Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1891-02-21

The s"rG '';. Ring.
| 1t is an inc>nftorpltihle fact that
| every woman fcc'S q certain interest
in the subject of Ho' ding rings. And,
| indeed. it is ! II! enough that this
| should be s.. Tyl, and symbol be-
| yond aught else Of the most Important
| crisis of woinan'S life the wedding
ring must necessarily be fraught with
| fascination for wife and maid, for old
| and young alike. Hence it is likely
| that some matter of entertainment
| may be found in the study of its his
| tory and associations.
Everyone knows that ringS were
worn in old Bible days, though what
| part they originally played in the nup-
| tial ceremony is not so clear. But at
| any rate they form an important por-
| ton 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 off
| ciating rabbi of the synagogue. to
| make sure that it is of the prescribed
| placing it upon the finger is so binding
| lldi tillS ttipiltt hiI'tl' iIblll any 'AilNI
| portion of the ceremony, is considered
to constitute a legal marriage.
| In point of fact. however, it is not
from the Jews. but from the Romans
| that the nations of modern Europe
| derive their wedding ring. Among
| the ancient masters Of the world. rings
were commonly used as part of the
| rite of bctrothaI. But it is worth
while to notice that there was one
| special difference between the ancient
| and the modern Use of rings in this
| respect. In their orig nal enfploymen
| they were really not wedding, but
| bntrothal rings; that is. they were
| given and taken as the public eX-
| preston of a mans promise to a Wo-
man that he would marry her, As a
! learned writer has ted us in regard
| to the early Italians. :" a man who
| wished to pledge his faith to a woman,
| placed a ring upon hcr finger which
is at the present day preserved for
| the bencdirtion of marriaGH.'
Two points are lhtlS to l}e rcmcm-
| herod-that in old days there were two
| distinct cercmomic%-the hctrotllal and
| the actual w d,in%-Eoth of which
were equally essential to the full
| SolcmniHati"n of Il mnrrlare: and
| also that the RING was ORIGINALLY used.
| net for the second ceremony, but for
the first. Such was the custom dur
ing the pagan era: and so it remained
throuehout tho early centuries of
| Christianity. Marriage even then.
and for a very considerable period
| afterwards. was regarded in the light
of a civil contract only, and was en-
tered into before q maoistrate: white
the ring itself was used as the symbol
of promise in the preliminary rite of
betrothaI.
Crodu,iI,. h-,rovf, thneo two cnro
ocn;as Lnr,n,n n,orrnd info ono Inv the
loss an tho ratt nf thc bntrnthal Of it's
frSt formal rharo.,trr For snmc time
after this and in consequence of it,
there v,,s no smail uncertainty in the
use of tbe ring. which was net infrc-
ouentlv left ont of the business alto
aether But. after a while il roas-
serted its Importance, and once more
| came into General usn. Moreover. if
itsalf bohitr,l,v 10 tho sinple hoon of
nlain ooldMa form which has become
insanarahlv conncctad with all our
modern notions Of whit the wedding-
rina should be-
- IN ,,.,.
~ WI .iuS NC setic.o ''ro SUI I'' iso'
douotieSs, o1 n"t leM VI re"Gt,s- WITS;
tnao li !he Wee!ulnS TIT Is hoe a oha,so
va. Ins.i'"pl'n a. "I, na'' i H,nri ;4S 1,'I
Which we i"'c i"i,en i'ru' "'unS "iIi y;
50 nl.'en eSe III ou' t,;4 ,tie,,i4l.'"' Thi w.
Iec9lH lroni !l"s>lo'I al'.iel'''eS. n,'
leaus !ne VIZ, " '.'vl'o;. .i4t ~ q .",loe''
polnI III col'i'eIsi'll Ml'i l.s 'oliliiio.' nn
elnplo1 p1 'i'tns % rn r"a", ] no''1 H. ent th;rd Sv
Gloulai Ing ""o "' 80 4ho "ii H+tIo G fnnnt oll,
hIl ~ ~ L',n ~ " V"t 'i1.'~ d M;
ol tlle lel. h''':9' a. a" ~ 10 ''-os'S LIS
posloio,i y i.r sai'' w NY pees' onosoii
lTolli Iiie ne,lel.''l i"''n.'eu, VI oo".;
1nau tllere was We, vi itl'I ~ a''laal'S naI
ulle1: :at liu,,l ir,aa1 ~, ',,@ nIana
peIlel Mnion w as $500 90 t'ou, i'oT "'ol'o l,
oy 'ne lsn9i'''e "'"sseS' tI 1 put also n5
the leaIleu 4La +;,,o ~ toia a,1, aIu
Plios?p,'edas d VI .n1 nd doni of u, onf! 1!
IN IN 10 , ulr w., ~ o,,a ,,'oraiiod ,,non tho
slon eeenf' ~ i,%n ~ f ''h;h 'o ,bo ina
lidU'eI, as I aeS1'. 90 "a "li', rnG III
',a,r;s was on;e' ,iah+ i h"md Tn tha "Id
Ma1;af,,,,, MIi''I'n :5',,l ;a fn,,nd snoo;fo rof
oa,isns - .,L';'I", 4h;s faot IN on' ;nanlar
eieioo " nhich ,,i' Y rn,s -, " snn,a intnr-
pa:saI; Z; ~ H'll ar, tbo s,I;oo+ 'o pf tho ,,,od
5svins a5mu "" ;,,o W. oonnral a, " Frnn, +biS
uini ,,, .une't M tbo hriJonroor, w.,S S'l to
W. iea = ~, o',rH 49, W." f,ar, ~ n,;ast ,,,bo
tIa ono ~ land +bis bii ioss;nc Il
nao pl'seou H. I'ie ~ Iii III h;m4o1 ~ IN
may pe ,ca'''.i heu ;s SUI af 4ha EnnIish
me hlarI'a2e S',rN l'e ., Iile ~ iieil