Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-10-11
wxDsusc KINGS.


The history Of the firss wedding ring
would without doubt interest rs; bat
unfortunately IL has never been written,
or, having been recorded, the record Is
lost 70 the world for all time.
The earliest ring that ~ mentioned IN
connection with q marriage IL the ear
ring which the servant of Abraham put
upon the face of Rebecca when she went
At evening 70 draw water from a well
10 Syria
He put braosiets upon her arms. but
gave her only one earring, and 1t Ia writ
ten that he Pot il upon her face.
The materials from which the mystic
circIets have been wrought are many
gold. silver, iron, cooper, brass, leather,
and even bit of sedee and rush have
been made 10 do service as wedding
rings.
Martin Luther married his wife Cath
arine with ring of silver-gilt.
To King Henry the Sixth, OF England,
the keeper of his jewels, in the year l4so,
gave q ring 10 be broken by jeweler
and made into another ring for the
queens wedding ring.
King Henry described this ring as " OF
gold, garnished with fayr rubic, some
time yeven unto Us by our bel uncle the
cardinal of England, with the which We
we're graced in the day Of our corona
ton at Parys."
In the same month of the year, dan
uary) and just thirty-three years later,
King Henry the Seventh of England
paid BE. I'd. for the "qeenes weddyne
That Is woman Of the Christian
iohursh 1AQnld prize symbol that had
been b1oor6d, sprinkled with holy water,
/ eonoooCd with prayers and benedic-
fttons, and 6nally placed upon the fourth
Inn6g ~ ne left hand BY her husband,
TWi(h ~ words, In the name of the
Father, Of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost" il MT surprising, bat IL is not
90 y to understand the wide prevalence
Of the superstition that ring 30 blessed
| had power TO conquer disease and " frus-
trate the devil"
We must not think that the golden
ring of modern times is peculiar to our
ace, for Tertuilian, Of Carthage. writ
ing Of Christian marriages that were
celebrated during the second century,
intimates that the rings used were made
Of gold.
In Norman England, many young men
being either too poor or too parsimoni-
ous TO buy rings Of the most precious
metal for their brides, substituted silver.
Tho number Of young men OF like mind
soon increased TO such extent that the
wedding ring Of silver came into gen
sral mrs and remained 30 for several
centuries.
In Ireland superstition still exists
that = marriage is not perfect unless it
10 solemnixed by hoop Of gold. 30
strong h this belief in the southwestern
portion sf tho island that a man will not
marry unless he can have a gold ring to
conpiese the ceremony. Being far too
poor 20 own ring wherewith TO bless
the bride, he hires a hoop of gold, and
after the mystic rite il accomplished the
ring u returned to its owner.
This superstition cannot be confined
TO Ireland. for ip our own land bride
Of today would be greatly startled by
tho sight of ring Of silver or of iron
on the hand Of her groom, and would
invOluntarily withdraw her hand from
contact with the baser metal. so univer-
sal il the belief that gold is the only
suitable material Of which to form the
important cirslet.
| Our good, stupid Puritans preached
nightly against wedding rings and with
q certain degree cf ipfiuence and power;
but the brides 10 preached to, although
compelled 70 forego the formula OF hav.
| ing the ring put on in church, received
IL at home from their husbands and
priced IL highly.
The wedding rings OF our forefathers
were made to suit the tastes and means
+. - l-~.a.u 0c,.xn ~ Ahovr suaro larua
awkward, uncomfortable, being mere
iumps Of metal. Other rings were mere
thread like hoops, too slight for constant
wear.
i Still other rings were adorned with
precious stones. The metal was some
times twisted into the semblance Of
two Joined hands, pair Of hearts were
pierced with an arrow, or q single hand
held heart. Then came rings with
strange devices, likenesses Of saints be-
ing craven upon them, or brief max
inns, scraps Of verse and suggestive
legends. Some of the couplets are
quaint and curious. One that became
very popular in the seventeenth century
Was:
Fortune doth send You, hap 1t we'll OF
| i'll,
This plain gold ring, to wed you to YOU
| Another "possy" for bridal ring
ran thus:
| "And a. this round
| IL nowhere found
To flaw, or else to sever;
81 may our love
| Az endless prose,
i A pure as gold forever
| Fair specimens of the "posical" de-
vices that fashion used TO ins0ribe on
bridal finger hoops are the following:
i "Our contract was Heavens act.
"In thee, my choice, do rejoice"
IL will be yours, while breath en-
dures."
when the fashion aross in England
for ladies' 10 wear many and costly
rinQu, in order that the wedding ring
might be distinguished FROM al other
rings and become q legible badge Of an
order Of womankind, IL was decided
that it, simplicity should distinguish
Il from all othsr trinkets Of its kind,
and thus she plain gold ring came into
une.
Ia the chief church Of . large English
town. mot many years sinoe, bride pre-
ssnted herself IN preoipitats haste for
the marriage oeremOny. She had e.
capped from her home. and her own fam
ily WAS searching the house from garret
l A ssollap Sssp hAe