The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1881-07-27

tues. A species OF the ruby was thought to
| restrain fury and wrath. The jacinth or by
acinth was said to have the faculty Of pro
| curing sleep when worn on the finger. Arts
totle believed the amethyst capable Of hind
| ering the ascension Of vapors, while An
drea Baccius says that it sharpened the VII,
being at enmity with all impurity, q stone
that Nichols in his Lapidary-published
1652-says lis Of 50 excellent a viriditie, or
| spring colour as that if a man shall look
upon an emerald by a pleasant green mead
viriditie which it hath in ITSELF" The topaz
ness OF mind the agate is thought to be
good against poisone. The sapphire, accord
ing to St. Jerome, will procure the Wearer
the fame of princes and others, pacify ene-
mics, free from entertainments, loose from
prison and assuage the wrath of God. The
opal is said to sharpen the sight of it's pos
SCISSOR, and cloud the eyes of those who
stand about him ; for this cause it is revered
as a safe patron of thieves. Comedian is
thought to gift its Wearer with a cheerful
heart, chalcedony procureth victory for its
possessor while the wearing of coral in q
| ring has been thought sufficient to climber
the decisions of the devil, and to secure men
from Incubus and S%uccu6us."
In regard to rings there is a curious error
common among all people, that the wedding
finger was 50 chosen because Of a vein rum
ming from the fourth finger Of the left hand
to the heart. Leyinus Lemnius quantity
| says ga small branch Of the artery and
not Of the nerves, as Gallius thought, Is
| stretched from the heart unto this finger, the
motion whereof you may perceive evidently
in all that effects the heart Of woman, BY
the touch of the forefnger. ! used to raise
such as are fallen in a swoon by pinching
this joint and BY rubbing the ring ct gold
with a little saffron for by this, 9 restoring
force that is in it passeth to the heart and re-
fresheth the fountain of life unto which this
finger is Joined. Wherefore, antiquity
thought fit to encompass it about with gold"
It is said thereon by SWinburn and others,
that for this reason the fourth-by some peo-
| pie called the third-because the wedding
finger. The priesthood kept up the idea by
still keeping it as the wedding finger but it
was got at through the use of the Trinity.
For in the ancient ritual of English mar
| riages, the ring was placed by the husband
on the top of the thumb Of the left hand,
with the words SIN the name OF the Father,
il was then removed to the foretlnger with
| the words, "In the nam Of the Son :. then
to the middle finger with the words, In the
name Of the Holy Ghost !" and finally 1t was
| left upon the fourth finger with the closing
word, 'Amen." A much less notable, yet
more harmful, delusion in the matter OF
rings was contrived some few years ago,
known as galvanic rings, which when worn
on the fingers We're said to prevent or cure
various diseases. Although by the contact
of the two metals of which they are COM
posed, an enthusiastically minute current of
electricity, hence, also Of magnetism, is gen.
Grated, still, from the absurd manner IN
which the pieces Of metal composing the
ring are arranged, and which displays the
most profound ignorance Of the laws Of cleo
tricity and magnetism, no trace Of the min
ute current trayerses the finger upon which
the ring is worn; 50 that q wooden ring, or
none at al, would have exactly the same Eff
feet, as regards the magnetism or g%alvanism.