St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-08

such an unWarranted ornament was
considered an evidence of ''vanity, las
civiousness and PRIDE" and was looked
upon as a great piece of presumption On
the part Of the Wearer.
Another authority dWellS upon the
fact of aflianced persons being allowed
this honorable decoration, and cites 1t
as an evidence of the high honor in
which the estate of wedIock was then
held, that those about TO enter 1t might
be so adorned.
But while finger rings have figured
conspicuously in the political, court and
ecclesiastical history Of all times, 1t IS
their record as love tokens and mar
rage emblemS which lends the greatest
interest to these pretty or priceless las
the case may be- baubles of mankind.
Tradition tells that the first OF these
mystic circles was invented by Prone
theus and forged by Tubal Cain. An
Arabian legend relates how King Solo
mon possessed magic ring that he
once upon time dropped inadvertently
into the sea, Whereupon his wisdom I'M
mediately abated, SO that for forty days
he abStained from administering JUS
tice. At the end of that time the miss
ing Jewel was found in a fish and re-
blOItu W Ollt llIOllttlCils WIN Cbi oiNiiN' W
became exceedingly wise land continued
SO until the end of his days.
THE HISTORY OF RING SUGGESTIONS
is notably rich. In most cases, where
they were supposed to possess especial
significance and virtue, these qualities
abided in some particular stone or sym
Dol or inscription. But "charm rings"
were fabricated in various ways and Of
different substances, which were be-
lieVed to establish their efficacy.
In Berkshire there was popular SUI
perstition that a ring made Of piece OF
communion silver was sure cure for
fits and commissions. The same diseases
were also cured by 4 ring formed OF five
silver SiXpences, collected from as many
bachelors. who must have been kept i'll
ignorance Of the purpose for which the
contribution was levied, else its efficacy
would be destroyed.
Rings fashioned from coffin hinges
were looked upon as a specific for
cramps. And so on, through long list
of ills and illusions, the ring has con-
stantly been put forward as a remedy
Or preventive.
The ''jimmal ring" was originally a
love-token merely. Herrick writes of it:
Thou sendest to me a true love-knot, but l
Returned a ring of iimmals TO imply
THY love had one knot mine triple tye.
Later this became the ring Of the
espousal and was intended to typify
community of interest, mutual fOrbear-
ance, endless devotion, and all the other
attributes of the estate Of matrim0ny i'll
its most ideal perfection. The orthogra-
ply changed slightly also, and it was
written with Il.
One of these gimmal rings, supposed
to belong to the time Of Queen Elizabeth,
was found at HorSIeydOwn, in Surrey.
1t is preserved in the British museum
collection, and it has been described as
follows:
THE GIMMAL RING.
The ring is formed of twin or double
hoops, which play within one another
like the links of a chain Each hoop
has one of its sides fiat, the other con-
VeX, and each is twisted once around,
and surmOunted by hand issuing from
an embossed fancy work wrist or sleeve,
rising somewhat above the circle and
extending in the same direction. The
course of the twist in each hoop is made
to correspond with that of its counter
part, so that on bringing together the
flat surfaces Of the hoops they i'm
mediately unite in one ring. On that
hand of which the palm is uppermost is
represented a heart, and as the hoops
close the hands slide into contact. The
whole device thus presents a triple
emblem of love, fidelity and union-the
whole being of fine gold and weighing
two pennyWeights."
The writer saw i'll England a ring
made like this described above The
gentleman who was wearing it on his
little finger and lad originally given it
to his sweetheart, who had died before
their marriage had taken place. Her
dlsconsolate lover afterwards wore it OH
what little Gladys riug-rigmarOle deSig-
mated as the ''0ld maid'' finger: but
doubtless it was worn there because too
small to fit anywhere else on his hand.
There is an old rule laid down some
where which says of the language of
rings: "lf man wants a wife the ring
must be worn upon the first finger of
the left hand; if he is engaged it occu-
pies the second finger; if married, he
wears it upon the third finger, but if he
has resolved upon celibacy, theu it is
put upon his fourth OF little finger
This formula is also adapted for
women, but it is carefully explained by
the same authority that widows are
not subject to these rules"
A THUMB RING.
There's a handsome widow in this city
who certainly is not governed by any
ring rule-ancient or mOdern-for she
wears a wide, wrougnt-gold band tightly
encircling the small thumb Of her re-
markedly pretty hand. Naturally it at
tracts much notice, and is not infre-
quently subject of comment. One night
at supper party one mans curiosity
became lone too many'' for his polite
ness, and at last he put the straight
question why she wore it. Instantly
she penciled upon her menu these
words:
For pleasures past and joys to come,
wear this ring you see on my thumb.
Under this her querist promptly in
Scribed the following neat reply:
You've another thumb, my lady-dear,
And another lover sitting here
Who'd give his chance OF the world to come
To place ring on that other thumb.
In marriage, according to the ancient
ritual, the husband began the ring bust
ness by placing it upon the brides
thumb and putting it successfully upon
each one person of the Trinity, until,
was reached, and there the wedding ring
was suffered to remain.
The Greek church ritual directs that
the ring be placed upon the right hand.
Among the Anglo-SaXonS ring blessed
by the priest was given to a maid at her
betrothal, and she wore the same upon
her right hand until her marriage, when
1t was removed by the bridegroom,
again blessed by the priest and then
placed on the first finger of her left
hand.
THERE IS AN OLD BELIEF
dating back to ancient Rome that small
artery runs from the third Tor fourth
counting the thumb) finger of the wom-
ans left hand directly to the heart.
Modern anatomists haYe exploded this
sentimental idea, but it formerly OBJ
tanned the widest credence, so much 80
that in cases Of sudden seizure, or
hswound," restoratives we're applied 10
This finger in the belief that the direct
communication with the heart you'd