Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-10-18
THE HISTORY OF GLOVES
How They Became Articles Of Ralmen
and Played Part In History.

How They Became Articles OF Raimeut
and Played q Part In History.
One Of the earliest records Of the use Of
gloves in England is found In the reign Of
Ethelred H.. to whom some German mer-
chants paid = toll Of i've pairs Of gloves.
Il was not, however. until the eleventh cen
tury that they were generally worn by both
sexes pair Of gloves Is said TO be at the
bottom OF the quarrel between Queen Anne
and the Duchess Of Marlborough. which drove
the Queen 10 throw herself In the arms Of
the Tories. According to Abigail Hllls ac-
count. she was sent one day by her mis-
,ress 10 get pAl- OF gloves. which had been
Isft on q table In an adjoining room. Abb
gall found that the Duchess. who was read
ing a letter at the table. had inadvertently
put on the gloves instead Of her own. On
being Informed Of her mistake she flung
them on the ground. exclaiming: Have /
really worn anything which has touched the
odious hands Of that dlsagreeable woman!-
Unfortunately for her Grace. the door be-
tween the rooms had been left ajar; the
Queen heard all and never forgave It.
Queen Anne's were not the only gloves
10 bring about an important political crisis.
II Jeanne d. Albert was due to poison ,ad-
ministered through q pair OF gloves. The
Queen Of Navarro had come to Paris to ar
range the marriage OF her son (afterward
Henri IV.) with Marguerite Of Valois, daugh-
Ter Of Henri IL and Catherine de Medici.
Like many another lady she seized the op-
portunity for doing a little shopping. and
Der i'll fate led her to the Italian perfumer.
Maitre Rene, from whom she bought q pair
of scented gloves. Immediately afterward
she was struck down by a fatal illness and
| the Huguenots whispered that It was not for
nothing that Maitre Rene's goods were 90
highly esteemed by Queen Catherine, for
whom Queen Jeanne's death proved most
opportune.
Even before the days Of Maitre Rene
Paris gloves were celebrated. Margaret
Tudor. Countess Of Richmond, wrote In
1895 to the Queens Chamberlain, lamenting
that the French gloves that he had sent her
were 'too much for her hand. and slyly
adding that the French ladies must be great
altogether, not only In estates but In their
persons" A few years later the Queen Of
France was sending ring and glove To the
King of Scotland, not for the benefit OF his
wife, but to tempt him into quarreling with
his brother-in-law, Henri VIII. Those fatal
tokens lured James ~. to Flodden Field.
Still more celebrated has been the glove
which. after this period, was flung into q
lions den. II that glove. which Sire de
Lorges tossed back into his lady's face can
not strictly be said to have played a part In
history, Its legend has been familiar to US
from childhood, and has long been feature
in every volume of selections intended. to
use an old-fashioned phrase, ''for the use
Of youag persons"
King Francis and his laughing court might
we'll have shuddered could they have looked
forward for two centuries and half, and
seen what gloves would be regarded as the
height of fashion In 1894 No perfumed and
jeweled trifes. fringed with gold and en-
brodered in silk came from the tannery
which a good patriot established at Meudon.
The gloves which he offered to his patrons
were made from human skins-the skins
OF victims to La Sainte Guillotlne. 1t would
have been we'll could old Simon Glover have
returned from the grave to strike good
blow to avenge the honor Of his craft. The
motto of the Glovers Of Perth. 1.-THE per-
feet honour Of a craft, or beauty Of trade,
is not in wealth but in moral worth, whereby
virtue gains renowne," could never have
been blazoned above the door of the Meudon
tannery.