Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1888-07-07
NECKLACES IN ALL AGES.
New Ornaments, but Once They wol
Radges of Slavery.

Badges of Slavery.
In primitive states of society the
necklace was the badge OF the warrior
and was often made of some distin ctiye
spoil of the chase or of war. To this |
day one Of the most valuable and covet-
ed possessions of the Western Indian |
is the necklace OF grizzly bears claws,
q proof that he has met and conquered
the gray terror of the mountains. |
Among the Tartars of the time OF
Genghis Khan the necklace was often
made of human teeth, strung together |
upon wire. This particular form oil
ornament is found in South America |
in the graves of the Indians.
The earliest known form of necklace |
outside of such primitive types as
shells and bits of colored stone come
from Egypt. They were of two kinds,
ornamental and what may be called,
for the lack Of better word, supersti
tious. The former were composed Of
small stones, of which blue was ap
parently the favorite color, set in silver
or gold and joined together in chain.
The latter, the armlets, were made Of
figures of gods, from three to seven
inches long. Three or four of these
were hung in q chain of beads.
The sacred images were believed to
ward off danger of infection, misfortune
or bad luck. Sometimes these amulets
had no gods on them, but were com,
posed of cowries or bits of stone or,
ranged in the forms of locked horns,
fish Or crescents, emblematic of their
supposed powers. This superstitious
power of the necklace is widely spread
to-day among the people who are not
high in civilization. In South America
there are found necklaces of peculiar
ly marked seed which belongs to q
plant growing only on the mountains
along the snow line. These seeds,
when first gathered, are blue in color,
and are strung on strings. They are
highly valued, not only for their beau.
ty, but because of the great difficulty
in obtaining them. In the old graves
which are found now and then strings
of these seeds are often discovered, and
they are supposed to bring the great
est possible luck; especially to chill.
dren.
But one does not have to GO smone
the poems of South America or the
negroes of Africa, with their gee-gee
necklaces, to find evidence of supersti
ton. Thousands of people place neck
laces of coral beads around the necks
of babies, with the belief that they will
assist the children in teething, and
there are many persons who veal
necklaces all the time, thinking that
they bring luck. The Southern negroes
constantly wear their bead necklaces.
looking upon them as genuine charms,
and they are particular about keeping
them intact, holding that the charm is
broken If even the relative positions 81
the beads should be altered when weal
makes a new string necessary. The
common practice among some religion,
sects of wearing q medallion around
the neck hung to chain or string
is akin to this necklace idea, and, ir
fact, is variant of it.
Among men who have worn the neck
lace must be ranked the warriors oil
ancient times. The gold torques Of
the Celts, the massive gold necklaces
of the Modes, Etruscans, and Egyp
tians, which formed the most valued
insignia of the warrior class, have CONT
down to us through the pictures In the
loHUo anu olo ACTUAL opoCiiiCho III but
tombs themselves. Some of these were
enormously costly. They were bestowed
as rewards of valor and as marks OF
civic distinction. The latter survive
to-day in the gold chains of office worn
by the Mayors of cities in the Ole
World.
All orders OF knighthood had the
necklace or collar as a principal in
signium, and this custom of decoration
with the necklace dates back at least
as far as the time of Joseph, for as o
mark of his authority in Egypt Pha
raoh put gold chain about his neck
The women of antiquity rarely wore
them except rs brides, when to MARI
the respect in which they were held
necklaces were placed upon them. The
necklace, however, was o prominent
adornment of the statues of the gods.
The ornament of the necklace was SC
valued that when the Saxon dynasty
was overthrown by the Normans all
persons below certain rank were for
hidden to wear them under heavy pen
alties. In the reign of Henry VIII,
that King 80 celebrated for his wives
and his revolt against Rome, any one
who had not 92O0 per year income
could not wear o necklace. At that
time. however, they became the COM
mon ornament of women, and in the
Elizabethan dramatists there are many
illusions to them. In England amber
has always been one of the favorite
materials for the necklace.