The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-11-24
HISTORY OF THE EARRING.

HISTORY OF THE EARRING.
How vaxious Netions Havo Regarded cha
Ear Pendants.
The custom of s4udding the person
with gems ID of extrcme antiquity,
and the fashion of piercing the ear
lobes for the purpose OF sustaining
gems set in gold has been followed
by most races from the earliest
times to the present day. Homex
describes how Juno placed pendants
in the lobes 0f her earn. Eardrops
were presented by Eurydamas to
Penelope, and among the Athenians
it was a mark OF nobility to have
the ears bored.
Among the Phoenicians, however,
the wearing Of earrings was the
badge Of servitude, and the same
custom obtained with the Hebrews.
The rabbis assert that Ewes ears
were bored when che was exiled
Erom Eden as q sign OF slavery and
submission to the will OF her lord
and master. The Egyptian women
wore single hoops Of gold in their
ears, and in Biblical eines the GUS
tom appears &c have baon universal.
They appear to. have been regarded
as the most cherished nossessions OF
their wearers and were only parted
with under great stress Of necessi.
ty. -Thus, the golden calf is sup.
rcsseeaa 70 have been made entirely
from the gold earnings of the peo.
pie. Among the Arabs the expnes.
sion, ito have a ring in ones ears"
is synonymous with "to be a slave, I"
and to the present day an Arab who
has. been conquered by another
places ring through his ear as
sign Of obedience and servitude.
So general was the use of earrings
in Rome and so heavy were they
that there were women whose pro.
fesaion was that Of "ear healer"
who tended the ears of those ladies
who had torn or injured the lobes
with the weight Of their pendants.
These specialists were known as au.-
rieuloe ornatirei. At one period the
Roman, men, took to weaving ear.
rings, but the custom was forbidden
by Alexander Severus, while In
Greece the children wore an earring
intne right ear only.
Coming to moro modern times,
the fashion Of wearing earrings ap.
pears to have been general in Eng.
land from the conquest.
The early Saxons appear to have
worn rings Of plain. gold in their
ears, while ia the fourteenth centu-
ry these appear to have been deco
rated with small pearls. In the reign
of Elizabeth earrings were adopted
by men Of fashion, and the custom
spread until In James I's time all
the courtiers had their ears pierced.
The earrings worn by men took the
form of either plain wire rings OF
crosses OF triangles Of gold, studded
with gems. IS
There is a very ancient noic1
which IS Still. h5id by country Eolka
that the piercing Of the ears 10 ,yood
for the sight. The origin OF .nis be
lief ia lost. but it has obtGned for
centuries. 1t is scarcely necessary
&c state mat tine belief is quite with.
out foundation.
In the middle III ages it was the Gus.
tom for lovers to present earrings
to their mistresses. and persons who
were about to be married used to
stick flower through tbs ring cz
cvsf sha 5ar, much asa clerk would
a pen, as a sign Of their being en-.
gagged.
A curious variety Of earring much
worn during the reigns Of Elizabeth
and James I swas the ear string.
This has been alluded to by many
writera. Thus in. the Westminster
drolleries we find:
yes for Thy salre will NOT bore my care
40 hang thy dustie sillrnn ehoe tie5 there
And Marston, in his satires, pub.
lished In 1898, has:
aaas zuaan'es thou. dlm thst wallns ali open
Drawn through tho ear with rihaldsf
Aa to whether the wearing of
wires through the ears is likely to
come into general fashion again in
this country we do not offer any
opinion. There must, we should
imagine. always be a prejudice
against against tho tho OF the flesh
necessary. and the custom of .hav-
ing children's ears pierced has
ceaaAsa &c s;;a general for many years,
but tho dictates cS fashion are fickle,
and it is just possible that we may
see leaders OF fashion wearing both
sac .Esa 111;oss rings before the close
of the century. Who knowai--Ex.
change.
Ne Dsplicate 60 This WesdinE Gifs.
Perhaps one Of the most peculiar
presents ever made by o bridegroom
to his bride was that Of Hon. Mau-