Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1888-05-04
NEW VOL. 23-NO. 33.
TUKBLERS.

How many times day do we use a
word without stopping 10 think what
il means' Every day at luncheon and
at dinner we drink out of tumblor.
But l. for one, never thought why the
large glass that holds our milk or
water was SO called until once upon
time, happened to have luncheon at
All Souls College, Oxford. All Souls
is curious college. Ii has no students
or under graduates" "a we call them
in England. Ii consists Of a master
and number OF "fellows"-men who
have taken their degrees and have
distinguished themselves as scholars.
There is quaint old rule i'm Latin,
that says a man 10 be a Fellow OF All
Souls must be We'll born, well
dressed and n moderately good doctor
in singing" There is no question
nowadays of singing! But OF good
breeding and good scholarship there
Is. And to be elected fellow Of All
NpulN II q RiNhN ltiiOI
One OF the most distinguished Eel
lows is Professor Max Muller, the
great philologist, who though he is "a
German by birth, and was not educa-
ted at oxford, was elected To All
Soul as mark OF respect for his i'm
mense learning. THE Common ROOM"
or the Fellows smaller dining room, is
delightful old place with it, great
fireplace, and its walls all wainscoted
with black oak, while through the
great windows with. its heavy stone
mullions you look out on 10 ancient
ivy-grown buildings round a quiet
court which is filed with space OF
veivet turf On the day Of which |
speak Professor Max Muller was Civ
ing luncheon in this splendid room
To the charming and talented Princess
Alice, the wife Of the grand Duke of
lIesse Darmstadt, and second daugh-
ter OF Queen Victoria There were
not dozen guests beside the princess
and her husband, and very agreea-
ble luncheon we had, with pleasant
talk on all kinds Of interesting sub
jects.
But what excited the curiosity OF
all the strangers present was a set of
the most attractive little round bowls
OF ancient silver, about ihe size Of
large orange. They were brought
round, according to the custom of the
place, filed to the brim with the
famous ale brewed in the college.
These, we were told, were tumblers
and we were speedily shown how
they came by their names-a fitting
lesson for the guests of philologistl
When one OF these little bowls was
empty Il was placed upon the table
mouth downward. Instantly. 80 per
feet was its balance. IL few back into
it, proper position, n IL asking To be
filled again. No matter how IL was
treated. trundled along the floor, bal
anced carefully Oh it, side, dropped
suddenly upon the soft, thick carpet
up it rolled again and settled itself
with few gentle shakings and sway
ings into its place, like one al those
Indian rubber tumbling dolls your
brothers and sisters delight IN. This,
then, was the origin of our word tum-
bier, at first made OF silver. ~ are All
Souls tumblers Then, when glass
became common, the round glasses
that stood on "A fiat base superseded
the exquisitely balanced silver spheres
and stole their names so successfully
that you have 10 go To All Souls and
a few other old houses to see the real
things.
So do words, with the wonderful
life that Is Ia them, change and grow
and get fresh meaning. full Of interest
and teaching and delight To those
who think about them.