Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1879-09-11
UMBRELLAS.

=
ern invention. 1t was familiar enough
to the eyes Of the Old Greeks, and Ro-
man danes thought their establishments
incomplete unless they had their due
complement OF umbrella-beareTs to at
tend them in their walks and drives,
and guard their compilations from solar
influences. Roman play-goers took
umbrellas with them in their open the
atres; the priests of the. early Christian
Church said mass under them, and car
dinals taking their titles from bssilican
churches always received an umbrella
with the red hat. A golden umbrella
figures in the paraphernalia Of high
church dignitsries 10 this day; and in
some places IN Europe the host is new
er carried through the streets without
a decorated umbrella TO bear it COM
pany.
Montaigne says that the use Of the
umbrella as q protection against the
parching heat OF the sun was common
in Italy in his time, but the prince Of
esssyists thought the incumbrance more
than counterbalanced the comfort at
forded, pronouncing the umbrella to be
a greater burden to a mans arm than q
relief to his head. Montaigne's verdict
is certainly justified by Coryate, who
describes the umbrellas he saw IN Italy
as being made of leather in the form OF
little canopy, hooped inside with di-
vers little wooden hoops, extending the
umbrella in pretty large compass, and
having a long handle. Whether the
Romans introduced the umbrella, with
other devices of civilization, 10 our Brit
ish ancestors, it Is impossible to say.
The Anglo-Saxons were undoubtedly
acquainted with ii, but the earliest men.
ton of it in English literature occurs in
Beaumont and Fletcher's Rule Wife
and Haze Wife, in which the hero is,
oddly enough, compared to one. Altea,
congratulating her sister-in-law upon
securing the supposed easy-going fool
for husband, asks her:
'gNow is your heart at rest?
Now you have got a shadow, umbrella,
To keep the worlds scorching opinion
From your fair credit"
II would hardly be safe, however, to
conclude that the umbrella was strange
to English eyes prior TO the sixteenth
century merely because early writers
fail to mention it. Shakespeare could
not have trod the boards Of the Globe
Theatre without coming in contact
with tobacco-smokers, and yet, if si-
lence were good evidence, we must sup
pose that he had never heard Of the pop
ular weed.
There can be no question that the use
both Of the umbrella and parasol was
well understood IN England during the
earlier half OF the eighteenth century.
That it was not very common Is evident
from the fact that General (then Lieu
tenant ColoneD Wolfe, writing from
Paris in 1862, speaks of the people there
using umbrellas for the sun and rain,
and wonders that similar practice does
not obtain in England. Just about this
time, however, they seem to have come
into general use, and that pretty rapid
ly, as people found out their value, and
got over the shy3ess natural to first
introduction. Jonas Hanaway. the
founder Of the Magdalen Hospital, has
the credit Of being the first nan who
had the courage TO carry one habiiualIy
IN London, since il is recorded m the
biography of the venerable philanthro-
pist-the friend Of chimney-sweeps and
the sworn foe to tea-that he was "the
FIRST man who ventured to dare public
reproach and ridIcule by carrying an
umbrella" He had probably found out
the benefit Of one during his travels in
Persia, where they were in constant use
as protection against the sun; IL is also
said that he was in III health when he
first began TO make Of his umbrella a
companion. One author sug-
gests that IL is "more than likely that
Jonas Hanaway's nealness in dress and
delicate complexion led him on his re-
turn from abroad to appreciate luxury
confined to ladies'" Mr.. Pugh,
who wrote his life, gives the following
description OF his appearance, which
may be regarded as . gem IN its way
''In his dress, as far as was consistent
with his ideas of health and ease, he
himself 10 the prevailing
fashion. As it was frequently necessa-
~ for him to appear in polite circles on
occasions, he usually wore
dress clothes with large French bag.
HIS hat, ornamenied with gold button,
was of size and fashion TO be worn as
well under the arm IS on the head.
When 1t rainpd, q small PargpIzie de-
Tended his face and wig"
As Hansway died in 17S6-and he Is
SAID 70 have carried an umbrella for ihir-
tv years-the date Of its first use 6v