Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-06-03

by the priest was gwen 70 maid az her
betrothal, and she wore the same upon
her right hand until her marriage. when
IL ives removed by the bridegroom,
again blessed by the priest and then
placed on the FIRST finger Of her lelt
hand. -ie stI "a 81.
There is an old belief slatinr bark Go
TO ancient Rome that q sn.hll ll,iafy iuitsl
from the third Tor the fourth dcuntine Che
thumb iinger OF the weinanis lefs hand
directly TO the heart. Modern anai6.
inists have exploded this sentimental
idea, but il formerly Obtained the widest
credence, so much SO that in cases o.
sudden seizure or "swound, y rastcra'iyes
were applied to this finger III the belief
that It's direct commuhlchii9n with the
heart would conway the healing Influence
more quickly to the seat Of Fife Also,
old physicians mixed tiolr pbtions aud
medicaments with this finger be-
cause, Us an old chronicle ai-
firms, mo venom can stick upon
! the outinost part Of it, but it will Of.
fend a man and Communicate itself to
his heart" Founded upon this belief
was the custom Of wearing the wedding
ring upon that finger. 0.her reasons
have beer assigned for so doing, but this
| 49,, Wllllpul .QtQbt, tlit ftlilftll .tiit..
Puritan influence sought to abolish tue
ring as a vain and heathen emblem, but
the sweet old fashion Of giving and tak-
ing the token, "for our loves sage,' yet
remains to us.
The fashion OF betrothal, Or as we
phrase it nowadays, sengarehlcnt,p
rings varies from time, and always de-
Ponds, or should do so, upon the PARSE OF
the donor. Where there arc 10 limitn-
tons Of this sort, his taste, il ii be per
feet, will lend him to choose a diamond
solitaire, and Of the finest he can afford,
a small and pure stone being altogether
preferable to big "rock7 Of doubtful
color. Some prefer ring set With three
stones, generally sapphire set between.
two diamonds. Others select d ruby or
an emerald, which signifies a promise Of
happiness, A few choose pearls, but
there is prejudice against these jewels,
as they are supposed to typify tears
They are also too perishable to become
emblems of a love which in its first glow
at least, is always understood TO be- in
destructible. Their beauty is very pre-
carious, being easily dimmed or tagged, Y
az the lapidary phrases it, by contact
with impure air, while acid annifilases
them completely, like the famous one,
which the fair Egyptiau brilliant s6rcef-
ess Of the Nile" dissolved and drank to
her Imperial lover ages ago. ia
Only the wedding ring remains nearly
the same through all time. The Romans
made theirs OF iron to express en-
durance, and baser metals have been
used for this purpose from time to time,
since; but the ideal marriage token,
exquisitely described by an early Fng-
fish poet, has not and cannot be inn
proved upon--it is the ring Of purest
virgin gold, neither too. heavy nor yet
TOO slender. 1t Is softly rounded over,
50 that there are no sharp edges. and ii
you suspend it by a silken thread fas the
child on the hearthrug has done with her
trinkets) and smite it softly, 1t will ring
out an indescribably sweet sound, which
no other metal gives forth. II you have
not heard this fairy-like music, try the
experiment, and, having once heard this
true ring of the true metal, you will
never forget its sweetness afterward, and
you will realize that no other token is Sc
itly symbolic Of D true hearts devotion;
while for the "posie" OF the ring, ne
words are more appropriate than Her
rick's lines already alluded to.
Ard AZ this round 1t y
Is nowhere found a,.ss =,
To flaw. or else to sever; =
So let our love
Az endless prove, ~ sal n
And pure as gold forever. ~ .
In. Y. World.