The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-11-13
Gossip about Gloves,

We shall in time have whole library
Of the wardrobe, and if every article Of
apparel finds us entertaining chroni-
cler as gloves have found in Mr.. II. w.
Beck, books about clothes will be
numbered among the most interesting
that have ever issued from the press.
Mr. Beck traces the history of the
glove from the primitive hand-shoe of
the earliest times down to the MANY
buttoned monstro3ity OF AZ day. In
clined, like all authors, to magnify his
subject, !" Beck claims for gloves Il
descent So lent that it is impossible
to arrive 1t any certain conclusion
about their age, and SO noble, that at
one time they were only worn by royal
persons or royal blood. Prehistoric
cave-men are believed to have worn
gloves; the ancient Hebrews wore
them, and they were adopted by Greeks
and Romans. The latter were believed
to have introduced them into Britain
The early Eaglish, according to Beo-
wulf, had gloves. Before they were
regarded as a mark of royal descent the
Church claimed them as her own.
From the time when Boniface VIII
was buried with gloves "of white silk,
beautifully worked with the needle and
ornamented with Il rich border studded
with pearls" to the present day, they
have figured as part of ecclesiastical
apparel. Thomas a-Bccket, the Cam
terbury saint, wore gloves at his inter-
ment, and many another Church dig
nitary has been laid in the grave with
richly. embroidered gloves on his folded
tho n Of nct
Trinity Church, made in 1862, We read
of 81 payre of red gloves with tasselles
wrought with vents (Venice) gold;"
and even long after the Restoration
their use was maintained. In 1873,
perhaps much against the bishops will, :,
the old custom was still enforced "tO
make presents Of gloves to all persons
That come to the cOnsecration dinners
and Others" In Germany and France,
as we'll as in this country, gloves oc-
cupy place among the regalia, and as
they frequently appear in medieval
manuscripts we know that they were
white, and had wide pointed cuffs.
at first gloves were usually made of
linen, afterwards Of silk. Gloves for
ordinary Wear-when the practical
British mind discovered that they would
be an acquisition to our everyday garb
were made of tanned leather; such
were the gloves Of Henry vi, which,
though undoubtedly useful, were far
from ornamental. Men and boys wore
gloves long before women adopted
them, and the same extravaganza in
gloves which is noted among fashion
ble ladies to-day was practiccd by the
dandies OF the sixteenth century, 4
pair OF Queen EliZbeth's gloves have
been preserved, which, though "of
very fine white leather, worked with
gold thread" are Of a size at which our
fashionable beauties would stand
aghast. Good Queen Bess, however,
had hand that was fit to wield a
sceptre. The thumb Of her glove was
inches long, and the palm measured
81 inches across. Another royal glove
has been preserved in Henry VIII's
'hawkes glove, "in which, if the origi-
nal bears any likeness to the illustra-
ton, a goodly number Of "hawkes''
could find comfortable resting. place.
AS hawking, when by our forofathers
reduced to u science, had it's own pecu
liar vocabulary, it had also its own
gloves, sometimes, as those of King
Henry, large and clumsily made, but
mostly richly embroidered, edged and
lined, with heavy tassels to correspond.
Perhaps the reason why some of these
hawking gloves are really artistically
worked is that ladies likewise took part
in the sport of hawking. Archery was
another. pastime in which they were
proficient, and many a Cd. for "shoot-
ing gloves for my mlstress'' occurs in
the accounts Of the stewards of those
times.
Mr.. Beck discourses pleasantly con.
cerning all manner Of gloves royal,
plebeian, sporting, military, judicial,