The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-06-18
Umbrellas in Religion
Something of Interest about the Useful
Article.

Article.
The umbrella, says the Saturday Review
is properly remnant of solar worship, and
it is only the degeneracy of later times, and
especially the dwelling and democratic spirit
Of Europe, which has debased ii to the pal
try uses of keeping ones self dry, and, with
a few ancient persons not on that account to
be accused of sun-worship or Sabaistic here
sizes, of warding off the fierce rays of the
sun. The robust people of old times did
not want TO be protected from sun or rain.
They We're too hardy and too much inclined
to do nothing unless they could not avoid it
to care for the elements. If there was
very heavy tropical shower, they simply got
u der shelter. If the sun was too hot for
work, they We're glad of the excuse for be-
ing lazy. In any case their occupations
were such as precuded the use of the UNI
brella as mere effeminate means of protec-
ton.
Even nowadays the agriculturist does not
hoist an umbrella when he plows his fields
or hoes his turnips; and the nautical man,
unless he be the captain of Thames penny
steam boat, does not fear rheumatism so
much as to unfurl Bingham. The print
tive tisherWan rather liked being wet than
otherwise when he hauled in his nets:
The rice cultivator absolutely revels In
slush. Umbrellas are not, therefore, neces-
sarily sign of degeneraey OF the human
race, though superficial observers might
think them so. The Siamese work, the
THAI Chang gives us the correct notion
OF their proper origin. "The expression
San kouang," 1.-THE three brilliant things)
says the learned author, .'designates the
sun, the moon, and the stars. These illu-
inmate the world BY the command Of the
Lord of the heavens, and disseminate their
benefieent rays into all parts of the universe.
To point the finger suddenly at them is a
grave breach of respect and merits grievous
punishment Here, then, we have the
true first notion of the purpose of the um-
brella. Weak human nature is unable so to
govern its actions as to be uniformly mind
full OF the celestial powers. In the common
affairs of life men sare constantly pointing
in all directions, and might mad
yertently stare rudely at the moon, or the
stars, or even the sun; though there is not
so much danger of that. In order to pro-
teet themselves against such thoughtless-
ness, and moreover to avoid the danger of
unseemly actions and possibly disrespectful
gestures in full view of the God of Day, the
umbrella was invented. Consequently,
when the article first came into use, it was
most generally used in fine weather, when
the sun was high in the heavens, and thus
was most liable to be offended. In rainy
weather the danger was not SO serious, for
the greas luminary covered up his face in
nlOuHS a with a vail and II wa
necessary to guard against being rude to
him. As natural consequence, whenever
1t rained the primeval sunshade inventors
put down their umbrellas and were happy.
In later days, skeptical people who did not
scruple to speak unexpectedly of the sun,
let alone the stars, found the parasol--in the
genealogical sense-convenient for keeping
off the rain; and, when the pious-minded
were lowering their umbrellas, these hereti-
cal weaklings unfurled theirs to shelter
their sorry bodies. Hence the modern desc
Grafton of the ancient implement of wor-
ship.
The umbrella having a distinguished ORR
gin, it is not to be wondered at that in the
East is one of the chief royal insignia, and
is guarded from being put to too common
uses by severe sumptuary laws. In Africa
it is not at all uncommon to find tribe in
possession of one umbrella only, and that
umbrella the distinguishing mark of the
King, his entire regalia, in fact. But in In
dia, and especially in Indo-China, where Sa-
baism is not yet altogether dead, the umbrel-
la is very important state appurtenance,
and the King of Bnrmah, as everyone
knows, is not only Lord of the White Um-
bIella but of all the notwithstanding chiefs.
| There is very formidable etiquette of UNI
brelas. None but the King and white ele-
plant may have white one. The King has
eight of them, duly carried round about
| him, all at once, seven feet or more across,
and elevated on 12-foot poles. Englishmen
who have inwardly expanded shades with
white covers have expiated the Nervousness
WIFE noInIng 70 Shelter tuem ifun rIru Srr
| ing rays of the sun, kindled to unwonted
anger by the bad language the victims make
| use of on the occasion.
Next in estimation to the white umbrellas
are yellow specimens, seldom conferred on
any except Queens and Processes who are
in especial favor. Golden umbrellas fall to
the lot of Princesses of the blood royal-
when there are any-eminent statesmen,
generals, tributary chieftains, and distin-
guished Provincial Governors. Then come
in their gradations red, green, and brown
silk covered umbrellas, with deep fringes or
without them, and all of the most porten-
tous width and elevation All officials at
their distinction by vanishing their umbrrl-
las black inside. The sun has thus the
greater difficulty in detecting their tricker-
les and populations. However much they
may reverence the .three brilliant things
none of the notwithstanding chiefs are al
| lowed to conceal their doings from those
| luminaries when they are within the palace
| precincts. If they offend against the sun
| and the moon, they offend equally against
| the King, and that potentate relieves the
celestial bodies of the trouble of Furnishing
| them.
The most distinguished may, indeed, car
| ry their sunshades as far as the palace steps,
but there the signs of dignity must be left
| along with their owners shoes. The com-
| mon rabble are even more exposed to the
| dangers of outragiDg the SUMS sensiblities.
| Their umbrellas-poor things at any rate,
| and OF Western dimensions, so that good
| substantial sin under cover of them is an
mpossibility-ought not to be used near the
| palace stockade at all, and must certainly lie
| lowered when they pass any of the gates.
This is, without doubt, rather a hardship
| but there is no denying that the Arbiter' OF
| Existence is more Immediately dangerous
| than the moon and the stars, or even than
| the sun, and the three brilliant things are
| therefore systematically floated In the neigh
| borh0od of the Golden Palace. 1t is indeed
| greatly TO be feared that, though umbrellas
are still embems of rank and dignity, their
| primordial religious sanctity has been for
gotten even in the East.