Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-05-06
Umbrellas.

Our name for the umbrella being OBJ
viously taken from the italian umbrella,
naturally refers us to Italy as the source
from whence we have derived this use-
full article. If we had taken it from
France we would doubtless have taken
with it the French name of parapt1te,
which, in the present use of the imple-
ment, is more expressive and proper
name than that of ombrello, which sig
nifies ga little shade" and refers to the
original use as defense against the sun
rather than to its present use as shell
ter from the rain.
There seems no doubt that the UNI
brella was first introduced into Italy from
the East, and from thence found its way
into the other countries of Europe. 1t
seems, also, that its applicability as de-
Tense from rain was an afterthought,
and that it was originally, as in the East.
only used for protection from the rays of
the sun. In the "Vocabolario degli
Accademici della Crusea, 1733," the
ombrello" is defined as an instrument
to keep off the sun, also called "para-
SOL" Mention is also made of an official
whose business it was to carry an UNI
brella for great personages, being quite
an Oriental use of the article. Be-
fore this time, however, the um-
brella had come to be used as a
shelter from the rain, SO that early in
the last century the present uses of the
umbrella and parasol were known in
Italy. 1t was supposed to have been in
troduced In England about the middle of
the last century by celebrated person
age named Jonas Hannay. They were
first used by gentlemen in Scotland about
1882, as a Mr.. Jameson, surgeon OF
Glasgow, brought one from Paris with
him, which was the first seen in that
city. The use of this article then be-
came general, but it was made of glazed
cotton cloth. 1t is probable that it was
only used by ladies as protection from
the rain, as ii is mentioned in Gays
Trivia; or, The Art of Walking the
Streets of London" Itappears that men
who had occasion to go out in wet
weather used sedan chair if they could
afford it, wore suitable articles of dress
or else made up their minds for wet
ting. Why they could not carry an UNI
brella through the streets as well as q
lady seems rather singular. The upper
stories of houses in those days, with
penthouse roofs projecting over the
footpath in the walking parts of London,
afforded to pedestrians atolerably contin-
uous shelter near the wall, and they had
onlyto scamper as best they could aero s
such unprotected intervals as now and
then occurred. At the worst it gave
them the certainty that they could al
ways find place where they could wait
until the violence of the storm had sub
sided The loss of time which this in
volved would now be regarded as seri-
Gus evil, but it was in those days much
less precious commodity than at present.
1t would he also curious to calculate
whether any or what degree of influence
the introduction of umbrellas may have
had in causing the old style of domestic
architecture to disappear. The Jonas
Hannay, of whom we have already
spoken, was, according to his biographer,
positively the first man who walked with
an umbrella over his head in the streets
of London, for which he was considered
most silly and effeminate person, and
was the observed of all as he passed
along. We think he was rather bold and
adventurous than otherwise in thus dar-
ing public opinion. Mr.. Hannay used
his umbrella for thirty years before they
came into general use. He died in the
wear 17SH - He1rfh ANA Home