
beautiful by an appreciation of its ver1
LONELINESS. You know that it tliI
floor is clean, manual labor has beeS
performed to make it so. You knOd
that if you can take from your drawef
a clean shirt whenever you want il
somebody's fingers have ached in tlts
toll Of making it SO fresh and agrees;
bic, SO smooth and lustrOus. EverS
thing that pleases the eye and the sensA
has been produced by constant work.
much thought, great care and untirinx
efforts, bodily and mentally. 1t il not
that many men do not appreciate these
things, and feel a glow Of gratitude f,i'
the numberless attentions bestowe4
upon upon them in sickness and il
health, but they are so selfish in thsa
feeling. They don't come out with i
hearty Why, how pleasant you max +
things look, wiie;" or " am obliged
to you for taking so much pains. =
They thank the tailor for giving ''fits{;'
they thank the man in the full Omnibt Is
who gives them a seat they thank TIL
young lady who moves along in tbe
concert-room; in fact, they Thank
everybody and everything ont Of door,
because it is the custom, and then come
home, tip their chairs back, ana thGir
heels up, pull out the newspaper, grunl-
bic if wife asks asks them to take tbh
baby, seold if the fire has got down.;
or if everything is just right, shut their
mouths with a smack of satiSfactiou
but never say 81 thank YOU" ! tell
you what, men, young and old, if ydh
dd but show an ordinary civility til
wards those common articles of hous1-
Keeping your wives--if you gave tlte
one hundred and sixtieth part Of ttib
compliments you almost choked thenl
with before they were married-ir vdh