The morning call., 1890-08-24

Satcu questions VIII not receive any attention.
NO opinion VIII be given In this column regard
Ing the reliability or character OF any person or
Hfms In this city or elsewhere.
questions, answers 10 which are in the nature
of an advertisement, win not be answered.
Every inquiry must have the true and full
IaIne OF ihe sender, as we'll as the correct resi-
uence. ANY inquiry that has not the cor
rect name ana adore of the sender will
be treated as IL it was not signed, and the
writer need not expect an answer.
1AHRowING THE SHoE-W. X, Center
Ss52 vile, Cal. The custom Of throwing
G1gC the shoe or slipper after newly mar
ried couple is described by wel-knOwn
writer, who attributes the origin of it to
the far East. He says the custom of throw
ing slipper at another, or striking him
with it, is still practiced in the East as
sign Of remuneration. A father. for in
stance, who would rsnounce his son after
he has been convicted of being a wicked
son, will, before witnesses, take off his
shoe, and, If near enough, strike him with
1t; or, if more distant, throw it at him.
The Oriental shoe, being usually soft
slipper, is not thrown as missile, or
weapon,dor the purpose of causing bodily
pain. This explains the throwing of the
slipper as the bride leaves her fathers
house. 1t is saying to her in playful way:
BE off with you'll We renounce you, and
will have nothing more TO do with your
The same authority says further that the
taking of the shoe from the foot in the case
of the kinsman who renouneed his claim to
the Inheritance of Elmelech was merely a
legal form of remuneration which drew its
meaning from popular law. The modern
Arabs, instead of throwing the shoe, ex-
claim: "My shoe at youl This is re-
garded as token of contemptuous renun-
citation. 1t has long been a custom in En-
gland, Scotland and elsewhere to throw
an old shoe, or several shoes, at the
bride and bridegroom when they quit the
brides home after the wedding breakfast,
or when they go TO church to be married.
Some think this represents an assault and
refers to the ancient notion that the BRIDE
groom carried off the bride with force and
violence Others look upon it as relic of
the ancient law Of exchange, implying that
the parents OF the bride give up henceforth
all right of dominion to their daughter.
This was Jewish custom; thus III Deuter-
onomy, chapter XIV, verses $40, one Efads
that the widow refused by the surviving
brother asserted her independence by ''loos-
ing his shoe; and in the story OF Ruth 1t
is related that it was the custom in eX-
change to deliver shoe in token of renun-
citation. When Boaz therefore became pos
sessed of his lot the kinsman's kinsman
indicated his assent by giving Boaz his
shoe. When the Emperor Vladimir pro-
posed marriage to the daughter of Ragnald.
my shoe to the son of slave" Luther be-
ing at a wedding told the bridegroom that
he mad placed the husbands shoe on the
head of the bed, in token that he had as
sumed domination and government. In
Anglo-Saxon marriages the father delivered
the brides shoe to the bridegroom, who
touched her with it on the head to show his
authority. In Tulke the bridegroom after
marriage is chased by the guests, who either
administer blows by way of adieux or pelt
him with slippers.
OLD SHIP-E. II. D., City. The vessel
you refer to, which has been uncovered in
excavating the cellar in Davis street near
Jackson, is all that remains of the old full
rugged brig Balance. which arrived early in
1S49 from New Bedford. In the street. and
between the hull of the Balance and the
corner OF Oregon street, is the old hull of
the brig Globe, which was purchased from
the original owners by Captain Charles
Goodall and used for storage ship until
turned over TO the city and made use OF by
Chief Engineer of the Fire Department
Charles Duane, who converted 1t into els
Tern for the storage OF water to be used in
case of fire. There are also lying in close
proximity to these vessels the brigs Mag
nolia and Brilliant, which were also used
for storage ships and boarding-houses
The vessels lying at the corner Of Pacific
and Front streets are the remains of the
ship Almandrilina = signifying almond
grove-and the brig Ricardo. These YES
sells were owned by Captain III. K. Roberts,
and were brought around the Horn early in
'49, with full cargocS for the GOLD fields.
The captains young wife followed him in
1850, by way of the Isthmus, and Captain
Roberts fitted-up the Almandrlina for her
reception, until he completed the building
Of his handsome residenee-at that time the
finest in town-corner of Washington and
Stockton streets, where they have resided
ever since, and where their children were
born. The vessels were then converted
into storage warehouses, and finally into
boarding and lodging-houses, until the city
front was filled in and buildings were
erected on top Of the hulls as they lay
covered up.
SHIP-A. B., City. The application of
the term 'she" to ship is purely arbitrary.
There is a legend that the term was applied
for the reason that her outfit costs more
than her hull That is a sailors reason.
Another reason may be that every ship has
"husband"; according to Webster, zone
who attends to the requisite repairs Of a
ship while in port and does all the other
necessary acrs preparatory to a voyage"
Milton gave the female appelation when
he wrote:
Like a stately ship
Byron also in the C0rsair says:
She walks the waters like thing OF life.
And numbers of authors have adopted the
same expression. There is no ''exact rea-
SON. for so doing. A thoroughly competent
ex-Superintendent of Public Schools says
1.-THE term is an arbitrary one"
WARE. Ii. D., City. War between
England and Russia would necessarily
Geo tl,A e tl4 T,,ts cd Stntn
and all other countries having commercial
relations with the nations at war, for a
blockaded port allows neither ingress or
egIess As to the result of war between
this country and England, although such
thing is not at all likely, we can hold our
own on our own SOIL If England should
send her troops and squadrons here, 1t
would simply mean their destruction, and
the same results would follow if the United
States should send an army and navy 10
subjugate England. They would be
destroyed.
LIQUOR LAW. H.. Modesto. There is
no State in the Union in which it is against
the law to drink Intoxicating liquors as a
beverage in ones own house. The law most
nearly affecting the matter is the Maine
liquor law, which provides that any per-
son convicted of being intoxicated in the
street, or in any house, or OF disturbing
the public peace, or that of his own or any
private family is punishable by fine of
$40 or thirty days imprisonment, and for
the second .ooffense $50 or ninety days i'm
prisonment."
PURITY OF WATER-Aqua Pura, Sacra-
ramento. The following is given as SIM
pie method for testing the purity of water:
Fill clean pint bottle three-fourths full of
the water to be tested and dissolve in the
water hall teaspoonful of tile purest loaf
sugar, or granulated will answer; cork the
bottle and put it in a warm place for two
days. Ii in twenty four to forty eight hours
the water becomes cloudy or milky 1t is I'M
fit for domestic use.
ROLLED GoLD-H. II. NJ, City. Rolled
gold is made by casting an ingot Of brass,
and, while this is still hot. pouring upon it
thin layer of-gold alloy. The ing0t when
cold is forced between steel rollers until
long, thin ribbon is produced, of which the
DrODOrtlOn nj gold braSS * fhn