The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-13
ALL ABOUT LOVING CUPS
WHY THEY ARE THE BEST THINGS
IN THE WORLD FOR GIFTS.
Their Delightful and POeticaI Useless
ness-StOry of Their Invention by
King of France.
New York Tribune.

New York Tribune
One of the prettiest fancies about wine is
that it begins to stir in it's casks and work
and strive to burst it's bonds at the time OF
the year when the vines that bore it are in
blossom. Perhaps it is a fact, as well a
fancy. If it is, so much the better. The
question is whether it is safe to assume
that the approach of the time of the bios
soning of the vine has anything to do with
the fashion of giving loving cups to those
who deserve them more or less.
A year or so ago there arose a panic in
loving cups SO great that the silversmiths
had to work overtime. Then politics alb
sorbed the public mind for a time, and the
shops had a few cups left on their hands.
But they were all used up this spring, and
now, it is said the demand again exceeds
the supply. 1t is lucky for those who fancy
that the loving cups to which they subscribe
are going to be eternal memorials of their
affection that the cause OF free silver has
not yet triumphed month after it does,
If it ever does, there will not be a loving
cup left in the land. Indeed the old Italian
sculptor who scorned silver work was not
far from right when he said that he who
designed for silver designed for the melting
put 4Ol ludl was NlS1S OH ollNSl WClAC az
last When it is considered for how many
centuries the manufacture has been going
on there is really very little old silver in
the world. In country where the whole
wealth of a family passes from oldest son
to oldest son, family plate may be saved
for a number of generations, but in this
country what will the great-great-g grandson
of a prominent district leader care for the
tender associations that cluster around the
loving cup that was given to his great
t-grandfather? If he needs the money,
will he not in a moment sell it for the silver
that is in it, provided that his father or
his grandfather did not sell it before he
got chance?
IT IS USELESS.
This is only part of the sad side of the
loving cup. Another part is it's comparative
uselessness even to the original receiver
of it, At the time when he makes his little
speech of thanks he thinks that nothing
could be more beautiful or appropriate, but
how will it be when the excitement is over?
A loving cup is supposed to be called
because of the clOseness of the affection
displayed by the company which drinks out
of it, as it passes from hand to hand. But
everybody who is any sort of a drinker
knows how inconvenlent it is to have the
cup containing the drink before one only
one-twentieth of the time. And then what
guarantee is there that everybody Will drink
fair? This is one of the things that thrust
themselves ike WeUS6S DetWCGn lIleHuS,
even when all begin honestly and with the
best intentions. Then, too, 1t is common
to make a loving cup with ridiculous far
ing edge, so that it is extremely hard to
drink out of a all, except when it is almost
full, and if it stayed full it would not be
loving cup. If it is big enough it may
be very good to mix punch in. the same
to be dipped out into glasses with ladle,
but if not it is better to keep in a glass
case to be looked at than for any practical
purpose In any case it, of course, necessl-
tates extra precautions against burglars,
and extra insurance.
But on the other hand, the very useless
ness of the loving cup makes it especially
appropriate at present. The receiver of
the loving cup is free from the stigma of
accepting a useful present. If a present is
useful it carries with it the implication that
the receiver of it cannot, or at least does
he needs, and that his friends are trying
to fill some of the omissions. They are
trying to help him because they see that
he needs help, and the thought must be
humiliating to any sensitive soul. A pres
ent, to fulfill the perfect requirement of
present charged with true sentiment and
meaning. should be utterly and hopeleSsly
useless to the receiver of it. For instance,
give a gold watch to a man who is known
to carry a famous old timekeeper that his
grandfather owned, from which he would
not on any account be parted. Give a gold
headed cane to one who has known aver
sion to carrying any. Give a set of en-
crossed resolutions, in a frame four feet
square, to man who lives in small house
and has exquisite taste in its decoration.
y
Then the gift, being obviously intended to
supply no want whatever, will be a pure
mark of good will, good-fellowship and at
lection, and the man who can take 1T with
out mingling his tears with the first and
last wine that it ever contains does not de-
serve to have it, and it was a mistake to
give it to him. His son will melt it up if
he doesn't do it himself. and the memory
of blunder will have passed away.
ITS ANTHOLOGY.
Nothing so poetical and graceful and in
spring and cheerful and altogether lovely
as loving cup could get along without its
mythology; so here is the mythology of the
loving cup-that is to say, it sounds like
mythology. The cup was invented by
certain King of France. The fact that his
name does not appear goes to show that
the story is a myth. On his rides through
the country he was in the habit of stop
ping to drink at a certain inn. His drink
was brought to him, and he sat on his
horse. by the barmaid. who always held the
tankard by it's handle, so that the King was
put to the inconvenience of taking it by
the bowl Now. the King, being a King
OF France, man of such true deli
cacy that he would not run the RISK OF
hurting the feelings of the barmaid by tell
ing her that she ought to hand him the
tankard handle first. This is another thing
that sounds like mythology. or perhaps
she was good looking. At any rate, what
he did was to order that tankards should
be made with two handles This produced
the form of receptacle since called some
times a parting cup. But in this state of
affairs the barmaid took to holding the
tankard up to the King by both handles,
taking it IN both her hands, and again there
was no handle left for the King. SO the
King gave another order that takards
should thenceforth be made with three
handles The barmaid thought that it was
a useless order, as it provided for handle
that she had no hand to take hold of; but
kings have to be humored, ana so the loV-
ing cup began to be.
If the King of France who died in the
age of fable could only how his sim
pie invention has taken hold Of the fancy Hn
everybody clubs together to give loving
cups to everybody else; and how fondness
and affection and loyalty grow and -four
ish out of their empty cavities, he would
go to sleep again in his grave with the ;.
proud consciousness that he did more good
for the world than half the kings who have
tried so hard to set ii by the ears before
his time and since.
Applications of Water.
chronological Journal