Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-01-16

been that of Simon the tanner
We have many pieces of skin and leather
from the Egyptian tombs in state of per-
feet preservation, which passed through
the hands Of the tanner more than thirty
centuries ago, and which, but for the inven-
ton of this process, must have persisted In
few hours after they had left the car
casses from which they were stripped
ORIGIN OF ORNAMENTS.
Rings and Bracelets Survive as Relics Of
Barbarism and Servitude.
Few who bedeck themselves with gold
and silver ornaments pause to reflect npon
the original Specification Of such things. or
imagine that they are the reIies of the bar
barism Of our early history, says the Lon
don Standard Yet, undoubtedly, such is
the case. The glittering necklet which the
nineteenth century lady clasps around her
neck is only q survival of the old practice
OF placing metal collar upon slave as a
mark of ownership, ard the bracelet of the
maiden and the manaele of the felon have
common origin. In the same way rings
were once worn as badge of serfdom. but
possibly because of the ease with which
they could be detached from the finger and
destroyed their use for this purpose was
soon abandoned Among the early Jews
they were used as a symbol Of authority.
Pharoah placed his ring upon the finger of
Joseph when he made him ruler over Egypt.
as sign that he had invested him with su-
preme power: and King Ahasuerus sealed
his grant to Mordecai and the Jews with
MS slgnet ring, saying: "That which is
sealed with the Kings seal no man may re-
verse" In medieval times the signet ring
OF sovereign or powerful noble was con-
sidered sufficient warrant Of AUTHORITY, and
to the wearer was an open sesame ia all
places where its owner had influence
Some OF this Specification has been handed
down to our own day, and bishops still weaJ
ring upon the third finger of the right
hand as mark OF their episcopal authority
Medicated rings, having the supposed
power OF alternating or curing disease
can be traced back as far as the time of
Marcus A1relius. Trojan, physician Of
the fourth century, possessed a signet-
ring on which was engraved representa-
tlon OF Hercules strangling the Nam8an
non, and which was certain cure for collie
In our own country Edward the Confessor
was presented with a ring which was an
unfalling remedy for epilepsy, and which
was preserved for some centuries at West
Minister Abbey. In the cathedral at Perugia
is still shown a ring which is said to be the
weddlng-rlng OF the Virgin Mary, and
which has performed 80 many miracles that
a book was written on them in the seven
teenth century. Other marvellous powers
besides the curing of diseases have been at
tributed to rings. Otnet, King of Lombardy,
was the happy possessor of one, which
would always-no matter where he wan
dered-dlrect him into the right path, ring
Which would be useful in London during
the November fogs, and many juveniles and
perhaps adults have sighed for the ring
OF Aladdin which controlled the obedient
and obliging genii
There was ring belonging to Gyges,
King OF Lydia, which has ever been
favorite with the imaginative. 1t enabled
the wearer to become invisible at will, and
to change the solid components of the BODY
Tor more elastic and ETHEREAL material, to
which bolts and bars or brick walls offered
no obstruction. How convenient such
ring would be nowadays. The much-dunned
householder could boldly take his morning
| constitutional without fear of the tax-col-
lector or Infatuated butcher, and could en-
| counter his most pressing creditor without
| a tremor The vagaries of fashion could be
treated with contempt, and an impecunious
acquaintance or a conceited bore could be
avoided with ease. What an acquisition
such thing would be to gentleman fol-
| ANNAAS VIC PIOICSSIOu VI d DuTRldrI III Is
| easy to imagine dozen uses to which pol
luclan could put it, and, in fact, there are
few persons who would not find it con-
venient at times to be able to make them
selves absent in the flesh but present in
the spirit. In the present day rings are
almost exclusively worn as ornaments,
with no Specification beyond that
attached to each-with the excep-
ton, perhaps, of wedding-rings These
were first introduced by the Jews and have
a history Of their own. While sharing with
other rings the common origin they have
changed much less in form and meaning.
First used as symbol of possession when
the wife was the slave of the husband, it
soon attained higher significance, which it
has retained until now. The shape is said
to symbolic eternity and truthfulness, and
1t was placed upon the left hand as a marx
of the submissiveness of the wife to the
husband, and on the third finger because of
| a supposed direct connection between the
vein which runs through that finger and the
| heart, physiological error which can hardly
be forgiven for the sake of the sentiment
which it suggests. Pliny speaks of wedding
| rings as being made of iron, but Tertullian
writing less than two hundred years later,
describes them as being of gold-the change
in metal probably corresponding with the
change IN the position of the wife, marking
her progress from a serf to the equal of the
| husband. Many of the superstitions at
tached to weddings and wedding-rings have
died out, but even now it is not an uncom-
| mon thing FOR jewelers. to mark as ''iucky'
the wedding-rings which they have for sale.
! Parliament, which Is not often given to
sentiment, has thought fit to lsglslate on
behalf of the purchasers of wedding rings,
and thirty years ago passed an act requir-
ing all such rings to be made of standard
gold.
A curious wedding ceremony formerly
took place every Ascension Day at Venice
called the wedding of the Adriatic." The
| Doge Of Venice, in his state barge, and in
company with his mobiles, arrayed in all the
magnihcence for which Venice was IA
nous, proceeded to sea, where an elaborate
and impressive ceremony was gone through,
at the end of which the Doge, standing on
the gilded prov Of the Bacentaur, threw a
ring into the water as a sign that the
Adriatic was welded to Venice as indis-
solubly as a wife to her husband. First
performed in the year l179, the ceremony
was repeated yearly without a single omls-
sion until 1877, when Napoleon Bonaparte
took possession of Venice, and her ex-
istence as an independent power and the
ssWedding of the Adriatic'' ceased together
A Worsi About Second Wives.
When elderly men marry a second OF
third time there is usually a CYNICAL out.
burst of laughter among those who know
them. Where does the laugh come inl Il
. MAJ has married good wife the first
time Is 1t not natural that he should try tc
console himself with second! If he has
made mistake the first time it is not q
compliment to the fair sex IN general if hs