The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-30
CHALLENGE OF The GLOVE.
An Odd Custom That Prevailed Many
Years Ago.
At That Time Rank Was Measured by
the Style of Gloves Worn-You
Could Kiss a Maiden and Receive
Pair of Gloves in Return.
From the Chicago Times.


Could Kiss a Maiden and Receive
Pair of Gloves in Return.
From the Chicago Times.
One important article of dress has held
its own through all the mutations Of fash
ion, and that is the glove. It covers the
hand of the rihomen and the lace-makers
of to-day as it protected the fingers of the
. steel clad warriors, silken courtiers and
tapestry-m of ''auld lang syne"
Then, too, the same styles which pre-
vailed a thousand years ago may be found
on the counters of any of the large estab-
/ lishments to-day-a little more daintily
finished, little more artistically tanned
/ and cOlored, perhaps, but manufactured
/ from the same material and still retaining
the same form.
Even the gauntlets worn by the
| knights and gladiators of prehistoric
times have been stripped of their brass
| scales and are exposed for sale as appro-
| pirate coverings for the hands while
/ walking or riding out.
The very earliest form of the glove had
| no fingers but was provided with an am
/ pie wrist to protect that portion of the
arm from the cold These were worn by
I the Saxons in the time Of the Heptarchy.
| Those who could not afford so much as
| pair of gloves thrust their hands into the
/ ends of their mantle, which was shaped
for that purpose,
In the year 100 Charlemagne granted
the monks of Sithia a right to hunt for
/ the purpose Of procuring skins for max
| ing gloves and girdles About this period
the abbot and monks generally adopted
! the use of gloves, which raised quite
strife between them and the bishops,
who claimed that privilege exclusively
for themselves.
BY the assistance of the Council of AK
in the reign of Louis HDebonnaire, the in
feriOr clergy were ordered to discontinue
wearing deerskin gloves and wear only
| those made of sheepskin, as being
| humber quality and better suited to their
rank. 1t is very probable that the monks
of this period made their own gloves, as
/ they were accustomed to make many art
| iCles for their own use.
Thirty years before Columbus diScOv
| cred America commercial glove trade was
! inaugurated in England, though they had
! been worn there centuries before. The
first importation came from the low
countries and was classed among super
| ituOuS artCleS.n
BY reason of the protection it was
thought proper to give this branch of
home industry this importation was pro
! hibited, and two years after armOrial
bearings were granted to the glovers by
| Edward ".
The various STYLES now manufactured
made it possible to distinguish the social
| standing by the gloves worn. Those
manufactured from the more expensive
skins were ieweled on the back and used
exclusively by the royal family and the
higher clergy as a badge of their rank
Others were recognized by the material
of which they were manufactured, calf
skin being the most common and worn by
| the lower classes.
A pair of these same calfskin gloves
could be purchased for thirty-two cents,
but, TO illustrate the wide difference in
price, the presentation gloves of the Uni
versity of Cambridge were often worth
as much as SO per pair. In the reign of
George ii. the queens gloves did not cost
as much per dozen as is now paid for a
single pair She was considered to be
handsomely gloved, though never wear
ing a pair which cost more than sixty
cents.
The Prince of Wales was content with
gloves which cost thirty-six cents per
pair, the same price being paid for those
of the princess. Each were allowed six
teen dozen pairs per year.
! As rapid as had been the progress in
other industries there had not been a
machine invented for the manufacture of
gloves up to 1S43 An English paper of
that date, speaking of the glove trade,
| says in regard to it: The manufacture OF
| gloves is one of those things which are 50
far removed from abe class of factory OPP
erations as to afford employment to coun-
try people and cottagers at their own
homes, and, from the nature of the work,
/ is likely to continue"
( Machinery has done much but it has
not yet made gloves, or at least such
feat, if achieved, is one of the curiosities
of manufactures and is not yet to be
ranked among the features of the glove
trade. So far as gloves are concerned,
whether they cost four pence or four shil-
lings. every seam of every glove has been
sewn by hand.
Gloves have played no little part in
many historical events. No article of
wearing apparel has been vested with
such significance, in various countries
and at different periods it has been the
pledge Of friendship, of love, and of safe
ty; the symbol of hatred and defiance, of
honor and degradation, the token of 10y
atty, the tendre by which estates have
been held, and a customary Offering on
occasion Of both JOY and sorrow.
Take as an instance as far back as Bib
liCal times where the glove is spoken of
in Ruth iv Z: This was the manner in
former time in Israel concerning redeem
ing and concerning changing; for TO con
firm all things man pluckcd of his
glove and gave it to his nCighbOr and this
was testimony in Israeli In our author
lied version Of the Bible it is true, we
find the word shoe" instead of glove"
but there is little doubt of its being a
Instrumentation.
The ceremonial use of the glove in mat
| tiers of investiture and tenure may be il
Illustrated in many ways. Take as an in
stance the investment of the family of
Dymocke of the manor Scrivelsby, under
the condition of the head of the family
acting as champion" at the coronation
of the English sovereign, in which the
glove plays an important part in the cere-
mony.
The sovereign being seated in West
Minister Hall after leaving the abbey,
the champion" enters CaparisOned as
an ancient knight. and the herald-at
arms proclaims the challenge. The
champion then throws down his gaunt-
let or glove, which is allowed TO remain
on the ground for a short time and is then
picked up and returned 10 the cham
pion,n after which the sovereign drinks
to the champions health and presents
him the cup.
Taken in reference to modern taste and
opinion this may seem to be fOolishness,
but as thing of other days it has a
significant and important meaning
Security, as embalmed by the glove,
was curiously illustrated by custom pre-