Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1885-07-23
EARS AND EARRINGS.


i WOE1uy sdlu DcAutA1Hi young hhuy AZ
the store Of Fulton street jeweler, q
day Or two ago.
She occasionally carried her handker-
chief to her ears, ,glancing in 4 mirror at
the same time, her face all the while
frightening up with smile.
why, they are not bleeding at all;
and thought it was an awful ordeal to
go through. And once more did hel
handkerchief find its way to pair d
small and delicate ears.
She had just undergone the operation
Of having her ears pierced. she renewed
her exclamatiolls Of pleasure, while 4
lady attendant sold to her q pair Of dia-
mond pendants.
Modern civilized nations regard the
earring almost exclusively as female
ornament, and in America an Italian o.
other foreigner with little rings Of sill
yer in the lobes Of bis ears is looked
upon very much as wild being ap-
preaching in barbarous fashion the
ORIGINAL ruler Of this land who
yet lords it on the Western pIains wi1eH
Uncle Sans regulars are at a--safe dis
tance. Among less advanced and unciv-
iIized people earrings are worn BY both
sexes, custom which sailors Of differ
ent nationaliries frequently follow
Among the ancient Greeks and Romans
the earring was considered effeminate,
while in Eastern countries, on the au-
thority Of Pliny, it was used by men
and women alike.
Earrings were worn by the English
down to the tenth century. That custom
was revived among them again in the
sixteenth century, and extended even to
gentlemen Of the royal court who fol-
lowed the example Of the courtiers Of
Henry III. Of France. Satirical allu-
sions to this habit are common in the
writings Of contemporary dramatists. 1t
appears to have died out about the time
Of the Restoration. Earrings in those
days assumed variety of forms, and
were, as now, Of gold encircled with
precious stones. Pearls were valued for
their spherical shape, their size, and
their whiteness, but the elongated rings
worn as late as thirty years ago were in
great esteem as forming 3 graceful pen
dant to the ears. For elegance Of de-
sign and beauty Of execution the ear
rings Of the Etruscans and Greeks have
never been surpassed.
To-day woman will submit to have
her ears pierced much more readily than
she would few years back. The facil-
ity and painlessness with which the oper-
alton is now performed have made ear
rings more popular than ever.
A few minutes after the scene de-
scribed above had been concluded, a
lady entered the store. she led
a little girl BY the hand.
She wanted her ears pierced.
The jeweler called for small, ivory
handled instrument, with small steel
point, about three-eighths Of an inch long
and about as stout as the average sewing
machine needle. He placed small
solid cork behind the lobe Of the child's
left ear and ran the needle through the
flesh.
The mother shuddered, and put her
hands before her eyes, while the child
merely looked up at the jeweler as if in
perfect wonder at what was taking place.
"Well," exclaimed the mother, ''the
nerve that this child has got is simply
astonishing. 7 wouldn't 60 through
that operation for good deal"
BY this time the child's other ear had
been pierced, and in the holes made were
inserted two little hollow tubes, which
were not to be removed till the holes had
healed-in few days
us the operation painful4' Union
reporter asked the proprietor.
every seldom. It does happen some
times that the lobe is hard and gristly;
then the piercing is painful. Large ears
well away from the head are the tough
est. Fat ears and small are the easiest to
pierce AS rule, however, the opera
ton is accompanied by only twinge Of
pain, which disappears as soon as the
needle is withdrawn"
sfWere you ever asked to pierce the
ears Of babyr'
ssThe age il usually from four to
fourteen years. 1t is very seldom that
girl passes the age Of fourteen without
wearing earrings.
Are there many persons who make
it business to pierce ears3'' the re-
porter asked another jeweler.
mot that / know Of Some years
ago womenin Strengthened circumstances
pretended to follow such business. but
it has always been the jewelers. who have
done the most Of it. Ii we sell q pair
| Of earrings to q person who never had
her ears pierced, she usually asks first
whether we are willing to perform the
operation. Some jewelers. won't pierce
ears under any circumstances
ssWhat do you charge for piercing
one pair Of earsl"
Nothing. we do it to sell the ear
rings. II j. very seldom that anybody,
except intimate friends, ask Us 70
pierce their ears, unless they mean to
buy something to put in them.p
ssDo the ears become inhamed after
the operaticn9n
svery seldom II care il taken Of them.