Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1882-09-14
MARRIAGE CUSTOMS.


The Wedding Ring of Ancient ORR
gin-SOme Strange Laws Pertain
ing to Marriage and Bachelors.
The ring necessary in Christian mar
riage is the most ancient of all observ-
ances, and one that is clearly traced to
heather sources. Romans, Greek,
Egyptians and many other ancient ma
tons used wedding rings. They were
made of iron, gold, brass and copper,
and generally had so ne inscription in
scribed upon them, such as May you
live long" 81 bring good fortune to the
wearer." Other rings which have been
discovered in ancient sepulchres have
keys engraved upon them, evidently as
an indication of the wife's domestic au-
thority. Among the Jews the marriage
wedding ring of Joseph and Mary, which
was sold by a Jerusalem jeweller to the
marquis of Etruria in 99G, was composed
OF onyx or amethyst. a matter
which can now be no longer satisfactory
lily settled, as some fifty Catholic church.
es possess ring which is vouched to be
the only and original ring worn by the
Divine Mother. The Christian church
made the acing of the ring on the wo-
mans hand an imperative portion of the
nuptlal union, but, strange to say, while
! adopting the pagan custom, did not de-
fine the material of which the ring
should be made, so that some ludicrous
substitutes have done service in in
stances where the nervous bridegroom
has forgotten to bring the necessary cir
clet in his wal tcoat pocket. The church
key and curtain rings have more
than o.lce been brought into requisition,
and a few years ago wedding was sol
emniZed in Boston at which the ring was
a circle of kid cut from the bridegroom's
glove. 1t IS an error to suppose that
ring containing precious stones cannot
be used; they were very fashionable in
the middle ages and even later. Mary,
Queen Of Scots, had three wedding rings,
two in gold and the center one an en-
tire circle of diamonds. Rings used to
be placed on the brides right hand, as
is still the custom in Germany. In Eng
land, century ago, marriage rings, al
thong h put on the second finger of the
left hand at the church ceremony, were
afterwards worn on the thumb. The So
clety of Friends are. among the few Chris
tan sects who dispenses with this SYM
Dol OF marital union, its hcathenish orr
gin being the alleged reason. Many
quak, ladies wear them, nevertheless.
The old Puritans chad the same preiu-
dices as the Friends. and in .'Hudibras"
a passage refers to it as follows:
Others were for aboishing
That tool of luatrimony, ring,
With which the unsanctity' d bridegroom
Is married only to thumb;
CAS- wise as ringing ola pig
That used to break up ground and dig)
The bride to nothing but her will
That nulls the atter-marriage still.
Buffers verse gives the impression
that wedding rings were worn on the
thumb at much earlier period than the
reign of the Georges.
With our grandparents it used to be
| customary whenever man married an
heiress TO advertise the fact in the pub
lie papers. For instance: John Brown
to Miss Mary Jones and ego 600"
Marriage in smock was an old
usage, which was observed by widows
who had incurred debt and wished to
remarry without incumbering their new
husbands with their pecuniary burdens.
1t was supposed that if man took
wife with nothing ON her but single
garment, he would be freed from the
risk Of being sued for her ante-marriage
debts. and within few years a wedding
took place in England at which the
bride stood up at the altar to be married
with nothing on her but a sheet wrapped
around her form. Marriage under the
gallows is another old law, now obsolete,
by which murderer escapes the death
penalty II. woman expresses her will
ingness to marry him. In New
York in 1854 this actually occurred, but
the man was subsequently, hung for
numbering the woman whose devotion
saved his life on the previous occasion.
Marriage by lot is still the rule among
the Moravians, but persons chosen can
refuse each other if they they think fit.
The only exception to the latter rule is
with the missionaries, who occasionally
send Tor wives from their distant sta
tons. Some years ago missionary of
India wrote to the Bethlehem commun-
ity in this state, and having announced
the demise Of his spouse requested that
a second wife should be chosen and sent
to him, and added that he desired a
stout, short helpmate, as his first wife
was of that shape and stature, and had
left an excellent wardrobe behind her.
lie received the desired person.
Some strange laws for regulating and
promoting marriages existed in the prim-
| tive colonies of this country. In 1895
the local authorities of Nrentham, Mass,
| voted that every unmarried man in the
township should kill six blackbirds, or
three crows yearly while single, and as
a penalty for not obeying the order he
should not get married until he had de-
stroyed the requisite number in arrears.
A former tax in Maryland was five
shillings yearly to every bachelor pos
sessed elO0 pounds, and twenty shillings
on all bachelors and widowers who own
e30O. 1t does not appear that spinsters
or widows were ever taxed, probably
from the reason that no woman refuses
| a chance if she can help it.