Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-10-08

It is an incontrovertable fact that
 every woman feels a certain in terest in
 the subject of wedding rings. And, tn-
 deed, it is natural en ough that this
 should be so. Type and symbol beyond
 aught else of the most important crisis
 in woman's life, the wedding ring must necessarily be fraught with fasci- | nation for wife and maid, for old and
 young alike.
 Every one knows that rings were
 worn in old Bible days, tho ugh what part they originally played in the nuptial ceremony is not SO clear. But at any rate they form an important DOT tion of the wedding service among the modern Jews, the regulations in force among them on this head being very strict. The ring must in every case be examined and certified by the oflciat- ing rabbi of the synagogue, to make sure that it is of the prescribed value, and the simple operation of placing it upon the finger Is so binding that this alone, apart from any other portion of the ceremony, Is considered to const.- ute legal marriage.
 In point of fact, however, 1t is not from the Jews, but from the Romans that the nations of modern Europe de- rive their wedding ring. Among the ancient masters of the world, rings were commonly used as part of the rite of betrothal. But 1t is worth while to notice that there was one special differ ence between the ancient and the mod ern use of rings in this respect. In their original employment they were really not wedding but betrotha1 rings; that is, they were given and taken as the public expression of a mans promise to 8 woman that he would marry her. As learned writer has told us in regard to the early Italians, "a man who wished to pledge his faith to e woman, placed a ring upon her finger. which is at the present day preserved for the benedic- tion of marriage"
 Two points are thus to be remem- bered-that in the old days there were two distinct cerenonies-the betrothal and the actual wedding-both of which were equally essential to the full sol emnization of a marriage; and also that the ring was originally used, not for the second ceremony, but for the first. Such was the custom during the pagan era; and SO 1t remained throughout the early centuries of Christianity. Marriage even then, and for very considerable period afterwards, was regarded in the light of civil contract only, and was entered into before magistrate; while the ring itself was used as the symbol of promise in the preliminary rite of betrothal.
 Gradually, however, these two cere- monies became merged into one by the loss on the part of the betrothal of It's hrst formal character. For some time after this, and in consequence of 1t, there was no small uncertainty in the use of the ring, which was not untre- quently left out of the business alto gether. But, after awhile, 1t reasserted It's importance, and once more came into general use. Moreover, it now began for the first time to limit itself habItu- ally to the single hoop of plain gold-a form which has become inseparably con- nected with all our modern notions of what the wedding ring should be,
 It will thus be seen-to the surprise, doubtless of not a few readers-that the wedding ring is not a Christian in- stitution at all, but rather one which we have inherited, along with so much else in our ceremonial, directly from classical antiquity. This leads the writer to mention 8 curious point in connection with its common employment. In pagan Rome the betrothal ring was worn on the third finger (the one next to the lit tie hnger) of the left hand, as it is to- day. This position is said to have been chosen from the belief-unfounded, of oourse-that there was a vein or nerve running directly from that finger to the heart Q belief that was accepted, not alone by the ignorant masses, but also by the learned men-the doctors and philosophers of the time. But in early Christian days a good deal of con- fusion seems to have prevailed upon the matter, as a result of which the ring was often placed and worn upon the woman's right hand. In the old Saulsbury Man ual is found specific reference to this